Forced to Become the Female Lead's Beloved Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 12

Despite the wild night before, Li Wancheng remained dedicated to her work. The next day, she emailed Wen Yige a preliminary proposal.

In the business world, profit always comes first. Setting aside their personal grudges, any rational actor would seize this mutually beneficial partnership.

As expected, Wen Yige replied within two days, and the contract signing proceeded smoothly.

As long as we’re working together, I’ll find a way to get close to her again.

The System, noticing Li Wancheng rushing to the hotel early that morning, not for breakfast but to pack several boxes of light, refreshing dishes, asked curiously, “What are you planning?”

Li Wancheng smiled, carefully placing the boxes into a bag. “Delivering warmth.”

Since brute force hadn’t worked, she’d try a different approach. As the saying goes, even the most aloof woman can be won over by persistent pursuit. She refused to believe that relentless charm wouldn’t win Wen Yige back.

Without an appointment, Li Wancheng waited in the Wen Group’s lobby for quite some time. Fortunately, Assistant Qin happened to pass by. Recognizing her, she ushered her inside. “President Li, what can I assist you with?”

“I’m here to discuss the details of the proposal with President Wen,” she replied calmly.

Assistant Qin had noticed the unusual dynamic between them during their meal the other day, but she still hesitated. “President Wen is still busy and hasn’t had lunch yet. Would you like me to schedule an appointment for you this afternoon?”

“No need, I brought food,” Li Wancheng said, shaking the bag in her hand with an understanding smile. “Just show me to her office.”

Left with no other option, Assistant Qin nodded.

The System was astonished that events had unfolded exactly as she predicted. “How did you know she hadn’t eaten?” it asked curiously.

“She always forgets to eat when she’s busy,” Li Wancheng replied casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

It had always been this way. During their final year of high school, President Wen would bury herself in her studies, only grabbing a cup of instant noodles when she was starving.

Assistant Qin led her to the office door and left. Li Wancheng raised her hand and knocked. After a moment, a cool, clear voice called from within, “Come in.”

She twisted the handle and slowly pushed the door open, revealing a minimalist black-and-white interior. A woman sat in the central office chair, her head bowed as she reviewed documents. Judging by the deep furrow between her elegant brows, she was likely grappling with a particularly challenging issue.

“What is it?” Wen Yige asked without looking up, assuming it was her assistant reporting in.

When no response came after a moment, she grew curious. Suddenly, a lunchbox appeared on her desk. She glanced up slightly and met the eyes of the woman standing before her.

The hand holding her pen paused briefly before resuming its fluid strokes across the paper. “President Li, shouldn’t you be busy with company affairs? What brings you here?”

Wen Yige had been unwell recently, spending nearly half a month recuperating at home. Most of her responsibilities had been temporarily delegated to Xu Zhou, but she still had a considerable backlog of matters requiring her personal attention.

“I wanted to discuss the specific details of the proposal with you,” President Li replied, pulling out the chair behind her and sitting down. As she lowered her head, a strand of hair brushed lightly across Wen Yige’s nose, carrying the familiar, refreshing scent of lemon.

Wen Yige maintained her composure, adopting a businesslike tone. “For matters like this, you could have simply emailed me.”

“I thought it would be better to discuss it in person,” Li Wancheng paused, her voice softening. “Besides, I wanted to see you.”

The woman across from her stiffened momentarily. Before she could respond, Li Wancheng continued.

“Your assistant mentioned you haven’t eaten yet. I happened to be coming from a restaurant and brought some takeout. Shall we eat first and then talk?”

Her smile was gentle, her words and actions flawless.

Wen Yige’s lips twitched slightly. The refusal she had intended to voice transformed into a simple “Alright.”

After five years apart, she realized she still couldn’t deny Li Wancheng anything.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Wen Yige glanced down at the takeout box on the table. It contained mostly light, vegetable-based dishes. She picked up her chopsticks and casually selected a few bites. As she reached for more greens, Li Wancheng suddenly stopped her.

“These greens are a bit spicy. Try something else.” Li Wancheng pulled the box closer to herself.

Wen Yige’s hand froze mid-air. She instinctively looked up at Li Wancheng, her eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and bewilderment.

How did she… know I can’t eat spicy food?

The two women sat across from each other, each harboring thoughts unknown to the other.

They ate in silence, heads bowed, the only sound the soft clinking of chopsticks. The office felt as if shrouded in an impenetrable curtain, airtight and still.

