I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 39

Mang Ke stared blankly at the program on the television. Before she could watch for more than a couple of seconds, the program cut to an advertisement, and after that came a different show. It felt as if the female artist named Yue Yin had been a fleeting illusion in Mang Ke’s mind.

Perhaps I’ve been too tired lately, Mang Ke comforted herself.

After all, she had indeed been very listless these days, to the point where she was starting to experience auditory and visual hallucinations.

The takeout Si Nan ordered was just ordinary seafood noodles. After two bites, Mang Ke completely lost her appetite. She was just about to hug her teddy bear and crawl back into bed when Si Nan pulled her up.

“How can you stay at home like this every day?” Si Nan pulled her up and frowned. “What about your job? Are you just going to quit?”

Mang Ke mentally grumbled that she already had two hundred million and didn’t need a job, but what she actually said was, “I have no energy. I think staying at home is quite nice.”

“How is that any different from those shut-ins?”

“…”

“Alright then.” Si Nan helplessly rubbed Mang Ke’s head. Watching her sway back and forth in her palm, she couldn’t help but smile. “Come to work with me tomorrow. I happen to need a helping hand.”

Mang Ke held onto Si Nan’s hand, looking at her strangely. “A helping hand?”

To help Mang Ke get back on her feet, Si Nan specifically requested to bring a little assistant, which her mentor, despite a black face, did not refuse.

So the next day, Si Nan first arrived at Mang Ke’s house, intending to drag her along.

“Aren’t we going to the hospital?”

Mang Ke, wearing a scarf, looked at the familiar surroundings and asked, “What are we doing here?”

Si Nan walked alongside Mang Ke on the crosswalk and pointed to the well-landscaped villa area not far away. “We aren’t going to the hospital today. I’m here to perform a routine check-up on a patient.”

Mang Ke didn’t fully understand, but seeing Si Nan’s serious demeanor, she didn’t say anything and just hurried her steps to keep up with Si Nan.

After entering the villa, Mang Ke saw a few familiar faces. She used to drop by the hospital to visit Si Nan from time to time, so she had occasionally met some of the nurses and doctors.

“Dr. Si, you’re here.”

A nurse greeted them, then noticed Mang Ke standing behind Si Nan. She blinked curiously and asked, “Dr. Si, why did you bring your girlfriend today?”

Si Nan’s face immediately turned red, and she hastily explained, “This is my childhood friend—just a regular friend.”

Seeing Si Nan’s flustered reaction, the nurses couldn’t help but laugh. Everyone could tell that Si Nan liked Mang Ke, but it would be unethical for outsiders to interfere in their personal affairs.

However, a little teasing was certainly acceptable!

Mang Ke watched Si Nan chat and laugh with the nurses and couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

Other people had colleagues at work, unlike herself, who finished everything just by falling asleep, and in the end, got nothing but money.

Thinking this way, did her relationship with Xun Fangyun count as an office romance?

Just as Mang Ke was lost in her own thoughts, a woman in a khaki-colored nightgown walked down the stairs. When the others saw her descend, they stopped their joking and seriously began preparing some equipment.

Mang Ke couldn’t help but glance at the woman. She looked to be about forty-something. Her long black hair was neatly draped behind her, and her figure looked somewhat frail in the plush khaki pajamas.

Or rather, she was simply very thin.

The woman stood on the stairs, looking down at the people below. Si Nan’s mentor went forward and spoke with the woman for a few moments, after which they prepared to head to the room on the first floor.

“Who is this?”

As she passed by Mang Ke, the woman suddenly spoke up, looking at her. “How come I’ve never seen her before?”

Although it was a question, Mang Ke noticed there was no confusion in her eyes. In fact, when the woman looked at Mang Ke, there was even a feeling that she… knew her?

“She’s the assistant I hired,” Si Nan said to the woman. “She knows a bit of massage, and since she was free today, I brought her along.”

Massage???

Mang Ke snapped her head back to look at Si Nan. Since when did I know how to massage???

“Is that so?” The woman looked at Mang Ke calmly and didn’t stop them. “Thank you for your effort. My daughter has been lying in bed for a long time. I’ve always looked forward to the day she wakes up.”

Mang Ke: “…”

Is she talking to me???

Si Nan sensed a friction brewing between the two and quickly pulled Mang Ke’s hand towards the room.

As soon as she entered the room, Mang Ke saw medical equipment filling the space and a person lying in the bed.

Perhaps due to the treatment, the person’s hair was short, only reaching the earlobes, but their eyes and brows were beautiful. Even with their eyes closed, Mang Ke could see the person’s long, thick, upturned eyelashes.

This person…

Sunlight slowly spilled from the window onto the head of the bed. Mang Ke could see the person’s calm breathing and subtle facial expressions.

For some reason, she couldn’t hear the surrounding noise; only this unfamiliar woman remained in her sight.

“Xiao Ke?”

At that moment, Si Nan suddenly interrupted Mang Ke’s train of thought and said to her, “Come here and help me turn the patient over.”

“Oh, coming, coming!”

Mang Ke quickly rushed to the bedside. She saw the patient was covered with a thick blanket, so she reached out to lift it.

As soon as she lifted a corner, Mang Ke met a pair of green eyes staring back from inside.

Mang Ke: “…”

Gua Zi (Melon Seed): “…”

A fat orange cat was curled up beside the patient. Seeing the blanket lifted, it sat up, curled into a ball, and stared at her.

