After Being Possessed by the Transmigrated Heroine - Chapter 15

Zhuang Han’s vision was blurred, her consciousness heavy. She furrowed her brow, racking her brain to remember what happened before she lost consciousness. It seemed she had just been sleeping, and then… nothing else.

She tried her best to open her eyes, but a piercing white light made it impossible to even lift her eyelids. A sharp white noise rang continuously in her ears. It felt as if she had accidentally fallen into a strange world. Even more bizarrely, Zhuang Han found she couldn’t move at all. She had been through three transmigration worlds, but she had never encountered something so macabre.

The System was also panicking, constantly attempting to reconnect.

Wait a moment, Host. We must have accidentally hit a bug. Once it’s fixed, there won’t be any issues.

The feeling of being trapped in a different dimension was terrible, like being stuffed into a tiny cage. Zhuang Han had a bright and cheerful personality—many said she was like a little sun that could warm anyone—but as time ticked away, anxiety gradually welled up in her heart. This was an alien world with no concept of time or space. She was like a laboratory mouse in a cage, seeing nothing and doing nothing. Even the System, the only one she could talk to, couldn’t speak to her while it was “repairing.”

This hollow void was enough to drive someone insane. Zhuang Han tried her best to maintain her composure, but after asking the System repeatedly how much longer it would take and receiving no answer, she too felt like she was going crazy. This mission was simply cursed. In all her time executing missions, she had never encountered anything so grotesque.

Just as Zhuang Han was about to reach her breaking point and wanted to tear through the boundless white light before her eyes, her consciousness abruptly vanished.

Bai Niao’s nerves were taut. She stood before the mirror, her palms covered in cold, clammy sweat. Her chest rose and fell violently; her heart felt like it was about to leap across that barrier. But a relaxed and happy smile remained on her face.

“Brother, I love this necklace so much,” she turned to look at Duan Xiran. “Truly, thank you so much.”

When she heard Zhuang Han’s voice just now, Bai Niao’s entire body had stiffened in place. Zhuang Han’s awakening this time was far too sudden. Bai Niao’s heart raced, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, but Zhuang Han didn’t seem able to perceive what was happening on her end—she couldn’t even hear her voice. She didn’t know why this was, so she could only wait in feigned calm.

Only when the white noise and Zhuang Han’s screaming vanished did Bai Niao breathe a sigh of relief.

Is Zhuang Han’s mental resilience that poor?

Bai Niao felt a strange sense of pride. She had been trapped in the body several times without a System to accompany her, and she hadn’t panicked! Hmph. An imposter indeed; her mental fortitude isn’t even as strong as mine.

Duan Xiran let out a light laugh. “As long as you like it.” He spoiled her excessively with material gifts.

The moment Bai Niao remembered that this diamond necklace was just a casual excuse she had used to fool Duan Xiran, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. However, Duan Xiran and Gao Zhan didn’t have much of a relationship, so he likely wouldn’t go and compare stories with him.

Thinking of this, Bai Niao grew happy again. Who wouldn’t be happy to get a favorite diamond necklace without any effort? She turned and wrapped her arms around Duan Xiran’s neck, her voice dainty: “Brother is so good to me.”

She gave a sweet smile, her lips parting and closing like flower petals, so close she was nearly kissing Duan Xiran’s face. But he was very strict about rules in this regard. Duan Xiran touched Bai Niao’s wrist and pulled her off him: “Alright. Now look at the dress.”

He had excellent taste. The matching dress sent along with the necklace was form-fitting and soft, accentuating a waist so slender it seemed a single hand could encircle it. The skirt was made of nearly transparent gauze adorned with countless tiny diamonds, shimmering with a translucent beauty under the sunlight.

Duan Xiran helped tuck a stray lock of hair behind Bai Niao’s ear, allowing the exquisite diamond necklace to be revealed more completely. Bai Niao’s skin was like snow, her collarbones graceful. Even if that overly bright and beautiful face were covered, she would still be more eye-catching than any model in a catalog.

Duan Xiran’s hand rested on Bai Niao’s shoulder as he looked at her in the mirror. Their gazes met in the overlapping reflection.

Bai Niao and Duan Xiran’s eyes quickly moved away, but that moment was still like a swan skimming the water, suddenly sending out ripples. Duan Xiran acted the part of a noble gentleman refined, meticulous, and possessing the etiquette of the old aristocracy.

On their first night, when she learned it was Duan Xiran’s first time, Bai Niao found it unbelievable. She always felt that with someone of his temperament, there should have been countless people throwing themselves at him long ago. But the fact was, he truly had only ever been with her.

Duan Xiran had a subtle, hard-to-detect conservatism in his bones. But Bai Niao was never a conservative person. Almost instinctively, she climbed onto Duan Xiran’s neck and pecked his lips.

