After college was over, the three girls told the boys what was going to happen and not to panic when something happened and that it's planned.
"So-" Kang Fang said as he repeated what Tao had said.
"Yes. That's right," Tao said.
"Lei knows about this and is already on her way to tell Dai Hui and her parents the plan," Shen chimed in.
Yu Min let out a sigh of relief, even though he knew that Lei had already heard of the plan and that it was her permission that the plan was in action. He felt sad that the book was coming to an end sooner, but he also didn't want Xiao to become Lei and not be able to go back to the real world.
The six were trying to get Yu Min's attention as they were wanting to tell him what his part was in the plan.
"YU MIN!" Lao Mao shouted.
Yu Min snapped back into reality and looked at them. "Yes?"
"We've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes," He Zhihao said.
"Oh. Sorry," Yu Min replied.
"It's fine," Shen said, "we want to tell you what part you'll play in."
"Ok. What is it?" Yu Min asked.
Shen walked over and whispered it to him so that no one could hear.
Yu Min nodded after Shen had told him.
After that, they went on with what they were going to do.
Lei had gone to find Dai Hui since he's been in the kingdom. She was looking around and had become a bit snackish. So, she stopped at a dragon beard stall.
As soon as she got her snack, she saw Dai Hui. Lei grabbed her dragon beard and hurried over to Dai Hui before he disappeared. "Dai Hui!!" Lei exclaimed.
Dai Hui stopped and looked at where he heard Lei's voice. He saw her and smiled. "Yes?"
Lei got to him. "I need to tell you something, but it can't be here."
"Ok. Let's go to the restaurant and get a private room," Dai Hui said.
Lei nodded. She ate her dragon's beard as it was starting to melt in her hands.
They walked to the restaurant and got a private room.
"So, what is it that you need to tell me and why does it have to be private?" Dai Hui said as he sat down.
"Shen came up with a plan to draw out the person," Lei said as she went over and whispered the plan to him. She left out the fact that if they waited any longer Xiao would become Lei and wouldn't be able to get out of the book.
Dai Hui's eyes widened. "That's very risky! And Yu Min is ok with this plan?" He asked.
"I don't know if he's ok with it. I wasn't there when Shen and the other girls told them. I came straight to look for you to tell you said plan. I know it's risky, but it's a risk I'm willing to take," Lei said, "since I'm becoming Lei."
"Xiao?"
"My mind is slowly becoming one with Lei's. If I stay any longer, I probably won't be able to leave. I'd probably die in the real world if my mind continues to link with Lei's."
"And you don't want to die in the real world since you haven't told the person you based Yu Min off of that you like him, am I right?"
Lei nodded. "But also because I haven't gotten to end this and not letting my fans know who I really am and what I look like."
"Your fans haven't seen what you look like?"
"Nope. I didn't want anyone to know what I looked like because I was in high school and college when I had published my books. I've published little side stories of my popular stories since then of course, but this book will be the first novel I've made since my college days."
"So, what I'm getting at is that you didn't want it to ruin your studies or privacy. So, then you're going to show yourself to your fans once you get out of here and recover?"
Lei nodded. "I just hope that they won't stop liking my books because of how I look."
"Lei, they probably won't."
"Dai Hui, it's not like anything like it was during this time. Everyone judges everyone. It's also not a book. No one has a happy ending," Xiao said.
"I'm sure that if they were your fans just for your books, then they aren't real fans. But if you keep getting asked about what you look like, then they're fans. If they don't care what you look like and what stories you're doing, then they're true fans," Dai Hui stated.
Lei looked at him in shock. "H-How?"
"Don't worry about it," he said as he let out a smile.
"Ok?"
"Anyways, how have you been?"
"I've been worse, but I've been better. I won't go into detail about it," Lei replied as she forced a smile.
"Ok. I won't ask you about it."
"Thanks," Lei said.
"You're welcome," Dai Hui said, "oh, by the way, I have information on the group."
"Oh? We haven't heard anything from them. We thought that they were a pause," Lei said.
"They aren't. Anyways," Dai Hui said as he told her what he and his men had heard.
Lei's eyes widened. "So, they've been busy."
Dai Hui nodded. "They know what they need and where it might be."
"How? That's impossible. But then again, the plot has changed due to me being in here," Lei said.
"I don't know. Maybe the plot changing has something to do with it," Dai Hui stated.
"That's a possibility. I just hope that it won't interfere with the ending I want for this story and make it longer than I want it to be," Lei replied as she let out a sigh. She generally hopes that her being in her book and changing a few parts of the book won't change up the ending she had planned. Lei just wants to get out of her book. She, Xiao, made it way too dangerous for a person from the real world to experience. Xiao understands that if she were to tell anyone that she was in her book, they'll think that it was just a dream. Xiao hopes that all of this is being written in her book so that way she'd have proof, but she also hopes that it's not being written in her book as it would just look like she was zoned in and wrote all of it.
"Lei? Lei!!" Dai Hui exclaimed as he tried to tell her some things.
Lei zoned back in and looked at him. "Yes? Sorry, I was in my own little world."
"It's fine," Dai Hui said, "are you sure you're ok?"
