I'm not his fan

"Min Min… Look at her" Tang Xuan huffed out, still feeling so angry and embarrassed that she felt like her whole head was on fire. "She's so weird- why does she act like that?"

"Please don't be angry with Jiao'er. She's only a bit shy and awkward, but not bad." Yu Min somehow looked sad, even though she was smiling. "I was also wrong…"

"Wrong? How are you wrong? She should be thankful that you accepted such an odd person like her as a friend! Instead, she put on airs??" Turning around to see her friend's downcast expression, which she was trying hard to hide, Tang Xuan felt her heart soften.

[Min Min is too kind to that stupid country bumpkin…]

"Eh, I suddenly remember… My dad brought me two movie tickets yesterday… It's for that new immortal movie"

"Hmm?"

"Ah, I forgot the name… Anyway, do you wanna watch it with me?"

"Is that ok? Don't you want to go with big brother Song?"

"It's fine ah! I can go with him later… Let's go, just the two of us, kay?"

".... ok, I'll go watch it with you then"

***

Pickled chicken feet is the best: Usually reading about overbearing and possessive CEOs and school grass and princes… Suddenly reading about a tyrannical lady…

Peach fairy: The flavor is quite different! But, but… I like it!! Fellow sisters, I think I might be changing camps *Runs away*

Baby goldfish: No ML in the story so far by now… A bit disappointed!

Another keyboard warrior: What ML? When a woman experience cheating like that, is it logical to fall so fast in love? Upstairs person, why don't you go read some other novel? Don't loiter here if you are simply looking for some cheap romance!

Baby goldfish: What's wrong with romance?

Another keyboard warrior: This sister is a strong woman with independent ideas… So, what if there's no romance? The MC should just go on her way to becoming a tyrannical boss like in the title.

Babu goldfish: Hey, it's no fun if there's no love in it ah!

Pickled chicken feet is the best: You know, this author only published 11 chapters so far…

Another keyboard warrior: ....

Baby goldfish: ....

Seeing the rather lively comment section of her novel, even though there were only a dozen or so fans of the book as of now, Xu Jiao chuckled lightly while mirth filled her eyes. It seemed that her fans like the way her story is going, despite the different outlook it present.

By the time of her death, novels with strong and rational FLs and not-so-overbearing, but still loving and logical MLs were quite famous. But, during the current times, this trend wasn't famous yet, but it can be considered to be emerging bit by bit. But the FLs who still dominated the market at present were either vicious, revengeful, OP, yet oddly turn weak once they meet the ML or they are adorable, spoilt, cute, OP and still turn weak once they meet the ML or they are sweet, kind….

Well, the combinations are endless. And the MLs were…. Well, MLs were always overbearing and possessive; at least there's some consistency to that.

[It really won't be easy to change this trend overnight.] she thought while browsing the novels on Xuri, which are somewhat on the lower side by numbers when compared to comics. [But, it's not too bad being a trendsetter either…] After all, Rome wasn't built in a day!

"Eh, little Jiao.. you're reading on Xuri too?" Nearly startled out of her skin by the sudden voice of Wu Man that sounded close to her ears, Xu Jiao fell off the chair, barely managing to save her laptop from the terrible fate of crashing down to the floor together with her.

"Oh no! Are you all right?" Her roommate helped her to her feet before stammering out, "I-I didn't mean to frighten you… Sorry."

Her heart still beating due to the fright she received, she looked at her laptop and carefully pushed it away from the edge of the table.

[This thing is already so old… If it broke, it might really fall into eternal death ah!]

And, if it broke, it isn't like she had enough money to afford a new one.

"Senior Guo is also posting comics here ne… I read all of his works."

"What? What senior Guo?" Xu Jiao's voice sounded unusually high-pitched and anxious even to her own ears.

"What do you mean by which one? It's senior Guo in our department ah!" Then fiddling with her fingers and smiling in a shy manner that's greatly at odds with her unruly appearance, Wu Man suddenly chirped up with great enthusiasm, her demeanor somehow resembling that of a kindergartner. "He's so amazing and so talented ah! I have never seen someone like that!"