Long ago, people had said Bai Niao’s personality was unruly, even malicious, and she indeed was such a person. Otherwise, how could she have secretly had an affair with Gao Zhan under their rules?

The low fever hadn’t receded yet; her body temperature was much higher than usual, and even her knuckles and lips were hot. Duan Xiran gripped Bai Niao’s waist and turned her slightly, his brow furrowing: “What do you think you’re doing?”

His tone was somewhat sharp.

Bai Niao’s eyes wavered. She looked a bit at a loss, and a bit confused. The diamond necklace on her neck swayed slightly, making a pleasant sound. She lowered her head and said weakly, “I just wanted to thank Brother.”

Her posture was frail, carrying the dejection of having failed to please her lover. Duan Xiran’s eyes were dark. He looked down at Bai Niao, stroking the back of her neck. His usually indifferent voice held a hint of pathological undertone: “You are not allowed to thank others like this. Do you hear me?”

“If I find out you have, you know the consequences.”

He still seemed to be the same Duan Xiran, but catching the deep darkness in his eyes, Bai Niao was suddenly afraid. She slightly regretted doing that just now. Their rules seemed loose and informal, but they hadn’t been broken in all these years. Her affair with Gao Zhan was a secret that could never be discovered.

Initially, Bai Niao had indeed done it with a sense of revenge, but over time, it became her own private little secret like candy hidden away from parents during a time of cavities; it simply could not be found. Duan Xiran was much gentler in this regard, yet his expression just now was so terrifying.

At the thought of this secret being discovered by Cheng Yu and He Youting, Bai Niao couldn’t stop herself from shivering. Just sensing she might have dreamed of her ex-fiancé made Cheng Yu act like that. If Cheng Yu knew she was having an affair behind his back with Gao Zhan, how would he deal with her?

He Youting too she had simply remembered a small detail wrong, mistakenly thinking it was he who had the stomach problem instead of Duan Xiran, and he couldn’t tolerate it, punishing her so harshly. Bai Niao had been personally “trained” by He Youting. She was truly afraid of his methods.

Bai Niao pursed her lips and slowly broke free from Duan Xiran’s embrace. Maybe she shouldn’t do those things anymore. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that over the last two years, the few of them had become even more obsessive and pathological.

Bai Niao’s low fever lasted for several days. She wasn’t proactive about taking medicine; as long as He Youting wasn’t watching, she wouldn’t take it if she could help it. She’d rather be uncomfortable like this than have her body stolen again.

But a few days later, Bai Niao’s body was nearly recovered. She sat listlessly in He Youting’s arms, throwing building blocks onto the carpet. When sick, she was always a bit bolder than usual.

“Once I recover, I won’t have my body again,” Bai Niao buried her head in He Youting’s chest. “Have you thought of a way?” Her voice was sad, her slightly warm forehead pressed against the side of his neck.

Bai Niao’s hobbies were childish; she loved playing with building blocks. This was a relatively healthy and intellectually stimulating hobby, so He Youting supported it and prepared many sets at home. Colorful blocks could be used to build castles, turning imaginative splendor into reality. Normally, she loved building castles, but now, at the thought of Zhuang Han recovering her consciousness soon, she couldn’t muster any energy. When she felt annoyed, she wouldn’t do anything properly; she’d just leave her toys halfway finished.

He Youting patted her bottom and said in a low voice: “Bring the blocks back.”

If Cheng Yu gave such an order, she wouldn’t listen. But He Youting was He Youting. Bai Niao really wanted to sulk with him, but she didn’t dare, so she “endured the humiliation” and went to pick up the thrown blocks.

He Youting pulled her waist and sat her back on his lap. He said softly: “When will you change this habit of throwing and smashing things?”

Bai Niao whispered a defense for herself: “I don’t normally do it. Only when I’m unhappy.” She raised her watery eyes to look at He Youting, her face full of hidden resentment. It wasn’t very obvious, but the sense of accusation was incredibly strong.

He Youting gave a low laugh, holding her waist and pulling her a bit closer: “You’ve grown bolder. Now you even dare to lose your temper with me.”

He said this, but there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, it was like he was expressing a touch of helplessness and indulgence. But Bai Niao instantly grew anxious. She said repeatedly: “I wasn’t losing my temper with you! I’m just simply unhappy!”

Bai Niao’s clumsy explanation only made her intent more obvious. She was sometimes very smart, and sometimes she really was like a little fool. After a moment, seeing He Youting laughing continuously, she realized she had been teased by this “bad man.”

This time she was truly angry. she lifted her leg to get off his lap, but his hand gripped her waist tightly: “Don’t be afraid. There will be a way.”

“Although she stole your body, she can’t really do anything to you, can she?” His voice was light.

