Even as the protagonist of a power fantasy novel, why did she still have to endure the torture of attending classes?
Xia Mengxi gazed wistfully out the window, her mind completely absent from the lecture.
Moreover, she couldn’t help stealing glances at Lin Xue’er beside her, her captivating profile and serene demeanor perfectly matched Xia Mengxi’s preferences. She just adored girls of that type.
Perhaps sensing Xia Mengxi’s gaze, Lin Xue’er, who had been engrossed in the lesson, inadvertently turned her head, and their eyes met.
The sudden encounter made Xia Mengxi feel as though she had been caught red-handed.
“Ah! X-Xue’er, I wasn’t intentionally staring at you!”
“Pfft, hehe, Xiao Xi, you’re getting cuter by the day.”
For a boy to be called “cute” repeatedly by a girl was downright humiliating.
Determined to reclaim his masculine pride, Xia Mengxi resolved to showcase his tough-guy side in front of her.
Just then, an option appeared.
[Young lady, do you wish to become 100% dominant? Then make your choice!]
[Option A: Kiss Lin Xue’er directly on the lips, then lick your lips and declare: “Xue’er, your first kiss belongs to me now.”]
[Choosing this option will grant you a masochistic constitution for one week.]
Huh?!
The sudden appearance of the option startled Xia Mengxi—she still wasn’t used to it—but what shocked her even more was what Option A demanded and its accompanying side effect.
What kind of nonsense was this?!
Not only was she supposed to force a kiss on Lin Xue’er, but she’d also become a masochist?
How was that “100% dominant”? Pure clickbait!
After just one glance, Xia Mengxi dismissed Option A outright and shifted her gaze downward to the next line.
[Option B: Admit that you are indeed cute and boast that your level of cuteness will make you universally adored.]
[Choosing Option B will increase Lin Xue’er’s ???.]
Ad… admit she was cute? And brag about it?!
Having encountered these choices for the second time, Xia Mengxi realized they were tailor-made to torment her.
Otherwise, why would every option go against her instincts?
The reappearance of the question marks in Option B puzzled her deeply.
What did they signify? Could it be something like affection points?
But her gut told her it wasn’t anything positive like that.
Still, she had no choice but to take things one step at a time.
With an awkward chuckle, she turned to Lin Xue’er and said, “Cute? Well, I’m not that cute… just universally adored, flowers blooming in my wake, that sort of thing.”
So… so embarrassing!
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xia Mengxi’s cheeks flushed pink.
Thin-skinned by nature, she was utterly mortified by her own shameless boasting.
Strangely, however, the girl beside her didn’t find it amusing-instead, her expression darkened.
Xia Mengxi had seen this before on their way to school earlier, when she’d asked Lin Xue’er if she was looking forward to making new friends.
Had… had she stepped on another landmine?
“Universally adored… That won’t do.”
“X-Xue’er?”
For some reason, seeing Lin Xue’er like this for the second time sent a shiver of fear through Xia Mengxi.
She didn’t understand why she felt afraid, but if she had to describe it, it was as if the other girl radiated a suffocating… pressure.
A sense of oppression?
Lin Xue’er wasn’t the domineering type, so why would there be any oppressive feeling?
Just as Xia Mengxi was puzzling over this, Lin Xue’er’s gloomy expression had already returned to normal.
However, the smile that reappeared on her face held no warmth.
“Xiao Xi, if you became popular, would you abandon me?”
“Huh? No, no! After all, we’re childhood friends who get along really well-just like best friends. How could I ever abandon you?”
Lin Xue’er’s pupils contracted slightly.
She chuckled and reached out to tidy Xia Mengxi’s slightly disheveled hair.
“Best friends, huh… Heh, so we’re… best friends.”
“Mhm! We’re best friends!”
Xia Mengxi nodded eagerly but didn’t dwell on the matter, as she was more preoccupied with the subtle changes she sensed in the other girl.
The most obvious difference was that Lin Xue’er’s smile no longer carried the gentleness it had before-instead, there was now a trace of coldness.
Xia Mengxi had no idea what landmine she’d stepped on to provoke this reaction, but one thing was clear: the next time a choice appeared, she couldn’t pick the option with the question mark effect again, or things would definitely go south.
The bell signaling the end of class rang, finally bringing a brief respite to this agonizing morning.
Since staying near Lin Xue’er now gave her an inexplicable sense of suffocation, Xia Mengxi seized the chance to slip out of the classroom after having lunch with her in the cafeteria.
If not for wanting some quiet time alone to sort out her thoughts, she would’ve loved to explore the school properly.
After all, this was an all-girls school-it had to be different from regular schools.
But there was no rush.
She had plenty of time to take in the unique sights of the campus later.
“So… where should I go?”
Xia Mengxi glanced around. The lower floors had plenty of spots, but they were also crowded.
As for the upper floors, there was only the rooftop.
Without hesitation, she headed for the stairs leading up.
What she didn’t know was that the moment she disappeared from sight on the staircase, a figure emerged where she had just been standing.
After a brief pause, this person also chose to ascend.
When Xia Mengxi reached the top of the stairs, she was dismayed to find the door to the rooftop chained shut.
“Seriously? It’s locked? Did I just climb all these stairs for nothing?”
No matter how she looked at it, she hadn’t expected the door to be locked.
No matter how frustrated she was, there was nothing she could do, so she turned to leave.
Just then, she realized her body had frozen in place.
Then, text appeared midair.
This time, however, the choice wasn’t related to Lin Xue’er-instead, it involved a new potential love interest.
[Discovering a romanceable beauty, Li Siqi! Please choose your next move, young lady!]
[Option A: Deliberately “accidentally” fall onto her. This choice will paint you as a clumsy girl in her eyes.]
[Option B: Wink at her and say, “Hey there, gorgeous, give me a smile.” This choice will earn you a week’s sick leave.]
Holy crap, these two options were worlds apart.
Anyone with half a brain would know which one to pick.
Xia Mengxi silently complained to herself while noticing a new issue this time when the multiple-choice question appeared, she couldn’t move at all, and even the noisy sounds from downstairs completely vanished.
This meant that emergency multiple-choice questions came with a time-stop effect, which actually gave her space to think.