After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 35

As winter settled in, the days shortened and the nights stretched long. It was only seven in the evening, but when Ruan Yubai stepped outside, a gray mist had already settled over the horizon. The faint light squeezing through the clouds looked like scattered, tiny jewels.

Ruan Yubai stared blankly at the sky for a while. The conversation that had just taken place in her room felt like the heavy clouds above—drifting, nebulous, and impossible to untangle.

Just as she let out a small sigh and prepared to hang her head and keep walking, she was startled into a large step back by a dark figure blocking her path. Whatever shallow melancholy she felt vanished instantly.

A woman wrapped in a jewel-blue scarf took her hands out of her pockets. The joints of her index and middle fingers were slightly yellowed—the mark of a heavy smoker.

The veteran smoker asked with a smile, “Such a young thing, why the sigh? Heartbroken?”

Her voice was melodious and her expression relaxed. Her gray coat hung casually over her frame, revealing a large black Medusa tattoo on her forearm.

All in all, one couldn’t tell her exact age from her suave appearance—but that didn’t stop Ruan Yubai from suspecting the woman was a creep!

Who was this? She had never seen her before. Did “giant children” nearing their twenties still face the risk of being kidnapped? Such skillful small talk was clearly the work of a seasoned human trafficker!

Although she couldn’t guess the hundred thousand thoughts popping into Ruan Yubai’s head, the woman didn’t miss the girl’s guarded expression and laughed. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sheng Yusheng. We met at the Qing family funeral.”

Ruan Yubai looked blank.

“You were wearing a rabbit-shaped chain bag that day, and Little Qing brought you in. I even helped their manservant buy a few bottles of O-Pop Fruit Milk. Was it good?”

Sheng Yusheng added, “It’s normal that you don’t remember me. After all, Qing Ling didn’t even let you into the ancestral hall. You could say I’ve only seen you from a distance.”

Ruan Yubai blinked and said sincerely, “It was good.”

While most things could be found on forums, these specific details were only known to those present. Ruan Yubai calculated that the cost of buying such niche information likely exceeded the profit of kidnapping and selling a single Beta.

Relaxing slightly, Ruan Yubai became curious. “Why are you looking for me?”

The girl’s eyes were as innocent as a fawn’s, clear enough to reflect a transparent spring. She had the clean, light texture of a greenhouse flower that had been well-protected since childhood, carrying a faint sweet scent of berries.

In short, she was the polar opposite of Qing Ling. How could that picky Young Lady of the Qing family care so much about a girl like this?

Sheng Yusheng admitted she was simply too curious.

“You could say I watched Qing Ling grow up.” Sheng Yusheng pulled a wallet from her slouchy bag and showed her a photo from the inner compartment.

The little girl in the photo wore an incredibly intricate and exquisite gown. Moonlight filtered through stained glass, looking like soft frosting sprinkled over a little princess’s throne. Her smile was dignified and elegant, her pale pink lips slightly pursed.

Someone in the photo had playfully tousled her long hair, but even so, the young princess looked joyful, her eyes curving in a lively, spirited way.

She was a world apart from the current heroine.

Usually, Qing Ling maintained a noble, cold facade in front of everyone, her dark eyes calm and unbothered. Even when she smiled, it often carried a hint of mockery—or a wicked desire to tease Ruan Yubai!

It was hard to imagine the heroine ever having such a dorky, cute side.

Ruan Yubai flicked the soft cheek of the little princess in the photo, imagining herself pinching and poking the young Young Lady to get revenge for her current mental breakdowns. The thought was so pleasant that she felt a lingering reluctance when she finally pulled her finger away.

She looked up at Sheng Yusheng and asked hesitantly, “So, are you warning me not to get too close to her?”

The “cool family friend” and the “strictly raised noble lady”—a classic trope of forbidden, bittersweet drama. The “long-term grooming” vibes were strong. The male lead’s road to winning her heart really was going to be long.

To her surprise, Sheng Yusheng raised her hands in a peaceful gesture, looking exactly like she did in the photo from over a decade ago. She burst out laughing. “Don’t misunderstand, kid. I’m not your love rival. I’m not going to steal your President Qing.”

“It’s just that the current Little Qing is so different from how she used to be. I’m a bit worried about her state of mind lately.”

Before Ruan Yubai could argue, the elder, whom time had treated kindly, pulled out a pair of sunglasses. “Kid, can this ‘weird auntie’ buy you a coffee?”

Half an hour later, in a nearby café.

“Are you saying,” Ruan Yubai began—knowing the plot but acting shocked—”that someone intentionally harmed the Qing family?”

