I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 82

Chapter 82:World 5

Looking at Huangfu Yue, who was standing there expressionlessly, Ji Wan tugged at the complicated, frustrating ancient clothes. Helplessly, she pleaded, “Yue, help me.”

Seeing the girl look at her with such innocent, pleading eyes, her childlike demeanor paired with the bare skin revealed by her half-open clothes, Huangfu Yue’s brows furrowed slightly. A strange fondness welled up in her chest. But Huangfu Yue quickly lowered her gaze, hiding the complex emotions within.

This must be an act from this woman. What is she up to? Is this some new form of torture?

Ji Wan blinked as she watched Huangfu Yue lost in thought. Her gaze settled on Huangfu Yue’s face. Putting everything else aside, the female lead is really beautiful. It was a kind of heroic beauty, yet she also possessed a youthful innocence unique to her age. The noble aura she exuded showed she was destined for a high position. But why did she look at her so strangely?

“Yue?” Ji Wan called out softly.

She had to admit, just calling her by one character of her name felt intimate, as if they were very close. If we become good friends, maybe she’ll take our relationship into consideration later and won’t have me tortured to death. Remembering the original character’s excruciating death by slow torture, a sudden cold sweat broke out on Ji Wan’s back.

But she quickly regained her confidence. The plot hadn’t even started to torment the female lead yet. As long as she secretly twisted things around, she might not be hunted down by the female lead. All she had to do now was build a good friendship with her. Yes, a good friendship. Given the original body’s condition, she couldn’t survive in a normal environment anyway. She’d just cling to the female lead’s thigh and get by. Ji Wan mentally gave herself a thumbs-up. I’m a genius.

Huangfu Yue didn’t say anything. She came back to her senses, gave Ji Wan a calm look, and quietly walked to her front. She crouched down and pulled on the tangled ribbons of Ji Wan’s clothes. With a few deft movements of her long, slender fingers, the troublesome ribbons were perfectly in place.

Watching Huangfu Yue do it so effortlessly, with such a blank expression, Ji Wan felt for a moment that her intelligence was being ground into dust. But her shame didn’t last long. Instead, she began to admire Huangfu Yue’s face up close. They say a focused woman is beautiful, but Huangfu Yue was the epitome of beauty.

Looking at Huangfu Yue’s long, thick eyelashes, her straight nose, and her flawless, fair cheeks, Ji Wan shamelessly swallowed. She was in full “fangirl mode” over her future best friend’s appearance, all while maintaining a blank stare on the surface.

“It’s done,” Huangfu Yue said, looking at Ji Wan’s dazed expression.

“Huh? Oh. It’s done,” Ji Wan snapped back to reality, her face flushing. It wasn’t proper to get all giddy over the female lead. I’ll just wait until we become good friends, then I can fangirl openly.

But looking at Huangfu Yue standing there silently, waiting for her instructions, Ji Wan felt that “fangirling openly” was a long way off. Suddenly, Ji Wan’s eyes caught sight of the plate of pastries on the small table in the carriage. A brilliant idea popped into her head. A good friendship starts with sharing snacks.

With that thought, Ji Wan, a woman of action, picked up a pastry and held it out to Huangfu Yue.

Huangfu Yue looked at Ji Wan with a strange expression, watching her changing little faces, unable to understand what she was doing. The girl’s hand was held out for so long it was getting tired, yet Huangfu Yue still didn’t react.

“Eat,” the girl said, her cheeks puffed out cutely as she tilted her head.

But Huangfu Yue was not swayed by Ji Wan’s cuteness. The previous time, when she fed her a vegetable, she had been caught off guard. This time, she didn’t know what kind of trick Ji Wan was trying to pull.

“Princess, there is a distinction between a lord and a subject,” Huangfu Yue said, half-kneeling and moving back slightly, deliberately emphasizing the distance between them. She had no intention of accepting the pastry Ji Wan was offering.

“I am not a lord, and you are not a subject. What are you afraid of? Open up.” Ji Wan stood up and moved closer to Huangfu Yue, stubbornly holding the pastry to her mouth. But Huangfu Yue’s lips remained tightly sealed.

“Princess, in my eyes, we are a lord and a subject,” Huangfu Yue said calmly, her clear eyes meeting Ji Wan’s.

Seeing Huangfu Yue’s unyielding demeanor, Ji Wan’s cheeks puffed out in frustration. “Then am I your lord?” The girl’s innocent voice carried a hint of seriousness and dominance. She couldn’t believe she couldn’t get Huangfu Yue to take a single bite.

“Yes,” Huangfu Yue answered, lowering her gaze.

“Then eat. Are you afraid it’s poisoned?” Ji Wan’s temper flared. She took a bite herself and then held the pastry out to Huangfu Yue again, looking for a sign of approval.

Seeing the girl’s mouth full of pastry, a meaningful look appeared in Huangfu Yue’s eyes, and she almost felt like laughing. The girl had no idea that sharing food with someone in this manner was an act reserved only for those closest to you, besides your parents.

Seeing that Huangfu Yue was still acting like a block of wood, Ji Wan decided to take the initiative. She probably has a bit of pride, right? But just as Ji Wan took a step forward, intending to put the pastry directly in Huangfu Yue’s mouth, the carriage suddenly shook violently. Ji Wan lost her balance and fell forward, straight into Huangfu Yue’s arms.

The girl grunted as she buried herself in Huangfu Yue’s embrace, feeling dizzy from the fall. Even though she had landed in Huangfu Yue’s arms and hadn’t been badly hurt, her strange body made Ji Wan feel so much pain that tears streamed from her eyes uncontrollably.