Xu Jiao's first thought was, [Sister, why are you looking like that? Isn't this blind worship? This is a free society, you know?]

Her second thought went like, [Crap! I totally forgot… That guy is also in the fine arts department!] And,

"You're a member of that fan club?" She asked, an expression of abject horror on her face.

"..."

"Guo Shen's fan club??"

"Huh?Ah? Ah!" Wu Man's face, which at first was a mask of total confusion, gradually started showing signs of realization.

"Little Jiao… Are you one? A fan?" Her voice which now sounded cautious and hesitant as if she was confronting some sort of ferocious wild animal, was no better than the earlier confusion—seeing her like this, Xu Jiao fell into momentary speechlessness; What kind of misunderstanding is this?!

Wu Man: "..."

Xu Jiao: "..."

"I'm not! Why would I? I'm not his fan!"

"Oh!" An unconvinced look.

"I really am not! Wu Man, Don't think nonsense! I have never even read a single work of this guy!!"

"Oh! Ok, ok… I get it now, so… here, sit down." Seeing her roommate who had a patient expression as if she was coaxing a child, Xu Jiao started feeling even angrier.

"Why do I need to join his fan club? It's not like I'm fangirling over him!"

"Yes, yes… here, eat a toffee…" Seeing how she still looked mulish, Wu Man stifled a chuckle and soothingly patted her back. "I was wrong… I misunderstood what you said."

"Hmph!"

[So mad… But, but this flavor is quite good… I should buy more of it.] Xu Jiao was happily sucking on the candy when her actions suddenly stopped, horror gradually materializing in her heart. What in the ever-loving hell did she just do? Is she crazy?

[Xu Jiao… You crazy little shit! It's one thing to think weird things in your head, but saying them out loud?] And, why was she so worked up?

She could clearly see that Wu Man was trying hard to suppress her amusement, but honestly, this brat was doing a really shoddy job at that. Brushing aside the way her whole face was heating up, Xu Jiao sucked harder on the toffee while she started deliberating on this matter more deeply.

[Argh! No, wait! Calm down first! Let me think…]

[No matter what, the conclusion is… I, an aunty nearing 40 did something like this… How shameful can I get?]

"Ah little Jiao, actually senior Guo is really amazing so… nothing wrong with being his fan. And he's very handsome too... Lots of girls in our department are in his fan club." Seeing her staring, Wu Man hurriedly waved her hands trying to explain. "I'm not in it of course… And, and I'm not saying you are a fan… But just saying you know…"

Seeing the other's gossipy expression which she was trying hard to hide, Xu Jiao finally sighed and tried to be as patient as possible while explaining. "I'm really not a fan… I just remember the thing that happened to that senior sister in the history department last year. So I'm kinda scared of those girls. I was worried you were one of them, that's all."

"Oh?" A confused expression and then, "Oh, I know, I know… hehe… Don't worry, I won't tell a soul! Pinky promise!"

Staring at her little finger which was subjected to a vigorous round of shaking before being released, and then at Wu Man who was now looking at her phone while humming a tune that suspiciously sounded like "Two tigers" {1}, Xu Jiao felt like she didn't know what to think for a moment.

[Girl, what do you know? What won't you tell? Were you even properly listening to everything I was saying?]

[....]

[Aai nevermind, nevermind… Just a little kid, what could she possibly understand?]

And, as for her unusual reaction to Guo Shen… Heh!

[What's that? What reaction? Who told such a ridiculous thing?]

After all, our Xu Jiao had always possessed quite a number of talents, self-deceit being one of the best among them, right next to her writing abilities. And, if push comes to shove, she could even convince herself that the earth is flat and the sky is round; that being how she had lived her last life and lived her way over to her death. So, what more of a mere 'Guo Shen?'

#####

Glossary:

01) Two tigers: This is a popular Chinese nursery rhyme. Here, I have included the English translation of this song for you guys to take a look at. ≧⧢≦

Two little tigers,

Two little tigers,

(They) run very fast,

(They) run very fast,

One has no eyes (or: One has no ears),

One has no tail,

Very weird,

Very weird.