Chapter 41: My Name is Chu Liunian, Please Take Care of Me

Strolling through the bustling venue of the comic-con, Qin Luo and Chu Liunian walked side by side.

He occasionally turned his head to glance at the silver-haired girl beside him, a complex and indescribable feeling swirling within his chest.

This was not the first time Qin Luo had seen Chu Liunian. On the contrary, back when he was relentlessly pursuing Xu Ke, he had crossed paths with Chu Liunian on numerous occasions. From his freshman year all the way to the present, he had heard her name countless times and seen her photos floating around the campus forum.

Just as Wang Chen had mentioned earlier, because Chu Liunian always appeared in the public eye wearing JK uniforms or anime cosplay outfits, she had earned the title of "Otaku Goddess" or "Otaku Killer" as early as their freshman year. There was an overwhelming number of male students who pursued her, both openly and in secret.

However, their fates usually ended up no better than those who chased Xu Ke. When faced with the pursuits and confessions of others, Xu Ke would mostly cast a cold, indifferent gaze and respond with silence.

Chu Liunian was different. Whenever someone confessed to her, she would always reply, "I am not interested in three-dimensional men. Even if I were to look for a boyfriend, he would have to be from the two-dimensional world."

It was utterly abstract.

Although beauties who adored the two-dimensional world were often portrayed as deeply endearing archetypes in various movies and novels, when such a person actually appeared in real life, everyone naturally found it quite absurd.

They simply could not accept such an abstract reason for rejection, assuming instead that it was just Chu Liunian's polite way of saying she didn't like them, rather than her genuinely lacking any interest in three-dimensional men.

Because of this, Chu Liunian wasn't particularly popular among female circles either. Just as Wang Chen had said, her personality could sometimes shift abruptly, causing many people to keep their distance out of apprehension.

In the past, everyone just assumed she had a quirky personality. It wasn't until Qin Luo listened to Wang Chen's explanation just now that he realized she was likely acting in character to match the costume she was wearing, which explained those drastic and noticeable personality shifts.

So the question arose: was she simply playing dress-up, or was she truly so obsessed with the two-dimensional world that she genuinely believed she *was* the corresponding character while cosplaying?

Qin Luo was burning with curiosity about this question, so he couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

Chu Liunian's forward motion paused for a fraction of a second. She turned her head to look at Qin Luo, her gaze tinged with a hint of confusion.

After two seconds, she replied in a slightly disdainful tone, "I refuse to answer such a foolish question."

Qin Luo: "..."

He felt a bit awkward because, right after asking that question, he realized how idiotic it sounded himself.

However, right after that, he heard Chu Liunian say, "Having said that, considering we've seen each other many times, yet today is the first time we're actually conversing, I suppose I am willing to tell you my name..."

She paused for a moment, then added softly, "My name is Chu Liunian. Please treat me well."

With that, she turned her head back and resumed walking.

Qin Luo looked at her profile. For some reason, the tips of her ears seemed slightly flushed.

*At least she still remembers her own name and hasn't completely lost herself in some anime character. There's still hope for her...* Qin Luo felt a strange sense of relief, which was immediately followed by a wave of confusion.

Previously, because the magical glasses had displayed a string of question marks trailing behind Chu Liunian's name, he had assumed she suffered from some sort of dissociative identity disorder, adopting the persona of whatever character she was cosplaying.

If that were truly the case, her self-introduction just now might have been "My name is Kirigaya Suguha" or "My name is Otonashi" rather than "Chu Liunian."

Yet the reality was that Chu Liunian had a very clear awareness of her own identity, which contradicted Qin Luo's initial guess and left him even more puzzled about what those question marks in the magical glasses actually meant.

Qin Luo pondered over it for quite a while without finding any answers, so he eventually cast his tangled thoughts to the back of his mind and gave up trying to figure it out.

*The older sister is a total foodie, and the younger sister isn't exactly normal either. No wonder you two are sisters!*

Silently complaining to himself, he then noticed the Chu Liunian beside him had come to a halt.

Qin Luo stopped along with her, following her line of sight, and discovered she was staring intently at a nearby booth.

It was a comic book stall. At a glance, it was packed with various manga volumes, along with some delicate, miniature figurines, exuding a heavy two-dimensional aura.

"Do you want to buy some manga?" Qin Luo asked.

Instead of answering, Chu Liunian countered with a question of her own: "Do you... like manga?"

Qin Luo thought for a moment and replied, "It's alright. I mostly read novels or watch anime on regular days, and I haven't read much manga, but I wouldn't say I hate it."

Chu Liunian hesitated briefly before saying, "Then... would you like to buy a volume? Manga is really good..."

Qin Luo gazed into her eyes and caught a hint of hidden anticipation gleaming within them, resembling a little girl enthusiastically recommending her favorite things to a close friend. The innocence and purity of it made it impossible to refuse.

And so, Qin Luo nodded and stepped into the comic shop under Chu Liunian's delighted gaze. Chu Liunian lagged half a step behind him, lingering vaguely in his shadow as if treating Qin Luo as her shield.

The stall owner, dressed as Kamado Tanjirou, eagerly stepped forward to greet them with a smile. "Welcome! Feel free to pick up anything you like. Some are secondhand, the ones wrapped in plastic are brand new originals, and we even have some vintage manga that are no longer sold on the market. Fair prices, no cheating the young or the old!"