In the moment that Ji Wan fell, Huangfu Yue instinctively protected her. She hugged Ji Wan tightly, sat up, and cautiously looked out the carriage curtain. A group of men dressed as bandits were blocking the road, surrounding Ji Wan’s carriage. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, stepped forward, holding a large, half-human-sized blade with a murderous look.

“This is a robbery, heh heh. Be smart and hand over your money and valuables, and I’ll spare your lives.”

Ji Wan had only brought a few palace maids with her on this trip. It was strange, as she was a princess, and the Emperor’s most beloved one at that, yet she had no guards. The other palace maids huddled together in fear, but Ji Wan’s former personal maid stepped out.

“Hmph, do you know who is in this carriage? Hurry up and move out of the way!” If her voice hadn’t trembled and her legs hadn’t shaken, she might have been more convincing.

“I’d like to see who this ‘important person’ is,” the scar-faced man said with disdain, his eyes studying the luxurious carriage meaningfully. This is a big job. It’s enough for the brothers at the mountain fortress to have a good time. But then he remembered the First Chief’s words and became serious. His goal was not this.

The commotion outside had no effect on Ji Wan. Huangfu Yue held her, and she cried pitifully. Why does it hurt so much!

Huangfu Yue listened carefully to the sounds outside, but then felt a tremor in her arms. Ji Wan’s face was a sight of pitiful tears. Thinking Ji Wan was scared, Huangfu Yue gently covered her eyes with her hand and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stall for time for you; you run first.”

Ji Wan was already miserable from the pain, and now Huangfu Yue was comforting her. Oh, great, I wasn’t that sad, but now…

Huangfu Yue felt her hand get increasingly wet with tears and felt a strange sense of helplessness. “Yue, wuuu, it hurts,” Ji Wan whimpered.

Huangfu Yue’s eyes deepened in thought. She took a deep breath and pulled Ji Wan away from her embrace. “I said, run, do you understand?” Huangfu Yue said sternly, looking at Ji Wan’s red, tear-filled eyes.

“No, I want to stay with you,” Ji Wan said, gripping the corner of Huangfu Yue’s robe. Why would I leave the female lead when there’s danger? I’m not crazy.

But Huangfu Yue didn’t argue. With a swift chop of her hand, she knocked Ji Wan out. Looking at Ji Wan passed out in her arms, Huangfu Yue expressionlessly pushed her away and walked out.

“You, take the carriage and keep going. I’ll hold them off,” Huangfu Yue said. Her eyes had changed, now filled with a cold, sharp gaze that pierced people to their core.

Ji Wan’s former personal maid was shaken by her aura and quickly nodded in fear. After Huangfu Yue jumped off the carriage, the maid immediately drove away.

The scar-faced man, seeing Huangfu Yue, gestured to his subordinates to put their weapons down. After the carriage had driven away, he and the other bandits bowed and shouted, “Second Chief!”

“Mhm.” Huangfu Yue didn’t speak, simply nodded in response. Her aura had become sharp and formidable, completely different from how she had been just moments before. “Why did you call for me?” Huangfu Yue asked the scar-faced man. Her calm gaze sent a chill through him.

The scar-faced man immediately replied respectfully, “Second Chief, the First Chief asked me to tell you that the secret of the Dragon Cave Treasure is with Princess Ji Wan. She is a crucial key to our success, and we aren’t the only ones who want her. Forces in the shadows have already made a move. There are signs of a desperate, all-or-nothing struggle.”

“Mhm, go back and tell Jiang Li to act as he sees fit.” After saying that, Huangfu Yue got on a horse and rushed in the direction of Ji Wan’s carriage.

“A desperate struggle?” Huangfu Yue thought deeply.

Wait. She remembered the strange poison in Ji Wan’s body and her lack of guards. “Something’s not right. She’s in danger.” Huangfu Yue’s eyes sharpened, and she quickly sped up.

In a hidden forest, a carriage had stopped. The bodies of several palace maids lay there, their throats slit. Blood covered the ground, staining everything around them. Only one person remained: the stranger who had been huddling in the corner the whole time. She gently peeled off the disguise on her face. Looking at the unconscious Ji Wan, who was lying haphazardly by a tree, a murderous smile appeared on her face.

“Blame yourself for getting in my Lord’s way.” A cold glint flashed from the assassin’s sleeve. As she was about to strike, a blinding sword light shot toward her.

The assassin was caught off guard, and a spray of blood erupted from her arm. “Ah, my hand!” Looking at her severed limb on the ground, still slick with blood, the assassin let out a pained scream. She looked at Huangfu Yue quickly approaching on horseback, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. She quickly bent down to pick up her blade. She couldn’t let Ji Wan live.

But Huangfu Yue was faster. She leaped, her feet barely touching the horse’s back. The next moment, she looked down at the blade in her chest. The assassin’s eyes were fixed on it as she collapsed to the ground, dead. Her eyes were still locked on the unconscious Ji Wan on the ground, a look of unfulfilled resentment in them.

Huangfu Yue paid no attention to the assassin. She quickly picked up the girl on the ground and checked on her. When she saw that the girl was unharmed, simply asleep, Huangfu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

But remembering her own abnormal concern for Ji Wan, she frowned slightly. She is a key figure for the Secret Treasure of the Dragon Cave. It’s normal that I would be in a hurry to protect her. Huangfu Yue was quick to find the most fitting excuse for the panic she had felt on her way there.