On my childhood best friend’s birthday, he threw the doll I’d handmade for him into the trash. “It looks like absolute garbage. Who’d want this piece of crap?” I ran away crying as live comments floated past my eyes: 【Go on, be arrogant. You have no idea that doll is a key prop in this steamy webnovel. It has an empathic link to the heroine!】 【Don’t cry, Sophie! He’s just salty you didn’t vote for him for Campus King. Once he cools down, he’ll be digging through the trash to get it back and apologize.】 【Hehe, and once he discovers the doll’s little secret, he’s going to start all sorts of shameless, steamy things to sleep you into submission!】 I froze. Suddenly, I felt a warmth on my cheek, as if someone was gently wiping away my tears. Then, the live comments exploded: 【Holy crap, isn't that the scholarship kid who has a secret crush on the heroine?】 【How did he get the doll?!】 1 When I gave my childhood friend his birthday gift, his “best girl-friend” Maya was there too. When she saw the doll, she gave Dylan a weird look and teased, “Seriously, dude? You’re into girly stuff like this?” Dylan’s face darkened. He stared at the clumsily stitched doll, his voice dropping. “This is the junk you got me for my birthday?” My eyes welled up with tears. When we were ten, I had asked him, “What do you want for your eighteenth birthday?” He’d blinked. “A doll that you made yourself.” It was because of a fairy tale he’d read. It said that if you received a handmade doll from someone important to you on your coming-of-age birthday, you’d be with them forever. “That’s the only thing I want,” ten-year-old Dylan had said. But now, eighteen-year-old Dylan was calling it junk. “Come on, Dylan, Sophie’s your childhood sweetheart. Can’t you be a little nicer?” Seeing my teary eyes, Maya playfully punched his arm, pretending to stick up for me. “Besides, she was too busy voting for Caleb to have time for you.” That seemed to be his trigger. Dylan let out a cold, bitter laugh and hurled the doll toward the trash can. “If you don’t have time, then don’t bother.” “Who’d want this piece of crap anyway.” The tears I’d been holding back finally broke free. I turned and ran, sobbing. “Tsk, girls are so much trouble. Crying over every little thing,” I vaguely heard Maya’s dismissive voice behind me. Then she prodded Dylan with that same fake concern. “What are you waiting for? Go comfort her before she throws a massive fit!” Dylan’s reply was sharp enough to cut glass. “Comfort her for what? She cries a dozen times a day. Let her cry herself to death for all I care.” I ran home in shame and locked myself in my room, crying my heart out. That’s when the comments appeared before my eyes: 【Nooo, don’t cry, Sophie! Don’t blame him! Blame that evil side character for manipulating everything!】 【He doesn’t even know you made the doll! That manipulative tomboy, Maya, lied and told him it was some cheap thing from a street stall. He’s just mad you don’t care about him.】 【And you didn’t vote for him for Campus King! He’s jealous and hurt, that’s why he lost his temper and was mean to you!】 【Don’t worry, the toughest thing about Dylan is his mouth… well, besides that. He actually feels terrible. He’s going to go dig that doll out of the trash and come apologize to you like a puppy with its tail between its legs.】 【Hehe, after all, that doll is a key prop in this steamy webnovel. It shares your senses! Get ready to be pleasured by an insatiable hero until you can’t get out of bed!】 2 Reading the comments, my mind went blank. To be honest, I’d always thought my crush on Dylan was… weird. We were childhood friends, but after puberty hit, our personalities clashed. He was a rebellious thrill-seeker, always skipping class, getting into fights, and street racing. I, on the other hand, was a born crybaby and a total coward. One lap in his speeding car was enough to make me wail for miles. He’d offer a half-hearted apology to my face, then complain to Maya behind my back that I was “a high-maintenance princess, so dramatic and boring.” But it felt like I was under a spell, hopelessly in love with him. Now I understood. No wonder it felt so weird. It was all set up by the author! The comments were still flying: 【Once Dylan discovers the doll’s secret, he’s going to start all sorts of shameless, steamy things to sleep you into submission!】 