Mang Ke: “…A cat?”

Gua Zi: “…Meow?”

Si Nan leaned over to look. “It’s the family’s cat. It’s very attached to the patient.”

Mang Ke’s eyes lit up. She reached out and picked the orange cat up from under the blanket.

Gua Zi didn’t struggle. After being picked up, it just stared at Mang Ke, looking displeased.

Question: What should you do when you go to a patient’s house for a massage and fall for their cat?

Answer: Naturally, you pet it first!

This fat cat was quite heavy. Held in Mang Ke’s arms, it was both heavy and warm, like a living hand warmer.

Gua Zi grumbled unhappily in Mang Ke’s arms, pawing at her sleeve and wailing, “Meow—!!!”

Perhaps hearing the meow, the nanny came in to check and, upon seeing the familiar little creature in Mang Ke’s arms, quickly rushed over. “I’m so sorry, when did it get in? We didn’t even notice.”

Saying this, she reached out to take Gua Zi.

“Meow—!!!”

Gua Zi struggled fiercely, burrowing into Mang Ke’s arms and only exposing its large, orange-and-white rear end to the nanny.

Seeing this, Mang Ke couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems like it doesn’t want to leave.”

The nanny also looked helpless. “It’s incredibly attached to our young lady. Ever since she’s been lying here, this cat always comes over to keep her company.”

Hearing this, Mang Ke looked back at the person in the bed and remarked, “Is that so? Then their relationship must be very good.”

“It is. The young lady absolutely dotes on this cat.”

Seeing that Gua Zi was unwilling to leave, the nanny didn’t press it. She stood by the bedside and even started chatting.

“It’s strange, though,” the nanny said to Mang Ke. “The young lady has been crying a lot these past few days. Tears leak out every day.”

Mang Ke looked at her curiously. “But isn’t she unable to wake up? Why would she be crying?”

“We don’t know. We told the Madam, and she said it was a good sign.” The nanny said with relief, “At least the young lady’s senses are still there. We are all hoping that she will wake up someday.”

Mang Ke looked at the dark-haired woman lying in the bed and indeed saw that her long lashes were still moist.

For some reason, Mang Ke felt terribly distressed.

“Even if it’s a good thing, she must be suffering immensely,” Mang Ke said, looking at the person. “I truly hope she can wake up one day.”

Giving the patient a check-up and some basic massage took up the entire morning. Mang Ke pulled a chair next to the bedside and watched Si Nan and her colleagues treat the woman, flipping her over repeatedly. When Mang Ke saw the countless large and small needle marks on her arms, she couldn’t help but turn her head away.

Gua Zi seemed to really like the new masseuse. Curled up on Mang Ke’s lap, it didn’t run away and lazily soaked up the sun, filling the air with the scent of cat.

When all the work was finished, Si Nan greeted her colleagues and left with Mang Ke.

Before leaving, Mang Ke was still a little reluctant, thinking that the plump, well-behaved orange cat was truly too cute. She wished it were hers.

Leaving the villa, Mang Ke and Si Nan walked home. Since the distance wasn’t very far, they decided to walk back while discussing what to have for lunch.

“Do you have to go back to the hospital this afternoon?” Mang Ke took the newly made jianbing guozi (a Chinese savory crepe) and handed one to Si Nan.

“I have the afternoon off today.” Si Nan took the food and couldn’t help but chuckle as she looked at her. “Do you feel a little better after getting out for a walk?”

Mang Ke took a bite of the crepe and nodded. “Yes.”

Getting out for a walk indeed lifted her spirits. She wasn’t consumed by a certain person’s image as much as when she was at home.

But as soon as she thought of Xun Fangyun, Mang Ke lost her appetite again.

Si Nan saw Mang Ke sinking back into low spirits. She sighed and reached out her free hand to gently rub her cheek, a familiar, affectionate gesture.

“Did something happen to you?” Si Nan asked, a little self-consciously. “You can talk to me about it.”

Mang Ke thought for a moment. Instead of immediately mentioning Xun Fangyun, she countered with a question. “Do you have someone you like?”

Si Nan froze, then coughed lightly, blushing. “No.”

“Really?”

Si Nan looked at Mang Ke’s earnest expression and said awkwardly, “I think… I do.”

Mang Ke looked at her with feeling. “Does she like you back?”

Si Nan was silent. “She doesn’t seem to.”

“Then aren’t you very pitiful?”

Si Nan glanced at her, then reached out and pinched Mang Ke’s cheek. “Why are you asking this?”

Mang Ke shook her head and said, “I just wanted to ask you: if you encountered danger, would you make the person you like leave?”

“Of course, I would,” Si Nan blinked. “If I had to choose between myself and her, I would definitely face the danger myself.”

Mang Ke stared at her blankly. After a long time, she said, “Then if you didn’t like her, would you still make her leave?”

“Hard to say. It depends on the situation.” Si Nan pulled back her hand and took a bite of her food. “But I think no matter the situation, two people who truly like each other can always feel it.”

“Is that so…”

Mang Ke also took a bite of the crepe. After walking a few steps, she turned back to Si Nan. “Thank you. I think I know what I should do now.”

Si Nan didn’t quite understand what Mang Ke had figured out, but seeing that little sun begin to rise and shine again, she felt that it probably didn’t matter.