Disguised as a Heartthrob [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

The silence was “deafening,” but it was clear that the relationship between the two was extremely superficial. Otherwise, given Hua Lian’s current performance, she would have already been exposed. Yet precisely because there was no understanding between them, Hua Lian felt she hadn’t given herself away or perhaps others simply didn’t care about “Hua Lian’s” reactions at all.

As everyone knows, the world revolves around the protagonist, with even peripheral attention being stingily withheld from mere extras. Regardless, this sense of being ignored allowed Hua Lian to relax a little but only a little, because Luo Xizhi hadn’t left, making the situation quite awkward instead.

Hua Lian grew restless, unsure of what to say to politely ask Luo Xizhi to leave. She had never been good with words since childhood, and as she grew older, this fear of social interaction only intensified. Especially when it came to a heroine of this caliber for Hua Lian, such a person was someone she would avoid at all costs.

“Young Miss, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

It seemed that seeing Hua Lian remain silent, Luo Xizhi finally lost patience and spoke up. These words made Hua Lian’s heart leap with joy, though she tried hard to contain her delight and simply replied with an “Mm.” But as soon as the sound left her lips, Hua Lian felt she had uttered it a bit too forcefully, leaving her somewhat conflicted.

The Luo Xizhi before her didn’t seem to notice and quickly departed. She walked away with an air of ease, as if she was even more eager than Hua Lian to put distance between them. Hua Lian even suspected that once Luo Xizhi reached the next corner, she might pull out a wet wipe from somewhere to clean the spot where she had touched Hua Lian.

Curiosity overcame fear, especially since observing such behavior didn’t involve any social interaction, allowing Hua Lian to react quickly. Unfortunately, at the corner, she didn’t see Luo Xizhi using a disinfectant wipe to clean her hands. Instead, she saw Luo Xizhi conversing with someone.

It was a very handsome boy. Hua Lian felt puzzled by the appearance of such a character and immediately thought of the fourth male lead among the many male protagonists Hua Zhengtai. As the name suggested, he was a younger brother-type male lead, but in reality, he was a potential sociopath with a history of arson and killing small animals. The heroine’s pets had all been killed by Hua Zhengtai, but Luo Xizhi didn’t know this and mistakenly believed it was the original owner’s doing. As a result, she was manipulated by the original owner, leading to all sorts of incidents.

“…”

For a moment, Hua Lian realized that the original owner was actually the least problematic among them unlike the male leads in this book, whose hearts were utterly corrupted by evil. But Hua Lian hadn’t finished reading the novel. She had picked it up because it was hailed as the darkest early-era po novel, but she soon grew uncomfortable and abandoned it.

Little did she expect that after falling asleep, she would not only have a nightmare about becoming the heroine of this book but also wake up to find herself in this dark world.

‘Even more socially withdrawn now.’

Hua Lian sighed inwardly, cautiously observing the exchange between the two. Luo Xizhi remained polite yet distant, neither submissive nor arrogant, skillfully evading Hua Zhengtai’s various forms of harassment. Hua Zhengtai’s face turned green with frustration, seemingly bewildered as to why his usual tactics for harassing beauties had no effect on Luo Xizhi.

After several rounds of confrontation, Hua Zhengtai gained no advantage. His eyes darted around, as if he were scheming something malicious. But Luo Xizhi paid him no mind and soon left.

“Tsk, damn woman!”

Hua Zhengtai, having lost his prey, cursed under his breath. Though he looked delicate and refined, he now appeared gloomy and twisted like a monstrous creature. His eyes concealed endless darkness, as if he wanted to tear everything before him to shreds. However, this state lasted only a moment. When a passing maid appeared, the murderous aura vanished.

The targeted maid remained completely unaware, praising Hua Zhengtai for his obedience and cuteness, oblivious to the fact that he was truly a demon child.

“…”

Hua Lian felt a chill run down her spine. She slowed her breathing until she confirmed the demon had left, then continued forward. But soon, the cost of taking a detour became apparent she quickly lost her way. The surroundings grew colder and darker with each step, devoid of any light. With every breath, she felt a bone-chilling cold seep into her. Hua Lian even began to suspect that the Hua family had amassed their wealth through some dark sorcery. After all, judging by the original host’s father and Hua Zhengtai, the fourth male lead, she wouldn’t be surprised if an altar suddenly appeared. But regardless, it had nothing to do with her.

Without hesitation, Hua Lian turned around, determined to find her way back. Yet, at that very moment, a tightly shut door swung open. Hua Lian shuddered, feeling that what was happening now had surpassed the limits of what she could accept. Her mind naturally conjured up countless terrible thoughts, and the cold wind around her constantly reminded her that whatever was behind her was certainly not something ordinary.