【Like, during gym class, he’ll play with the doll and get you all hot and bothered, so you have to go ‘rest’ in the equipment room. Then he’ll follow you, lock the door, and pin you against the window for some forced seduction… you know what I mean, hehe.】 【Or when he’s jealous of you talking to another guy, he’ll rough up the doll in public until your legs go weak and your eyes lose focus. Then he’ll sweep you into his arms to claim what’s his.】 【Okay, hold up, that sounds kind of gross. Like some pervert from a creepy manga.】 【+1, that’s so tacky. Is that really a male lead in a female-oriented story?】 【Give me a break, you two moral guardians. If you don’t like it, get lost! It’s a smut fic, it’s supposed to be hot and steamy! Stop nitpicking everything!】 I trembled as I read. You guys get your kicks, but what about my feelings?! I felt sick to my stomach. I was about to rush out and grab the doll before Dylan could. But then… A clean, fresh scent enveloped me. I felt a warmth on my cheek, as if someone was gently wiping my tears away. Then, he carefully brushed the dust from my clothes and whispered, “I’d cherish it.” 3 The comments exploded: 【Holy crap, isn’t that Caleb, the scholarship kid who has a secret crush on the heroine?】 【What’s going on? This isn’t how the story is supposed to go! How did he get the doll before the male lead?】 【Oh no, that doll is the key to their relationship! Without it, the whole plot is ruined!】 Hearing that name, I froze. Caleb was the only scholarship student in our class. His face was extraordinarily handsome. So handsome that even though I was in love with Dylan, I couldn’t bring myself to vote for anyone else for Campus King. As a result, Dylan lost to Caleb by a single vote. But Caleb was the classic ice prince. He had a ‘do not disturb’ aura and kept to himself. In three years as classmates, we had barely exchanged a few words. How could he have a crush on me? The comments debated furiously: 【He might act all cold and aloof, but he’s secretly head over heels for the heroine.】 【How could he not be? When his grandmother collapsed from high blood pressure on the street, the heroine was the one who rushed her to the hospital. If not for her, Caleb would have lost his only family.】 【Ever since then, he’s been paying extra attention to her. The more he watched, the more he was drawn to her. He’s been falling for her on his own for three years. Now he even says her name in his sleep.】 【OMG, that doll shares the heroine’s senses! He’s so repressed, what if he does something… indecent with it?!】 My heart skipped a beat. I curled up in bed, my mind racing with anxiety for what felt like an eternity. But besides the feeling of being held gently, as if I were something precious, nothing happened. The faint, clean scent of soap from Caleb’s clothes lingered around me, like a sun-dried white shirt. It was fresh and comforting. Strangely, I felt a sense of peace. Drowsiness washed over me, and I drifted off to sleep. But I wasn’t asleep for long before I was jolted awake by a sharp pain. 4 I winced, a stabbing pain in my lower abdomen. I was already weak from my period. Crying over Dylan and getting caught in the rain on the way home hadn’t helped. Now, in the middle of the night, the temperature had dropped. The cold made the cramps unbearable. My parents were out of town, and our housekeeper was on leave. There was no ibuprofen in the house, no heating pads. Seeing me writhing on the bed, the comments immediately offered advice: 【Poor baby, just call Dylan already!】 【He’s cooled off now and feels terrible. He can’t sleep, he’s just thinking about how to apologize.】 【Just give him an opening, and he’ll come running to your door, tail wagging!】 I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t going to call him. Dylan always thought I overreacted. Once, I had to cancel a date with him because of cramps, and he’d grumbled, “Maya’s a girl too, and she still goes street racing and bungee jumping on her period. Why are you always acting like you’re dying?” Back then, afraid of upsetting him, I’d wiped my tears and forced myself to go. Not anymore. Ever since I saw the comments, the spell was broken. My head was clear. I didn’t want to bother Dylan. And I’d appreciate it if he didn’t bother me. The rain pattered against the window, a chilling dampness seeping into the room. I curled up, alternating between shivering and waves of pain. The comments didn’t get it: 【The heroine can barely move from the pain, but she’s letting her pride make her suffer.】 