Paranoid Girlfriend [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 4

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned silent, even carrying a hint of heaviness.

Dai Shi Yuan found it hard to withstand the female lead’s gaze. She slowly lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, while her hands behind her gripped the edge of the desk tightly. The paint on the desk soon got stuck under her fingernails.

This silent resistance showed an extremely firm attitude, completely beyond Shan Yaxin’s expectations.

However, thinking about the personality hidden beneath this girl’s sweet appearance, she felt relieved.

Shan Yaxin smiled gently and took the initiative to ease the tense atmosphere. She took out her phone and said, “Xiao Yuan, choosing a university is a very important matter. You should tell Mom and Dad about your decision.”

“Mm.” Dai Shi Yuan nodded immediately, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Confronting the female lead really required some courage.

Shan Yaxin dialed a number, turned on speakerphone, and placed the phone on the desk.

The call was quickly answered, and a deep male voice came through: “Yaxin, has Xiao Yuan’s cold gotten better?”

Hearing these caring words, Dai Shi Yuan’s eyes flickered, and a strange feeling passed through her heart.

Her memories of having a father were almost nonexistent. Suddenly having a nominal father show concern for her made her feel a little at a loss.

Seeing that Dai Shi Yuan was dazed and didn’t respond, Shan Yaxin smiled softly and answered, “Dad, Xiao Yuan’s cold is already better.”

She spoke with a respectful and polite attitude, then glanced at Dai Shi Yuan and added, “Right, Xiao Yuan?”

“Yes,” Dai Shi Yuan answered quietly. The word “Dad” was stuck in her throat and refused to come out.

“That’s good. Xiao Yuan, you must take better care of your health in the future. Don’t set the air conditioner too low in summer, drink fewer cold beverages, and as a girl, you should drink more hot water. Don’t rely on your youth and neglect your body…” Dai’s father nagged on and on, sharing all his health preservation advice.

Dai Shi Yuan nodded from time to time with a soft “Mm,” her youthful face looking very obedient and adorable.

Shan Yaxin watched from the side, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.

This woman was really good at pretending. She always acted like an innocent, lively girl on the surface.

But she knew her sister-in-law was far from as simple as she appeared.

Once Dai’s father had said enough, Shan Yaxin finally spoke, sounding somewhat worried, “Dad, Xiao Yuan wants to study out of province. No matter how I advise her, it doesn’t work. Please talk to her. Tomorrow is the final deadline for submitting applications.”

Dai Shi Yuan’s heart jolted.

This female lead was really good at causing trouble. Since she couldn’t persuade her herself, she pulled in others to help.

She was genuinely curious now—why did the female lead insist so much on keeping her here?

“Xiao Yuan, tell Dad why you want to choose a school outside the province?” Dai’s father didn’t start by questioning her. Instead, he patiently asked for her reasons.

Dai Shi Yuan felt a little touched. A warm current flowed through her heart. She pursed her lips and said, “Because I want to go out of the province and see more of the world.”

“If you want to experience the outside world, how about Dad take you traveling all over the country this summer?” Dai’s father said gently, his deep voice carrying a doting smile.

Dai Shi Yuan’s eyes sparkled with happiness at the fatherly love shown in those words.

However, her life was more important. She had to study out of province.

“I really like the schools I chose. I want to study there,” Dai Shi Yuan said softly. Her still somewhat childish voice carried a trace of grievance and coquettishness, along with a hint of nervousness that was hard to detect.

She was truly afraid that the longer she spoke, the more likely the person on the other end would notice something was off.

Shan Yaxin watched the nervous expression on that innocent-looking face. The coldness in her eyes deepened, and her brows furrowed even more.

She was starting to not understand this sister-in-law. Why was she so insistent on studying out of province?

Clearly, attending university locally was the best choice.

“Xiao Yuan, a good university affects your life for the next four years and your future development. Although our family isn’t short of money and you won’t have any pressure no matter which university you attend, if you go out of province, what will Mom and Dad do? It won’t be easy to see you. You’ve never left home before. Mom and Dad really can’t bear to part with you.” As Dai’s father spoke, his voice grew increasingly choked.

Dai Shi Yuan felt an inexplicable pang of heartache. She pursed her lips, unsure how to respond.

She had fantasized countless times about what it would be like if her father were still alive—whether she could act spoiled and carefree like other children.

Now that such an opportunity was right in front of her, she was a little tempted.

But she also understood that she was an imposter and not this character’s real daughter.

It was better to stay away. It would be disastrous if she revealed any flaws.

“I will grow up eventually. I can’t live under my parents’ wings forever,” Dai Shi Yuan said firmly, completely unmoved.

Dai’s father tried for a long time but still couldn’t change her decision. He could only sigh helplessly, “You’ve grown up and have your own ideas now. Dad respects your choice. But Xiao Yuan, please think it over again. Choose a local school so the family can take care of you more easily.”

