Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

A light breeze brushed through the trees outside, scattering a few stray leaves, while the inside of the hollow tree fell into an abrupt, heavy silence.

Wanqi Yue trembled at the words, only finding her voice after a long pause: “Wh…what?”

“Take off your clothes,” Su Mi’s voice remained steady and cool. As she spoke, she lowered her eyes and reached toward her own waist.

Though the light was dim, the general movements were visible. Seeing this, Wanqi Yue panicked instantly. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, leaving her at a loss for what to do.

Hearing no response, Su Mi stopped her movements and looked up at Wanqi Yue, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly. “Do you want me to help you?”

After a brief thought, she leaned toward Wanqi Yue. The leaves beneath her rustled loudly in the quiet space as she moved.

Wanqi Yue couldn’t help but lean back until her spine pressed against the rough, uneven bark of the tree.

She watched helplessly as the Senior Sister’s elegant, slender hands reached toward her. Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

Wanqi Yue opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Su Mi’s fingertips finally touched Wanqi Yue’s waist. She spoke again: “Why did you hide your injury from me?”

“…Huh?” Wanqi Yue stared at Su Mi, her ears hidden beneath her long hair turning red instantly. Her cheeks began to burn, and she felt a wave of relief that the darkness could hide her true emotions.

What on earth had she been thinking just now?!

Su Mi assumed her discomfort came from being caught hiding the injury. She paused, intending to continue, but Wanqi Yue spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito: “I’ll do it myself.”

Since she could manage, Su Mi didn’t force the issue. She turned around and began searching for the spiritual medicines Qiao Wuyu had given her earlier.

“Senior Sister, how did you find out?” Wanqi Yue’s voice sounded muffled, partly due to her own lingering embarrassment.

Su Mi felt a bit awkward at the question. Wanqi Yue was wearing red today, and the light was so dim that she shouldn’t have been able to tell. However, she had found herself subconsciously watching the other girl since they arrived. After watching for so long, she had noticed something was off.

For instance, whenever Wanqi Yue bent down, her spine would stiffen for a split second.

But Su Mi couldn’t exactly tell her that. She cleared her throat and kept her voice level: “Naturally, you cannot hide it from me.”

Fortunately, Wanqi Yue wasn’t in the mood to press for details. She tried one last time to resist: “Senior Sister, maybe I should apply the medicine myself.”

Su Mi replied: “How can you reach your own back? Besides, we are both women; what is there to worry about?”

As expected, Wanqi Yue went silent. The only sound left in the tiny space was the rustle of clothes, a sound that was impossible to escape.

Su Mi had intended to carefully identify the medicines, but as the sounds continued behind her, her thoughts drifted toward the person behind her. Even though her back was turned, she felt as if she could see every movement, leaving her inexplicably restless.

It wasn’t until Wanqi Yue called out to her that she regained her composure, grabbed the medicine, and turned around.

The sky outside had grown even darker. Such lighting was unsuitable for applying medicine, so Su Mi conjured a small ice flower that emitted a faint, ethereal glow, letting it float beside them as a light source.

Wanqi Yue sat with her back to her, her clothes lowered to her waist. Her neck was white and slender, and her beautiful butterfly bones rose and fell slightly with her breath. Upon them were several dark gashes, with faint traces of blood still seeping out.

It looked as though she had been scratched by something sharp, lending her back a sense of fragile “brokenness.”

Su Mi pursed her lips, clutching the medicine bottle tightly. She was suddenly afraid to start, fearing the medicine would cause the girl more pain.

She couldn’t help but ask her system if she was acting normally.

Coal Ball (the system) thought for a moment and replied: [Master, you just want to be good to the female lead. This is your task and your goal. Of course, it is normal.]

The system had previously worried that Su Mi didn’t care enough about the female lead, now that she had changed her tune, it was fully supportive.

Su Mi found the system’s words reasonable. The awkwardness and restraint that had been lingering in her heart suddenly loosened, as if she had found an outlet.

Wanqi Yue sat with her back turned, looking forward tensely. Her fingers gripped her discarded clothing tightly, and her back was visibly taut.

“When and how did you get hurt?” Su Mi tried to speak to help the other girl relax.

Wanqi Yue spoke in fragments. Although they were sucked into this mirror world together, a hurricane had separated them midway. Her luck had been poor, she had landed on uneven ground, which caused the injuries.

Su Mi lowered her eyes, listening to her words while carefully dusting the medicinal powder onto the wounds. The white back twitched once, but there was no further reaction.

However, even after the powder covered the wounds, the bleeding didn’t improve much.

She remembered Qiao Wuyu claiming this powder could stop any bleeding instantly. She wondered if the strange nature of this world was interfering with the medicine.

Watching the powder turn red as it soaked up the blood, a hint of irritability rose in Su Mi’s heart.

She suddenly reached out, her fingers brushing lightly over the jagged wounds. The back that had begun to relax stiffened once more as pale blue spiritual energy began to flow from Su Mi’s fingertips into the injuries.

