Chapter 3

Ian froze for a second.

He glanced down at Stella, who was crouched behind the bushes, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Then what are you doing here?"

Stella said seriously, "I need to see where I lost."

Ian was quiet for a moment, then crouched down next to her. "Did you figure anything out?"

Stella shook her head. "Not really. All I noticed is that she's gentler, prettier, and better with words than I am."

Ian raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Stella turned to look at him. "That's it."

Ian glanced at Renee through the glass, his tone casual. "Her name is Renee Stanton. She's a sophomore majoring in early childhood education. She's definitely gentle, but she's not perfect."

Stella's eyes lit up. "What are her flaws? Come on, tell me."

Ian shot her a look, smirking. "She can't knit a scarf. Last year, for Zachary's birthday, she bought one from the store."

Stella stared blankly.

Ian continued, "She can't make coffee either. Every time she comes to the café, Zachary has to order it for her."

Stella was still in a daze.

Ian stood up and brushed off his pants. "Stella, stop thinking you're not good enough. The things you're good at? Other people aren't."

Stella stared at him, speechless for a while.

As Ian was about to walk away, she reached out and stopped him. "Wait."

Ian turned back.

Stella's eyes sparkled. "How did you know I knit scarves? And how did you know I make coffee?"

Ian was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled his hand back, his face unreadable. "Everyone in our major knows."

Then he walked away.

Stella stayed crouched there, watching him leave. A thought popped into her head. "System, isn't he kind of handsome?"

System: [Host, you were feeling sad about the male lead just now.]

Stella said, "Oh, yeah."

She glanced back at the café.

Zachary was gently wiping the corner of Renee's mouth, tender like the perfect male lead in a romantic drama.

Stella watched for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "System, I don't feel so bad anymore."

System: [Why?]

Stella stood up and brushed herself off. "Someone told me I can do a lot of things. Even if those things might not seem valuable, they still matter to me."

[Host, you sound like a philosopher now.]

Stella slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking toward campus. Something suddenly popped into her head, and she glanced back in the direction Ian had gone.

She said, "System, what happened to Ian in the end? He loved someone he couldn't have, right? How did it turn out for him?"

System: [In the original story, he silently protected Renee and never married for his entire life.]

Stella fell silent. After a long pause, she whispered, "Guess he's got it worse than me."

System found itself more and more baffled by this Host.

*****

Ever since that little spying adventure, Stella couldn't stop thinking about someone.

It wasn't Zachary. It was Ian.

What really got to her was that he remained single all his life, according to System.

That night, tossing and turning in bed, she couldn't help asking, "System, why did Ian never get married?"

System: [In the original story, he's the loyal type. He spent his whole life waiting for her.]

"He likes Renee, right?"

[Yes.]

"When did it start?"

[It's never mentioned in the story.]

"What happened to him in the end?"

[The story doesn't spell it out, but the ending hints that he was successful in his career, yet spent his whole life alone.]

Stella fell silent for a moment, then suddenly bolted upright. "No, that's not right. I can't let that happen."

[Host, what did you say?]

Stella clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with resolve. "I'm going to save him. He can't spend his whole life alone. He deserves better."

[Host, are you sure it's not because you like him?]

Stella paused, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

[You said he's handsome.]

Stella thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, he is, but that doesn't mean anything."

[Fine.]

*****

The next day, Stella began taking action. Her first move was to dig up some info on Ian.

She found that he was kind of a big deal around campus.

A genius in the computer science department, he had already won first prize in a national programming competition during his sophomore year. He was handsome, quiet, and distant, and everyone called him "Ice Prince".

Stella paused for a second when she heard that nickname. "Ice Prince? He talked to me that day."

Cora rolled her eyes. "That was because he felt sorry for you. You were sitting in a puddle. Who wouldn't help in that situation?"

Stella thought about it and had to admit that Cora had a point, but that didn't faze her.

She thought that even ice could melt.

Her second step was to study Renee. After all, knowing both herself and her opponent ensured victory.

However, the more Stella dug, the more she realized Renee was basically flawless. She was gentle, kind, gorgeous, always had something nice to say, and she smiled at everyone.

Stella felt defeated. "System, how am I supposed to compete with someone like that?"

System: [You don't need to compete with her. You're here to save the side character, not steal the main guy.]

Stella blinked, then suddenly got it. "Oh, right. I'm not trying to win over Ian. I'm here to save him."

[Are you sure that's all you want to do?]

"Yeah."

[Alright then.]

*****

That weekend, Stella went on a stakeout again. This time, she wasn't waiting for Zachary; she was waiting for Ian.

She found out he studied at the library every Saturday afternoon, so she showed up half an hour early and waited at the entrance.

After half an hour of waiting, her legs were numb, and Ian finally showed up.

He was rocking a gray hoodie and carrying a laptop bag, walking at a steady pace.

As soon as Stella saw him, she quickly stood up, but her legs were so numb that she lost her balance and stumbled forward.

Ian reacted instantly, steadying her before she could fall. "Oh, it's you."

Stella gave an awkward laugh. "What a coincidence."

Ian shot her a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

Stella hesitated for a second, then decided to be honest. "I was waiting for you."

Ian blinked, caught off guard. "Why?"

Stella fixed her gaze on him, looking serious. "I want to save you."