Zhou Lan had noticed that Lin Cheng had been following Lei Nuwa for a while now, and she had finally decided to do something about it. She walked up to him as he stared at Lei Nuwa's figure, studying.
"Hey, you! You creep, quit stalking her! Do you want to lose your eyes?" She folded her arms in front of him, stomping as she spoke.
Lin Cheng studied her face for a moment before looking at Zhou Lan closer.
"You're the one who helped that girl with Lei Nuwa."
"I refuse to answer a stalker." She was wondering if she should ask Lei Nuwa for self defense moves that she could use on creepy guys.
Lin Cheng started laughing. He couldn't help but find her cute; like the squawking duck next to the graceful swan. If Zhou Lan had seen his thoughts, she would have kicked him where it hurt.
"Oh, I'm a stalker? Why do you say that?"
"I've seen you following her, you freak."
"So you have been stalking me?" Zhou Lan huffed indignantly and, after a dirty look, gave one final warning before walking away.
"If you hurt Nuwa, I will make sure you can't use your dick to think anymore." She made a snipping motion and walked off.
Lin Cheng sighed. The strange, loud girl was right. He did not know how to talk to her, how to approach her, so he watched her from afar. Was it really that obvious? He chased after Zhou Lan quickly, and grabbed her shoulder.
Zhou Lan yelped in surprise before returning to her angry expression upon seeing him. Lin Cheng held his hands up in defense before speaking. "I just wanted to ask a question."
"If I answer, will you leave Nuwa alone?"
"No promises." Zhou Lan looked like she was about to say something before Lin Cheng cut her off. "Anyways, I just wanted to know. Am I really that obvious?" Zhou Lan gave him a dumb look.
"Obvious…?"
"About watching Lei Nuwa. Do other people think the same? Does she think the same!?" Lin Chheng suddenly felt nervous at the thought of Lei Nuwa knowing he had been following her. Something about her compelled his eyes to only look at her, despite his actual feelings. But unlike others in a similar situation, Lin Cheng had no problem with this fact.
If he was meant to watch her from afar, he would do it.
Zhou Lan shook her head. "I remember you snuck into her room. I knew your face so when you kept popping up, I knew you were following her."
"How do you know I wasn't following you?" He smirked, but Zhou Lan made no reaction.
"Men don't follow me. They chase me." Lin Cheng let out a hearty laugh. Perhaps it was because of her closeness with Lei Nuwa, but he felt as if he got along with her. Whatever it was, the affinity between the two made Lin Cheng feel at ease.
Zhou Lan knew her heart fluttered when she looked at him, but she also saw how his eyes changed when he looked at Nuwa. Unusually, she was not jealous of Nuwa, but rather protective. She, despite her feelings, only wanted Lei Nuwa to be safe and happy. She felt content to stand by her side; even if Lei Nuwa chose Lin Cheng to be beside her, Zhou Lan would not feel bitter.
Like a side character in a novel, Zhou Lan let her existence be dedicated to something that seemed larger than herself.
***
Lei Nuwa was looking for Zhou Lan when she saw her talking with Lin Cheng. Lei Nuwa was not naive– she could see the blush twinging her cheeks and how her hands clasped together with an iron grip, even if Lin Cheng remained unaware.
She wanted a distraction from everything going on; so she pondered playing cupid. She knew that Lin Cheng liked her, but she also knew that it was a childish whim. A childish whim that would change like the weather– Lei Nuwa wanted to push the weather in a certain direction. As she was staring at the couple, she felt someone whispering in her ear.
"Are you jealous of her?" Lei Nuwa spun around and struck the whisperer in the throat. Xu Zihao started violently coughing, clutching his throat. Lei Nuwa put her hands over her mouth in surprise.
"Young Master Xu–" Xu Zihao held up a hand, signaling her to be quiet as he continued to cough and wheeze. Lei Nuwa obeyed out of remorse.
"Remind me to never sneak up on you again."
"Maybe you should just never approach me again." Xu Zihao grabbed his heart in fake hurt.
"Lei Nuwa, you are cruel. You hit me with your hands and your words." Lei Nuwa's forehead twitched. She wanted to tell him to quit acting playful and informal towards her, but what could push him away? Lei Nuwa decided to take a leap of faith.
"You're right. I am jealous of her. I like Lin Cheng." She said flatly, with no emotion in her voice. Xu Zihao stared at her blankly.
She stared back.
He continued staring.
"Did you think anyone would believe that horrible acting job?" Xu Zihao could not even laugh at her attempt– he was just shocked. Lei Nuwa blew out a puff of air before giving in.
"Ugh, fine. I said that to get you to leave me alone. You should appreciate my efforts and adhere to my wishes for a job well done, don't you think?"
"A job well done? I wouldn't even say your job was done, let alone done well." He mocked her monotone voice and gave her a look.
"I am sorry, Young Mast-"
"If you don't call me Xu Zihao, I will start crying in front of everyone. Everyone will know how much of a bully you are to me." Lei Nuwa would not fall for his bluff; she rolled her eyes and continued her sentence. "Young Master Xu, I am sorry that my acting skills aren't up to par. If you wanted to see a show, you should join the theatre." Before she could continue, Xu Zihao began wailing in the hallway like he had been shot.
"Oh heavens, you are so cruel! I would die for this woman, and yet she rejects me so! What is existence without her?" He turned his head and winked at Lei Nuwa's mortified face. "Forgive me, fair lady, for I cannot live without you!" He continued his dramatic monologue as a crowd began to form around him. Lei Nuwa, trapped inside of the crowd, gave in.
"Xu Zihao, I will kill you and sell your organs." Upon hearing his name, he reverted back to his usual self and gave the death glare to the entire crowd. They quickly dispersed until it was just the two of them again.
"Lei Nuwa, you call me by my name now, so aren't we friends?" Nuwa was fed up, and she began walking away without a word. Luckily, Lin Cheng and Zhou Lan had left long before Xu Zihao's scene, but Lei Nuwa still wanted to eliminate all the witnesses.
She knew news would spread fast, which meant Shi Qian and Liu Yichen would soon be aware of it. In this life, she had long given up on her own fate. But she hoped that in her wake, she could leave some happiness for others behind.