As a cannon fodder with dreams of being a great villain, Ruan Yubai naturally used all her strength to badmouth the heroine to others. she exaggerated Qing Ling’s wicked antics until anyone listening would think the heroine was a monster—a very perverted one.

Yet, for some reason, the more Ruan Yubai exaggerated, the happier Sheng Yusheng looked. Eventually, Ruan Yubai grew embarrassed and whispered, “But everyone sees things differently. Maybe others think the President is okay. Ms. Qing might only be like that to an easy-to-bully Beta like me.”

Ruan Yubai tried to squeeze out a few “salted fish” tears, and failing that, used the steam from the coffee to fake a piteous, teary-eyed look. Sure enough, Sheng Yusheng fell silent.

Nice!

Ruan Yubai gave her acting a score of 200 out of 100. This was the skill level required of someone who had dominated the world of melodramatic novels for thirteen years. She had read at least eight hundred “white lotus” stories. Through this double-edged rhetoric, she had cleanly distanced herself; even if Sheng Yusheng confronted the heroine, Ruan Yubai would remain the innocent, pure little flower.

In the first-place ranking of “White Lotus” acting, who else could compare to her? Looking at her own reflection in the coffee cup, she almost wanted to punch her own cute, round face.

Little did she know, to Sheng Yusheng—who knew Qing Ling’s personality—these words meant something entirely different.

She treats everyone else with the same polite coldness, but singles out Ruan Yubai for intimate and caring actions? And look at those proud, sparkling little eyes… This is just blatant bragging!

My, the little thing is quite possessive.

Through this back-and-forth, Sheng Yusheng realized the girl was truly innocent—the kind of naivety that only comes from a life without hardship. Her round apricot eyes were purely clean. To someone who had experienced much malice, such innocence was precious—something one would want to protect with their whole heart, or perhaps destroy with all their strength.

It had been too long since she had seen Qing Ling. Ten years ago, Sheng Yusheng could have confidently claimed no one knew the Young Lady better than her. Now, she wasn’t sure what kind of person Qing Ling had become.

After a moment of hesitation, facing Ruan Yubai’s fawn-like eyes, Sheng Yusheng spoke. “Do you know that what happened to the Qing family wasn’t an accident, but a premeditated plot?”

As expected, the girl gave a shocked denial.

Sheng Yusheng stirred her coffee and chewed a macaron slowly. “Of course, the Qing family weren’t exactly good people themselves. They had ulterior motives for raising Qing Ling as the head. It might not be a bad thing that they fell.”

What did that mean?

Sheng Yusheng changed the subject. “And you… knowing a soft, delicate Omega by your side has killed people, aren’t you afraid?”

Though Ruan Yubai didn’t think “soft and delicate” applied to the heroine at all, Qing Ling had certainly taken satisfying revenge for her by shooting the buzz-cut and pink-haired guys. Besides, that was a virtual battlefield, not real life.

Ruan Yubai shook her head, confused. “What is there to be afraid of?”

Now it was Sheng Yusheng’s turn to be surprised. She nearly forgot to drink her coffee, looking at the soft, young girl with newfound respect. “Even if that person was Qing Ling’s relative?”

Ruan Yubai blinked once, then twice, unable to figure out how the buzz-cut guy and Qing Ling could possibly be related.

Sheng Yusheng realized there was a misunderstanding and cleared her throat. “Even if you didn’t enter the hall to pay your respects, you must at least know who kicked the bucket, right?”

Actually, it was quite embarrassing. Amidst the chaos of the funeral, Ruan Yubai had been so consumed by the “marriage” misunderstanding that she just wanted to flee the scene of her social death. she really didn’t know who had died.

Finishing the last of her coffee, Sheng Yusheng tapped her wrist-comm and pulled up a photo. “Here,” she said, handing it over. “This person.”

Sheng Yusheng realized she was too familiar with the Qing family; she could recognize a body even if it was disfigured. But the Qings were a low-profile, reclusive family who rarely appeared in the media. It was natural Ruan Yubai wouldn’t recognize him.

She explained, “The ‘Trans-Omega Special Protection Act’ that’s been all over the news lately was triggered by this gambler. A former Alpha noble who was forcibly injected with a gender-reassignment serum… you must have heard the news. This is the victim.”

Ruan Yubai’s pupils contracted sharply. She hadn’t seen many members of the Qing family, but the bloated face in the photo was someone she was incredibly familiar with aside from the heroine.

Sheng Yusheng didn’t notice the change in Ruan Yubai’s gaze and sneered. “This was Little Qing’s eldest uncle. He’s the one who ‘sold’ her to your family for something.”

