After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Shanliúguān is a famous high-end residential area in the Imperial Capital, featuring exquisite design. Its name is inspired by the proverb, “A small recluse hides in the mountains, a great recluse hides in the city,” signifying tranquility amidst the bustle. Although it is located on the edge of the Third Ring Road, the area is by no means remote. Song Xingzi left the complex and, after walking for only half an hour, reached the vicinity of the commercial street.

As a qualified monster, Song Xingzi has largely adhered to the principle of living by the sun’s rhythm—rising at sunrise and resting at sunset—for many years; her biological clock is very accurate.

Despite the all-night turmoil until the early morning, she still woke up very early. It was only a little past seven when she reached the commercial street. There were few people on the street, and most shops had just lifted their shutters. The large shopping mall at the end of the street, however, was brightly lit, and the sales assistants inside the glass doors, wearing appropriate makeup, had already begun greeting customers.

“Wow! Is this the human world? It looks so lively, and everything is so orderly.” The country bumpkin, who had rarely seen humans or neon lights, was shocked and extremely excited!

The country bumpkin walked forward, her round eyes darting about, curiously and greedily observing the unfamiliar scene before her.

At the intersection, a few street vendors were operating their carts in the chilly wind, selling breakfast. A rich aroma of rice wafted out of the round metal bucket, eagerly burrowing into Song Xingzi’s nose. Naturally, her stomach, which was a little shriveled from missing breakfast, began to protest with a “grumbling” sound.

She inhaled the food scent, swallowed her saliva, and stared longingly at the small stall: “I’m so hungry! I want to eat!”

The vendor wiped his hands on his red apron. Seeing Song Xingzi in a long down jacket and white leather high heels, he figured she was a wealthy person, so he smiled and asked, “Beautiful lady, would you like some porridge? It’s cheap—thick, fragrant walnut and almond porridge. Eight dollars for a large bowl. The porridge shops inside charge twenty and up!”

“Eight dollars for one bowl?” Oh, my Heavenly Dao Papa, is it that expensive? I heard things in the human world were very cheap! The red bean paste bun downstairs was only fifty cents each. Eight dollars divided by fifty cents… Heavens, one bowl of porridge can buy sixteen red bean paste buns! Is the inflation in this novel so severe?

Song Xingzi was stunned. She quickly waved her hand and said, “Never mind, never mind. I didn’t bring any cash.”

She felt her pocket and found she truly didn’t have a single penny! That’s right. How could a wealthy second female lead like Ji Ruyue, who only makes purchases in the tens of thousands in the novel and could bankrupt a dozen ten-thousand-dollar households with one move, have cash in her clothes? A black card would be more likely.

She checked again—no black card either.

Song Xingzi chuckled innocently twice and decided to stay away from the source of temptation. She would go home first. Although the heroine was poor and an actress, she certainly wouldn’t be unable to afford a meal.

Thinking this, Song Xingzi quickly walked away, not even glancing at the stall that made her stomach rumble.

“Pfft, she looks rich, but she can’t even afford a bowl of porridge. If you don’t have cash, you can pay by phone. She ran off so fast, she must be embarrassed.” The vendor, having lost a sale, tossed the metal spoon back into the bucket and scoffed angrily.

Song Xingzi was far away and didn’t hear him. Otherwise, given her fiery temper, even without her magic, she would probably secretly consume all the vendor’s food.

After walking quite a distance, Song Xingzi stared blankly at the intersection: The crossroad was equipped with eight traffic lights pointing to different directions, and each path was filled with pedestrians in a hurry and cars flashing by. Everyone had a destination, or at least knew where they were going.

But Song Xingzi was a transmigrator, and one without the original body’s memories, at that. Too much had happened yesterday. It was only now that she remembered that she seemed to genuinely not know where the heroine’s small rental apartment was.

After all, in the novel, right after the one-night stand, the heroine was taken in by the male lead and moved into his large villa. So, forget the address of the small rental apartment, I don’t even know which hospital the heroine’s cheap father is in!

“Wait, where should I go now?” Memoryless and penniless, Song Xingzi looked up at the sky, utterly bewildered.

While she was deliberating on her destination, at Li Tóng Hospital, a subsidiary of the Lǐ Group, in the VIP ward, the male protagonist of the novel was listening to his assistant’s progress report with a darkened expression.

“President, the surveillance footage shows that after Song Xingzi injured you, she ran into Young Miss Ji at the elevator. Young Miss Ji then took her out of the hotel. We don’t know where they went. This is Song Xingzi’s agent; I’ve brought him over first.”

Li Yeběi frowned. A murderous aura surrounded his handsome face, making him look like a demon king from hell. “Who is Song Xingzi?”

“President Li, Song Xingzi is the small celebrity under my management, the one who was sent to your bed last night.” Before Táng Wén could speak, Song Xingzi’s agent quickly interjected, terrified that the business legend before him would suddenly get angry and issue a command like, “It’s cold out. Let Huashèng go bankrupt.”

He had been called in by Táng Wén in the middle of the night to ask about Song Xingzi’s whereabouts. His legs shaking and cold sweat pouring down, he had called Song Xingzi thirty times in a row. It was only under Táng Wén’s impatient gaze that he remembered: To prevent Song Xingzi from contacting people she knew, he had confiscated her phone and wallet.

Now, the phone with a long string of missed call notifications was sitting in his living room, and he himself had been brought to the hospital by Táng Wén to await Li Yeběi’s instructions.

