Chapter 18: Campus Mary Sue 16

“Senior Sister?!” Ke Yuandao stared at the girl before him.

Le Yixian answered gently, “What is it?”

“Could you… kiss me one more time?” Ke Yuandao asked, his cheeks flushed.

After all, this was a dream; if he didn’t take the chance now, it would be wasted.

Tonight’s dream was so beautiful—his senior sister accompanied him on a stroll around the campus, knocked a caterpillar down for him, and even kissed him. How wonderful!

Le Yixian was silent for a moment. Had her little cutie become more forward?

“Can’t you kiss me one more time?” Seeing she didn’t move, Ke Yuandao grew a bit aggrieved. Couldn’t he even get his way in his own dream?

No, he shouldn’t be greedy. She’d already kissed him twice.

“All right,” Le Yixian nodded and leaned in close.

The girl’s lips were soft and tender, carrying a faint, fresh fragrance—just like the chilled jelly one tastes in the height of summer, so addictive it was impossible to pull away.

From the seats behind them, the caterpillar vendor watched in silent astonishment.

…Damn!

He seemed to have stumbled upon something extraordinary again.

Wasn’t the little fairy supposed to be engaged to the domineering young master?

Would knowing so much put his life at risk?

After kissing her little cutie again, Le Yixian couldn’t help but laugh softly. Sensing the shocked gaze behind her, she turned and met the vendor’s eyes.

“I didn’t see anything!” he blurted out before she could say a word.

“Even if you did, it’s fine,” Le Yixian replied coolly, withdrawing her gaze.

After the kiss, Le Yixian had lost interest in watching the other performances. She took her little cutie’s hand and led him outside.

Beyond the door, the afternoon sun was at its brightest and most blinding.

Ke Yuandao squinted against the glare, then heard Le Yixian ask, “Where shall we go next?”

“…”

“What’s wrong?” Le Yixian raised her brow.

Ke Yuandao stiffened. Wasn’t this a dream?

“Am I dreaming?” he asked cautiously.

“No,” Le Yixian replied, instantly seeing through his thoughts and unable to keep from smiling.

“It’s not a dream?” Ke Yuandao processed this slowly. Suddenly, his eyes shone with an almost blinding light as he stared at her. “Senior Sister, you just kissed me.”

“I did,” Le Yixian nodded.

“Why… why did you?”

“Because I like you, silly!”

The wind stilled, the sounds faded, and the entire world grew quiet.

Because… she liked him!

In Ke Yuandao’s mind, fireworks exploded in bursts of brilliance, and lavishly dressed people sang and danced in celebration.

He moved his hand, suddenly feeling something was missing.

Le Yixian watched him carefully. Aside from his excitement, he showed little other reaction.

Just as she was about to speak, Ke Yuandao suddenly jumped up. “Oh no, oh no!”

“What is it?”

“The caterpillar! I left it on the chair backstage. Senior Sister, wait here for me—I’ll go get it.” With that, he dashed back toward the backstage area.

Le Yixian watched his retreating figure and sighed. Even with the real person in front of him, why did he still care so much about that so-called rainbow caterpillar?

Ke Yuandao hurried backstage, where the performances were nearly over.

Backstage, there were only a few people left.

He quickly spotted the caterpillar in the corner. Once placed innocently on a chair, it now lay forlornly on the floor, covered in dust.

Heart aching, Ke Yuandao bent down to pick it up and grumbled, “Who threw you on the ground? Really.”

Bang! Ke Yuandao froze, clutching the caterpillar, and glanced at the wardrobe from which the noise had come. After a moment’s hesitation, he called out, “Who’s in there?”

Bang! Someone inside seemed even more agitated.

Thinking for a moment, Ke Yuandao reached out and opened the door. The person inside was instantly exposed to his view.

Inside the full-length wardrobe was a girl, tightly bound with hemp rope, her mouth sealed with tape. When she saw him, she became extremely agitated, muffling desperate cries.

“What happened to you?” Ke Yuandao exclaimed, setting down the caterpillar. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out right away.”

At his words, the girl grew even more frantic, blinking at him and struggling with all her might.

“I’ll free you right now,” Ke Yuandao said, kneeling to peel the tape from her mouth.

“Watch out!” the girl shouted as soon as the tape was off.

A rush of air sounded behind his head.

Bang!

“Another brat,” a middle-aged man in a security uniform swung a baseball bat and muttered to his companion, “Hurry up, take these two young ones away.”

“What you’re doing is illegal!” Guo Yiyi struggled.

“Of course I know it’s illegal, Miss. Rich kids like you are hard to come by, but today the school opened its doors. Once I’ve made enough, I’ll be off abroad to enjoy myself,” the man said, and before Guo Yiyi could speak again, he sealed her mouth with tape.

The two were stuffed into garbage bins and carted off in a garbage truck out of the school.

The gang, fugitives on the run, had reached a dead end. Not long before, they’d heard the prestigious school was holding an open day, and their leader devised a plan to make a quick fortune.

There were plenty of rich kids at the school—just snatch one or two, and the ransom would suffice for a lifetime.

Open day meant crowds and chaos, the perfect chance to act.

Everything went according to plan. They successfully found a well-dressed young lady backstage at the auditorium, and soon after, a young master stumbled in as well.

The garbage truck rolled smoothly out of the school, heading toward the outskirts.

At the entrance to the auditorium, Le Yixian frowned, glanced at her watch, then strode purposefully toward the backstage area.

As she entered, a group of costumed actors, just finished with their curtain call, poured down from the stage, filling the backstage with noise.

“Mu Xue,” Li Xiansi, dressed in prince’s attire, strode over and awkwardly asked, “Have you seen Guo Yiyan, that bookworm… that fellow? During the curtain call, he just up and left. So rude…”

Curtain call…

Those two words stirred a long-forgotten memory in Le Yixian’s mind.

Back then, the male lead had discovered the female lead’s true identity right after the school celebration, while she was changing.

He suddenly realized the person he’d always bullied was actually a girl, possibly even the one he cared for. This sent his thoughts into chaos, and he blurted out, “Don’t leave after school—I have something to say to you.”

Then he’d fled in embarrassment.

The heroine, left alone in shock, was then kidnapped—mistaken by a gang of fugitives for a wealthy heiress. She was abducted, and the story’s resolution came when the male lead personally rescued her from the den of criminals, cementing their relationship at last.

A sense of foreboding rose in Le Yixian’s heart. “Yiyan is missing?”

“Yes,” Li Xiansi replied awkwardly, thinking to himself, Could she have run away because I discovered she’s a girl?

Le Yixian’s face turned pale. In a corner, she found the caterpillar discarded on the floor.

Ke Yuandao had been taken by the fugitives as well.