Forced to Become the Female Lead's Beloved Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Although their last encounter had ended on a tense note, the two companies still had ongoing collaborations, making occasional interactions unavoidable.

After that incident, Li Wancheng stopped deliberately seeking Wen Yige’s attention, confining their communication to casual WeChat messages during work breaks.

In addition to this, she had specifically obtained Wen Yige’s schedule from Assistant Qin.

The System, observing her taking such a roundabout approach, asked in confusion, “Why don’t you just tell her what really happened back then?”

Li Wancheng typed “Get some rest early. Don’t work too late” into the chat box and sent it before replying languidly, “Back then, wasn’t it you who forbade me from explaining myself to her?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of scrutiny in her gaze. The System’s hidden motives had been exposed, leaving it momentarily speechless.

At the time, the System had hoped to exploit the misunderstanding to erase Wen Yige’s feelings for Li Wancheng, thereby restoring the diverging world line to its proper course.

Instead, not only had the plot veered further off track, but the System’s meddling had only fueled the already precarious relationship between the two women.

At the end of the month, Wen Yige had to go on a business trip to the neighboring city. Assistant Qin happened to have a family emergency and couldn’t accompany her. Though the trip was short, Li Wancheng worried about Wen Yige’s health and pushed aside her own work to go with her.

Perhaps due to days of exhaustion and irregular meals, Wen Yige developed a stomach ailment on the second day of the trip. She took some medicine and lay on the hotel bed, intending to endure the pain.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard a knock at the door. Being alone in a foreign place, she startled and grabbed the desk lamp for protection.

“Yige, it’s me,” a familiar, soft voice called through the wooden door, sounding slightly muffled but instantly recognizable.

Wen Yige’s heart leaped.

When she opened the door, Li Wancheng stood in the doorway, still carrying the chill of the outside air, but her smile remained undiminished.

“How did President Li know I was here?” Wen Yige asked, her voice weak from the stomach pain.

“Assistant Qin told me. She was worried about you. I happened to be in the area meeting a client, so I stopped by.”

Perhaps seeing a familiar face eased her physical and mental strain, causing her to relax considerably.

Noticing the woman’s unnaturally pale complexion, Li Wancheng frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? You look terrible.”

The woman’s lips were almost white, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead, making her appear as fragile as a dodder vine, ready to collapse with the slightest breeze.

“Just a stomachache. I’ve already taken medicine,” she replied softly, her voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia as memories from years ago resurfaced.

Li Wancheng’s expression turned serious. “Have you been skipping meals again?”

Seeing the woman’s evasive gaze, Li Wancheng knew the truth. She sighed softly, her voice a mix of helplessness and concern. “Go lie down and rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Before the woman could protest, Li Wancheng had already turned and left the room. Left with no choice, the woman crawled back into bed and obediently lay down. Perhaps it was the familiar scent that soothed her lingering anxiety, allowing her to drift into an unusually peaceful sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, a gentle voice whispered in her ear, “Wake up. Drink this porridge first.”

She groggily opened her eyes to find a cup of porridge and a steamed bun pressed into her hand. It was late at night, and she wondered where Li Wancheng had bought them. The small cup still felt warm to the touch.

All the nearby restaurants had already closed. Li Wancheng had followed her navigation app for ages before finally finding a porridge shop that was still open. Afraid the porridge would cool down on the way back, she had kept it tucked close to her chest to keep it warm.

Li Wancheng smiled gently, simply urging her to drink the porridge without mentioning anything else.

But her silence didn’t mean Wen Yige couldn’t guess. When Li Wancheng had handed her the porridge, their hands had brushed, and Wen Yige’s felt as cold as if they had been fished out of an ice block.

Perhaps illness made one particularly sentimental. Wen Yige looked up, the icy chill in her eyes softening slightly. “Thank you,” she said, genuinely grateful this time, without addressing Li Wancheng as “President Li.”

