We sat at a quiet corner table inside the library café. The silence between us was heavy — not awkward, just… thick with unsaid truths. For a moment, I wasn't Xiao Xinya, and she wasn't Li Suna. We were two outsiders trapped inside a story neither of us wrote.
"You know, I recognized you the moment you looked confused at the breakfast table," Li Suna said, stirring her tea without drinking it. "The real Xiao Xinya was never unsure. She was poised. Controlled. Empty."
I leaned in, voice low. "And you? You're not the original Li Suna either, are you?"
She met my gaze. "No. I'm not."
There. It was said.
Two transmigrators. One story.
I sat back, exhaling. "So… you're from the same world as me?"
She gave a half-smile. "Not exactly. Similar enough. I read the same novel — Reborn of the Vicious Heiress. But my world was a few choices ahead. My ending was… ugly."
My chest tightened. "Ugly how?"
"In my timeline," she said, "the male lead obsessed over me. His protection became possession. I tried to escape — I failed. I died."
She looked away. "And then I woke up. Again. In this timeline. With your Xiao Xinya." She paused. "Only… something was different."
I swallowed. "I replaced her."
"I know."
Her calmness unsettled me more than if she'd yelled.
"So why didn't you confront me?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Because I'm tired. And curious. You — you disrupted the story. The male lead changed his trajectory. The poisoning never happened. Events got shuffled. I needed to see if you were aware."
I leaned forward. "What's your goal here, Suna?"
She finally sipped her tea. "To survive. And maybe… rewrite my ending."
We sat in silence again.
Then she added, "But you… I think you're the key. You're not like the original Xinya. And you're not like me either. You still have hope."
Her voice softened. "So tell me — what do you want?"
I looked at her, truly looked at her. This girl had lived through a nightmare and still walked with grace. Me? I was still fumbling through this life, pretending I belonged.
"I want to protect this life," I said slowly. "If I'm here, then I'll live it fully. Not as a background character. Not as a placeholder. But as someone who matters."
Suna smiled gently. "Then be careful."
"Why?"
"Because someone else is starting to remember the original script," she whispered. "And if it's who I think it is… then your story might not stay yours for long."
My heart pounded. "You mean—"
"Yes," she said. "Xiao Lian."