“Senior Sister?” Wanqi Yue felt a cool sensation flood her wounds, washing away the lingering, dull ache.

“Don’t move. I’m helping you ease the pain.” Su Mi didn’t practice healing arts, so she couldn’t heal the wounds instantly, but she could use her own spiritual energy to suppress the pain and stop the bleeding. It would simply require a constant drain on her own energy.

She figured they wouldn’t be staying here for too long anyway.

As she maintained the flow of energy, a thin layer of sweat began to form on Su Mi’s forehead. Normally, this level of consumption wouldn’t be much for her, but in this place, her powers were restricted, making the drain feel several times heavier.

Wanqi Yue couldn’t ignore the presence of those cool fingertips tracing her back. They brought a sense of tingling and slight itching. She bit her lower lip hard, not daring to make a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, the wandering fingertips finally stopped. Just as Wanqi Yue thought it was over, the fingers didn’t pull away.

Wanqi Yue tried calling out: “Senior Sister?”

In response, the cool fingertips began to slide downward with a hint of lingering, ambiguous tenderness.

The massive loss of spiritual energy seemed to have made Su Mi’s mind wander. In the dim light, her light amber eyes grew darker, and her breathing became slightly heavier.

She watched her own fingertips press against that snowy skin, stroking down the curve of the spine, feeling the slight tremors beneath her touch. She looked as if she were admiring a cherished treasure.

Wanqi Yue’s heart tightened. When she felt warm breath fall against the nape of her neck, she tried to turn her head, only to find Su Mi’s hand gently gripping her waist over her inner robes. Her eyes went momentarily vacant and stiff.

A petal suddenly withered from the floating ice flower, swirling down and landing on Su Mi’s knuckle with a cold touch.

Su Mi’s thick eyelashes fluttered. She seemed to snap back from another world, immediately pulling her hand away from that soft waist and sitting up straight.

“I’m sorry.” Su Mi’s voice was no longer calm and composed, it was husky and filled with a sense of being at a loss.

Wanqi Yue didn’t seem to have recovered from the “accident” either. Her response was delayed.

“Senior Sister… there were no wounds on my waist. You didn’t need to check there.” Wanqi Yue’s voice was airy, like someone answering a question while their mind was miles away.

Su Mi remained silent for a long time before accepting the excuse Wanqi Yue had handed her. “You… put your clothes on first. I’m going out for a moment.”

Without waiting for a response, she bent over and exited the hollow tree at the fastest speed of her life.

In the pitch blackness, she didn’t dare wander, stopping just a few steps away. Su Mi leaned against the tree trunk and closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

What was wrong with her? Nothing about this was normal.

She suddenly opened her eyes, remembering the mist she had been sprayed with when she first woke up.

Su Mi forced the system on her shoulder to manifest and grabbed it by the neck, holding it level with her eyes. “What kind of flower was that? Is my abnormal behavior because of it?”

Coal Ball, held by the scruff of its neck, “shook with fear”: [I’m sorry Master, I really can’t cross-reference the data right now.]

Seeing the displeasure in Su Mi’s eyes, Coal Ball had a sudden brainwave: [Maybe you’re overthinking it, Master. Research shows that humans have a preferential response to objects with specific traits, such as a prioritized urge to notice, care for, and nurture them.]

Coal Ball blinked its eyes pathetically: [Take my cute appearance, for example. You must have chosen me because I’m cute, right?]

Su Mi gave it a meaningful, skeptical look.

[Perhaps that’s why you’re treating the female lead this way. And I don’t think she dislikes the closeness. Maybe it will help you complete the task faster!]

Su Mi remained doubtful. Putting aside the claim that she chose Coal Ball for its “cuteness,” the rest of the logic wasn’t entirely flawed. In this mirror world, she couldn’t see Wanqi Yue’s favorability levels, so she couldn’t tell if her actions had cost her points.

Perhaps the system was just lying to her.

As if reading her mind, Coal Ball raised a non-existent hand to swear: [Master, I have served 4,323 staff members and have a 98% approval rating. You can trust my professional judgment!]

Su Mi asked coldly, “What about the other 2%?”

Coal Ball felt aggrieved: [No human is perfect, and no system is perfect.]

Time seemed to move differently in this world. Su Mi had only been outside for a short while, but a sliver of light was already appearing on the horizon, tearing a hole in the dark night.

Su Mi rubbed her aching temples. Just as she was about to have Coal Ball turn invisible and head back inside, she heard Wanqi Yue’s surprised voice behind her.

“Senior Sister, what is that in your hand?!” Wanqi Yue was completely distracted by the thing in Su Mi’s grasp.

Su Mi hadn’t expected her to come out looking for her. It was too late to hide Coal Ball now.

“Just a little thing I caught,” Su Mi said, adding after a pause, “It’s not dangerous.”

Wanqi Yue leaned in to look, then suddenly made a face of slight disgust and whispered, “It’s a bit ugly.”

Su Mi glanced at the system and nodded in agreement. “Indeed.”

Coal Ball: …Excuse me? Are you two being polite?