Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 43

The raindrops tapped lightly against the car window, creating a muffled rhythm that, combined with the clicking of the turn signal, sounded like a never ending sonata.

In the backseat, Lin Nanyue stopped drying off the rain and looked up at Su Mi in the front. Droplets of water slid down from her hair along her fair jawline.

“I did try to add you,” Lin Nanyue said, her voice carrying a hint of grievance she hadn’t noticed herself, “but I couldn’t find you.”

She had wanted to add her the moment she saw the note that day, but no matter how many times she entered the ID, the account never appeared.

“Couldn’t find me?” Su Mi’s brows furrowed. She almost reached for her phone nearby but managed to restrain herself; otherwise, she’d be facing points on her license and a fine.

Just then, the red light for the left turn ahead turned green. She turned the steering wheel, and the car merged into the lane.

Lin Nanyue wiped the water from her neck and continued, “I only remembered after you left that day, but by the time I ran out to find you, you were already gone.”

Su Mi caught a glimpse of Lin Nanyue in the rearview mirror, tilting her head to dry the ends of her hair.

“Maybe I wrote the ID wrong.” Although she thought it unlikely she’d make such a mistake, she couldn’t think of any other reason at the moment.

However, Lin Nanyue asked, “Professor Su… is it possible you turned off your ‘add’ permissions?”

Su Mi froze. She tried to recall, it seemed that in the past, many people had discovered the original owner’s contact information and tried to add her. Eventually, the original owner found it annoying and disabled all friend request methods.

That was a long time ago, and she couldn’t remember if she had ever turned them back on.

If that were the case, everything made sense.

Realizing the cause, Su Mi felt an unconscious sense of relief. It felt as if a stone had been lifted from her heart, making even the air she breathed feel a bit fresher.

“That might be it. It’s been so long that I was careless,” Su Mi said casually. “I’ll just add you directly in a bit.”

Lin Nanyue’s goal was to add her anyway, so she didn’t think too much of Su Mi’s initiative.

Having resolved that minor worry, Su Mi relaxed. “Why are you out so far by yourself today?”

Lin Nanyue lowered her head, unsure how to answer. She had originally gone out with a designer from her studio to measure data, but on the way back, the other person claimed to have a sudden emergency and dropped her off.

She wasn’t stupid, she could sense the subtle malice directed at her.

She had finally managed to hail a ride, only for the order to be canceled. Afterward, the rain became so heavy that getting a car became nearly impossible.

For some reason, Lin Nanyue didn’t want Su Mi to know about these messy, unpleasant encounters. But she didn’t want to lie either, so she merely hummed vaguely and began aimlessly drying herself and the water dripping onto the seat with her towel.

Sensing that the girl wanted to avoid the topic, Su Mi didn’t push. Instead, she asked, “Are you heading back to school?”

Lin Nanyue nodded, then realized Su Mi couldn’t see her while driving and spoke up: “Yes. You can just drop me off at a bus stop. I can call a taxi.”

She felt that sitting there completely soaked was already a huge bother, she didn’t want to delay Professor Su’s plans any further.

“My place is nearby. Go there first to change your clothes.”

Su Mi estimated it was about twenty minutes from here to Lin Nanyue’s school. Since she was soaked through, staying in wet clothes would likely lead to a cold.

Lin Nanyue’s first instinct was to refuse, fearing she would be a nuisance.

But Su Mi acted as if she hadn’t heard the refusal. “Since I ran into you, I have to take full responsibility for you.”

Upon hearing those words, the refusal Lin Nanyue was about to voice died in her throat. Her cold, wet hair clung to her cheeks, seemingly helping to cool the sudden warmth rising in her face.

The rain continued to intensify until visibility was nearly zero. Fortunately, they reached their destination about ten minutes later.

Su Mi drove into the underground garage. After parking, she unbuckled her seatbelt and picked up a thin cardigan she had placed in the passenger seat earlier.

She handed the cardigan to Lin Nanyue, gesturing for her to put it on since she was drenched.

Lin Nanyue noticed that a patch of Su Mi’s own clothes was wet, likely from when she got out to find her. She wanted to decline, but Su Mi gave her no chance, thrusting the clothes into her hands before turning to head toward the elevator.

She could only obediently unfold the cardigan and put it on. It carried a faint, lingering fragrance, the scent of Professor Su.

The clothes were somewhat oversized on her. She couldn’t help but recall the clothes left for her at the hotel; they weren’t this large, and the style didn’t match Professor Su’s usual look.

Even though she had only met Su Mi three times, she had subconsciously reached this conclusion.

Whose clothes were those, then?

Ahead at the elevator, Su Mi turned to see Lin Nanyue walking slowly with her head down. She didn’t rush her, simply waiting in place. When the doors opened, she held them with her hand, letting the girl enter first before stepping in beside her.

The bright, clean interior of the elevator reflected their figures. In the enclosed space, the proximity between them was impossible to ignore.

“Still cold?” Su Mi turned her head slightly to look at her, her cool voice echoing in the lift.

Lin Nanyue, wrapped in the cardigan, shook her head. Her gaze fell on Su Mi’s damp hair ends and clothing.

Midway, someone else entered the elevator, forcing them to shift positions. They moved closer, though they still maintained a final sliver of distance.

Tucked behind Su Mi, Lin Nanyue felt bold enough to observe her. Today, Su Mi was wearing a blue shirt tucked into high-waisted wide leg trousers, which perfectly accentuated her proportions.