Li Yeběi glanced coldly at the agent, whose face was covered in cold sweat, and sneered, “I wasn’t asking you.”

“S-sorry, President Li, please don’t be angry. I… I have a way to find Song Xingzi,” the agent’s cold sweat poured down, running over his brow bone and stinging his eyes. He didn’t dare to wipe the sweat and added fearfully, “Song Xingzi has a father with lung cancer, and he is at the City People’s Hospital. As long as we hold her father, we can make her comply.”

Disgusted by the low-handed tactic, Li Yeběi frowned. Táng Wén, sensing the rising tension, immediately smoothed things over: “President, I’ve already sent people to guard Song Xingzi’s rental apartment. I also had Song Xingzi’s father, as he mentioned, transferred to Lǐ’s private hospital for proper care. There is one more thing that I don’t know if I should mention.”

Li Yeběi slightly lifted his chin, signaling to Song Xingzi’s agent, “You, get out.”

The agent sighed in relief. “Yes, yes, of course, President Li. I will leave right away.”

Li Yeběi nodded. “Speak.”

“You requested all of Song Xingzi’s information last night. It’s all here. However, Song Xingzi may have a connection with Miss Liǔ Bái. Please take a look.” Táng Wén handed the compiled data to Li Yeběi.

Li Yeběi skimmed through the data at a glance, placed it aside, and looked up at Táng Wén with approval. “Very good. This woman still has some value.”

I originally intended to crush this brazen woman like an ant, but it turns out she has good luck; she is Liǔ Bái’s full biological sister. Her heart should be quite suitable for Liǔ Bái.

“President, regarding Young Miss Ji…”

Li Yeběi was unconcerned. He waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. She’s just a fool for love; I’ll handle her. This little celebrity is quite lucky. If she had fallen into Ji Ruyue’s hands, and no one came to save her, there’s no telling how much suffering she would have endured.”

At this very moment, the “fool for love,” Young Miss Ji, whom they spoke of, had woken up. She was lying woodenly on the bed, her pale pupils unfocused, staring into space at the ceiling lamp above.

I am the only one in the room. Song Xingzi is gone. What stage is the plot at now? The contract signing should be next. Since Li Yeběi didn’t sleep with the heroine last night, how will this step proceed? I thought the heroine had awakened her self-awareness, just like me, the villainous second female lead. Yet, I woke up, and she’s still following the original path. What should go is gone, and what should come is coming. Heh.

“I got this pain so deep inside, It drives me insane but it keeps me alive, I don’t see a reason, never had a reason,”

The phone’s ringtone came from the bathroom.

Ji Ruyue’s body tensed up. She got out of bed, her bare feet touching the carpet. Like a faithful wife-watching-stone suddenly given a message, she ignored the pain in her lower back and quickly rushed into the bathroom. She dug her phone out of the pile of clothes and pressed the answer button.

“Brother Li, you called!” The voice was a feignedly sweet, girlish tone with a cheerful, rising inflection.

Li Yeběi’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly. Suppressing the feeling of revulsion, he said gently, “Little Yuè, is the person you took back yesterday still there?”

Ji Ruyue coldly watched the girl in the mirror show a sweet smile, clutching the phone and speaking in a soft voice: “Which one is Brother Li talking about? You’ve been seeing I don’t know how many women behind Little Yuè’s back. If you don’t make it clear, how will Little Yuè know which one it is?”

That damned crazy woman. Li Yeběi was choked with frustration. Under Táng Wén’s reassuring gaze, he managed to continue, his voice gentle: “Little Yuè, don’t joke around. How could your Brother Li be that kind of person?”

The girl whined petulantly.

Li Yeběi’s patience ran out. “That woman injured me last night, and I’m looking for her to settle the score. Stop fooling around and tell me quickly.”

“Brother Li, what are you saying? How can you talk to me like that? It’s just a woman, isn’t it? Are you going to be angry with me because of her?”

“Stop fooling around.”

The girl in the mirror pouted, but her eyes were utterly dead. “Brother Li, don’t be angry. I didn’t lay a hand on that woman. She’s already gone.”

“Where did she go?”

“How would I know? Brother Li is so mean!”

“That’s just your illusion, Little Yuè. I’m going to hang up now. Táng Wén has something to report.”

The girl seemed reluctant, clutching the phone. “Then, goodbye.”

Doo-doo. As soon as the call ended, Ji Ruyue’s rigid body immediately relaxed. Like a train suddenly thrown off the rails, she violently slid to the ground.

“Ugh—”

Ji Ruyue threw the phone onto the floor with a bang. She grasped the vanity counter to stand up, bent over the sink, and shoved one hand into her mouth, gagging herself and dry heaving.

Her hair was messy in the mirror. She was wearing a white nightgown. Only two-thirds of her light-colored pupils were visible in her eyes, which curved slightly upward in the middle and slightly downward on the sides. As she dry-heaved, her face showed no signs of languor or curiosity—only coldness and numbness.

Fate, oh fate, you have tormented me to this extent! How can I ever break free from this vicious cycle?

“Ugh—”

Her stomach, which hadn’t been fed all night, finally expelled a puddle of sour liquid under the intense feeling of revulsion.

She expressionlessly turned on the faucet, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it onto her face. After a quick wash, she bent down to pick up her phone, slid her finger across the cracked screen, and tapped the dial page.

Song Xingzi, since you are the variable, let me take this gamble. Don’t disappoint me.