【I’m so annoyed. This could all be solved if she just gave in a little, but she’d rather torture herself.】 【My idiot-intolerance is flaring up. Besides Dylan, who else is going to help her right now?】 But I didn’t budge. Even as my lips turned white from the pain, I chose to endure it. Suddenly, it felt as if I had fallen into a soft, warm cloud. A profound warmth enveloped me, chasing away the chill. The pain in my abdomen began to subside, replaced by a gentle, soothing heat. The comments were in shock: 【Is Caleb insane? It’s the middle of the night, and he’s taking the expensive silk quilt he never uses and making a bed for the doll. Now he’s run out to buy a hot water bottle to warm its stomach.】 【OMG, what’s with that pained expression? Don’t tell me he already knows the doll is linked to the heroine!】 【Something’s not right. How does he know she has cramps and needs to be warmed up? You’d think he had an omniscient point of view, just like us!】 A jolt went through me. A wild idea popped into my head: Could it be… that Caleb could see the comments too? 5 The next morning, I was waiting at the school gate early. I wanted to intercept Caleb, get the doll back, and test my theory. But I waited and waited, and he never showed up. The comments were frantic: 【What is the heroine doing just standing there? Dylan and Caleb are already fighting down the street!】 I froze. It turned out Dylan hadn’t slept at all. He’d spent the night digging through the trash for the doll, planning to apologize to me. But he found nothing. So, with dark circles under his eyes, he’d gone to buy my favorite breakfast instead. And, as fate would have it, he ran right into Caleb, who was carefully holding the doll. Dylan exploded on the spot. “That’s my gift from her. You have no right to touch it.” He threw the first punch. By the time I arrived, alerted by the comments, Caleb was already on the ground. He was curled up, his arms wrapped around his chest, desperately protecting something. Dylan, clearly not finished, had a cold look in his eyes as he rained punches down on Caleb’s back. The comments were a flurry of opinions: 【Caleb is that weak? He’s 6’2”, and he’s getting beaten up by Dylan, who’s half a head shorter. No wonder he’s just a nameless side character.】 【Hehe, serves him right. He tried to steal from the male lead and get in the way of my ship. Hope his face gets smashed in!】 【The person above is nuts. Caleb isn’t fighting back because Dylan is trying to rip the doll away from him. If he lets go, the heroine would pass out from the pain.】 【Can I just say, the male lead is really questionable. The description says ‘dominant childhood friend,’ but he’s acting like a possessive creep.】 【Ugh, the side character stans are at it again, slandering the male lead! Dylan doesn’t know about the empathic link yet, what did he do wrong?】 【I agree. No matter how much you slander him, our heroine only has eyes for the male lead. She doesn’t even look at other guys. Eat your hearts out!】 As that last comment appeared, I thought I saw the light in Caleb’s eyes dim. 6 But a moment later, a sharp smack echoed in the air. Caleb’s eyes widened, a flicker of light returning to them. Because I had run in front of him. And, in my haste, I had slapped Dylan across the face. “Have you lost your mind?” I snapped. Dylan froze, his hand covering his cheek. “You… you slapped me? For him?” he stammered in disbelief. He pointed at Caleb, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and hurt. “He’s the one who stole the doll you gave me!” I helped Caleb to his feet, gently brushing the dust from his back and shoulders, just as he had done for the doll the night before. I turned to Dylan, my voice cold. “You said you didn’t want it. So what’s the problem if I give it to someone who does?” Dylan’s shoulders tensed. He stared at me for a long moment before speaking, each word a threat. “Sophie, you’ve crossed a line this time. Don’t regret this.” I couldn’t be bothered with him. I turned to Caleb, helping