Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 51

The atmosphere at this moment was subtle, defined by the distance where they could breathe face to face and almost hear each other’s heartbeats.

Time ticked by, second by second, yet it felt infinitely prolonged.

Su Mi stayed right there, taking no further step forward.

Lin Nanyue, half-lying there, unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone, as if she were about to crush it. At such a precarious distance, she only had to lift herself slightly to make contact.

Her heart felt as if it had jumped into her throat. Her long eyelashes trembled for a moment, and her delicate jaw showed a faint tendency to lift.

It was like a form of silent consent, or perhaps even a form of expectation.

In the next moment, the sensation of the sofa sinking beside Lin Nanyue became more pronounced, but she hesitated. As she urgently turned her face away, her cheek brushed against the other woman’s soft lips, bringing an itchy, tingling sensation.

Su Mi felt Lin Nanyue’s final flinch. The movement she had intended to make froze slightly, and a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Looking at the person before her, eyes downcast and lashes trembling, she suddenly straightened up and moved back.

Lin Nanyue felt the tips of the hair that had been resting on her cheek sweep across the bridge of her nose and depart, taking with them the light, clear fragrance that had filled her senses.

Su Mi widened the distance between them. Behind her glasses, her eyes were quiet, unreadable in their emotion.

As if waking from a great dream, Lin Nanyue propped herself up on her arms. She didn’t dare look at Su Mi, seemingly at a loss for how to face her.

Su Mi lowered her gaze to hide her lingering emotions. When she looked up again, she had regained a few degrees of restrained detachment.

“Do you want to rest a bit longer?”

Her cool voice fell upon Lin Nanyue’s ears like icy jade. Lin Nanyue finally looked at Su Mi, her lips parting and then closing again, before she simply gave a slow shake of her head.

Su Mi then stood up, the smooth fabric of her trousers swaying around her ankles.

“Then I’ll take you back.”

However, Lin Nanyue was slow to respond.

Seeing Lin Nanyue’s gaze fixed on her trouser leg with a distracted expression, Su Mi figured the girl hadn’t heard her.

So, she leaned down slightly and patiently repeated herself.

Only then did Lin Nanyue react, though she still looked somewhat startled when she met Su Mi’s eyes.

Su Mi pursed her lips inward, her brows furrowing for a moment. She wondered if she had truly frightened the girl just now.

She wanted to make amends, but felt it was difficult to speak. She couldn’t very well say it was just a small joke, if she could make such jokes so casually, what kind of improper person would she become in Lin Nanyue’s eyes?

Unable to think of a better way to phrase it, Su Mi chose to respond with silence.

The two of them walked to the entrance to change their shoes in a heavy silence.

As Su Mi picked up her car keys, she suddenly spoke: “I’ll be here for this holiday too. If you aren’t going home, you can come to my place.”

Lin Nanyue, who was in the middle of changing her shoes, stopped her movements and looked up at Su Mi with an air of disbelief.

Su Mi thought she had spoken too suddenly and made the other girl uncomfortable.

“I heard you telling your classmate just now that you weren’t going home for the holiday, that’s why I said it,” Su Mi paused. “If you don’t want to, it’s fine.”

Lin Nanyue hurriedly replied, “No, it’s not that I don’t want to. I just thought…”

She just thought that after what happened earlier, there might not be any further interaction between them.

“Just thought what?”

Lin Nanyue shook her head, unwilling to continue.

Su Mi didn’t press her.

When getting into the car, Su Mi didn’t go to open the passenger door for Lin Nanyue as she had before. Lin Nanyue glanced at her, then opened the door and sat inside herself.

But Su Mi had merely looked down at her phone to reply to a message. When she looked up, she found Lin Nanyue already settled in the car.

The heavy atmosphere didn’t improve much after they started driving, so Su Mi turned on the pre-downloaded music to try and break the tension.

However, the car owner’s taste didn’t quite match Su Mi’s. Once it started, she realized they were all sickly-sweet love songs, but turning it off suddenly felt equally awkward.

Lin Nanyue also noticed Su Mi’s somewhat pained expression. Her previously stifled mood seemed to find an opening, as if sunlight were peeking through, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Seeing the smile on Lin Nanyue’s face, Su Mi assumed she liked it. For a moment, she felt the cloying love songs weren’t so unbearable after all.