Somehow, the anxiety and restlessness in Bai Niao’s heart dissipated quite a bit. Although she was constantly facing the predicament of being possessed, at least there was one person willing to believe she really had been possessed.

He Youting was the person Bai Niao feared most, yet he was also the one she relied on most. Perhaps because of that experience years ago when he protected her, even now Bai Niao felt that as long as He Youting was there, she didn’t need to be afraid even if the sky fell. Even though his presence was more frightening than the sky falling.

“I can’t be by your side all the time,” He Youting said softly. “But if anything happens, you must remember to tell me. Do you hear me?”

Bai Niao’s voice was soft: “I know, I know.”

He Youting rubbed her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead: “Finish the castle. We’ll have dinner then; today it’s all your favorite dishes.”

Bai Niao held a block and stood on her tiptoes to place it. Nestled in He Youting’s arms, she gradually stopped being so unhappy. Oh well. I’ll take it one step at a time. She had seen plenty of “big storms” in her life. Thinking of her experiences over the years, Bai Niao suddenly felt a surge of ambition. Just an imposter and a stupid AI—I’m not afraid of them.

She had a good dinner, then took a comfortable hot bath in the tub. When she lay in bed, she didn’t forget to hold her teddy bear tightly. He Youting brought a book over, originally intending to coax her to sleep before leaving. Classical literature is deep and profound, with elegant wording. He Youting always paid attention to “cultivating” Bai Niao’s character, but to his surprise, after reading only four or five pages, she was already fast asleep. Cradling her bear, her face flushed, she slept very peacefully.

He Youting couldn’t help but laugh. He said nothing more, leaned down to kiss her forehead, and only left after confirming she was sound asleep.

Bai Niao went to sleep after ten and didn’t wake up until after ten the next morning. The low fever that had lasted for days finally receded. But at the same time, control of the body was stolen once again.

Zhuang Han looked at the calendar in shock and said in disbelief: “I actually slept for so many days?”

The System’s bug this time was very serious. The previously chatty System’s voice also sounded a bit tired.

Don’t worry, Host. This was a loophole on the Main System’s side. And since this is a book world, missing a few days won’t have any impact.

Zhuang Han felt relieved. True. What novel is written day by day like this? Even a period of four or five years would just be a brief mention in a book.

Bai Niao was originally feeling annoyed and didn’t want to listen to these two bastards talk, but they had mentioned the phrase “book world” so many times these days. She had even looked at the premise and setting summaries with Zhuang Han. But Bai Niao still couldn’t believe the world she had lived in for so many years was a book. Could there really be an author in the world who could write a complete space? She had played many messy games, but she had never seen one that could set up a complete world structure similar to reality.

Bai Niao was uneducated, but even she knew how difficult physics and chemistry were. The era she lived in was one of unprecedented technological advancement. Neither the Republic period nor the later Imperial Era could compare. And with so many people in this world, could an author really write them all one by one? Bai Niao wasn’t especially smart, but she could sense the strangeness, yet the System and this imposter seemed to believe in it implicitly.

Truly two idiots, Bai Niao couldn’t help but think. I’m much smarter than them.

After learning that the problem was with the Main System, Zhuang Han’s mood relaxed a lot. She said with a smile: “I’m sorry. I blamed you before, but when it bugged that time, I was truly terrified. You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

How could an AI System have human feelings of anger? Bai Niao “tilted her tail up,” feeling more and more that she was a very smart child compared to Zhuang Han.

Of course not, Host. We should be the ones apologizing for letting you fall into the two-dimensional space last time. This is a ‘Beauty Pill’ compensation after the Main System update; it’s already in your inventory.

If it were before, Zhuang Han would have been very happy. But now, having obtained the original host’s body, she didn’t feel much about beauty. The heroine was a fool, but this face was truly beautiful. Even with countless “Beauty Pills” stacked together, they probably couldn’t shape such a “kingdom-toppling” appearance. Good thing this isn’t an ancient world; otherwise, with the heroine’s beauty, she’d likely be a ‘femme fatale’ character, causing who-knows-how-much trouble.

Zhuang Han nodded and said no more. She got up to wash and change. As she prepared to go downstairs for breakfast, she suddenly noticed a gift box on the coffee table. The black box looked ordinary, but even its patterns were an incredibly elegant deep silver. Realizing what it might be, Zhuang Han’s heart began to thump-thump.

Bai Niao didn’t pay it any mind. When Duan Xiran gave her the diamond necklace from Christie’s the other day, she hadn’t been that excited either. Only someone like Zhuang Han, who hadn’t seen much of the world, would show such a moved expression over a plain gift box.

But seeing that the box contained a brand-new communication device, Bai Niao’s eyes grew nearly twice as large. Inside the box was a note. The handwriting was powerful as light as a soaring swan, as forceful as a swimming dragon yet the words were as caring and gentle as if addressed to a child.

