The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 14

As soon as Xiao Wen opened his mouth, Xie Zhitian guessed what he wanted to say.

She felt a wave of amusement.

We’re both old foxes; why bother with the reverse psychology?

Xiao Wen’s words first subtly put down Luo Yang, giving her a “could harm people at any time” label to make her feel inferior and panicked. Then, he offered timely concern and proposed to stay by her side to protect her, making the naive Luo Yang believe he was genuinely looking out for her.

If Luo Yang, lacking a sense of security, agreed to Xiao Wen’s suggestion, he would definitely continue to use various manipulation tactics to gaslight her during their time alone.

Fortunately, she had a good memory and had jotted down some data from the book, which allowed her to expose the flaws in Xiao Wen’s argument and enlighten the others at just the right moment.

Xie Zhitian felt a surge of anger at the thought of all this. Although Xiao Wen was already speechless, she was not ready to let him off the hook. She pressed her advantage, saying, “Besides, you said it yourself yesterday—you’re just a weak man who can’t beat anyone. What good would it do for you to stay by Luo Yang’s side? Be a meat shield for her?”

Xiao Wen secretly regretted his haste. Sure enough, the young lady was still mad, and he shouldn’t have said he wanted to protect another woman in front of her. He just thought this woman was really difficult to deal with, and her jealousy was on the verge of turning into a deep-seated hatred.

He immediately gave in, “The young lady is right. I was so focused on helping that I didn’t think it through.”

Xie Zhitian saw that he had lowered his stance and knew that if she kept pushing, it would inevitably cause resentment from others. After all, in the eyes of those around them, Xiao Wen had performed quite well since arriving in the district.

So, she smiled faintly, “I was just thinking of Luo Yang, and I spoke a bit harshly. Don’t mind it.”

Then, she said to Luo Yang gently, “Just stay here with me. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

A subtle flicker of joy, like fragmented sunlight on a clear lake, appeared in Luo Yang’s eyes. She didn’t speak, but just looked at Xie Zhitian and nodded earnestly.

Xie Zhitian asked Li Rou, “Is Jasmine awake?”

Li Rou said, “She just woke up not long ago, but she has a high fever and is not very conscious. She’s barely responded to any of our questions. It’s best to wait until her fever has subsided before we question her.”

Ren Meng frowned, “To be safe, let’s wait until she’s had her follow-up examination and we’ve observed if her condition is under control before questioning her. She’s still in a restraint jacket and is somewhat dangerous. If Jasmine remembers the process of killing someone and is re-traumatized during the conversation, things will become very complicated.”

Xie Zhitian thought that made sense. Jasmine’s poor condition meant that anything she said might not be the truth. This matter couldn’t be rushed; it would be much more reliable to wait until Jasmine’s health had recovered before talking to her.

She immediately said, “Okay, we’ll follow the plan.”

Ren Meng was unaccustomed to Xie Zhitian being so cooperative and paused for a moment before speaking. “It’s troublesome and a waste of fuel to keep running back and forth. There are two empty duty rooms on the first floor that can be tidied up for living. The young lady and Luo Yang can stay in the one facing the sun.”

She then turned to Xiao Wen and Bai Yang and said, “You two clean both rooms first. You can stay in the other one.”

After settling everyone, Ren Meng left in a hurry, saying she had other things to attend to in the district.

The conditions of the duty rooms couldn’t compare to Xie Zhitian’s bedroom. Although they had private bathrooms, they were half the size, and the furniture and items were a bit old, giving off a rustic vibe.

The beds were single, and Xie Zhitian still chose to give hers to the injured person. She asked for another set of bedding, planning to sleep on the floor.

After settling in, it was only eleven in the morning. If things went smoothly, they would likely see Jasmine tomorrow afternoon.

The two of them had more than a day to spare. Xie Zhitian first asked Li Rou to treat Luo Yang. After a careful examination, Li Rou said that Luo Yang was fine. Although the wounds looked terrifying, the cyborg’s physical fitness was much better than a normal person’s, and the wounds healed very quickly. She would be fully recovered in a few more days.

Xie Zhitian felt relieved and then paid for Li Rou to prescribe some medicine for Luo Yang.

After the two returned to the room, Xie Zhitian, with nothing to do, suddenly had an idea.

She asked Luo Yang, “Do you like to read?”