The pendant.

Ruan Yubai closed her eyes. Scenes of their first meeting flashed before her. Back then, she had immaturely tried to stand up for the heroine out of spite. She never imagined that greedy drunkard would meet such a tragic end.

Ruan Yubai asked, “What are you trying to say?”

Sheng Yusheng stopped beating around the bush. “Qing Ling didn’t tell you likely because she wanted to protect you from seeing such filth. But…”

After a long pause, she continued gravely, “In the past, I would have sworn that even though Little Qing looked cold, she was a warm child who loved to laugh. But after seeing her this time, even I can’t tell what she’s thinking. If even a relative who only offered verbal provocations ended up like that, you…”

“Are you trying to say that Qing Ling was the one behind what happened to her uncle, and that she might kill me too in the future?”

Sheng Yusheng didn’t expect her to be so blunt. She looked a bit sheepish. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know you two are close, but you didn’t see what she went through. It’s never a mistake to be a little careful.”

Pursing her lips, Ruan Yubai ignored the woman’s evasive gaze and looked her squarely in the eye. “I thought that even if you don’t fully understand Qing Ling now, you would at least know what she wouldn’t do.”

Ruan Yubai recalled a sentimental dialogue from a melodramatic novel: the most precious freedom isn’t the ability to do anything, but the power to choose not to do something even when you have the means.

Setting aside the fact that Qing Ling was the designated heroine of truth, beauty, and goodness in the original story, Ruan Yubai’s time spent with her convinced her that the girl simply wasn’t capable of being so sinister.

Watching the girl’s retreating back, Sheng Yusheng waved for another coffee. The taste was bitter, and the dregs felt like foreign objects catching in her throat, yet she broke into a slight smile. Watching the night deepen through the glass window, she whispered, “Quite the little kid.”

Ruan Yubai looked brave and upright when she walked away, but after just a few steps, she completely deflated.

Involuntarily, she remembered her conversation with Ms. Ruan back in her bedroom.

Mother Ruan had walked in with a glass of kumquat lemon juice, smiling in a way that made Ruan Yubai shiver. When a “loving” expression appeared on Ms. Ruan’s face, it didn’t feel motherly—it felt like a horror mask.

“How is it, my dear daughter? Are you having fun?” Mother Ruan asked.

“Fun…” Ruan Yubai weighed the expression and tried to pivot. “Not fun?”

Finally, she snapped, “Should I be having fun or not?!”

Mother Ruan rubbed her face, abandoned the soft approach, and asked point-blank: “Who have you told about your engagement to Little Qing?”

Blinking, Ruan Yubai said guiltily, “I’ve only told Bi Biba.” She thought her secrecy was the problem and racked her brain. “And the Beta guests at my birthday party!”

Thank you, Beta restroom! Thank you, gossipers!

Added all together, Ruan Yubai had actually told quite a few people. She puffed out her chest proudly, thinking she was safe from a lecture.

Instead, Mother Ruan grew solemn and whispered, “From now on, do not mention this to anyone else.”

Ruan Yubai was initially delighted, but then her brow furrowed in confusion. If her memory served her right, her parents had been overjoyed about the engagement, even rambling about wedding venues just days ago. Why were they suddenly the ones proposing to keep it a secret?

“Why?” Ruan Yubai asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Seeing her daughter’s innocent eyes reflecting the light of the chandelier like tiny stars, Mother Ruan turned her head away. She decided the only way forward was total honesty. “Don’t you understand? Because the Qing family isn’t willing.”

Huh?

Ruan Yubai was genuinely lost. At the funeral, even though she was caught in an awkward position, the Qing patriarch had been polite to her. He had even said something cold like, “Since Qing Ling is with the Ruans, she is a member of the Ruan family.”

With an attitude like that, how could they be unwilling?

Ruan Yubai didn’t know the details of the subsequent conversation between her mother and the Qing patriarch. With her sheltered experience, she couldn’t imagine how a person could be so two-faced.

Recalling the Qing patriarch’s veiled threats, Mother Ruan grew angry. It wasn’t as if she had begged for this marriage; she had only started arranging things because the two children seemed to get along. How did it turn into her family “desperately currying favor” in that man’s eyes?

Qing Ling was a wonderful child, but no matter how good she was, this marriage couldn’t happen. Mother Ruan had hesitated to say this to her daughter, but after seeing today’s news, she realized she couldn’t wait any longer.

She knew her daughter’s personality. After Qing Ling had boldly taken revenge for her on the field, it was almost impossible for Ruan Yubai not to be moved. Honestly, even as parents, they might not have been able to achieve such a clean act of retribution.