Lei nodded, "yeah. I'm sure. I just have a lot of things going on, but I'll get through them like I usually do."
Dai Hui sighed. "Lei…"
"Don't worry. I'm fine. Whenever have I not been fine?" Lei asked as she realized that there were times where she wasn't fine, "wait. Don't answer that. I know the answer already."
"So, you do know when you've not been fine," Dai Hui stated.
"Yes, but did I enjoy it? No. Do I know that it's ok to not be fine? Yeah. But I still feel bad that I still feel that way," Lei stated.
"It's good that you know that it's ok to not be fine," Dai Hui stated.
Lei let out a small smile.
A while later. Lei was walking home after Dai Hui and her talked more about the plan. She was so in thought as she was walking home to where she had accidentally bumped into someone when she was near her home.
"Sorry!" Lei said as she bowed to show sincere.
"It's fine, Lei," the person said, "deep in thought?"
'It couldn't be who I think it is,' Lei thought. She looked up and saw Yu Min. "What are you doing here? Wait. Don't answer that, I already know the answer. You want to try to back me out of the plan, right?" Lei stated-asked.
"I do, but I know that I won't be able to change your mind," Yu Min stated.
"Then why are you here when you know that you can't change my mind?" Lei asked.
"Because maybe I can change your mind before it's too late," Yu Min said.
"It's too late. The plan has already gone into action," Lei stated as she lied. It hasn't started, but maybe if she told Yu Min that it was too late then maybe, just maybe, he would leave and try not to ruin the plan.
"It hasn't started. You don't have anything that you need to go through with this plan," Yu Min stated as he knew that it hadn't started yet.
"It has. I have everything that I need to go through with the plan," Lei said as she was lying again. She didn't want to tell him the truth and that there's little time left for Xiao to get out of her book before Lei's and her's minds combine into one.
"Lei, stop lying! You and your friends just came up with this plan today so you don't have the things you need!" Yu Min exclaimed as he was starting to feel betrayed and angry.
"I'm not lying! What do you not understand!?!?"
"No. I do understand! Ever since we broke up, you've changed into a whole different person who I don't know!" Yu Min exclaimed as he didn't realize what he had just said.
Lei's eyes widened and fell silent. "So what I changed into a whole different person after the break up. If you don't like this me, then leave. No one is forcing you to stay here or care for me." With that, Lei walked past him.
Yu Min realized what he had said and frowned. He wanted to tell Lei that he didn't mean what he had said, even though it was true. Though, he didn't say that he didn't like the new Lei. Yu Min had just watched Lei walk past him and as she entered her house.
As soon as Lei turned the corner, she broke down crying. She also started to hit the wall. All Lei wants is to be with Yu Min without having to worry about him getting killed because of her. She wants to be in his arms again. She wants to be happy again. She wants to be free again. Or free as she can be since she is the general's daughter. Lei hopes that Yu Min knows what she's doing and why.
Yu Min stayed standing in front of Lei's house. He didn't mean to say what he had said. Yu Min knew that Lei is still the same person, but just a little more mature. He was angry at her for lying and putting herself in serious danger.
Yu Min stayed there until the moon was in the middle of the night sky. He left weak and saddened.
One of the people saw Lei on the floor and helped her to her room so she could be comfortable. They also made her some tea to help calm her down and also to calm down the redness and swelling in her eyes.
"Thank you," Lei mumbled.
They heard and smiled. "You're welcome, Young Mistress."
"Can you not tell anyone about this?" Lei asked.
They nodded. They handed Lei the tea.
Lei smiled and took the tea. "Thank you."
The person smiled and left.
Lei took a sip of the tea and almost instantly felt calm. She then got to thinking about what Yu Min had said. She knows that Yu Min knows that the one in control of Lei's body isn't her, but Xiao. "Could it be that he was putting on an act? But that wouldn't make sense in the end for what I have down on paper. But then again I could've changed the outcome from being Lei and telling almost everyone that they're just characters in a book based on real people."
Xiao was thinking about it and couldn't come up with a reasonable reason.
As Xiao, Lei, was thinking, Pan Shi had come in and had brought her a small snack as she knew that Lei would be a tad snack-ish. "Lei?"
Lei zoned back in and looked at her. "Huh? Yes?"
"I brought you some dragon's beard as I thought you'd be snack-ish," Pan Shi stated as she handed her the dragon's beard.
"Thank you, Pan Shi," Lei said as she took it and started to eat it. "Oh and Pan Shi?"
"Yes, Young Mistress?" Pan Shi asked.
Lei had to think about how she would word what she had wanted to say-ask. "Can you make sure that no one comes into my room for the next few days?"
"Yes. Can I ask why?"
"I'm going to be away for a few days and I'm going to have things that I think that the person behind all of this in my room to see if my suspension is right," she said as she finished the dragon's beard.
Pan Shi nodded as she understood. "Ok. I'll let the people in the mansion know not to enter your room."
"Thank you, Pan Shi," Lei said as she smiled. She was glad that she could trust Pan Shi.
Pan Shi smiled. "Is there anything else you need me to do, young mistress?"
Lei thought for a bit. "No, there's nothing else that I need you to do. You can leave now if you want to."
Pan Shi nodded and bowed as she left.