By the time they finished discussing the details of the proposal, the sky had already begun to darken. Wen Yige raised her hand and gently massaged her aching temples.

It was late autumn, and the weather was growing colder. Under the harsh fluorescent light, the redness and swelling on her hands became even more pronounced.

“Wait,” Li Wancheng suddenly called out, pulling a small tube of ointment from her pocket.

Wen Yige glanced at it, recognizing the familiar green packaging. For a moment, she froze, memories flooding back like a tidal wave.

During her school years, Wen Yige had worked part-time jobs to save money for her mother’s hospital bills. Even in the dead of winter, she would haul boxes in the snow, and it was during those times that she developed frostbite.

The condition was difficult to cure completely, recurring with the slightest drop in temperature. Even now, though she no longer had to endure such hard labor, the frostbite still flared up every year.

“You’re always like this, never taking care of your own body,” Li Wancheng said, holding Wen Yige’s hand. Her index finger gently scooped up a dollop of ointment and carefully applied it to the red, swollen joints of Wen Yige’s fingers.

Once upon a time, Li Wancheng had held her hand with the same tenderness, applying ointment bit by bit. But those sweet memories now felt like sharp blades.

The ointment packaging hadn’t changed, nor had the person applying it. Yet everything was different now.

“President Li, I’m married,” Wen Yige said coldly, reminding Li Wancheng as much as herself.

“I know. I won’t bother you,” Li Wancheng’s fingertips paused, as if she sighed. Her voice was so soft it seemed it would scatter with the slightest breeze. “I just want you to be happy, Yige.”

Wen Yige’s heart jolted violently. A flood of complex emotions surged through her, darkening her eyes.

She was the one who left without a word, breaking her promises. Now she’s playing the victim, pretending to be so deeply in love right in front of me.

Wen Yige curled her lips into a scornful smile. Too bad… this expired affection isn’t even worth the grass on the ground.

Wen Yige lowered her gaze and withdrew her hand from Li Wancheng’s palm. “I’m not feeling well. I won’t see you off, President Li.”

The obvious dismissal chilled the air. Li Wancheng paused mid-turn, her fingertips tensing as she stood silently for a moment before finally murmuring, “Take care of yourself.”

Just as she reached the door, Wen Yige’s icy voice rang out behind her, its chill more piercing than the winter wind.

“Next time, President Li needn’t come in person. You can contact Assistant Qin regarding the proposal.”

This time, only the heavy, deliberate click of the closing door answered her.

After two consecutive failures, the System grew anxious at the lack of progress in accumulating healing value. In contrast, Wen Yige remained calm and composed, even finding time to go shopping.

“These things take time,” she said. “We can’t rush it.”

Silence settled over the office once more. Wen Yige curled her fingers inward, staring at the box of frostbite cream on her desk for a long while before finally tucking it into a drawer.

The file was quite large, taking a while to download.

Once fully loaded, clear images gradually appeared on the screen. Her expression remained calm, and she even curved her lips into a faint smile.

After the System recognized the email’s contents, its usually flat electronic voice rose several degrees in pitch: “This is… Xu Zhou?! Where did you get these?”

The screen was filled with photos of Xu Zhou embracing, kissing, and entering various hotels with different women. The timestamps in the lower right corners of the photos showed that the earliest dates went back to the previous year.

The photographer was highly skilled, capturing sharp images from tricky angles that clearly showed the faces of everyone involved.

Judging by the sheer number of photos, Li Wancheng could only imagine the depravity Xu Zhou had been indulging in behind the scenes. As she slowly scrolled down with her right hand, a wave of nausea washed over her. She frowned and deleted several particularly repulsive images.

The System suddenly felt its hackles rise, completely unaware of when Li Wancheng had begun investigating Xu Zhou.

The woman merely chuckled softly. Long before returning to the country, she had secretly hired someone to investigate Xu Zhou. As she had suspected, his true nature had erupted with even greater intensity after their marriage. To outsiders, he and Wen Yige appeared to be a harmonious couple, their relationship a perfect melody. In reality, he was spending every day cavorting with his mistress.

Moreover, according to the original world timeline, Xu Zhou’s existence had been a key factor driving Wen Yige to suicide. To achieve a perfect 100% healing value, Xu Zhou had to be dealt with first.

Her fingertips lightly caressed the keyboard keys, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.

But this was far from enough.