As they waited for Lily to get closer, Samuel's eyes suddenly flickered toward me in the crowd.
A hint of surprise crossed my face.
Huh? He isn't supposed to notice me… I thought, confused.
Well, it made sense. The novel only ever focused on the main characters. Extras like me were meant to linger in the background—barely existing, appearing only in passing moments here and there.
To them, we were probably nothing more than blurred faces.
"You know, she passed me a note during the lecture yesterday," Samuel said with a smirk, pointing in my direction as he leaned against Alex.
"Asking if I was single."
"Huh? She?" Alex glanced at me, giving me a skeptical look.
I paused, trying to recall something.
Then it clicked.
The first chapter of the novel.
That must have happened before I transmigrated… so I'm that girl, I realized, finally piecing together my character's identity from the little information I had.
Zara had already started hurrying toward Lily, who was just stepping out of another luxurious car.
She was being dropped off by her overprotective brother—Ethan Meyers—yet another CEO.
Typical cliché novel.
I sighed.
Who even becomes a CEO in their mid-twenties?
Our female lead, on the other hand, had always lived in her own little la-la land—untouched by reality, as if not even a speck of dust could reach her.
If I remembered correctly, it all started just yesterday.
Alex and Samuel had slammed two guys against the wall for saying something like, "Bet she'd cry easily," about her on her very first day.
That incident led to both her brother and the male lead being called to the principal's office.
And just like that—
Shalala.
The classic lead-path moment.
Love at first sight.
What are you guys talking about?" Zara asked as she joined them, Lily by her side.
Lily followed their gaze—and her eyes landed on me.
Well… she had been there yesterday with Samuel. They were in the same department—Business. Of course, she must have recognized me.
But something about her expression felt… off.
She still looked like the typical damsel everyone adored, but—
Then it hit me.
Her words from the novel echoed in my mind.
"Good thing you didn't respond to her note," she had said to Samuel, a hint of relief in her voice.
"Why?" Samuel replied with a smirk. "You glad?"
I let out a quiet sigh.
Maybe I was overthinking it.
Why was I still standing here, anyway? Blending into the crowd like just another curious student, staring at them from a distance.
Well, the answer was simple.
They were the leads.
And we—
We were meant to revolve around them.
Even if our presence barely held any importance.
So why couldn't I just walk away?
Why not leave early and head to my lectures?
…
Because I couldn't.