Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 380: Are you serious!?

Chapter 380: Are you serious!?

Guitar Queen?

Of course, Vanessa had heard that name.

It had been blowing up online recently. Word was, she started as just a music video blogger, but her first public appearance was at a massive all-star concert, and the craziest part? She was the headliner.

Her performance was on a whole other level—everyone thought Guitar Queen was some mysterious superstar the organizers were trying to launch.

But after the show? Nothing. No news, no follow-up. It was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples, only for the water to go still again.

All anyone knew was that this mysterious, genius girl was called Guitar Queen. Beyond that? Total mystery.

Vanessa never imagined that Lil Bunny was Guitar Queen.

It had only been two days since the concert, and she’d been so swamped with real-life stuff that she hadn’t even watched any videos from the show. She’d only heard the name “Guitar Queen” in passing.

Otherwise, she would’ve recognized Lil Bunny on stage right away, just like she did now.

And she wouldn’t have let herself get pushed around by Julia for so long earlier.

But to Vanessa, this whole thing was just too unbelievable. She couldn’t wrap her head around how Lil Bunny had pulled it off.

So, on the way back to class, curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed Ethan by the wrist at the stairwell, pulled him into a corner, and pinned him against the wall, her hands on either side of his head in a classic kabedon move.

“???”

Ethan was completely baffled by Vanessa’s bold move.

He had no idea what kind of drama she was trying to pull.

And honestly, he was mentally rolling his eyes, thinking, Can these girls have some boundaries? Stop getting all handsy out of nowhere.

He could literally feel her breath on his face. From this distance, anyone walking by would think they were about to kiss.

And just as he was thinking that, someone nearby actually gasped.

He stiffly turned his head and saw it was one of their classmates. The girl’s face turned bright red, and she muttered to herself, “Wait, are Vanessa and Lila… like, that close? Wow, they’re so bold…”

Then she quickly covered her face and ran off, like she didn’t want to interrupt whatever she thought was happening.

“Nessa?” Ethan looked at Vanessa, a little freaked out.

“Shouldn’t you, uh, explain that?”

If they let that girl go back to class, rumors were definitely going to start flying.

“That’s not important.”

Vanessa stared at him, completely unfazed, like she genuinely didn’t care about that kind of thing.

Because right now, she was way more interested in the girl standing in front of her.

“Lil Bunny, spill it.”

“What’s the deal with Guitar Queen? And that concert? When you said you had a job this morning, was that what you were talking about?!”

Ethan had kind of expected this situation, but he didn’t think Vanessa would be so intense about it—or that she’d confront him with a kabedon of all things.

So, he calmly explained, “I’ve never really had friends before, so I started posting guitar videos online. You can check the upload dates—they go way back. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. You know how the other me is—she’s super shy. Normally, she wouldn’t tell anyone about this kind of thing.”

Vanessa could understand that explanation, but what she was really curious about was how Lil Bunny managed to perform at the concert and even headline it.

The first part could be explained the same way Ethan had told Sierra earlier—by saying the CEO of Jack-o’-Lantern took a liking to her. But headlining? For someone as unknown as Lila, that was a bit much. That part was all thanks to Ethan’s connections and the CEO’s impulsive decision.

“That’s… a bit complicated.”

Ethan sighed and looked Vanessa straight in the eye. “Nessa, I don’t want to lie to you, but I can’t explain this right now. When the time’s right, I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

To explain this without blowing his cover would basically mean lying to her, and Ethan wasn’t about to do that. He was actually pretty honest with his friends. But the whole body-swapping thing had happened before they became friends, and it wasn’t like he had a choice in the matter.

Maybe one day he’d tell her everything about what was going on between him and Lila, but now clearly wasn’t the right time.

After all, this was Vanessa. He had to consider her feelings, so his priority was to minimize the impact when the truth eventually came out.

Vanessa, hearing this, didn’t push any further.

Since Lil Bunny said the timing wasn’t right, she accepted that explanation.

Her reaction was mostly because she and Lil Bunny were friends, and discovering a side of her friend she had no idea about had just caught her off guard.

So, after Vanessa let go of Ethan, the two of them headed back to class together.

But just as they were about to enter the classroom, Vanessa suddenly stopped. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she reached out and grabbed Ethan’s hand.

“By the way, do you think that classmate from earlier might’ve gotten the wrong idea?”

Now she’s worried about that? Vanessa, are you serious!?

Ethan was just as surprised. A second ago, she was acting all cool and saying she didn’t care, like some kind of bossy CEO. And now she’s concerned?

To get back at her for her earlier lack of boundaries, Ethan took her hand and interlaced their fingers, pulling her into the classroom.

“L-Lil Bunny!?” Vanessa’s face turned even redder.

As they walked into the classroom, Vanessa felt like the noisy room had suddenly gone quiet.

It seemed like all their classmates were staring at them.

Ethan didn’t let go of her hand until they reached their seats. During that time, Vanessa tried to act calm, but her flushed face betrayed her, and it only deepened the misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Ethan acted like nothing had happened. After all, it wasn’t a big deal. The only one who’d be embarrassed was the one with something to hide.

This was his little way of getting back at Vanessa.

At that moment, a few of the more socially anxious classmates, the ones who usually talked to Ethan, gathered around.

“So, Lila, you and Vanessa seem pretty close, huh?”

Without hesitation, Ethan nodded and smiled. “Yeah, Nessa and I are really good friends.”

This surprised the group.

Vanessa had always been a bit of a mystery.

Because of her striking looks, she naturally drew attention. At first, plenty of people had tried to befriend her, but Vanessa seemed like a social wall. Eventually, everyone gave up, and most classmates didn’t even remember her name.

So, the fact that someone had not only become friends with Vanessa but was close to her was pretty shocking.