Afternoon.
Yan Yu wheeled her chair slowly back along the tree-lined path.
Ruo Xiaozhen had gone to the convenience store to buy water, agreeing to wait for her at the intersection ahead.
The road was quiet, with only the occasional student riding a bicycle past, stirring up a breeze.
As she passed the square in front of the teaching building, Yan Yu’s gaze was drawn to a display board set up by the roadside.
It was a recruitment board for the School Youth Volunteer Association.
Yan Yu stopped her wheelchair.
She stared at the words “Library Organization” on the board, fragments of memory flashing through her mind.
In the original plot, the original host signed up for the Volunteer Association, and not long after, there would be a volunteer activity at the library.
Su Qinghan, as a Student Union officer, would go to the library to borrow materials and would coincidentally pass by.
The original Yan Yu deliberately created a “chance encounter” during that activity.
By that time, Yan Yu had already been completely discarded by Su Qinghan.
But deep in her heart, a faint sliver of hope still remained.
She signed up for library organization not because she genuinely wanted to be a volunteer, but to create an opportunity to see Su Qinghan one more time.
Even if it was just a distant glimpse.
Even if the other person wouldn’t even notice her existence.
‘What a… complete fool.’
Yan Yu whispered to herself, her voice so soft only she could hear it.
[Detected a triggerable plot node: Volunteer Association Recruitment. In the original plot, the host signs up and has a “chance encounter” with Su Qinghan during the volunteer activity, further strengthening the “Infatuated Substitute” persona.]
[Participating in this plot can increase Acting Value. Do you wish to sign up?]
“Haa…” Yan Yu let out a long sigh.
She wheeled her chair closer to the display board.
On the table below the board were sign-up forms and pens. A girl wearing glasses was bent over, organizing materials—probably the student officer in charge of registration.
“Excuse me,” Yan Yu spoke up, “is it still possible to sign up?”
The girl looked up, saw Yan Yu in the wheelchair, and clearly hesitated for a moment.
But quickly, her expression softened into a gentle smile: “Yes, yes! Classmate, do you want to sign up?”
“Mhm.” Yan Yu nodded, reaching for a pen.
The sign-up form was simple, requiring only name, student ID, and contact number. Yan Yu wrote carefully, stroke by stroke, her handwriting neat and elegant.
When she reached the “Physical Condition” section, she paused for a moment before writing: “Limited mobility in legs. Can perform seated tasks such as organizing books, classification, and labeling.”
After finishing, she handed the form back.
The girl took it and glanced over it.
“Classmate, are you sure you want to participate? While we can assign you library work, sometimes you might need to stand up to reach books on higher shelves…”
“I can manage,” Yan Yu said softly, a pale smile appearing on her face. “I can stand for a short while. And I want to… do something meaningful.”
As she said this, her voice was light, but her gaze was unusually firm.
Her appearance would make anyone think—this is a good girl with a strong spirit despite her disability, trying hard to integrate into the community.
The girl was indeed moved, nodding repeatedly: “Alright, alright, I’ll register you then! If approved, meet at the third-floor Social Sciences Book Repository in the library at 2 PM the day after tomorrow. Senior students will guide you then.”
“Thank you.”
Right at that moment—
“Excuse me.”
A cold voice came from behind.
Yan Yu’s body instantly stiffened.
That voice was too familiar.
So familiar that hearing just those three words made her heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably—a residual instinct of this body.
She slowly, bit by bit, turned her head.
Su Qinghan stood a few steps behind her.
Her short hair was immaculate, her face expressionless. She held a stack of documents, probably just finished with a meeting or on her way to one.
Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a faint golden outline around her figure.
But that light couldn’t warm the coldness in her eyes.
Su Qinghan’s gaze swept over Yan Yu, over the wheelchair beneath her, over her pale face.
Then, as if seeing a blade of grass by the roadside, she indifferently shifted her gaze away.
Her eyes fell on the display board, lingering for two seconds, seemingly reading the activity description. Then, she stepped forward, preparing to walk past Yan Yu.
From start to finish, she didn’t say a second word.
She didn’t even pause for an extra second.
As if Yan Yu herself didn’t exist.
Yan Yu’s fingers clenched the armrests of her wheelchair tightly.
Her knuckles turned white from the force, the faint blue veins on the back of her hands clearly visible.
Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Her throat felt blocked by something, dry and rough.
“Qing… Senior Su.”
Just as Su Qinghan was about to brush past her, Yan Yu finally found her voice.
It was very soft, as if she had used all her strength to squeeze it out.
Su Qinghan’s steps halted.
She turned her face slightly, her gaze falling back on Yan Yu.
That look was still cold, but with an added hint of… impatience?
“What is it?” she asked, her voice flat.
Yan Yu opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But all words got stuck in her throat when she met Su Qinghan’s icy eyes.
She saw Su Qinghan’s slightly furrowed brows.
The furrow was light, but it was definitely there. It was her signature expression when she was displeased or felt disturbed.
Yan Yu’s heart felt as if squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.
Then, in a weak voice, she said: “N-nothing… just, saying hello.”
After speaking, as if having exhausted all her courage, she lowered her head again, staring at her own slightly trembling hands resting on her knees.
Seeing her like this, a flicker of emotion passed through Su Qinghan’s eyes.
Was it disgust? Irritation? Or…
Her gaze swept over Yan Yu’s wheelchair again, over her thin shoulders that looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
This girl had followed her for three years.
Existing like a shadow, quietly, humbly.
She had given her money, given her all material things, but never any genuine affection.
And now, this shadow was cautiously trying to converse with her.
A sudden thought flashed through Su Qinghan’s mind—Yan Yu must be having a very hard time right now, right?
No stable source of income, her body in this state. Her rented place is about to expire, where will she live next? What about medical expenses? What about her future life?
These thoughts only flashed by.
So quickly she didn’t even have time to grasp them before they dissipated.
Su Qinghan withdrew her gaze and resumed walking.
“In the future, if there’s nothing important, don’t call out to me casually,” she tossed out these words, her voice still cold. “I’m busy.”
With that, she walked away without looking back.
The sound of high heels tapping the ground was rhythmic and clear, fading into the distance.