Why Are the Psychos Obsessed with a Mere NPC?
Chapter 23: F6, F7, Reaching a Consensus

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: F6, F7, Reaching a Consensus

It had to be said, Xu Jianjuan had achieved her goal. She had gotten her wish and taken over my role as a background character.

The female lead’s name gradually vanished from the forums. From here on, all Xu Jianjuan had to do was lie low, and she could become a truly peripheral character.

’In a Mary Sue world, is all this scheming and backstabbing really necessary?’

Jian Yu couldn’t understand.

The consequence of running her mouth was her wish coming true. She had very likely become the world’s new female lead—and what’s more, the original female lead had forcibly shoved the role onto her.

’Wishes... making a wish...’

In an instant, clarity filled Jian Yu’s eyes.

’Was the female lead reborn?’

She opened her eyes and called out softly, "Stop fighting."

Ling Yanzhi stopped at once, his eyes turning a beautiful, utterly bewitching crimson.

Xi Yu took two steps forward, blocking him with his body.

"Get out of the way."

The two locked eyes, the tension between them flaring.

Jian Yu’s gaze dropped, her expression listless. "When are you two going to be done? These bindings are a little tight. I think my leg is cramping up."

Xi Yu’s expression shifted, his guard momentarily down.

"Are you insane? Why did you tie her up for no reason!" Ling Yanzhi shoved him aside with his shoulder and appeared at the bedside in a flash.

He undid the silk ribbon, took her ankle with a light grip, and gently massaged her calf.

"Does it hurt?"

Jian Yu shook her head. "It’s fine."

In the next moment, Xi Yu had rushed over and gathered her hands, holding them against his chest. He stroked and kneaded them, sending a tingling sensation through her skin.

From the corner of her eye, Jian Yu’s gaze shifted back and forth between Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi.

’Since the female lead doesn’t want them, I’ll take them. I’ll take them both.’

’For men steeped in power, a few soft words and a small show of gentleness are all it takes to make someone fall completely.’

’Conveniently, I’m used to liking someone internally while rejecting them verbally. But men like Xi Yu don’t understand rejection; they’ll stop at nothing to take what they want.’

Jian Yu remembered that in the original story, the male leads didn’t mind sharing.

’No, I can’t be too obvious. If I’m too easy to get, they won’t cherish me.’

Classic scenes from all sorts of trashy novels flashed through her mind.

’A little push and pull? Playing hard to get?’

’Maybe I should also find an obstacle to solidify their feelings for me.’

’Sheng Yue. He has a similar status to them, but he’s cold and aloof. You can tell just by looking at him that he wouldn’t like me.’

Jian Yu thought for a moment, drafted a script in her mind, and then pretended to blurt out, "If only Chairman Sheng liked me too."

Two pairs of eyes shot toward her, filled with displeasure, astonishment, shock, and indignation.

A smile touched Ling Yanzhi’s lips, but his eyes were dangerous. "Say that again?"

"You like Sheng Yue?" Xi Yu’s gaze darkened. "You’re mine."

"But there’s only one of me. I can’t be split in two." Jian Yu’s speech was slow and deliberate, making it hard for anyone to get angry at her.

She seemed to have very little energy, looking listless with an impassive face that showed even less emotion than Sheng Yue’s.

Her nose was small and delicate with a softly rounded tip, and her large eyes were innocent and clear. Even with a cold expression, she still managed to look somewhat cute.

Like a pool of hot spring water—calm on the surface but warm and soft underneath.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Lots of people like Chairman Sheng." Jian Yu watched their expressions, carefully calibrating her game of push and pull.

’Men like them—rich, handsome, and powerful, who also fit my standards for a partner—were a once-in-a-lifetime find.’

’No matter the outcome, I have to try. I need to fight for another path to survival.’

’I don’t mind them going crazy, as long as their madness doesn’t actually hurt me.’

"What do you like about him?" Xi Yu couldn’t understand.

’In terms of personal strength, I’m number one. In terms of family influence, Ling Yanzhi is number one.’

’If she had to choose, it should be between the two of us!’

"The Little Snow Leopard is very cute, and Chairman Sheng is like... a flower on a high peak."

Jian Yu racked her brain and finally, dazedly, forced out, "I just do."

"Ngh—!" Her wrists were pinned, and her body fell halfway against Xi Yu.

