Help! Please Take the Heroine Away [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 22

Xie Mingyao suddenly fell onto her, and with a swift turn, their positions reversed.

The nearest restroom was the one Ye Qingyu had just used, and the lingering scent likely hadn’t dissipated yet. Wang Yuzhen couldn’t possibly let Xie Mingyao go there now, wouldn’t that risk exposing everything?

Wang Yuzhen grabbed Xie Mingyao’s hand warmly and said, “I’ll go with you. I just came from there, and it’s under maintenance. You can’t use it.”

Xie Mingyao didn’t notice anything odd about Wang Yuzhen’s behavior after all, Wang Yuzhen had always been clingy. But as they passed the janitor, Xie Mingyao suddenly paused and gave the worker a strange look.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Yuzhen’s heart leaped into her throat.

Just as Xie Mingyao was about to shake her head and say it was nothing, the system suddenly screeched in her mind: [Emergency! Host, hurry and stop them! The female lead is inside that trash bin!]

Xie Mingyao stiffened and immediately turned to chase after the janitor.

“Mingyao-jie, what are you doing?” Wang Yuzhen panicked and grabbed Xie Mingyao’s arm.

Without time to explain, Xie Mingyao shook her off and sprinted forward. The janitor seemed to hear her footsteps and quickened his pace nervously.

But perhaps afraid of drawing suspicion, the janitor didn’t dare break into a full run and was soon caught by Xie Mingyao.

“Miss, why are you chasing me?” The janitor kept his head low, shrinking into himself as he spoke in a trembling, thick accent.

Unfazed by his act, Xie Mingyao glanced at the massive green trash bin he was pulling and demanded, “What’s inside?”

“Mingyao-jie, what’s gotten into you?” Wang Yuzhen caught up, tugging at Xie Mingyao’s arm while shooting the janitor a meaningful look. She lowered her voice and urged, “It’s just a trash bin. It stinks, let’s go.”

Seizing the chance, the janitor started dragging the bin away again. Xie Mingyao frowned, shook off Wang Yuzhen’s grip once more, and strode forward. With a swift motion, she flung open the lid.

A wave of foul, rotting garbage stench hit them. At first glance, the bin seemed full of nothing but trash, no sign of a person. But Xie Mingyao trusted the system wouldn’t lie to her.

“Ugh, it reeks! Mingyao-jie, have you lost your mind? Let’s go!” Wang Yuzhen’s heart skipped a beat, but when she saw no trace of Ye Qingyu, she relaxed and covered her nose, urging them to leave.

The janitor cowered and nodded. “Miss, what do you want? It’s just garbage in here.”

Recalling reports of human trafficking from her original world, Xie Mingyao scoffed. Ignoring the filth, she plunged her hand into the bin. Under Wang Yuzhen’s stunned gaze and the janitor’s nervous tension, her fingers brushed against a piece of cardboard.

Just as she suspected.

“Ew! Mingyao-jie, it’s disgusting! Why would you stick your hand in there? Let’s go wash up!” Wang Yuzhen tugged at Xie Mingyao, trying to pull her away.

Panicking, the janitor abandoned his act and tried to flee with the bin. Xie Mingyao shot Wang Yuzhen a cold glare and ordered, “Let go.”

Wang Yuzhen shivered under her gaze.

It was clear that the other party was just a spoiled young lady, easy to manipulate or so it seemed. But now, with that chilling gaze, she was terrifying, nothing like the airheaded heiress she appeared to be.

Seeing Wang Yuzhen loosen her grip and shrink back in fear, Xie Mingyao withdrew her gaze and quickly gave chase.

After a moment, Wang Yuzhen snapped out of her daze.

By then, Xie Mingyao was already several steps ahead. Wang Yuzhen didn’t dare follow any further partly because Xie Mingyao’s earlier glare had shaken her, and partly because she feared exposing her own schemes.

The janitor was running at full speed, reckless in his desperation, but the heavy burden he was dragging slowed him down. Xie Mingyao caught up with him in no time. The janitor glared at the striking young woman, his eyes filled with venom and malice.

Xie Mingyao tilted her chin up slightly, her tone imperious. “I’m the heiress of the Xie Group. Put her down, and I’ll let you walk away today. But if you insist on taking her with you well, you know exactly what will happen to you and your gang.”

The viciousness in the janitor’s eyes instantly faded, his grip on the trash can trembling slightly.

The Xie Group’s successor?! The janitor had initially planned to knock this girl out and take her too, but now he abandoned the idea entirely.

Wang Yuzhen had made it clear, Ye Qingyu had no backing, which was why he’d dared to act. But Xie Mingyao’s status was far too significant, and this was a school, no less…

With that thought, the janitor suddenly shoved the trash can toward Xie Mingyao. As she steadied it, he turned and bolted.

Xie Mingyao didn’t bother chasing him immediately. With the Xie family’s influence, tracking down a human trafficker like him would be effortless.

Once the trash can was stable, she lifted the lid and cleared away the garbage on top. Sure enough, beneath a layer of cardboard lay Ye Qingyu, curled up inside.

Xie Mingyao nudged the can and saw Ye Qingyu’s body twitch slightly, but she made no other movement. Puzzled, Xie Mingyao frowned, if she could move, she should be conscious. Why wasn’t she getting up on her own?

Had she been drugged?

With that suspicion in mind, Xie Mingyao carefully tipped the trash can over and pulled Ye Qingyu out with some effort.

Just as expected, Ye Qingyu’s eyes were open, but she remained silent.

Having exerted herself during the chase, Xie Mingyao was also out of breath. She sat down for a moment to rest, eyeing Ye Qingyu’s disheveled state with amusement.

“Look at you, all filthy,” she teased. “Anyone would think you were a stray picked straight out of the trash.”