“I still want to study out of province and see the outside world,” Dai Shi Yuan repeated, glancing at the female lead.

She could sense a hint of anger in the female lead’s clear, beautiful eyes.

Dai’s father sighed and turned to speak with Shan Yaxin instead, “Xiao Yuan is still young. The decisions she makes may not be the right ones. You’re a university teacher with plenty of experience. Please guide her more.”

“Understood, Dad,” Shan Yaxin replied with a smile, her voice gentle.

After the call ended, Dai Shi Yuan spoke first, “I’ve already made up my mind to study out of province. You don’t need to persuade me anymore. I won’t change my decision.”

Hearing this, Shan Yaxin smiled gently. Her slender fingers stroked the tear on the application form. After a few seconds, she suddenly leaned in close and whispered beside Dai Shi Yuan’s ear, “Xiao Yuan, tell Sister-in-law the truth. Why are you so determined to study out of province?”

The sudden closeness startled Dai Shi Yuan. Looking at the beautiful face right in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel her heart race.

Especially the warm breath against her ear—it burned her cheeks, turning them red. The flush spread all the way down her fair neck.

“Because…” Dai Shi Yuan’s mind went completely blank from the heat. She blinked helplessly, repeatedly saying “Because…”

She had already given the reason earlier, but now she was so flustered by the female lead that she couldn’t concentrate enough to recall it.

The person she wanted to avoid the most was currently standing right beside her, with almost zero safe distance between them.

Those brilliant eyes looked as beautiful as if they contained stars, yet she always felt a chilling aura within them.

Shan Yaxin waited patiently and did not rush her.

At this close distance, she finally noticed how delicate this sister-in-law’s skin was—full of collagen, radiating the youth and vitality unique to this age.

Even though she was shy and nervous, she still tried hard to appear calm, which was rather cute.

Especially those long, curly eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, clearly revealing the owner’s unease. For a moment, it made her want to bully her.

But she knew very well that this was all just an act. Her sister-in-law was not as innocent and harmless as she appeared.

“Because I want to go outside and see the world, and live independently,” Dai Shi Yuan finally remembered her previous reason and hurriedly said.

As she spoke, she didn’t dare meet the female lead’s eyes. She even quietly shifted her body backward to create a little more distance between them.

She wasn’t used to being this close to someone—it felt dangerous.

“Still the same reason?” Shan Yaxin raised an eyebrow, looking completely unconvinced.

Dai Shi Yuan nodded quickly, shrinking her shoulders and scooting back a little more, a stiff smile on her face.

She didn’t want to use such an unconvincing excuse either, but at this moment, she couldn’t think of a better one.

Shan Yaxin stared at the somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar little face for a long time. Then she suddenly smiled brightly, her expression turning gentle. “Since you’ve already decided, I won’t try to persuade you anymore. Rewrite the application form. Once I confirm it’s correct, you can submit it online.”

“Okay.” Dai Shi Yuan nodded hurriedly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

“I’ll go get you some fruit,” Shan Yaxin said with a smile as she straightened up, then turned and left the room.

She didn’t go to the kitchen. Instead, she returned to her own room.

After glancing at the fruit plate in the room, Shan Yaxin dialed another number.

This time it took quite a while before an impatient voice came from the other side, “What is it?”

Shan Yaxin was not surprised by this attitude at all. The corners of her lips curved slightly as she replied respectfully, her eyes carrying a hint of indifference, “Mom, Xiao Yuan still insists on studying out of province. I couldn’t persuade her.”

“Truly useless. You can’t even handle such a small matter,” Dai’s mother scolded angrily, her tone full of dissatisfaction.

“I’m sorry, Mom…” Shan Yaxin immediately apologized, sounding remorseful. However, her eyes remained cold, without the slightest trace of genuine guilt.

In the past, she would have felt uneasy after angering the other party.

No matter how bad the other person’s attitude was, she would always think it was her own failure that caused her mother-in-law’s dissatisfaction.

Even if she was beaten or scolded, she would willingly continue serving this family.

But now, she had abandoned that foolish way of thinking.

She would no longer wrong herself to please others, nor would she let herself be bullied without fighting back.

She would also never repeat her past mistakes. If someone bullied her, she would definitely find an opportunity to get revenge. She would no longer stupidly blame all the faults on herself.

Whether it was her mother-in-law or that husband of hers who had disappeared since the wedding.

She was no longer that naive.

Perhaps she should be grateful that the man was only her husband in name—her body was still pure.

Hearing this weak tone, Dai’s mother instantly became even angrier. She snorted disdainfully and said, “Since she doesn’t want to change it, after she finishes filling out the form, go online and change her choices.”

“But like this…”

“Like this what? Just do as I say.”

Before Shan Yaxin could finish speaking, she was forcefully interrupted. She pretended to be afraid and nodded in agreement.

After hanging up the phone, the smile in her eyes gradually spread, but her beautiful face was filled with coldness.

She would never let this seemingly innocent woman escape from her grasp.