Chapter 49: Not Just a Paper Character “You’re not here to flirt with me? You’re leaving without even asking for my number?” Lin Tai wanted to leave, but Charlotte panicked. She had finally waited for Lin Tai to appear—she absolutely couldn’t let him slip away from her again. In her urgency, Charlotte grabbed Lin Tai’s arm. “???” Lin Tai’s face was full of question marks. What was going on? Charlotte’s anxious expression seemed to scream, Come on, flirt with me, hurry up and flirt with me … Lin Tai knew Westerners were more open, but Charlotte was Ye Bai’s heroine, wasn’t she? Wasn’t she supposed to be interested only in Ye Bai? The familiar scene, the familiar vibe—Lin Tai increasingly felt something was off with this heroine. Damn it, Charlotte was starting to act up too! Of course, Lin Tai couldn’t indulge her. He pulled his arm free and walked back to his booth without looking back. “Fine, then just tell me your phone number!” Charlotte stood up and chased after him. “WTF, this actually works???” At the booth, the rich second-generation heirs, who had been ready to watch the drama unfold, felt their smiles freeze on their faces. “What did Lin Tai just do?” “Did he just say, ‘Hello, let’s get acquainted,’ and that was enough?” “Isn’t she a British royal princess? Why is she so … unreserved?” Every face was marked with utter bewilderment. Strange, just too strange. The ice-cold Charlotte from moments ago had suddenly transformed into this. Could it be that Lin Tai and Charlotte knew each other? Impossible! Charlotte was a British royal princess, and the Lin family had no connection whatsoever to the British royal family. How could she know a loser like Lin Tai? Even if they did know each other, what could a nobody like Lin Tai possibly have to catch the attention of a princess? This was absurd. Yan Jun, in particular, was the most dumbfounded. He stopped recording on his phone and opened his messages. Steven’s text clearly stated that Princess Charlotte was visiting China for the first time. Lin Tai had never left China, so there was no way they could have known each other before! Yan Jun sniffed the lingering smell of liquor on his face. He had indeed been splashed by Charlotte! She had shown no interest in him, yet with Lin Tai … No, he had to ask Ye Bai for clarification. Was this woman really Princess Charlotte? With that thought, Yan Jun snapped a photo and sent it to Steven. Soon, Steven’s reply came, confirming simply that the person in the photo was indeed Princess Charlotte! “Haha, I told you, my big bro is a god!” Lei Ming was thrilled. He had just been doubting himself, but now Lin Tai had worked his magic. With just one sentence, he had effortlessly won over Princess Charlotte. “Tch, tch. Looks like Princess Charlotte isn’t in a bad mood—she just didn’t bother with certain people,” Lei Ming said with a smug grin, looking at Yan Jun. He felt great. The group had been mocking him earlier, and now he could finally hold his head high. My big bro is just that awesome! Lei Ming silently vowed that from today on, Lin Tai was his idol, and he’d believe whatever Lin Tai said. “Brother Yan, don’t forget your promise. Kneeling and apologizing would show some sincerity,” Lei Ming teased. “Hmph, what’s the rush? The contest was about flirting. Lin Tai doesn’t even know Princess Charlotte’s name, so it doesn’t count as a win,” Yan Jun said shamelessly. Kneel and apologize to Lin Tai? That would make him the laughingstock of the entire Imperial Capital, even more than Ye Bai or Lin Tai. “Stop right there!” Seeing that Lin Tai had no intention of slowing down, Charlotte grew even more anxious. She quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “My name’s Charlotte. What’s yours?” Charlotte knew Lin Tai’s name, but she also knew that if she said she was reincarnated, he’d probably think she was crazy. After returning to Britain in her previous life, Charlotte had diligently studied Chinese culture. She learned from Chinese books that haste makes waste. Chinese men were much more reserved than Western men. She needed to start as friends with Lin Tai and gradually win over her kidnapper. “Let’s be friends?” Charlotte extended her hand to Lin Tai. “No thanks, not interested!” Lin Tai firmly refused, feeling a massive headache. Charlotte was starting to change too. He was getting anxious. So far, aside from Lin Ziyu and Yao Anxuan, who seemed normal, not a single heroine was acting normally! Even before their plotlines had started, they were already behaving strangely. Lin Tai couldn’t figure out what Ye Bai, the protagonist, was even doing. His heroines were acting so weird, and he wasn’t stepping in to manage them. This made things incredibly difficult for Lin Tai, the vicious male supporting character! Wait, Lin Tai suddenly realized something was off. From Xia Shihan to Su Yanfei, he could sense that these heroines had their own minds. They didn’t seem to rigidly follow the book’s script like paper characters. For example, Xia Shihan and Xiao Yuxuan had changed their attitudes toward him because of Lin Zhentian’s heavy investments. Lin Tai realized that these heroines weren’t just paper characters. They didn’t strictly adhere to the original novel’s plot; they had their own thoughts. Even so, based on the current plot’s development, no matter how the story changed, the heroines’ allegiances should remain the same. Thinking back, since his rebirth, though their attitudes had shifted significantly, the plot had still progressed. The birthday banquet, the hotel, the confrontation with the Lu family, getting arrested—all these events had happened, just with different outcomes. This meant that as long as he kept going, no matter how the heroines’ attitudes changed, he could adapt. In the end, the plot would still lead to the warehouse, where he’d be killed, and then he’d be transported back to the real world. With this realization, Lin Tai felt enlightened. Before, he had treated the heroines like paper characters, assuming they’d only follow the book’s script, forgetting that they could change too. So why had Charlotte’s attitude suddenly shifted? She had been ice-cold to Yan Jun earlier. Finally, in the corner of the bar, Lin Tai spotted Zhao Gang. The moment he saw him, Lin Tai roughly understood why the heroine’s behavior had changed so drastically! Charlotte likely knew Zhao Gang was Ye Bai’s man. Was she deliberately acting this way for Ye Bai to see, trying to make him jealous? Yes, since Charlotte was a heroine, she must be trying to get the protagonist Ye Bai’s attention. With this thought, a slight smirk appeared on Lin Tai’s lips. As long as he understood the heroine’s intentions, he knew how to play along.