The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 72

In the spacious, well-lit living room, the aroma of coffee wafted through the air. The afternoon sun streamed through the clear glass, illuminating the vibrant green plants by the window. Bathed in sunlight, the green leaves appeared even more full of life.

“So, you two finally decided to get together?”

Xia Fufeng slowly stirred her coffee with a spoon, her voice full of gossip. “Who chased who? Who couldn’t hold back and confessed first?”

Back in District 14, she had already sensed an unusual chemistry between Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang, as if they were just one step away from making it official. So, when she learned they were a couple, she wasn’t surprised, but rather, extremely curious.

The two people sitting across from her said in unison, “Me.”

They then exchanged glances and smiled with perfect understanding.

“Alright, alright, stop showing off. We get it, you’re head over heels for each other.”

Xia Fufeng felt like she was about to be swallowed by a sea of pink bubbles. She glanced at the person busy in the kitchen and lowered her voice. “Come on, tell me, how did it happen?”

Noticing her eagerness, Xie Zhitian teased her. “Xia, you came all this way just to ask about this? Isn’t that a bit unprofessional?”

After seeing off Xiao Wen, she and Luo Yang discussed things and then contacted Xia Zheliu. They briefly explained how Zhuo Wu and Xiao Wen had colluded and expressed their willingness to join the Queen’s faction. As for Xiao Wen, her explanation to Xia Zheliu was that he had been banished for leaking information and severely violating district rules, and was likely dead. No one would care about the life or death of a subordinate who repeatedly made mistakes.

Xia Zheliu was delighted to hear they were willing to cooperate and told them something else. Tang Zhuoran and Xia Fufeng had also been invited by the Queen due to their outstanding performance in the District 7 incident. The Queen was particularly interested in Xia Fufeng’s ability, believing it could be very useful if properly utilized, and encouraged her to continue practicing in real combat to master it as soon as possible.

This news thrilled Xia Fufeng. Lately, she had been experimenting with animals in her spare time, and all the animals within a ten-kilometer radius were now tamed and obedient.

The reason for Xia Fufeng’s visit today was that the four of them had received their first mission from the Queen, with their departure scheduled for the next day. The mission location was District 33, which was relatively close to District 16. Therefore, Xia Fufeng and Tang Zhuoran had come over in advance to meet up, enjoy a small get-together, and then travel together.

Xia Fufeng was indeed anxious. She pretended to glare fiercely at Xie Zhitian and threatened in a low voice, “Tell me! I need to learn from you!”

Tang Zhuoran’s physical condition was excellent, and her injuries had healed in just a few days. With nothing to do, she saw the afternoon tea set Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang had given them and suddenly wanted to try making some desserts. She was now in the kitchen, making taro cake for everyone to show off her progress.

Xia Fufeng had helped her several times. She wasn’t as quick a learner as Tang Zhuoran and could only be an assistant. But she knew it would take Tang Zhuoran about ten more minutes to finish, which was why she couldn’t help but urge Xie Zhitian to talk.

Seeing that Xia Fufeng was truly impatient, Xie Zhitian stopped teasing her. She smiled and answered seriously, “If two people already like each other, confessing is just a formality. The other person will agree no matter what. The key to a successful confession is the state of your relationship, not the method of your confession.”

Since getting together with Luo Yang, she seemed to have become an expert on relationships. Not only that, but her entire world had undergone a tremendous change. Even familiar daily routines felt new and interesting after Luo Yang went from being a friend to a girlfriend.

Luo Yang found this very insightful and habitually leaned on her shoulder. “That’s right. I’ve liked you for so long, so I would have said yes no matter what you did.”

It was a playful, doting tone, but Xie Zhitian still didn’t want Luo Yang to seem like the one in a passive position. She wanted everyone to know how much she treasured and adored Luo Yang.

Xie Zhitian smiled and linked her fingers with Luo Yang’s. “But I also started liking you a long time ago. Maybe even longer than you’ve liked me.”

Luo Yang’s smile was sweet. “I know, I’ve always felt it.”

“Okay, is anyone going to listen to my problem?”

Xia Fufeng tragically popped the pink bubble again. “You two, just because you have girlfriends, you don’t care about your single friend, is that it?”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang immediately straightened up. “Go on, tell us.”

Xia Fufeng sighed. “I know for sure I like her, but there are too many people who like her. I feel like I’m not high on her list. Especially now that we’re working, we might not even see each other as much as she sees her colleagues. And she’s so nice to everyone but keeps everyone at a distance. I really don’t know who she likes…”

Xie Zhitian blinked. “Are there really a lot of people who like Captain Tang?”

She suddenly recalled Zhang Di’s malicious comments about Tang Zhuoran in the small restaurant. At the time, the girl next to him stopped his insults but didn’t defend Tang Zhuoran.

No matter how nice Tang Zhuoran was, she was a modified human who had once mutated and injured people. It was likely that everyone who interacted with her harbored a hidden sense of caution, afraid she would suddenly mutate and hurt them. No matter how she thought about it, she shouldn’t be the popular type.