As he spoke, he noticed Chu Liunian trailing behind Qin Luo, and was instantly struck dumb by her breathtaking appearance. Unable to help himself, he praised, "Buddy, your girlfriend's cos-play of the Kome-chan is absolute perfection! She's gorgeous. Mind if I take a photo of you two?"

"N-Not my girlfriend..."

Chu Liunian corrected him in a voice so soft that only she and Qin Luo could hear. At the same time, her fingers instinctively pinched the corner of Qin Luo's shirt, and she pressed a little closer to his back.

Her movements were feather-light, but Qin Luo could still sense her nervousness.

Although a long time had passed since he first watched *The Sky of Fate*, the female protagonist had left a profound impression on him. Qin Luo vaguely remembered that the anime's Kome-chan was also a rather introverted, people-frightened, and sensitive girl who would automatically hide behind her older brother seeking protection at the slightest sign of trouble.

*So, is she treating me like an older brother figure right now while cosplaying as Kome-chan?*

Thinking this, Qin Luo smiled and declined the stall owner's request: "Sorry, she's a bit socially anxious."

"What a pity," the stall owner said with a hint of regret, though he didn't push the matter further and wandered off to tend to other things.

Qin Luo browsed around the stall. He originally intended to look for a manga version of *The Sky of Fate*, but ultimately came up empty-handed—whether because the series never had a manga adaptation or simply because this particular stall didn't stock it remained a mystery.

So he turned to Chu Liunian and asked, "Does *The Sky of Fate* have a manga version?"

Chu Liunian gave him a speechless look and replied, "That's an anime adapted from a Galgame. The original work is just a video game; where on earth would a manga version come from?"

*My pool of useless knowledge has expanded once more...* Qin Luo nodded and instead picked up a volume of *Crayon Shin-chan*.

Just as he was about to pay, Chu Liunian suddenly spoke up, "Let me pay for it."

After a brief pause, she added defensively, "To thank you for helping me out just now."

Qin Luo watched her darting eyes, smiled silently, and stepped aside.

A short while later, the two of them walked out of the comic stall.

Qin Luo dangled the plastic bag containing the manga book and suddenly turned to ask her, "I watched an anime once where the male protagonist bought a doujinshi at a comic-con. Can you actually buy that kind of stuff at a convention?"

Chu Liunian froze. A second later, processing what he had just said, her face flushed with bashful embarrassment as she retorted, "Idiot, what kind of sudden nonsense are you spouting!"

Qin Luo blinked at her, wearing an innocent expression as if he had just asked the most normal question in the world.

Seeing this, Chu Liunian couldn't help but feel a mixture of exasperation and helplessness. After a moment, she lowered her voice and muttered, "That kind of thing exists in Island Nation, and over here... it exists too."

"Really? Then why couldn't I find any just now?" Qin Luo was genuinely startled; he hadn't expected those explicit books to actually be available at a public comic-con.

"Idiot, of course that kind of stuff isn't displayed openly on the shelves," Chu Liunian shot him a sidelong glance.

"Then how is one supposed to buy it?"

"Well... um... that..."

Chu Liunian fell into a state of hesitation, stammering indecisively for quite a while without making any real sense. Finally, pressing her lips together, she answered, "I'll tell you next time when I change my outfit."

Qin Luo narrowed his eyes, nodded without speaking, and felt one of his internal puzzles click into place.

The amount of information conveyed by Chu Liunian's remark was quite substantial.

Not only did she possess a very clear self-awareness—knowing full well that she was "Chu Liunian"—she was also fully conscious that she was currently role-playing an anime character, and that her personality traits corresponded directly to whichever cosplay costume she wore.

The reason she refused to answer his question right now and insisted on waiting until she changed clothes was most likely to maintain her character setting. The moment he reached this conclusion, Qin Luo almost wanted to ask her, "Do you have a character-setting system installed too?"

Jokes aside, from Chu Liunian's words, Qin Luo could basically confirm that she did not suffer from multiple personality disorder.

This gave him an inexplicable sense of accomplishment; he found the process of uncovering someone's secrets through conversation and observation rather interesting. Just as he was about to say something else, a man suddenly approached them.

"Hello, could I get your WeChat?"

The man was clean-cut and fair-complexioned, wearing a gentle smile on his face.

Chu Liunian instinctively shrank back behind Qin Luo, resembling a timid little rabbit.

Qin Luo wasn't surprised by this development at all. Chu Liunian's current look possessed an explosive level of charm; even walking down a regular street would turn heads, let alone right here in the middle of a comic convention.

Therefore, his response was completely natural: "Sorry, she doesn't want to add you."

With that, he intended to lead Chu Liunian past the man, but the fellow spoke up once more, directing his words straight at Qin Luo: "Actually, I wanted to add *you*."

Qin Luo paused mid-step, three giant question marks popping up over his head.

Even though he had endured all sorts of gazes throughout their journey here, those looks had entirely originated from girls who merely exercised restraint because Chu Liunian was right beside him, lacking the nerve to come up and ask for his contact info.

Now, out of nowhere, a guy steps up—and he's aiming for him instead...

Even Chu Liunian's expression went blank for a second. Once it registered, she covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly as she looked at Qin Luo, her eyes brimming with mischievous amusement.