Disguised as a Heartthrob [Transmigration] - Chapter 6

[Heavenly Dao, are you there? What exactly is the origin of this new Hua Lian? Why is she completely different from the other transmigrators?]

Luo Xizhi tried to contact the Heavenly Dao of this world, wanting to know how such a strange child could exist. Moreover, since the other party wasn’t a bad person, why had she been sent to this world a hell specifically designed to eliminate sinful souls?

[Dear female lead, hello! I am the Heavenly Dao’s automated reply assistant. The Heavenly Dao has gone traveling to another world. If you have any matters, please leave a message.]

When Luo Xizhi, for once, sought advice from the Heavenly Dao, she received this kind of response. She had no choice but to turn her gaze back toward the person who had already walked far away, instantly realizing that Hua Lian had once again gone in the wrong direction. Despite being filled with doubts about this new transmigrator, to avoid giving Hua Lian’s original father, Hua Batian, any excuse to cause trouble later, Luo Xizhi decided to steer Hua Lian back on the right path.

“Young Miss, what are you doing here?”

Luo Xizhi pretended to run into Hua Lian, originally intending to close the distance and let Hua Lian taste some sweetness to quickly lead her to corruption. But even though she tried her best to be gentle, Hua Lian, who had been perfectly at ease just moments ago, froze in place as if someone had hit her pressure points. The walking navigation was still on, and Hua Lian seemed to realize something, frantically tapping on her phone screen. However, the map navigation was merely hidden in the background, and the cold, emotionless voice mercilessly exposed Hua Lian’s unfamiliarity with the surroundings.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward. Luo Xizhi wanted to laugh again but held it back. This was the first time she had seen such a clumsy transmigrator it was as if Hua Lian was covered from head to toe in flaws screaming, “I’m not the original person.”

But fortunately, since Hua Lian’s personality wasn’t predefined, no one except those who were “awakened” would notice anything unusual. Luo Xizhi also decided to pretend to be an NPC, acting as if she hadn’t noticed Hua Lian’s slip-ups, and continued, “It’s almost mealtime. Would you like to go to the dining hall together?”

Hua Lian nodded, not saying a single word the entire time, as if the chatterbox Hua Lian from earlier in front of the black cat plushie was just an illusion Luo Xizhi had conjured up from dealing with too many transmigrators.

Because of this invitation, the two walked together. Hua Lian diligently took note of everything around her, while Luo Xizhi remained silent. Luo Xizhi was about 1.7 meters tall, while Hua Lian was around 1.6 meters. Luo Xizhi’s walking pace was slightly faster than Hua Lian’s, but to avoid making Hua Lian struggle, she slowed down a bit. However, it seemed Hua Lian was worried about something and walked even slower, making the entire journey somewhat sluggish.

Moreover, every time Luo Xizhi tried to strike up a conversation, Hua Lian reacted as if facing a great enemy. Even though she maintained the facade of Hua Lian’s appearance, her fear and unease toward Luo Xizhi were palpable.

‘Could it be that records from other worlds mention how I specialize in dealing with transmigrators, making her so afraid?’

‘No, it seems more like a psychological barrier… Could this Hua Lian be some kind of psychiatric patient?’

Luo Xizhi couldn’t help but come up with countless conjectures. But she had to admit, this completely different transmigrator filled her with interest. Unfortunately, Hua Lian seemed entirely focused on avoiding her, which only made Luo Xizhi more curious: if someone like this were to fall into corruption, how utterly insane would she become?

Amidst these thoughts, the restaurant soon came into view. Hua Batian, the original host’s father, and Hua Zhengtai, the fourth male lead, had been waiting for some time. When they saw the two arrive, their gloomy expressions instantly vanished behind smiles. Both were clearly masters of switching expressions, and Hua Zhengtai even thoughtfully pulled out a seat for Hua Lian, playing the part of a model younger brother.

Of course, Hua Zhengtai completely ignored Luo Xizhi, his attitude clearly conveying his displeasure toward her.

Hua Lian remained silent, eating absentmindedly. Luo Xizhi hadn’t intended to keep observing, but Hua Lian happened to be sitting directly across from her, eating only the meat and meticulously pushing all the vegetables to the side. That childlike demeanor surfaced again, revealing how truly young, vibrant, and eccentric the person before her was.

“Sister, why aren’t you eating the broccoli?”

Today’s meal was steak, with equal portions for everyone, though for Hua Zhengtai, it was clearly too little. Thinking that his sister Hua Lian often dieted and would surely leave some steak behind, he turned to find her eating only the meat and completely ignoring the vegetables, which surprised him.

His words carried an innocent tone, paired with his deceptive face, who could have imagined that Hua Zhengtai would become a serial killer responsible for countless horrific crimes in the future?

Luo Xizhi had expected Hua Lian to lose control in fear, but nothing of the sort happened. She glanced expressionlessly at Hua Zhengtai, her gaze cold. Hua Zhengtai had never seen his sister look at him like that before. His smile froze in place, unable to understand why his signature charm had failed on these two women.

“I almost forgot Zhengtai is still growing. Butler, have the kitchen prepare two more servings for him,” the original host’s father spoke up at that moment. Whether he had keenly sensed the tension between the siblings or had experienced similar situations before, his reaction was swift.