Lin Nanyue leaned forward just a fraction and, as expected, caught the same scent she had smelled on the cardigan.

She also noticed that Su Mi seemed to simply dislike being close to anyone, she maintained a consistent distance from everyone around her. In comparison, the distance between the two of them felt almost negligible.

Once the elevator emptied and they reached their floor, they stepped out.

Su Mi stepped forward to unlock the door, then took a pair of new slippers from the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

She rarely invited guests over, so she didn’t have disposable slippers. The ones she gave Lin Nanyue were bought at the same time as her own.

Feeling too wet to sit on the nearby stool, Lin Nanyue bent over to change her shoes but lost her balance, her body pitching forward.

Su Mi, who was about to walk away, saw this and quickly reached out to steady her. As a result, Lin Nanyue’s head bumped right into her stomach.

When Su Mi’s hand gripped Lin Nanyue’s arm, she felt the girl’s skin was quite cold, the wet clothes had clearly sapped her body heat.

Lin Nanyue looked up nervously, reaching out to touch the spot she had bumped, only to feel a flat stomach that felt slightly firm and elastic under her touch.

“Thank you.” Lin Nanyue retracted her hand and leaned against the cabinet to straighten up, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

Su Mi withdrew her hand, the icy sensation still lingering on her fingertips. “Go take a hot shower first.”

She led the now slippered Lin Nanyue inside and into the master bedroom. Although the guest room had a bathroom, the toiletries there weren’t fully stocked. She hadn’t been back long and hadn’t replaced everything yet plus, since she never expected overnight guests, she hadn’t bothered.

After explaining where the toiletries were and how to use the shower, Su Mi stepped out.

She went to the kitchen first, but upon opening the fridge, she found it completely empty. After some thought, she opened her phone and asked her mother for a contact number.

Only after doing this did Su Mi remember to find clean clothes for Lin Nanyue. She opened her wardrobe, which consisted mostly of solid colors, and selected a soft, light-colored top and trousers. She also grabbed a fresh, washed camisole and underwear.

The faint sound of the shower came from the bathroom. She laid the clothes out on the bed and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Su Mi’s own clothes were mostly dry by now, with only the ends of her hair still damp. She checked the time and decided to get some work done.

But before that, she checked her app settings and found that “searchable by ID” was indeed disabled. She didn’t plan to turn it back on, it felt safer to just add each other face to face.

Su Mi returned to the living room, tied her hair back loosely, and sat cross-legged on the rug with her laptop to organize a courseware file for the next day.

Time ticked by. The only sound in the living room was the intermittent clicking of the keyboard. Immersed in her work, Su Mi hit a snag in a specific section and wanted to check a book. She reached out to her side out of habit but felt nothing.

Then she remembered the book was on her bedside table.

She adjusted her glasses and stood up, walking straight toward the bedroom.

Su Mi pressed the handle and pushed the door open, but froze in place at the sight before her.

Lin Nanyue had finished her shower. She was wearing a hair turban, and her body was wrapped in the towel Su Mi had provided.

Thanks to the bright lights in the room, Su Mi could clearly see a large portion of Lin Nanyue’s back exposed to her.

Hearing the noise, Lin Nanyue turned around. Seeing Su Mi, she looked flustered. Although she was wrapped in a towel, she was still embarrassed, her face flushing bright red as she softly called out, “Professor Su.”

Su Mi struggled to pull her gaze away from a certain spot on the girl’s back. She hurriedly muttered “Sorry” and closed the door.

Outside, she stood still, her hand still resting on the doorknob, her thoughts in disarray.

Did I see that right? Why does Lin Nanyue have… that mark on her back?

Su Mi almost wanted to reopen the door and go in for a closer look, but logic ultimately won out over impulse.

She thought of the system and asked, “Is it possible for the female lead of every world to be the same person?”

【There are currently no such recorded cases.】

Hearing this, Su Mi’s desire for verification continued to surge.

Though unconfirmed, when she recalled Lin Nanyue’s face and her name, she felt a persistent sense of familiarity.

There were just too many coincidences.

As she was sorting through her chaotic thoughts, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.

Su Mi snapped out of it and rubbed her brow before going to answer it.

When Lin Nanyue finally changed and came out, she saw Su Mi standing by the dining table. Next to her was a neatly packed thermal delivery bag, so professional it looked like a mini delivery box.

Seeing her come out, Su Mi gestured for her to come over. She laid out the items she had ordered through her mother’s “connections” a private kitchen ginger and red date porridge designed to ward off the cold, in front of Lin Nanyue.

“Eat while it’s hot so you don’t get sick.”

Lin Nanyue had planned to leave right after her shower. Seeing the food, she felt quite overwhelmed by the kindness.

“It’s okay, Professor Su. I need to get back to school; the dorms have a curfew.”

Su Mi pulled back her sleeve to check her watch. “What time is your curfew?”

Lin Nanyue replied, “11:00 PM.”

It was almost 10:00 PM now. Starting from Su Mi’s place, there was still plenty of time to get back before the deadline.

Su Mi had originally thought the same, but now she had other plans. Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the table as she considered how to phrase her proposal.

“The rain outside is too heavy, a yellow warning has been issued. It won’t be easy to get a taxi in this weather,” Su Mi paused for a moment. “Why don’t you ask your counselor for a night’s leave and stay here?”