He crashed his lips against hers like a mad dog.

Jian Yu made a show of pushing him away, gradually adding a little more strength.

’This is hilarious. What am I even pretending for? I can’t move him at all.’

Her chest heaved erratically, her breathing ragged. Just as she was about to run out of air, a sob escaped Jian Yu’s throat.

Ling Yanzhi took hold of her leg and met Xi Yu’s eyes.

An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them in an instant.

Xi Yu slowly released her.

Jian Yu gasped for breath, disoriented for a moment before her body was turned over.

Xi Yu wrapped an arm around her waist, grabbing both of her hands.

Ling Yanzhi half-rose, kneeling on the edge of the bed.

He pressed down on her shoulder, yanked her head toward him, and kissed her without a shred of mercy.

"Mmph."

Her breath was ruthlessly plundered, her soft whimpers swallowed between their lips.

A strong sense of suffocation washed over her, and a dull ache spread through her chest.

After two lingering kisses, the corners of Jian Yu’s eyes were flushed red. Her world felt light and adrift, and she couldn’t find her balance.

Ling Yanzhi gently pushed her away.

She fell back onto Xi Yu’s lap.

"You poor thing." Xi Yu leaned down and whispered intimately in her ear.

Ling Yanzhi had put his mask back on, smiling as he asked her, "Are you uncomfortable anywhere else?"

Pressing her swollen lips together, Jian Yu didn’t dare provoke them again. "No... no strength. I’m a little numb."

She leaned bonelessly in Xi Yu’s embrace, but the person she was facing was Ling Yanzhi, the Red Snake coiled around his neck.

Jian Yu’s eyes were brimming with unshed tears, the corners flushed crimson—the very picture of pitiful, lingering fear.

"I’m sorry." The hostility in Ling Yanzhi’s eyes faded as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"Let me massage it for you again."

He still looked so gentle. Not only had the forum posts and what just happened failed to tear off his mask of pretense, but he had even become more considerate.

’Making them fight over me helps strengthen their feelings. I’m smart; I know what men in power like.’

’Pretend to be pitiful, act like a captive... men, well, they like this kind of dynamic. That’s how it’s always written in novels.’

A frigid aura radiated from Xi Yu. Time and again he looked like he wanted to make a move, but he forced himself to hold back.

Jian Yu deliberately snuck a peek at him. "I’m a little scared."

’Personally, I thought I was being coquettish.’

’Unfortunately, neither of the two men present saw it that way.’

’It was completely lost on them.’

"Let’s go back." Ling Yanzhi picked her up, ready to leave.

Xi Yu gripped one of Jian Yu’s hands, refusing to let her go. "If you’re going, go by yourself. Leave her here."

The situation was a stalemate once again. Neither was willing to give in.

Jian Yu glanced from one to the other, then looked down and rubbed her stomach. "I’m a little hungry."

With a deadpan expression, she said, "Can you get me something to eat, and then you two can take your time discussing things?"

At the dining table, both men sat down at the same time.

Jian Yu was sandwiched in the middle, turning a deaf ear to them as she sipped her porridge in small mouthfuls.

"Want some?"

Jian Yu turned her head, opened her mouth, and ate the small shrimp Ling Yanzhi held to her lips.

He arched his eyebrows smugly.

Xi Yu’s fists clenched.

His anger was about to boil over, and Jian Yu, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, knew she couldn’t keep giving him the cold shoulder.

She quickly pushed a plate of fish toward him.

She looked at Xi Yu, then at the fish. "There are a lot of bones."

A large hand beside her took the plate of fish away.

Ling Yanzhi, with his eyes lowered in a show of obedience, picked up a fork and chopsticks and carefully began deboning it.

Jian Yu stared blankly, her eyes slowly shifting.

She swallowed hard and thought, ’Seven men might be a bit much. Just two of them are already a handful.’

’It was probably a rule of the original novel. Sheng Yue, Pei Yin, Ling Yanzhi, and then Xi Yu... once you get involved with one, the rest come running as if they caught a scent.’

’The difference was that everyone fell for the original female lead, whereas now, only the last two to appear have shown any interest in me.’

’In the original story, Xi Yu, who was supposed to appear last, had shown up even earlier than Duan Feiye this time.’

"Big deal. I won’t leave either. The three of us can sleep together."

Ling Yanzhi scoffed. There was no room for negotiation.