Afraid something might happen to Wen Yige if she left, Li Wancheng didn’t dare leave. She tidied up the nearby sofa and lay down.

Perhaps the warm water had been just the right temperature, or perhaps the frog simply lacked the strength to resist. Whatever the reason, they spent the night quietly together, and the tension between them eased considerably.

The recent days of continuous rain had caused the temperature to plummet. Even though Wen Yige had switched to a wool coat, the frigid air still made it difficult for her to breathe.

Li Wancheng glanced sideways at the woman beside her, suddenly regretting having insisted she come along. She gently tugged on Wen Yige’s sleeve and whispered, “Are you okay? Why don’t you go inside and rest for a while?”

“I’m fine,” Wen Yige replied, shaking her head and wrapping her coat tighter.

During her last business trip, Li Wancheng had taken excellent care of her. To repay the favor, she had agreed to accompany Li Wancheng on this inspection. She hadn’t realized her body had become so delicate.

The uneven ground, combined with her numb hands and feet from the cold, caused her to stumble. She lost her balance completely.

Fortunately, Li Wancheng reacted swiftly, catching her by the waist and pulling her upright. Her voice was filled with undisguised concern: “Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”

Wen Yige leaned against Li Wancheng’s chest, still shaken by the near fall. She tried to move, but a sharp, piercing pain shot through her ankle.

“I think I twisted my ankle,” she said.

Without a word, Li Wancheng removed her helmet and swept Wen Yige into her arms in a bridal carry. “Xiao Wang, you stay with the group. I’ll take President Wen back first.”

The embarrassment of being carried like a princess in front of everyone gradually washed over Wen Yige. She bit her lip and buried her face in Li Wancheng’s chest, a faint blush visible on her earlobe.

The onlookers averted their eyes, minding their own business.

“I’m really fine. There’s no need to go to the hospital,” Wen Yige protested when she saw Li Wancheng set the GPS for the hospital. She reached out to stop her, but meeting Li Wancheng’s stubborn gaze, she gave up.

The high heels Wen Yige had been wearing had made the twist severe. The swelling hadn’t been visible under her pants earlier, but during the examination, it became clear: a large, alarming bulge had formed around her ankle.

After insisting on an X-ray, Li Wancheng finally relaxed slightly. The diagnosis revealed no fractures, only soft tissue contusion. A few days of rest would be enough for recovery.

After leaving the hospital, Wen Yige was once again carried to the car in Li Wancheng’s arms. Her arms gently circled Li Wancheng’s neck as she murmured softly, “I’m not that delicate…”

Li Wancheng smiled without replying, leaning forward to carefully fasten her seatbelt.

The autumn wind howled, and piles of fallen leaves had already accumulated along the asphalt road, crunching under the car’s tires as they passed.

This was, in fact, Li Wancheng’s first visit to Wen Yige’s home since returning to the country.

A row of men’s leather shoes lined the cabinet in the entryway. Li Wancheng glanced at them briefly before looking away, following Wen Yige’s instructions to retrieve a pair of shoe covers from the inner compartment.

The interior of the house was lavishly decorated in a British style, with ornate chandeliers and wallpaper that initially seemed dazzlingly out of place for Wen Yige’s usual tastes.

Li Wancheng carried her to the sofa before gently setting her down. Remembering the doctor’s advice that massaging the injury with medicinal wine would speed recovery, she asked, “Do you have any medicinal wine at home?”

“Yes, it’s in the bedroom.” Wen Yige pointed to the room on her right. Noticing Li Wancheng’s hesitation, she instinctively added, “We sleep in separate rooms.”

Only after speaking did Li Wancheng realize she didn’t need to explain herself. She looked up to find Wen Yige watching her with arms crossed, a leisurely gaze fixed on her. Feeling suddenly awkward, she was relieved when Li Wancheng turned and headed to the bedroom.

As Wen Yige had said, the bedroom was impeccably tidy, with only a single pillow on the bed. Unlike the opulent living room, the decor here was minimalist, somewhat similar to her own office.