“Be happy every day.  He”

Zhuang Han didn’t know how Bai Niao’s communication device had been confiscated; she only knew that Bai Niao had tried everything and failed to get it back. Yet such a rare thing—she had only been here for a few days and mentioned it once, and He Youting agreed.

The affection level didn’t change a bit. But Zhuang Han was still uncontrollably excited. Luckily she was in the bedroom now, so no one could see the wild joy on her face. Romance missions are difficult, but the rewards are always quite generous. No wonder people get so addicted, even continuing new missions after finishing one and getting many rewards. Zhuang Han finally understood this.

But while Zhuang Han was happy, Bai Niao was not. She was fuming, wanting to throw everything in sight onto the floor. Her eyes turned red with anger. How can there be someone as annoying as He Youting? Bai Niao truly couldn’t understand. She had begged them so many times before, and not one of them agreed. Zhuang Han had only been here a few days, and with just one question, He Youting actually agreed. Overcome by her bad temper, she instinctively followed Zhuang Han’s line of thought; the trust she had just built with He Youting was completely wiped out.

Zhuang Han was very excited. After turning on the device, she prepared to send a thank-you message to He Youting. But after opening the contacts, she remembered she didn’t know his number. Technology in this era had developed too fast; even the communication devices were different from her time.

Zhuang Han had been away from the modern world for too long. Having suddenly received this phone-like device, she didn’t get too addicted; after a quick browse, she didn’t look further. After all, the heroine had a schedule today. The plot of this book was very loose—basically the heroine being willful and causing trouble every day, and being pampered and spoiled by the male leads.

But the heroine wasn’t a canary in a cage; she still had things to do and occasionally needed to attend certain events. Many people knew she was under He Youting’s protection. Even her former enemies didn’t dare offend her lightly. Moreover, the heroine was followed by people everywhere she went, so such banquets were nothing to fear.

Bai Niao was in a bad mood, and she didn’t like going out that much anyway. All day long, she didn’t care what Zhuang Han did, huddling inside the body to count sheep and sleep.

She slept away in the body, only waking up and rubbing her eyes at the evening banquet. She looked listless. After all, she was just recovering from a long illness; even though she slept comfortably last night, she was still a bit weary. She didn’t know what was with Zhuang Han. They were using the same body, yet Zhuang Han didn’t seem to get tired. Is eating green vegetables really that effective?

Bai Niao was thinking random thoughts. When her eyes met Gao Zhan’s gaze not far away, she suddenly snapped awake. She had forgotten this banquet was a grand one. Bai Niao was just a “small fry”; it didn’t matter if she came or not. But in such a setting, Gao Zhan would inevitably appear.

He had been very busy lately. The day Bai Niao was sick, he had just returned from the military district and came to see her without even resting. Then, before she improved much, he left again for work.

Gao Zhan cared a lot about her health. When Bai Niao was sick and troublesome, they always asked Gao Zhan to trick her into taking her medicine. Since he hadn’t been heard from for so many days, he must have really been busy all this time.

The public knew Bai Niao was under He Youting’s care, but she truly wasn’t “presentable”; every time she came to such banquets, few people paid attention to her. Gao Zhan was different. Who hadn’t heard the name of the Gao family’s eldest son? If not for being a bit lower in seniority, he’d almost be as famous as He Youting. Gao Zhan had a brilliant background—his resume was arguably even better than Cheng Yu’s. His only disadvantage was his seniority. But it truly was only his seniority.

Bai Niao and Gao Zhan were as different as cloud and mud; few outsiders even knew they had ever crossed paths. But at every such banquet, that “proud son of heaven” worshipped by all would silently intercept Bai Niao and have an affair with her in plain sight.

Bai Niao tried her best to avoid Gao Zhan’s eyes, not wanting anything to do with him right now, but he was already walking toward her. Zhuang Han’s glass was full of wine, and she was still talking to a socialite.

Bai Niao suddenly remembered a very troublesome thing: Zhuang Han had never seen Gao Zhan. She didn’t even know Gao Zhan. If that stupid System was around it would be fine, but the Main System was updating again tonight. No one was there to remind Zhuang Han that Gao Zhan was the fourth male lead!

For the first time, Bai Niao realized what it meant for one’s scalp to tingle. Even when she was having an affair with Gao Zhan behind a gauze curtain and nearly got caught by Duan Xiran, she hadn’t been this nervous and bothered. But this wasn’t something she could avoid just because she wanted to.

When she noticed Gao Zhan silently dismissing the people around Zhuang Han and walking up behind her, Bai Niao’s hair was about to stand on end. However, just at this moment, the System that had been offline for a long time suddenly returned.

Its tone was grave.

Host, I have some unfortunate news for you. The original host’s consciousness might really still remain in this world.