Hearing that he wouldn’t have to fight for someone else’s meat, Hua Zhengtai immediately beamed with delight, instantly forgetting the earlier strangeness. He smugly lifted his chin toward Hua Lian, as if conveying some emotion perhaps flaunting their father’s favoritism, or perhaps reminding Hua Lian that, as a woman, she would never truly hold a place in the Hua family.

The silent battle continued as the new steaks arrived. Hua Zhengtai deliberately chewed loudly, expressing his dissatisfaction with the two. The original host’s father pretended not to notice and left to answer a phone call when his phone rang.

With their father gone, Hua Zhengtai grew even more arrogant.

“…”

Sitting across from him, Luo Xizhi was forced to witness this scene, but she had no intention of intervening. She wanted to see how Hua Lian would respond. Yet, Hua Lian continued to ignore the provocation, only shifting her knife slightly before stabbing it directly into a cherry tomato. The plate screeched sharply from the impact, and Hua Lian glanced at Hua Zhengtai as if conveying something.

Hua Zhengtai widened his eyes, unable to believe Hua Lian would respond this way. Refusing to back down, he adjusted his grip on his knife and fork and stabbed fiercely into his steak. His strike was so forceful that the plate shattered, startling him so badly that he stumbled backward in his chair. Unfortunately, he lacked balance and, being too short, ended up crashing to the floor along with the chair, creating a loud commotion.

“What are you doing!”

The original host’s father returned at this moment and discovered Hua Zhengtai sitting on the floor in a disheveled state, immediately raising his voice in reprimand. Hua Lian leisurely finished her cherry tomato at this point. If one observed carefully, they would notice that the knife had not left a single scratch on the plate a display of remarkable control.

Luo Xizhi witnessed all of this and felt as though Hua Lian had overturned every impression she had formed earlier. Especially at the moment the knife fell, though faint, she sensed a trace of killing intent.

“Father, I’m full. I’ll go back and rest now,” Hua Lian said, rising to her feet. Seeing that the original host’s father was entirely focused on Hua Zhengtai, she naturally took her leave.

Luo Xizhi, however, did not leave. She stayed behind to watch the farce unfold, observing the hypocritical Hua Batian blustering to assert his authority. Upon further reflection, she realized that Hua Lian’s provocative actions and subsequent behavior had been perfectly timed. Hua Zhengtai was competitive and held grudges, while Zhen Batian cared deeply about his reputation. When such mistakes occurred right before his eyes, conflict was inevitable.

Analyzing it this way, Luo Xizhi even felt that Hua Lian had skillfully utilized her presence.

‘Was I actually deceived?’

Luo Xizhi belatedly realized that despite her long tenure as a handler, this was the first time she had been tricked. Watching the Hua father and son still embroiled in their endless argument, Luo Xizhi quietly stood up and went to pursue Hua Lian, who had already left.

However…

When Luo Xizhi finally found Hua Lian, she discovered that she had gotten lost again. Pedestrian navigation was clearly useless indoors, so Hua Lian could only hug the walls, searching for a way back to familiar territory.

‘What is real anymore?’

Luo Xizhi found herself questioning once more. She wanted to deal with the transmigrator before her but was uncertain whether the other had fallen into corruption. The Heavenly Dao had granted Luo Xizhi only limited assistance, and in return, she was given only the authority to resolve issues. Therefore, if Luo Xizhi mistakenly killed an uncorrupted soul due to a misjudgment, she would lose her qualifications.

‘Forget it, I’ll keep observing for now.’

Luo Xizhi chose to hold back, waiting for Hua Lian to reveal a flaw.

“…”

Ten minutes…

Half an hour…

Even after her phone emitted a low battery alert, Hua Lian still hadn’t managed to find her way. Luo Xizhi even began to suspect that during the five days of free movement prior, Hua Lian hadn’t conducted any investigation at all.

When the clock struck eight, Luo Xizhi couldn’t take it anymore and reappeared in the form of the system.

“Host…”

She had only managed to utter a single word when Hua Lian pitifully rushed over. The calm and composed expression she had worn earlier was now replaced with anxiety and unease, her eyes moist like those of an abandoned little animal. This time, Luo Xizhi didn’t allow Hua Lian to embrace her, as the earlier display with the knife and fork had left her worried that Hua Lian might suddenly strike her.

Seeing Luo Xizhi’s reluctance, Hua Lian grew even more aggrieved, though she didn’t press closer. Instead, she whispered, “Little Black, save me!”

“Hmm, what happened?”

“I’m lost, and my phone is dead.”

Hua Lian seemed to pour all her emotions into the black cat plushie projected by the system. Such extremes made her personality appear fragmented, leaving Luo Xizhi increasingly unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.

“How do you want me to help you?”

“I want to return to where I’m staying.”

“Alright… but there’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

“You have to take it away before this weekend ends.”

At this point, Luo Xizhi paused. She had originally intended to say her undergarments, but then thought there was no need to dig such a pit for herself. After the words circled in her mind, they transformed into something new.

“Take away the female lead’s Chinese textbook.”

Perhaps because she didn’t want to truly be taken advantage of, or perhaps because Hua Lian’s bewildered reaction made Luo Xizhi feel that corruption had to be approached slowly.

Yet, even for such a simple task, Hua Lian shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

“No, no, I’m not the original owner, that real pervert. How could I steal Luo Xizhi’s book?”

Hua Lian refused with such righteous indignation that Luo Xizhi couldn’t help feeling she was the one who seemed like the pervert.