Thus, Su Mi endured a journey of auditory torture. Once they finally reached the school, the first thing she did after stopping the car was turn off the annoying music. The world finally returned to peace.

In the passenger seat, Lin Nanyue unbuckled her seatbelt and said, “Thank you, Professor Su. Goodbye.”

Su Mi: “Mhm, see you later.”

Lin Nanyue’s hand on the door handle paused. Then, she added softly, “See you later.”

Parking wasn’t allowed there for long, so Su Mi drove away before she could even see the other girl enter the campus.

She didn’t know if this counted as a successful reconciliation, but the girl hadn’t refused her request for the next meeting.

Su Mi originally intended to return the car to Song Lingyin, but the latter was slow to reply.

Only later did she remember she had blacklisted the woman. After unblocking her, Song Lingyin sent over ten messages of complaint, finally stating that a designated driver could pick up the car later.

Su Mi thought this was a time-saving and efficient solution and agreed.

On the way home, Meiqiu (the system) popped out to remind her.

【Master, there is an important plot point during this holiday. it’s a turning point where the relationship between the male and female leads changes. You must not miss it.】

Looking straight ahead, Su Mi’s expression was calm: “I know.”

According to the original plot, Lin Nanyue would rush home right before the holiday because of a tearful phone call from her mother. The one accompanying her back happened to be the male lead, who was also staying behind to work overtime.

【Then how will you stop the male lead from following the female lead home?】

Su Mi gave a light chuckle. “Anyway, I’ve already set the trap.”

The reason the male lead in the plot had time to accompany Lin Nanyue home was that he learned Su Mi wouldn’t be attending the family dinner hosted by his house, naturally, he lost interest in attending himself.

But this time was different. The message Su Mi had replied to earlier was to tell him that she would attend the gathering organized by his family. The other party immediately vowed that he would attend as well and even asked to meet and chat then.

Su Mi’s public persona was always one of being true to her word and trustworthy, and she rarely backed out of things at the last minute.

Therefore, Fang Qian would almost certainly take the bait.

Now, she just had to wait for the right moment.

On the day of the gathering, Su Mi left early. When her parents called to ask if she wanted to head to the party together in the evening, she stated she would go by herself.

Fang Qian also sent a text to ask. Su Mi originally didn’t want to bother, but to keep him steady, she replied.

After she replied, Lin Nanyue sent a message saying she had to work overtime at the studio today but had made an appointment to meet her for lunch.

Su Mi sat in a coffee shop downstairs from her workplace.

However, as the meeting time approached, Lin Nanyue sent a message saying something urgent had come up and she couldn’t make it.

Su Mi called her directly. She heard Lin Nanyue’s panicked voice; she seemed to be running, her breathing uneven.

“I’m sorry, Professor Su, I… I might have to break our appointment. Something happened at home, and I have to go back.”

Su Mi stepped out of the coffee shop, her voice calm: “Is it urgent? Do you want me to drive you?”

“No need, I’m already at the high-speed rail station,” Lin Nanyue said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you in advance, I was just rushing to grab a ticket and get here in time.”

Su Mi was speechless for a moment. She hadn’t expected that after all her calculations, the most important person would slip away right under her nose.

She took a deep breath. “It’s fine. Family comes first. Contact me anytime if you encounter problems.”

Lin Nanyue was in a hurry to catch her train and hung up quickly.

Su Mi looked at her phone, her expression dark. Meiqiu, on her shoulder, felt a sliver of chill.

【I couldn’t know the exact time either. The plot only said it was this morning…】

It tried to defend itself, its voice growing softer. It hadn’t expected the female lead to pull a move like this.

Without a word, Su Mi opened the ticket platform. The high-speed rail tickets to the station nearest Lin Nanyue’s home were all sold out. As for the airport, it was some distance from her home, but there was no other way. She booked the earliest flight for herself.

After an hour and a half flight, the plane landed on time.

As soon as Su Mi stepped off the plane, she felt a warm dampness in the air. The clouds in the sky were piled high, looking as if they might turn to rain at any moment.

Meiqiu found Lin Nanyue’s home address, but it was still a two hours drive from where she was.

Leaving the airport, Su Mi got straight into a taxi. The driver was somewhat reluctant when he saw the address, only agreeing to go after she added some extra money.

Her phone buzzed with messages all the way. Her parents were asking when she would arrive, interspersed with messages from Fang Qian. Seeing his inquiries actually made her feel relieved.