Her breathing grew erratic, her heart pounding fiercely. She could hear footsteps, slowly approaching her. Hua Lian felt she should look back; otherwise, she might die without even knowing how.

Resolving herself, Hua Lian abruptly turned around and suddenly saw a creature behind her that could hardly be called human. It resembled a giant black cat plush toy, with only its eyes glowing blood-red. Though it seemed like a toy, Hua Lian inexplicably felt it was a massive living creature rather than a finely crafted costume.

“Su…”

Upon seeing Hua Lian, its body trembled, and it whispered something softly. Hua Lian jolted in shock, as if realizing the only possible identity of this being that defied human understanding.

“System, you’ve finally appeared!”

Overwhelmed with excitement, Hua Lian hugged the black cat plush toy towering over her. If her guess was correct, this must be her long-awaited system from the shores of Daming Lake. Though she didn’t know why it looked so large and terrifying, Hua Lian believed this was the only possibility. Otherwise, she feared she might die here.

“Do you know how I’ve been living these past few days?”

“System, why did you only come now. Why am I in this world.”

“I want to go home. This place is too terrifying.”

Hua Lian rambled on, pouring out the grievances she had endured since transmigrating into this book.

Perhaps because Hua Lian’s embrace was too sudden, the blood-red eyes of the black cat plush toy seemed to fade slightly, and the sharp claws that had extended from its paws retracted.

“Sorry, host, I ran into some trouble, but it’s all resolved now.” The previously hesitant speech instantly became fluent, and whether it was the mechanical tone or the delivery, it gave off a sense of emotionless narration.

Hearing this, Hua Lian released the black cat plushie in front of her and began circling around it. The black cat plushie’s blood-red eyes held a hint of confusion as its tail swayed gently. It wore what looked like clothes made for a doll, and the familiarity made Hua Lian recall a similar plushie she once had. That plushie had accompanied her lonely childhood games, but one day it suddenly went missing, leaving Hua Lian heartbroken.

“Host?”

“System, are you hurt?”

Hua Lian finally snapped back to reality, realizing she had been lost in thought. But she had to admit, the familiarity of the thing before her made her let her guard down instantly, even feeling as though they were old friends who had known each other for years.

“The system cannot be injured.”

The black cat plushie responded mechanically, its ears twitching in an especially adorable way. Hua Lian felt her gaze completely unable to look away, and she couldn’t help but hug it again. For some reason, though, the black cat plushie seemed a bit surprised by Hua Lian’s action, standing stiffly in place. Its tail thumped against the ground, as if displeased, but because Hua Lian was the host, it felt too awkward to refuse.

“Sorry, it’s just that your texture feels too good.”

“Texture? Host, what do I look like to you?”

The black cat plushie narrowed its eyes, a hint of probing in its gaze. This was Hua Lian’s first time encountering the system, and she had no idea what systems in various novels and films actually looked like.

“Huh? Isn’t your appearance fixed?”

“Our appearance is a reflection of the host’s deepest obsession. If you deeply love someone, I take on their form. If you adore an animal, I become that animal.”

The black cat plushie explained its uniqueness with great seriousness, and Hua Lian suddenly understood. She took the system’s paw and pressed the soft pad on it. Even though it was just a reflection, the texture felt incredibly real, confirming to Hua Lian that the lost black cat plushie was indeed the source of her obsession.

“What I see is the black cat plushie I once lost.”

“A plushie, host were you a minor before transmigrating?”

As if finding Hua Lian’s childish obsession unbelievable, the black cat plushie carried a faint trace of disdain and disbelief.

“Yes, in reality, I was a sophomore in high school.” But, due to certain circumstances, I wasn’t attending school.

Hua Lian didn’t add the latter part, feeling that being bullied was too difficult to talk about. At the same time, though, a new confusion arose in her mind: why did the system before her know nothing about her situation?

“System, why don’t you know anything?”

“Those transported to this world were not chosen by me. I am only responsible for guiding and assigning tasks.” The black cat plushie answered this way, only to notice Hua Lian staring intently behind it. Initially thinking she was interested in its rear, the black cat plushie then realized Hua Lian was looking at the reflected tail.

Meanwhile, the black cat plushie’s eyes flickered with a hint of confusion, as if unable to comprehend why such a person had been transported to this world. After all, she was clearly different from the other sinners exiled here.

Just as the black cat plushie was thinking this, it felt itself being hugged by Hua Lian again. Hua Lian appeared pitiful, like a little girl who hadn’t spoken for years, chattering incessantly about all sorts of things. Even the black cat plushie felt it had nothing to add.

Yet, miraculously, this very chatterbox had managed to avoid countless paths of death within five days. If not for her intention to personally eliminate this transmigrator today, the black cat plushie would never have known that this version of Hua Lian possessed such a personality.