[GL] I'm Just A Side Character... So Why Is The Heroine Chasing Me?!-Chapter 80: A dangerous feeling

Lan Yue woke up the next morning with purpose.

It was a dangerous feeling.

Purpose meant she had decided something. And when she decided something, it usually led to consequences that ranged from mildly embarrassing to completely catastrophic.

She sat up in bed, stared straight ahead, and nodded to herself.

"Today," she said quietly, "I will act normal."

Across the room, Zhao Lingxi opened her eyes.

Lan Yue froze.

"...You heard nothing," she added.

"I heard everything," Zhao Lingxi replied.

"Then forget it."

"I do not think I will."

Lan Yue flopped back onto her pillow. "This is already going badly."

"It has been less than a minute."

"And yet," Lan Yue said, pointing at the ceiling, "the energy is off."

Zhao Lingxi sat up slowly, her movements as composed as ever. "Define normal."

Lan Yue sat up again, determination returning. "Normal is... no panicking. No pacing. No accidental... collisions."

Zhao Lingxi’s gaze flickered, just briefly, to Lan Yue’s lips.

Lan Yue noticed.

Her brain immediately attempted to shut down.

"See," Lan Yue said quickly, gesturing wildly, "this is what I mean. We cannot keep doing that. The looking. The remembering. The... everything."

"The everything," Zhao Lingxi repeated.

"Yes."

"Is problematic."

"Extremely."

Zhao Lingxi considered this, then nodded once. "Very well."

Lan Yue blinked. "Very well?"

"We will act normal."

"That is... suspiciously easy."

"I can make it difficult if you prefer."

"No, no, easy is good. Easy is safe."

Zhao Lingxi stood, smoothing her robes. "Then let us proceed with ease."

Lan Yue watched her for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "You are too calm."

"I am always calm."

"That is not true. Yesterday you laughed so hard you slid down a wall."

Zhao Lingxi paused.

A faint trace of amusement crossed her face. "An isolated incident."

"I will remember it forever."

"I am aware."

Lan Yue got out of bed, stretching. "Good. As long as we understand each other."

She walked toward the table, reached for the teapot, and poured herself a cup without incident.

This was good.

This was normal.

She lifted the cup.

Their fingers brushed.

Lan Yue dropped the cup.

It hit the table, miraculously did not break, and spilled tea everywhere.

They both stared at it.

Silence.

Then Lan Yue slowly turned her head to Zhao Lingxi.

"I would like to revise my earlier statement," she said. "Normal is cancelled."

Zhao Lingxi picked up a cloth and calmly began wiping the table. "Noted."

Lan Yue pressed her hands over her face. "I touched your hand and my entire body forgot how to function."

"You dropped a cup."

"I dropped my dignity."

"You still have some left."

"Debatable."

Zhao Lingxi finished cleaning and set the cup upright again. "Try again."

Lan Yue stared at the cup like it had personally betrayed her. "No."

"Lan Yue."

"I refuse."

Zhao Lingxi lifted the cup and held it out.

Lan Yue hesitated.

Then, very carefully, she reached out and took it.

No spilling.

No disaster.

She exhaled. "See. Growth."

"Impressive."

"I am evolving."

Zhao Lingxi’s lips curved slightly. "At this rate, you may achieve normal by next year."

"Cruel."

They finished their tea in relative peace.

Relative being the key word.

Every now and then, their eyes would meet, and one of them would look away just a second too late. The memory of yesterday lingered between them, not as sharp as before, but still very much present.

After a while, Zhao Lingxi set her cup down. "Zhao Han will arrive today."

Lan Yue straightened immediately. "Today."

"Yes."

Lan Yue’s expression shifted, her usual humor giving way to something more focused. "Are you ready?"

Zhao Lingxi was quiet for a moment.

Then she nodded. "I believe so."

Lan Yue studied her.

There was no visible tension, no sign of hesitation. But she had learned, over time, that Zhao Lingxi did not show uncertainty easily.

"You have not seen him in years," Lan Yue said gently.

"No."

"And the last time..." She trailed off.

"The last time," Zhao Lingxi finished, "I was being escorted out of the main house under guard."

Lan Yue’s chest tightened.

"Then this matters," she said.

"It does."

Lan Yue nodded once. "Okay."

She stood up. "Then we do this properly."

Zhao Lingxi looked at her. "Define properly."

Lan Yue started pacing again, but this time with purpose that actually made sense.

"First, presentation," she said. "You need to look like yourself. Not the version they tried to bury. The version that survived."

Zhao Lingxi raised an eyebrow. "And what does that look like."

"That," Lan Yue said, pointing at her, "but more intimidating."

"I am already intimidating."

"More."

Zhao Lingxi considered this. "Very well."

"Second," Lan Yue continued, "I will not act like your servant."

"You will not."

"I will stand next to you."

Zhao Lingxi’s gaze softened slightly. "You will."

"And third," Lan Yue said, stopping in front of her, "if anything feels wrong, you signal me."

"What kind of signal."

Lan Yue thought for a moment. "Something subtle."

"Such as."

"I do not know. A look."

"I always have a look."