Not to mention Qing Ling’s stunning looks—Ruan Yubai had always been a sucker for a pretty face.

Alas, if the Qing family weren’t like that, how good these two would have been.

But facing her daughter’s confused face, Mother Ruan hardened her heart and tore away the warm facade. “They look down on us! Are you going to go and seek your own humiliation? I didn’t raise a spineless coward.”

The words hit hard. Mother Ruan’s own heart trembled. She didn’t dare look at her daughter’s face, simply left the juice and a “think about it” before rushing out.

Ruan Yubai locked her door and drank three glasses of pure, sour juice without sugar. Finally, it clicked.

The heroine really isn’t human! She sighed.

What else could Ms. Ruan’s words mean? Likely, the heroine had personally approached her and expressed her own unwillingness to go through with the arrangement.

Ruan Yubai actually understood this approach. It was upright, honorable, and matched the original novel’s characterization. Lately, the plot had been like a runaway horse, making her feel terrified. This felt like a correction—returning to the original storyline.

Thinking back to those two precise arrows on the field, they were probably just a way for the heroine to ease her own guilt. With the heroine’s usual cold personality, why else would she do something so impulsive?

Actually, Ruan Yubai was the one who profited here.

But…

She paced the room twice, threw open the window, and roared at the empty street: “AHHH—”

Humans are naturally perverse. When Ruan Yubai was hiding the engagement and terrified of it being public, she was annoyed when the heroine seemed to want to acknowledge their relationship. But now that the heroine had supposedly called it off, she felt unhappy.

She was too embarrassed to admit these thoughts to anyone. She knew she was being high-maintenance and incredibly hypocritical. But if a person could perfectly control their emotions, they wouldn’t be human.

Wandering out only to meet Sheng Yusheng and her warnings made her mood even messier.

Why is the heroine so annoying!

Ruan Yubai looked at the homework the heroine had left on her desk. The more she looked, the angrier she got. If the heroine didn’t want this fake engagement, why act so hypocritical?

In a fit of rage, she tore up the papers and threw them like confetti, finally feeling a bit of relief. She finished the rest of her sour passion fruit juice and collapsed onto the bed, sleeping through the night.

One week later.

“Old Bai, have you heard? The new test results are out. Nan Zhuti from our class isn’t A+; his mental strength is S-rank!”

Ruan Yubai gave a weary “Oh.” She already knew that from the novel.

Her friend didn’t mind her reaction and continued excitedly, “And your fiancée! Do you know what the President’s mental strength rating is?”

Ruan Yubai instinctively corrected her: “I told you, she’s not my fiancée.”

Seeing her friend’s expectant gaze, she gave another dry “Oh” and asked, “What level?”

“It’s SSS-rank! You heard me right, triple-S! My god, forget our school—how many of those are there in the whole galaxy? Everyone at Laurels has gone crazy; they’re practically plastering posters of the Young Lady in every alleyway.”

However, it wasn’t just the students and outsiders who were going wild. Ruan Yubai was about to lose it too.

Looking at the substitute list for the Super-A Games, Ruan Yubai couldn’t believe her eyes. She reopened the interface three times. People around her joked, “Baibai is so excited she’s gone dumb. What should we do?”

Ruan Yubai didn’t have the energy to snap back. She didn’t understand. she was trying her best to be a quiet, stupid cannon fodder, why wouldn’t the heroine let her go?

Since Qing Ling had been busy and moved back to the dorms, the two hadn’t had any contact. Ruan Yubai couldn’t bring herself to reach out. Without that ridiculous engagement that they both supposedly hated, they had no reason to speak.

But the Super-A Games was the final straw.

As she walked through a deserted corridor, intending to open her comms and demand answers from the heroine, she suddenly smelled a familiar scent of freesia.

Unlike the usual subtle hint, this time the scent saturated the entire hallway. That unique, cool fragrance was like a chilled, flowing stream, gradually enveloping her entire body.

The scent of an Omega’s pheromones was too obvious; it was practically invading her limbs and bones. Even a dull Beta could smell the misty fragrance filling the air, like a flame burning in high-humidity air at near-zero temperatures.

It smelled wonderful, but it was also a call to sin.

Ruan Yubai felt as if she were wearing a cloak made of the heroine’s scent. Within this fragrant haze, she hurriedly opened her novel and finally had an epiphany.

The turning point in the protagonists’ relationship, the heroine’s heat cycle has arrived!

Support After Dumping the Female Lead, It’s My Turn to Cry