She was worried that Luo Yang would be impatient due to the cyborgs’ interests being at stake, but rushing now was useless. It required patience, so it was better to find something to do to pass the time.

Luo Yang was carefully wiping the two newly cleaned cups, planning to use them for water. She looked up and asked, “What kind of books?”

“Any kind of book,” Xie Zhitian said. “Not textbooks for studying, but the kind you read for relaxation, like novels, essays, or some picture books.”

Luo Yang said, “I like them. I like all of them.”

In the past, her life was difficult, and reading was a rare source of joy. A thin book could contain a world, showing her a brilliant world she had never experienced. Reading was like a wonderful adventure, one that you could get lost in.

But she had a poor and meager life in the orphanage, and the books she could read were few and far between. When she got to the military, her living conditions improved, but she had to do cultural studies and physical training at the same time, so her time became very tight, and she rarely had time to read for pleasure.

It was a regrettable thing.

Xie Zhitian smiled, “I happen to have a few fun books here. I’ll get them for you to read to pass the time.”

As she spoke, she lowered her head, pretending to rummage through her backpack.

To make it easier to take things out of her personal space at any time, Xie Zhitian simply brought a 30-liter backpack as a cover, pretending that everything was taken out of the bag. In reality, most of it was empty.

Luo Yang had a simple life and didn’t understand many things, which was why she was deceived by scumbags. If she read more, she would naturally become more wary.

So, Xie Zhitian picked out three novels: a strong female lead career-focused novel, a revenge novel against a scumbag, and a sweet romance story. They were all bestsellers with a bit of an exaggerated writing style, but the content was still quite exciting.

She hoped that after reading them, Luo Yang could somewhat put herself in the protagonist’s shoes. To be decisive and trailblazing, while also having a sense of hope and a beautiful outlook on the future.

Luo Yang took them, her slender, pale fingers gently caressing the covers and flipping through them.

She asked, “Can I read the one you like, young lady?”

Xie Zhitian didn’t react right away. “Which one?”

Luo Yang said, “That one, the cold and glamorous…”

“Oh, that one! I know!”

Xie Zhitian felt a chill down her spine and quickly found an excuse. “I didn’t bring that one today. I’ll let you read it next time.”

Luo Yang didn’t suspect anything. “Okay.”

At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

When Xie Zhitian opened the door, the expression on her face turned cold. “What are you doing here again?”

Xiao Wen stood outside the door, observing Xie Zhitian’s expression and cautiously said, “Young lady, the staff said that lunch is ready. I’ll take you and Luo Yang to the dining hall.”

Xie Zhitian was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but after thinking about it, she turned to ask Luo Yang, “Are you hungry?”

She didn’t know where the dining hall was. If she went with Xiao Wen, it would save her time looking for the way. The worst that could happen was that they wouldn’t sit at the same table once they got there.

Luo Yang replied, “A little. Are you hungry, young lady?”

“I’m hungry, too,” Xie Zhitian replied. “Then let’s go.”

Luo Yang placed the books she hadn’t had time to read on the table, planning to come back and read them carefully after eating. As she stood up, she accidentally bumped into the corner of the table. The thud of bone hitting the table sounded painful to Xie Zhitian, who immediately went to help her.

Xiao Wen instinctively wanted to help Luo Yang up when she bumped into the table, but Xie Zhitian was a step faster than him. The two of them were talking softly, and no one noticed that he had followed them in. He stood there, suddenly feeling a bit redundant.

Impossible. How could there be real friendship between women? They’re just pretending to be close. Where there are many women, there is a lot of trouble—fighting over men, guarding against fires, thieves, and even your best friend…

Xiao Wen comforted himself and bent down to pick up the book that had fallen on the floor. “Luo Yang, your book…”

The words on the cover made him stop mid-sentence.

The title was: “A Hundred Ways to Take Down a Scumbag.”

Xie Zhitian didn’t even look at Xiao Wen as she asked Luo Yang with concern, “Are you okay? Did you hit a wound? Does it hurt?”

Luo Yang replied, “I’m fine. I’m great.”

She had actually hit a wound, but that bit of pain was nothing to her. When she saw Xie Zhitian walking toward her with a look of anxiety, the pain was even more diluted.

The joy that had quietly sprung up in her heart was like a bird lightly skimming the water, causing small ripples to spread out.

It turned out that someone would also care if she was in pain.

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