Chapter 149: Chapter 122: That’s a Heavy Dose
When Shen Yuan heard that, he immediately retorted, "Letting it settle? Are you kidding me? It hasn’t been updated in forever! Does the author have any sense of responsibility at all?"
Seeing Shen Yuan so worked up, Zhuo Peipei felt not a shred of guilt. Instead, she giggled, leaning in close with a teasing smirk. "Well, well, I never would’ve guessed. Lao Yuan, are you also indulging in the sweet romance of *Defend and Steal*?"
At Zhuo Peipei’s words, Shen Yuan shot upright and declared righteously, "I’ve said it before! I’m reading *Defend and Steal* purely to identify the traitor in our midst. It has absolutely nothing to do with enjoying some sweet romance!"
Zhuo Peipei, however, was unconvinced. She narrowed her eyes, meeting his gaze without yielding. "Then why are you in such a rush? Catching traitors requires patience, you know!"
Zhuo Peipei clearly didn’t believe Shen Yuan, figuring he was just being stubborn.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the classroom door.
He Zhiyu had just arrived at the classroom to see Shen Yuan and Zhuo Peipei squaring off.
"M-morning! You two." The little author smiled sheepishly.
Before Zhuo Peipei could reply, a cold smirk appeared on Shen Yuan’s face.
"Heh."
Shen Yuan glanced at Zhuo Peipei, preparing to mess with her head.
"Tell me, Peipei. When a person is reading a Sugar Text, what’s their sense of immersion like? Do you ever imagine yourself as the female lead?"
Zhuo Peipei listened, thought for a moment, and then nodded slightly in agreement.
She didn’t detect the hidden meaning in his words. At this point, she still naively believed it was just a normal discussion.
Seeing his opening, the smile on Shen Yuan’s face widened. He pressed his advantage, striking while the iron was hot. "So, since we agree there’s a sense of immersion, shouldn’t a guy like me identify with the male lead?"
Zhuo Peipei, still oblivious to his scheme, nodded without hesitation. "Yup."
’Hook, line, and sinker,’ Shen Yuan thought, delighted. He felt Zhuo Peipei had fallen completely into his trap. He decided it was time to deliver the coup de grâce, the final, fatal blow.
"In that case, allow me to ask: When Shen Yuan—that’s me—identifies with the male lead of *Defend and Steal*, a character based on Shen Yuan himself, and then starts to develop feelings for the female lead because of the romantic events in the story... well, let me ask you..."
Shen Yuan deliberately drew out his words, watching Zhuo Peipei’s reaction.
Just as he expected, the color drained from Zhuo Peipei’s face. She seemed to realize something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Seeing her reaction, Shen Yuan’s smile turned downright wicked. He enunciated every syllable. "Doesn’t that count as a form of NTR?"
"AHHH!!!"
Zhuo Peipei let out a sharp scream. She felt her shipper’s heart starting to shatter.
A veteran of shipping wars for many years, Zhuo Peipei had never once considered such a diabolical angle!
"How... how could that possibly be NTR?!" Zhuo Peipei cried, clutching her hair as she stumbled backward, her heel striking Ah Jie’s desk with a sharp crack.
In that moment, the entire theoretical framework of shipping that Zhuo Peipei had built with such pride was crumbling to dust. When the real-life prototype of a character shares their sensory experience, do you apply the laws of pure romance, or the logic of NTR?
The paradox chewed away at the fannish universe she had constructed over years, like a rampant virus. Even the strawberry-print hair tie dangling by her ear seemed to mock her innocence.
But in that moment, someone was in an even worse state than Zhuo Peipei: He Zhiyu, the author of *Defend and Steal*.
The little author cowered in her seat. She had been happy to come to school today, but now Shen Yuan’s diabolical theory had completely blindsided her.
Her trembling fingers swiped frantically across her phone screen.
The passage in her document—where the male lead’s fingertips traced the ends of the female lead’s hair—suddenly twisted into a grotesque mockery. Every sweet interaction had become a boomerang aimed straight at the creator’s heart.
"I..."
The little author’s entire creative philosophy disintegrated.
’I just wanted to write some nice Sugar Text in my spare time to soothe my soul,’ she thought. ’Why... why is this happening to me?’
He Zhiyu felt like she could never love again.
The world had turned gray.
Shen Yuan leaned against a desk, admiring the mental avalanche he had caused. Just then, he felt a tug from behind.
He turned his head to see Li Zhi glaring daggers at him.
Li Zhi shot a glance at He Zhiyu, who looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown, then shot another fierce glare at Shen Yuan.
The meaning in the beautiful girl’s eyes was easy enough to grasp.
’You damn well better fix this!’
Shen Yuan flashed a broad smile and gave her an "OK" sign.
Pleased with his masterpiece, Shen Yuan chuckled.
"Actually, there’s no need to be so pessimistic."
Hearing this, Zhuo Peipei and He Zhiyu immediately turned to look at Shen Yuan.
"This is just my personal opinion, mind you. Full disclaimer!"
With that, Shen Yuan began putting up his defenses.
"My reading of *Defend and Steal* is purely for the sake of flushing out the hidden traitor! I am observing the content of *Defend and Steal* for purely research purposes, with absolutely no intention of indulging in the romance. My objective has always been, and remains, to find the traitor."
"Cut the crap!"
Hearing Li Zhi, Shen Yuan flinched and immediately got to the point.
"If I were going to identify with the male lead, why wouldn’t I just picture Li Zhi as the female lead? After all, the first draft of this little Sugar Text was based on me and her in the first place."
Shen Yuan gave a helpless shrug. "From my personal point of view, doesn’t that just make it even sweeter?"
At these words, the grand edifice of Zhuo Peipei’s shipping theories, which had been on the verge of collapse, was instantly reassembled into a fortress stronger than ever before.