him up. “Come on, let’s go to the nurse’s office.” Caleb’s eyelashes fluttered. He nodded, carefully clutching the doll. Dylan was furious. “Fine. Fine! FINE!” He suddenly grabbed Maya, who had just arrived, and pulled her into a hug. “There’s no such thing as a platonic friendship between a guy and a girl. You’ve been acting like one of the guys, but you’ve always had a crush on me, haven’t you?” “So, how about we give it a shot?” Maya froze for a second, then, dropping her usual tomboy act, she blushed and nodded. I had to laugh. They were always slinging their arms around each other, hiding behind the “just friends” excuse. I had told Dylan it made me uncomfortable, but he’d just shrugged and called me petty. “We’re just bros. Are you really getting jealous over nothing?” Turns out, he knew everything all along. 7 In the nurse’s office, I dabbed at Caleb’s scrapes. Honestly, I hadn’t really believed he had a crush on me. For three years, he’d been cold to everyone, like a beautiful, emotionless statue. But as I leaned in with the cotton swab, the ice sculpture in front of me instantly turned into a volcano. His gaze darted away, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously as he tried to control his racing heart. Seeing him so flustered and innocent, I felt an unexpected thrill. It was like having a gorgeous, aloof cat that ignored everyone else, but would roll over and show you its fluffy belly, purring just for you. It was a little power trip, and I was enjoying it. “Sophie.” Caleb gently pulled my hand away, trying to look composed. But his ears, red as cherries, gave him away. I studied his expression, feeling even more delighted. What a cute, flustered boy. I wanted to pinch his cheeks. “Thank you for helping me,” he said, his eyes still avoiding mine. He held out his hands. “But I have to give you the doll back.” Thanks to Dylan, Caleb’s uniform was torn and dusty. But the doll, which he had cradled in his arms, was spotless. “It… it has an empathic link with you,” he explained earnestly, afraid I wouldn’t believe him. Maybe it was the “smut fic heroine” in me, but staring at his moving lips, I had the sudden urge to tease him. “Really?” I feigned disbelief and poked the doll’s cheek. My hair, as if on cue, brushed against the back of his hand. Caleb froze, his breath catching in his throat. “I don’t feel anything,” I said, blinking innocently. I deliberately took his finger and used it to poke the doll. “Or does it only work if you do it?” They say the fingers are connected to the heart. It must be true. The moment our fingers touched, I could feel his heart about to beat out of his chest. The comments went wild: 【Is he really that innocent? Just holding hands and he looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.】 【Sophie, stop teasing him! I’m seriously worried he’s going to pass out.】 【Ahhh, why is this so cute? I officially support the heroine dumping the toxic childhood friend for the innocent puppy!】 As soon as that comment appeared, Caleb’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. I had my fun. I smiled and took the doll from his hands. But in an instant, it vanished from my grasp and reappeared in his arms. The comments explained: 【OMG, I almost forgot, the doll is owner-bound. If anyone else touches it, it teleports back to its owner.】 【In the original story, the heroine couldn’t stand the male lead’s insatiable appetite and tried to steal the doll back, but she couldn’t. He caught her in the act and used it as an excuse to ‘punish’ her.】 【LMAO, you smut fic writers will come up with any crazy rule to create a steamy scene!】 Someone noticed the implication: 【Wait, does that mean these two are tied together for life because of the doll?】 【Nooo, what about Dylan? I only ship the main couple!】 【Don’t worry, the link only lasts for six months. It deactivates after the heroine graduates and goes abroad with Dylan, since it’s no longer needed for the plot.】 Caleb, unaware that I could see the comments, explained with fluttering eyelashes that the doll’s link was only temporary. His ears were still red, but his eyes were sincere as he made me a promise. “During this time, I won’t do anything to disrespect you.” I smiled. “I know. I trust you.”
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