“Yes, a lot, a lot,” Xia Fufeng answered with conviction, as if stating a universal truth. “The first time I saw Zhuoran was at a company party for district staff at the end of last year. I had just started working, and she had been working for about half a year. I was captivated the moment I saw her and couldn’t stop secretly looking at her. There was a challenge she was supposed to do, and the competition was fierce. Everyone wanted to be her partner. I’m so glad I was brave and got to her first!”

Xie Zhitian was very curious. What kind of game was so popular? It sounded a bit ambiguous.

Just as she was about to ask, she heard Xia Fufeng say, “Oh, don’t worry about that now. Help me analyze this. My relationship with Zhuoran is good, but I haven’t known her the longest. Is it possible she likes me? What if someone else gets to her first?”

“Liking someone has nothing to do with how long you’ve known them. What’s most important is going through unforgettable things together,” Luo Yang said, suddenly remembering what she had read in Chilly Beauty, Vol. 1. She decided to put what she learned to good use. “And now we’re all in the Queen’s faction. We’ll have a lot of missions together. Going through life and death, we’ll have a lot of memorable experiences in the future.”

Xie Zhitian also encouraged her. “Exactly. No matter what, you have the most opportunities.”

Xia Fufeng’s face lit up, and her eyes curved into a smile. “That’s true! I need to seize the opportunity and not let anyone else steal her away.”

“Steal what?”

A pleasant female voice sounded from behind them. It was Tang Zhuoran, walking over with the freshly made cake.

She looked a little different than usual. Her long, curly hair was tied up, and she carried a faint scent of cream, which gave her a down-to-earth feel, a contrast to her usual cool and distant demeanor.

“Nothing.” Xia Fufeng quickly came up with an excuse. “We were just saying that since we’ve joined the Queen’s faction, we should work hard and not let the people from the Commander’s side get a head start.”

Tang Zhuoran looked at her in surprise and served her the first slice of cake. “Xia, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Xia Fufeng nodded, her ears turning red. “I won’t.”

She lowered her head and took a bite of the cake.

The cream, mixed with taro, had the perfect amount of sweetness and wasn’t at all cloying. She didn’t like fruit between the cake layers, so Tang Zhuoran had used cream and cookie crumbles instead, creating a perfectly rich texture.

The cake also looked beautiful, decorated with mango and blueberries on top and ruffled frosting on the sides that resembled a princess’s flowing dress.

Tang Zhuoran was always like this—she could master anything she learned quickly, as if there was nothing in the world that could stump her.

This made Xia Fufeng feel a faint sense of wistfulness and envy because of the gap between them.

“Xia, is the cake good?”

Tang Zhuoran’s voice pulled her back from her scattered thoughts. Xia Fufeng came back to her senses and praised her sincerely. “It’s delicious. It’s the best taro cake I’ve ever had.”

Tang Zhuoran smiled gently. “That’s an exaggeration.”

“It’s not. It’s really, really good.”

Luo Yang agreed. She took another big bite and then asked Tang Zhuoran, “Captain Tang, are you okay from your injuries?”

Tang Zhuoran swung her arm. “They healed a long time ago. They don’t affect me at all.”

Luo Yang felt relieved. “That’s good. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning.”

District 33 was located on the country’s border, and the drive would take about a day and a night. However, with four people to take turns driving, it wouldn’t be too strenuous.

They didn’t know much about the situation in District 33. Since it was in a remote border area, communication signals were poor, which made it very difficult to get information. So they couldn’t make a complete plan yet and would have to wait until they arrived to figure things out.

Tang Zhuoran said, “Okay, everyone get a good rest tonight.”

Luo Yang had wanted to ask Tang Zhuoran if she had finished reading Chilly Beauty, Vol. 1, but then she changed her mind. She probably didn’t need it anymore. Chilly Beauty, Vol. 1 had been a great guide and was indispensable in helping her get together with Xie Zhitian. But the rest of the book was labeled “Combat Edition,” so it was probably about fighting techniques.

Luo Yang decided she didn’t need to continue reading. Xie Zhitian was already her girlfriend, and she was already good at combat techniques, so there was nothing for her to learn.

Xie Zhitian didn’t notice her girlfriend’s thoughts. She did notice that when the mission was brought up, Tang Zhuoran couldn’t help but glance toward Xia Fufeng with a pensive expression in her eyes.

Her expression faltered, and she immediately guessed what Tang Zhuoran was thinking.

Based on the available information, the mission was a little too dangerous for Xia Fufeng.

This was likely Tang Zhuoran’s concern.

Xia Fufeng noticed her gaze. “Sister, what’s wrong?”

Since they had been on a mission together, she felt a little closer to Tang Zhuoran and would sometimes cheekily call her “sister.” Thankfully, Tang Zhuoran never made her feel awkward and always responded with a kind smile.

“Nothing. Just what we discussed.”

Tang Zhuoran came back to her senses and smiled at her. “Xia, make sure you stick close to me then. Don’t go off on your own.”

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