"A different look."

Zhao Lingxi almost smiled. "Very helpful."

"I am doing my best."

"I can see that."

Lan Yue crossed her arms. "The point is, you are not alone in this."

"I know," Zhao Lingxi said quietly.

The sincerity in her voice made Lan Yue pause.

For a second, the room felt very still again.

Not awkward.

Just... full.

Lan Yue cleared her throat. "Good. Then we are prepared."

A knock sounded at the door.

Both of them turned.

Lan Yue’s heart skipped. "That was fast."

Zhao Lingxi stood. "It may not be him."

"It is definitely him," Lan Yue said. "This has the energy of an important arrival."

Zhao Lingxi walked to the door.

For a brief moment, her hand hovered near the handle.

Then she opened it.

A young man stood outside.

He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in the formal robes of the Zhao family. His posture was straight, but there was a tension in his shoulders that he had not quite managed to hide.

His eyes landed on Zhao Lingxi.

Everything else seemed to fall away.

"Jie," he said.

The word was soft. Careful. Like something he had been holding onto for a very long time.

Zhao Lingxi did not move.

For a fraction of a second, the composure slipped.

"Han’er," she replied.

Lan Yue watched the moment unfold from a step behind.

Zhao Han stepped forward.

Then stopped, as if unsure whether he was allowed to get any closer.

"I was not sure," he said, his voice tight, "if they would actually let me see you."

"They did," Zhao Lingxi said.

"Yes."

Silence stretched.

Then, suddenly, Zhao Han closed the distance and pulled her into a hug.

Zhao Lingxi stiffened.

Just for a moment.

Then, slowly, she relaxed.

Her arms came up, returning the embrace.

Lan Yue looked away.

It felt like something private. Something that did not need an audience.

After a few seconds, they separated.

Zhao Han stepped back, his eyes scanning Zhao Lingxi’s face like he was confirming that she was real.

"You look..." he started, then stopped.

"Different," Zhao Lingxi supplied.

"Stronger," he corrected.

A small pause.

Then his gaze shifted.

To Lan Yue.

"And this is?" he asked.

Lan Yue straightened.

This was it.

The moment.

Zhao Lingxi did not hesitate.

"This is Lan Yue," she said. "She is someone important to me."

Zhao Han’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

He looked between them.

Once.

Twice.

Something in his expression changed.

Understanding, perhaps.

Or curiosity.

"It is good to meet you," he said.

Lan Yue met his gaze evenly. "You too."

There was a brief silence.

Then Zhao Han smiled.

It was not guarded like Zhao Lingxi’s usual expressions. It was open. Warm.

"I have heard nothing about you," he said.

Lan Yue blinked. "That is... not surprising."

"But," he continued, glancing at his sister, "I can see enough."

Lan Yue followed his gaze.

Zhao Lingxi was watching her.

Steady.

Calm.

And something else.

Something that made Lan Yue’s chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with panic this time.

"Oh," Lan Yue said under her breath.

Zhao Han’s smile widened slightly.

"Yes," he said.

Lan Yue cleared her throat and looked away. "Well. This is... happening."

Zhao Lingxi’s lips curved, just barely.

"Yes," she said. "It is."

Zhao Han stepped fully into the room, his gaze still moving between them with quiet interest.

"I hope I am not intruding," he said.

"You are not," Zhao Lingxi replied.

Lan Yue gestured toward the table. "Please, sit. Preferably without causing any emotional or physical disasters. We have reached our daily limit."

Zhao Han paused, then let out a small laugh. "I will do my best."

He sat.

Lan Yue sat as well, folding her hands in front of her in what she hoped looked like composure and not barely contained chaos.

Zhao Lingxi poured tea for her brother.

The movement was smooth. Familiar. There was something softer in it than before.

Zhao Han accepted the cup with both hands. "I wrote to you," he said quietly. "Every month."

"I know," Zhao Lingxi replied.

"They said you never answered."

"They made sure I could not."

His grip tightened slightly on the cup. "I thought... maybe you did not want to."

Zhao Lingxi shook her head. "Never that."

The tension in Zhao Han’s shoulders eased.

Lan Yue watched them, her chest feeling unexpectedly tight.

Six years.

Six years of letters that never reached their destination.

"That is cruel," she said before she could stop herself.

Both of them looked at her.

Lan Yue lifted her chin slightly. "Blocking letters. That is low, even for powerful families."

Zhao Han studied her for a moment.

Then he nodded. "I agree."

A brief silence settled.

Then, unexpectedly, Zhao Han smiled again. "You speak very directly."

Lan Yue blinked. "I have been told that is both a strength and a problem."

"I can see why my sister chose you," he said.

Lan Yue froze.

Chose.

Again.

She glanced at Zhao Lingxi.

Zhao Lingxi did not correct him.

Did not deny it.

Lan Yue looked back at Zhao Han, her expression shifting into something a little more confident.

"Well," she said, "your sister has excellent judgment."

Zhao Lingxi let out a quiet breath that might have been the beginning of a laugh.

And just like that, the atmosphere in the room lightened, not completely, but enough to make space for something new to begin.