I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 40

Over the course of the past month, Mang Ke seemed to have found a decent part-time job: going twice a week to massage a patient.

The massage techniques were taught to her by Si Nan, but Mang Ke was far more interested in the patient’s orange cat than the actual massaging.

The chunky cat, perhaps due to its size, was always sluggish. Every time Mang Ke found it and held it, it wouldn’t leave, lounging in Mang Ke’s arms and yawning, looking utterly comfortable.

However, because she enjoyed slacking off so much, Mang Ke hadn’t really massaged the muscles of the woman lying in the bed much, slacking off to an outrageous degree.

Finally, one night when Mang Ke was about to rest, her phone received a call.

“How was your rest? Are you feeling better?”

The familiar voice on the other end of the phone asked with a gentle chuckle, giving Mang Ke a sudden feeling of warmth. Logically speaking, this person was a colleague of hers, right?

“I’m much better now.”

Mang Ke held the phone and, after thinking for a long time, asked, “Can I go see Xun Fangyun?”

“I called to inquire about your opinion,” the person on the other end said in a business-like tone. “Although she doesn’t want you to look for her, that’s just the nature of our work. Now that the treatment is finally showing results, we can’t stop here.”

Mang Ke found the person’s words as confusing as ever. After listening for a while, she asked, “What exactly do you mean by ‘treatment’? Does it have something to do with Xun Fangyun?”

“Ha, you’ll know soon enough. I’ll send you the contract tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Wait a moment!”

Mang Ke seemed to remember something and said into the phone, “I want to know how to leave actively, because the previous two times I was forced out.”

In the second world, even though Mang Ke wanted to stay, she couldn’t control herself, yet Jiang Chun’er could leave whenever she wanted. She figured there must be some trick to it.

Perhaps once she knew this trick, she could bring Xun Fangyun out with her as well.

Even if she couldn’t bring her out, at least she wouldn’t be so passive.

The other end of the phone was silent for a while, seemingly discussing something quietly. Mang Ke felt she could hear them talking, but she couldn’t make out the words clearly.

Before Mang Ke could listen closely, the voice on the phone spoke. “There’s no harm in telling you.”

Mang Ke pricked up her ears, and then heard the other party say, “All you have to do is…”

Warm sunlight filled the entire hospital room.

When Xun Fangyun opened her eyes, she hadn’t yet registered exactly where she was.

She got up from the hospital bed and saw that the room was filled with electronic equipment. Suddenly, a part of her heart trembled uncontrollably. The sense of déjà vu made her feel that these instruments were somehow sustaining her life.

“Beep—beep—beep—”

As the steady and slow electronic sound of the electrocardiogram came through, Xun Fangyun threw off the blanket and stepped down.

Only when her feet touched the floor did she realize: this was the modern world.

In a daze, Xun Fangyun still remembered that not long ago she was drowning her sorrows with wine in her imperial bed-chamber. Why had she changed locations in the blink of an eye?

Rubbing her head, she walked over to a mirror near the bed.

The mirror reflected a strange face. Her black hair reached only to her shoulders and looked frizzy from lack of care.

However, the face itself was pretty, with a poignant mole near the corner of one eye.

Thick eyelashes and a decent appearance. Although it felt somewhat unfamiliar, Xun Fangyun accepted this face quite naturally.

Name, name…

Xun Fangyun wandered around the room and saw her name on the headboard of the bed: Yu Shenping.

She stared at her new name for a long time. Before she could understand the meaning of the characters, the door suddenly opened. A young nurse saw Xun Fangyun standing in the room, froze for a moment, and then hastily said, “Why did you get out of bed? You just had heart surgery; you can’t get up yet.”

Xun Fangyun looked at the nurse and repeated, “Heart surgery?”

She has heart disease?

The nurse looked at her in confusion, put down the things in her hand, and helped Xun Fangyun back into bed.

“Don’t rush yourself. Congenital heart disease needs patience,” the nurse said, tucking the blanket around Xun Fangyun and smiling. “I’ll call the attending physician. Your mother will surely be delighted to hear you’ve woken up.”

Watching the nurse turn and leave, Xun Fangyun was momentarily unsure of the situation.

She looked around and suddenly felt a memory of the plot flooding back: she had entered a brand new story—Billionaire Bride: The CEO’s Beloved Sweetheart.

Xun Fangyun: “…”

If she knew who wrote this plot, she would rush out and wring that person’s neck.

Just look at these worlds—what kind of nonsense were they!

The more she thought, the more her head ached. Xun Fangyun couldn’t help but review the plot line in her mind:

She, as the protagonist of the story, was naturally the only daughter of a financial magnate, but she suffered from poor health and had congenital heart disease since childhood.

When she grew up, she became the CEO of the magnate group and had a fiancée arranged by the family.