Ye Qingyu’s hair was a tangled mess, an apple peel clinging to her head, her pale skin smudged with grime.

This aloof, moonlit beauty now looked like this, Xie Mingyao couldn’t resist pulling out her phone and snapping a photo of Ye Qingyu in this state.

“I’ll keep this as blackmail,” she said playfully, plucking the apple peel off Ye Qingyu’s head. “If you ever dare disobey me, I’ll post it everywhere and let everyone see their beloved goddess in such a sorry state.”

Ye Qingyu’s dark eyes silently watched Xie Mingyao.

Truthfully, she had regained consciousness not long after passing out, but her body was too weak to even cry for help. When she heard Xie Mingyao’s voice, her heart had surged with hope but also fear that Xie Mingyao might not notice her.

The moment the trash can brushed past Xie Mingyao, despair had flooded Ye Qingyu’s heart. Yet, against all odds, Xie Mingyao had chased after it and saved her.

How many times has it been now?

Ye Qingyu couldn’t quite keep count. Every time she was in despair, it was Xie Mingyao who came to her aid. Looking at Xie Mingyao’s bright, radiant smile, her eyes grew slightly moist.

Xie Mingyao, however, was too busy admiring the photos of Ye Qingyu’s disheveled state to notice the redness in the other girl’s eyes.

After resting for a while, Xie Mingyao regained her strength. She stood up and grabbed Ye Qingyu’s arm, pulling her forcefully to her feet. But Ye Qingyu had no strength left in her body, the moment she stood, she began to collapse back to the ground. Xie Mingyao had no choice but to catch her in her arms.

“You’re so heavy, and you stink,” the pampered young lady complained, looking up at Ye Qingyu with a frown.

In her line of sight, she caught the delicate curve of Ye Qingyu’s slightly pointed chin and the elegant bridge of her nose. The truth was, the smell wasn’t that bad, Xie Mingyao was just teasing her.

The soft, warm body in her arms felt surprisingly nice to hold. If Xie Mingyao hadn’t remembered she was still playing the role of the villainess, she might have taken the opportunity to grope a little longer and enjoy the moment.

Feeling Ye Qingyu tremble slightly, Xie Mingyao wondered if she was still scared. She loosened her grip around Ye Qingyu’s waist and instead gently stroked her back.

“Still frightened? Well, if I hadn’t found you, who knows where you’d have been sold off to some remote mountain village, probably. See? I’ve saved you again. Tsk tsk, this debt of gratitude is so big, you’ll have to repay me for lifetimes.” Xie Mingyao arched a brow, her lips curling in a half-smirk.

Ye Qingyu lowered her gaze to meet Xie Mingyao’s eyes and struggled to speak. “I could offer myself.”

The girl in front of her froze for a second before letting out a derisive laugh. “Oh? Trying to repay me like that? You’re really playing your cards loud and clear, huh? But my Xie family is way out of your league.”

Ye Qingyu’s eyes dimmed as she lowered her head.

Of course she knew. She wasn’t good enough. And she also knew, Xie Mingyao liked Zhou Yanfeng.

With great effort, Xie Mingyao half-carried, half-dragged Ye Qingyu to the infirmary. After an examination, the doctor confirmed there were no serious issues and no lasting effects. Once the drugs wore off and she rested, she’d be fine.

Xie Mingyao let out a sigh of relief. If the female lead had ended up brain-damaged because of this incident, she’d have been doomed. Thinking this, she pulled out her phone and called her parents, who were currently abroad.

She had a strong feeling that Wang Yuzhen was behind today’s incident. Leaving aside Wang Yuzhen’s panicked demeanor, aside from herself the designated villainess, there was really no one else who’d want to harm Ye Qingyu.

Zhou Ruohan did whatever Xie Mingyao told her, while Tang Yan avoided making enemies whenever possible. Only Wang Yuzhen had repeatedly tried to ruin Ye Qingyu.

Hell, Wang Yuzhen might have even been the mastermind behind the incident at the rental apartment.

After hanging up, Xie Mingyao turned her attention back to Ye Qingyu, who was lying on the bed. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Do you know who did this to you?”

Ye Qingyu blinked slowly, her long lashes fluttering adorably, Xie Mingyao noted.

“I don’t get it,” Xie Mingyao feigned confusion.

Ye Qingyu blinked again. Xie Mingyao’s left eye was filled with bewilderment, her right with puzzlement. Barely suppressing a laugh, she said, “So you’re saying you don’t know who did it? My guess is Wang Yuzhen. What do you think?”

Xie Mingyao’s amusement was too obvious. There was no way Ye Qingyu couldn’t tell she was deliberately messing with her. But since she couldn’t move right now, she had no way to retaliate so she simply blinked again.

“Your eyelashes are beautiful.” Xie Mingyao reached out and lightly flicked them, taking advantage of Ye Qingyu’s immobility to tease her relentlessly with her fingertips.

The ticklish sensation from her eyelashes traveled along her eyelids, sending shivers straight to her heart. Ye Qingyu’s fingers curled slightly as she glared fiercely at Xie Mingyao.

Xie Mingyao chuckled softly. “Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not my fault you can’t move right now.”

Unable to move, Ye Qingyu was subjected to Xie Mingyao’s deliberate torment, now poking here, now pinching there, endlessly teasing her.

Before she knew it, Ye Qingyu realized she had regained a little strength. Just as Xie Mingyao was about to tickle her, she suddenly seized her fingers.

The girl’s fingers were slender and smooth, as soft as silk to the touch. Xie Mingyao froze in surprise, forgetting to pull her hand away.

With a slight tug, Ye Qingyu yanked Xie Mingyao down onto her, then swiftly flipped their positions.

“What are you doing?!” Xie Mingyao snapped back to reality and struggled to sit up.

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