At least this man hadn’t followed Lin Nanyue back; the weight in her heart lifted slightly.

She later only replied to her parents saying she had a temporary matter and couldn’t make it. Fang Qian likely got the news from her parent, he sent a few more messages, but stopped when he didn’t get a reply.

As for Lin Nanyue, she had replied an hour ago saying she had arrived at the station, but there had been nothing since. Su Mi didn’t know how things were going.

Once the driver knew she was in a hurry, his driving became quite aggressive. A two-hour journey was compressed into an hour and a half.

There were many turns along the way. Su Mi hadn’t eaten all day and felt a bit dizzy when she got out.

The sky was gradually darkening, and the humidity in the air grew heavier. It looked like it was about to rain.

Su Mi followed Meiqiu’s navigation through this unfamiliar small town. There weren’t many people, and she stood out slightly walking on the street.

She passed under a cypress tree and through an alleyway, avoiding the e-bikes and junk piled along the sides. The sounds of neighbors talking drifted out.

“Little sister, who are you looking for?” A woman in her late forties or fifties saw she was a stranger but didn’t look like a bad person, so she asked.

“Hello, I wanted to ask where Lin Nanyue’s house is?”

“Looking for the Lin family again, eh? There…” The woman gestured toward the building inside. “Third floor, right hand side.”

“Thank you.” Su Mi thanked her and continued inside.

Half a minute later, she stood before the somewhat old apartment building. Her gaze fell on the third floor, where she could hear the constant sound of crashing.

Su Mi’s expression tightened. Without hesitation, she walked into the building and up the stairs.

Just as she reached the third floor, she heard a flurry of crashing and cursing. A neighbor on the same floor poked their head out but didn’t come closer.

Lin Nanyue’s slightly exhausted voice came from behind the half-closed door. “Mom, you helped them trick me into coming back. Have you ever thought about me? You were crying like that, I thought the debt collectors had blocked the door again and triggered your illness.”

“Yueyue, just treat it as Mom begging you. Help your brother. He’s a boy, he can’t go without a wife.” The woman’s sobbing was incessant, but the words she spoke were chilling.

Lin Nanyue gave a cold laugh. “He’s only nineteen. Whoever he wants to marry now would be breaking the law. Besides, he has hands and feet, why doesn’t he go earn the money himself? Furthermore, given our family’s situation, even if he were of legal age, do you really want to drag someone else’s daughter into this bottomless pit?”

“Lin Nanyue! You’ve really become capable and arrogant now, haven’t you? The family supported you to go to university, and now not only do you start criticizing your old man, but you won’t even give your brother a hand.” Lin’s father pointed a finger at her, looking as if he were about to strike. Lin’s mother hurriedly threw herself forward to stop him.

The younger brother chimed in, “Lin Nanyue, did you study yourself into an idiot? I’m your own brother. Besides, doesn’t your job pay a lot? You should get closer to your boss. I’m sure she’d give you more, Mom! She actually dared to hit me!”

Lin Nanyue, who had been pushed aside, crashed against the wall by the door. At that moment, the half-closed door was pushed open. A hand cushioned her back, preventing her from hitting the hard wall.

Lin Nanyue turned her head and met the eyes of the person outside, her own eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

“Who the hell are you?!” The restrained Lin’s father said with an unfriendly expression.

Lin Nanyue’s face went blank for a second. She walked almost numbly to Su Mi. “How did you get here?”

Su Mi looked at her. “I wasn’t at ease. I asked around for your address and came to see.”

Facing this mess and wreckage, Lin Nanyue instinctively reached out to take Su Mi’s hand to lead her away. Seeing this, Lin’s father roared, “Get the hell back here! What are you standing there for? Quickly pull your sister back!”

The younger brother stepped forward to grab her but was blocked by Su Mi.

Su Mi shielded her behind her. “What are you doing?”

The brother was intimidated by her gaze for a moment, but then blurted out, “That’s my sister. Who are you to care about my family business?”

As he spoke, he reached out to pull Lin Nanyue.

Enduring her disgust, Su Mi grabbed his wrist and twisted it down. “Try touching her.”

Seeing their precious son howling in pain, Lin’s father and mother immediately ran over. Lin’s father picked up a bottle nearby and threw it.

Fortunately, Su Mi dodged quickly. The bottle smashed against the wall, but a flying shard still grazed the side of her neck. A thin line of blood appeared instantly.