But she fell in love with a different Cinderella—a girl who was innocent, lively, and eccentric. However, her mother disagreed and tried every means to separate them, but the ending was still a happy one with them together.

Xun Fangyun gritted her teeth. This story sounded slightly more normal. Was she gradually being assimilated?

Before she could think clearly, a woman in a wine-red tight-fitting dress walked through the door. She had an extravagant fox fur draped over her shoulders and wore oversized sunglasses, despite being indoors.

The woman looked at Xun Fangyun haughtily and said calmly, “Shenping, you look much better. The doctor said you can be discharged after a week’s rest.”

Xun Fangyun frowned. Discharged only one week after surgery?

The woman continued, “In any case, your illness will never fully go away. Just marry your fiancée quickly, and that will satisfy the wishes of both families.”

Xun Fangyun remained silent; her head was throbbing.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, the woman sighed helplessly. “Mother knows you like that girl, but you know she’s unsuitable. Our family is not a charity organization; there’s no need to help someone from a difficult background.”

After saying all this, the woman saw that Xun Fangyun still wouldn’t talk, and she said mournfully, “You still don’t seem fully awake. Continue resting. I’m going to the company to handle some matters.”

The woman left after dropping a few sentences, and Xun Fangyun didn’t say a word the entire time.

Yu Shenping.

Xun Fangyun contemplated her new name. The birth of a new world meant the start of another story. Would she have a chance to meet Mang Ke in this story?

In the last world, Xun Fangyun waited eight years for her. How long would she have to wait in this one?

Xun Fangyun didn’t know, but she was certain that she could not, under any circumstances, allow Mang Ke to stay.

As a paper person, she was powerless and practically incapable of resisting, which made Xun Fangyun incredibly frustrated.

She couldn’t be discovered, especially not by Mang Ke.

As long as Mang Ke didn’t stay with her and gave up on the idea, everything would change, right?

Xun Fangyun sighed softly. She touched her chest, and beneath the thin hospital gown, she could still feel a faint heartbeat. It was impossible to tell that this was a body that wouldn’t live much longer.

Just take things as they come, Xun Fangyun could only console herself.

A week later, Xun Fangyun’s assistant came to handle her discharge procedures and brought a set of clean, tidy new clothes.

Xun Fangyun put on the clothes, looked at the assistant standing beside her, and asked, “Do you have a hair tie?”

The assistant paused, then said, “I’m sorry, CEO Yu, I didn’t bring one. What were you planning to do?”

Xun Fangyun said, “My hair is too unsightly. I need to tie it up.”

“Oh, oh, I understand.”

Saying this, she took out an orange silk hair ribbon from her bag. It looked remarkably bright in the sunlight and was even printed with a row of smiling sunflowers.

“This one,” the assistant smiled. “Will this do?”

Looking at the color, Xun Fangyun couldn’t help but think of Mang Ke again. She realized that everything about the girl, from her hair color to her name, was orange.

Warm and bright.

Without hesitation, Xun Fangyun took the orange hair ribbon, wrapped it twice around the back of her head, and tied a knot. The two long ends of the ribbon fell down the sides, adding a decorative touch.

The assistant couldn’t help but compliment her. “CEO Yu, you really are getting more and more beautiful.”

Xun Fangyun didn’t respond, only asking, “Do I have work today?”

“No, you just got discharged; why would we schedule work for you? However, tomorrow morning there’s a shareholder meeting to attend, lunch with a supplier, checking out a venue with the developer in the afternoon, playing golf with the city leaders in the evening, and a banquet at night that you absolutely must attend.”

Xun Fangyun gritted her teeth. “Is all that for tomorrow?”

The assistant smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Since you just got discharged, you shouldn’t overexert yourself. We’ve already canceled many of the less important meetings and dinners for you.”

Well, thank you so much!!!

Xun Fangyun was furious, feeling that she truly was destined for a life of hard work. The female lead only had to fall in love, but she had to not only fall in love but also go to work, work overtime, and attend social events. Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Damn it, is this the heart disease?

The assistant quickly helped Xun Fangyun sit down to rest, saying with concern, “CEO Yu, please don’t get agitated. Your health is important.”

Xun Fangyun thought, You know my health is important, yet you scheduled so much work! You must be hoping I die sooner!

The assistant, seeing that her boss’s complexion had somewhat softened, finally spoke. “Speaking of which, that young lady has constantly tried to visit you at the hospital, but Madam wouldn’t let her in. What about now that you’re discharged today…”

Xun Fangyun knew who the assistant’s ‘young lady’ was: the female lead of this book.

Whether it was Mang Ke or not, Xun Fangyun didn’t want to guess.

She now had only one thought: whether it was her or not, as long as she pretended not to know her, nothing would happen.

“No need to see her.” Xun Fangyun clutched her chest, feeling a piercing pain there. “If she comes looking for me again, kick her out.”