Li Wancheng walked to the bed and bent down to look for the medicine cabinet in the nightstand. Suddenly, a bright yellow object caught her eye.

She paused, then reached into the corner and pulled out a Psyduck plushie, its head buried in its arms. Though slightly worn, it was still clean, clearly cherished by its owner.

The System, being highly intelligent, quickly retrieved the relevant data from the Optical Brain. “Is this the one you gave her back then?”

“Mm-hmm,” she nodded, examining the Psyduck closely. On its back, a patch of noticeably darker yellow stood out—a mended seam. It seemed they hadn’t been able to find matching thread and had used a similar color instead.

Li Wancheng sighed, gently pinched Psyduck’s beak, and suddenly fell silent.

So, for the past five years, she had kept this plush toy.

Did that mean she hadn’t forgotten about her either?

The System glanced back. On the sofa, the woman sat with her brows furrowed, lost in thought. The healing value quietly rose, inch by inch, until it finally settled at thirty.

The System had assumed that after years of separation, coupled with the misunderstanding of her abrupt departure, Wen Yige would have moved on from this relationship. It never imagined the feelings would have intensified.

System: …I understand women less and less.

Seeing Wen Yige emerge, Li Wancheng immediately sat down, placed her leg on her own lap, poured some medicinal wine into her palm, rubbed her hands together to warm it, and then gently applied it to Wen Yige’s ankle.

Caught off guard by this intimate gesture, Wen Yige froze for a moment.

This… is this a little too intimate?

“Don’t move,” Li Wancheng said, firmly holding her foot to prevent her from pulling away. With her other hand, she slowly massaged her ankle in gentle circles.

The faint throbbing in her ankle, combined with the subtle itch of skin-to-skin contact, was almost unbearable.

Wen Yige gripped the fabric beneath her, trying to resist. “I can do it myself.”

“Behave,” Li Wancheng said, her voice carrying an undeniable authority.

Injured like this, and still being stubborn.

To disperse the blood stasis with medicinal wine, Li Wancheng applied more pressure. Seeing Wen Yige’s calf muscles tense into a tight line, yet she stubbornly refused to make a sound, Li Wancheng sighed in exasperation. “If it hurts, just say so.”

Though the words were perfectly normal, they carried an oddly suggestive undertone in the moment.

The burning warmth of Li Wancheng’s palm seeped through Wen Yige’s skin, mingling with the cool touch of the medicinal wine. The sensation crept up her veins, and she wondered if Li Wancheng was deliberately applying extra force. The pain made her whole body tremble, her toes curling involuntarily.

“Mmm… it hurts…”

The soft, delicate sound stirred Li Wancheng’s heart, her fingertips trembling slightly. Yet she didn’t forget to scold her: “If it hurts, be more careful when you walk next time.”

“I understand,” Wen Yige murmured, lowering her gaze with rare docility.

Wen Yige clearly still resented Li Wancheng for leaving without a word years ago, yet she couldn’t resist her closeness.

Unable to watch Li Wancheng’s movements, Wen Yige stared at the bottle of medicinal wine on the table, suddenly remembering the doll hidden at the bottom of her closet. Her pupils dilated sharply.

Damn it! She’d taken it out of the safe last time and forgotten to put it back.

Did she see it…?

Li Wancheng, focused on her task, didn’t notice Wen Yige’s changing expression.

The spot where her palm pressed felt unusually cold, causing Li Wancheng to frown slightly. She remembered Wen Yige’s hands and feet getting cold easily, but never this severely.

Both women were preoccupied with their own thoughts, yet they remained silent, letting a faint tenderness drift through the air.

Knowing Wen Yige still harbored feelings for her, Li Wancheng figured it was time to reveal the truth about her departure years ago.

She straightened her expression and said, “Yige, the reason I left back then was…”

Suddenly, a sharp click echoed through the quiet room as the door lock turned.