Witnessing this, Lin Nanyue exploded with unimaginable strength. She shoved the brother who was trying to grab them, and even the father behind him was knocked to the ground. For a time, the house was a chaos of wailing, cursing, and mourning.

Lin Nanyue looked at the wound on Su Mi’s neck. Her fingertips trembled as she reached out, not daring to touch it. Tears swirled in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Su Mi wanted to comfort her, but before she could speak, she was pulled outside. The curses of the Lin family continued to echo behind them.

Lin Nanyue pulled her all the way down the stairs and out of the alley until they reached a pharmacy. She bought some iodine and came out to treat Su Mi’s wound.

“I’m sorry, Professor Su, for letting you see such a terrible side of things and making you suffer for no reason.” Her voice carried a forced cheerfulness.

“It’s not your fault,” Su Mi tilted her neck slightly, seeing the dark clouds hanging lower. “But you can choose to leave these terrible things behind.”

She received no response from Lin Nanyue, only the cool sensation on her neck reminded her of the other woman’s presence.

“If you find it inconvenient, I can help you.”

Lin Nanyue’s hand paused. “How would you help? And what happens after you help? Like this?”

When she saw that bottle fly toward Professor Su just now, her heart had almost stopped, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

“Professor Su, this is my family business. I can handle it.” Lin Nanyue turned her face away, her voice firm. “I don’t need your help.”

Whether it was the humid, stifling air, Su Mi felt a surge of anger in her heart. “Then how long do you plan to handle this ‘family business’? Are you content to be dragged down by this family for the rest of your life? You escaped this time, but what about the next? Will your mother just call you and trick you back again?”

It was as if Su Mi had poked a raw nerve. Lin Nanyue turned to face her, her voice carrying a sob: “Yes! I’m willing! That’s my mother. I can’t leave her or let her go. I’m just that cowardly and weak. I’m not like you!”

Su Mi remained silent. A dark shadow pressed into her brow.

Lin Nanyue clenched the cotton swab in her hand and stuffed the remaining supplies into Su Mi’s hands. “This place isn’t for you. You should go back as soon as possible.”

She turned to leave.

Su Mi grabbed her, her voice cold. “Where are you going?”

“Home, of course.” Lin Nanyue pulled her hand away without looking back.

Su Mi raised her voice: “You’re still going back?”

“Of course.” There was a trace of stubbornness in Lin Nanyue’s voice. She quickened her pace without turning back. Only after turning into an alley did she look back, seeing that she wasn’t being followed, she covered her eyes and sobbed quietly.

Su Mi stayed where she was and didn’t chase her. Firstly, she knew Lin Nanyue didn’t usually live in that house but with her grandmother, saying she was “going home” was likely just to spite her. Secondly, both of them had lost control of their emotions, and she wanted to give both sides some time to cool down.

The humid air finally turned into a torrential downpour. Before she was completely soaked, Su Mi found a small inn in the town.

The inn was small, with the landlady herself at the front desk. She was somewhat surprised by Su Mi’s arrival, after all, outsiders rarely stayed here.

The environment of such a small inn was naturally not very good, but Su Mi had no choice now.

The storm outside was violent. The soundproofing of the inn was poor, even with the doors and windows closed, she could hear the dull thud of rain hitting the ground.

The lighting in the room was dim. Fortunately, it was relatively tidy, and the bedding looked clean. Su Mi couldn’t ask for more.

Su Mi’s clothes were mostly soaked. She hadn’t brought a change of clothes, so she asked the landlady, who was familiar with the town’s shops, to help her buy some.

She was about to take off her uncomfortable outer layers. She had just undone two buttons when she heard a faint knock on the door.

She hadn’t expected the landlady to be so efficient. Su Mi walked over, buttoning the two loose buttons back up as she went.

The door had no peephole. Su Mi opened the old door, only to see a soaking wet Lin Nanyue.

Her long black eyelashes were drenched, making it impossible to tell if it was rain or tears. Only the corners of her eyes remained a faint red.

Su Mi looked at her and frowned, pulling her into the room and closing the door. “How did you…”

Lin Nanyue suddenly stood on her tiptoes and moved close to her, slamming her against the wall. Su Mi’s back hit the light switch, and the room was instantly swallowed by darkness.

In the next moment, a kiss filled with cool moisture pressed against Su Mi’s lips. Beneath the softness, she could faintly feel the other woman’s trembling.