The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 80

Back at the apartment, Xie Zhitian immediately found Xia Fufeng and Tang Zhuoran and recounted everything that had just happened.

Xia Fufeng was a bit agitated after listening. “What kind of terrible rule is that? I think the head of this district should be replaced.”

The little fox in her arms, sensing her anger, bared its fangs and clawed at the air.

Tang Zhuoran, however, was calm. “The country has only recently restored order; it’s impossible to attend to every detail. It’ll take time for the specifics of district self-governance to be perfected. After this mission, we can report it to the Queen when we get back. I believe it can be corrected quickly.”

Xie Zhitian recalled what Wang Qiong had said at the end. “We still need to be careful. The open discrimination against women in this district probably hasn’t just been happening for a day or two. They’re likely banking on the district’s remote location and thinking the central government’s reach can’t extend that far.”

Tang Zhuoran nodded. “We will be careful.”

None of them were impulsive people. If they had to temporarily play along to uncover the truth, it was no big deal. For example, when leaders came to inspect over the past few days, everyone remained enthusiastic and polite to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The four of them chatted for a while longer, deciding to go back and rest before checking to see if there was a problem with the forest where the aliens frequently appeared.

At 4:30 PM, Xie Zhitian heard a commotion outside the apartment.

She looked out the window and saw Kong Qian standing at the main gate, talking with several cyborg soldiers. Just like last time, Kong Qian had brought a car full of supplies, which were now laid out on the ground in front of the gate, waiting for the soldiers to pick from.

Luo Yang walked over and looked out with her, her expression turning a bit complex.

She said, “Zhitian, let’s go down and have a chat with Miss Kong.”

Xie Zhitian had the same idea, so she went downstairs with Luo Yang. When Kong Qian saw them, she greeted them warmly. “You’re here. Are you feeling better?”

Luo Yang replied, “Yes, we’re fine now. Thank you for your concern, Miss Kong.”

She lowered her eyes, looked at the supplies on the ground, and then took a stack of tokens from her pocket and handed them over. “Miss Kong, we can’t let you pay for all this. Here’s the payment.”

The soldiers nearby also pulled out money and chimed in, “Yeah, we were just talking about how we should pay you back. If you have time, Miss Kong, you can just help us buy things for us in the future. We feel bad about taking your money all the time.”

Kong Qian was stunned, then shook her head frantically. “No, what are you doing? You all came from so far away to protect our district; how could I possibly take your money?”

She tightly clutched the pocket of her jacket and repeatedly backed away as if facing a great enemy.

Seeing that Kong Qian genuinely didn’t want the money, the others didn’t force her. After all, it was the commander’s wife’s kind gesture, and they could discuss how to repay her when they left.

Luo Yang was a little worried. “Miss Kong, you come here to give us things every few days. Do you have any financial pressure?”

If it were just their apartment, it would be fine, but she remembered Kong Qian saying that she also secretly sent people to replenish supplies for other apartments. This was a significant expense.

Kong Qian smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry. My family used to be in the jewelry business. Before my parents passed away, they left me a batch of jewelry as a dowry. The economy has been getting better these past two years, and there’s a market for jewelry again, so I sold some. Although the prices aren’t what they used to be, it’s enough to get by.”

Xie Zhitian was silent for a few seconds before she couldn’t help but ask, “With so much money spent, will Commander Li get angry if he finds out?”

She could still clearly recall Li Changhui’s smug expression last night when he mentioned Kong Qian’s dowry, as if he had picked up a huge bargain. Coupled with his behavior of making money by selling supplements, it was clear he was a very greedy person.

Li Changhui had long regarded Kong Qian’s dowry as his own. If he found out she had used the jewelry to buy supplies without his permission, he would probably be very unhappy.

“No, my husband is very good to me. Why would he get angry?”

Kong Qian blinked, her smile innocent. “Even though he’s older, he’s very considerate. I decided to marry him because he was so good to me.”

Influenced by Xie Zhitian, Luo Yang’s anti-PUA mindset was already deeply ingrained. When she heard the words “good to me,” she subconsciously frowned. She wanted to say something to persuade Kong Qian, but the person next to her lightly tugged on her sleeve.

Xie Zhitian looked at Kong Qian and smiled. “Really? How good is he? Share some stories with us so we can learn from you.”

When she talked about her husband, the expression in Kong Qian’s eyes softened. “He has never lost his temper with me and always goes along with what I want. He’s a true gentleman. He’ll open car doors for me, pull out chairs, ask me if I’ve eaten properly, and take care of me when I’m sick. He’s also a very romantic person. When he was pursuing me, he would send me a flower every morning. Now, he still prepares small gifts for every anniversary and special occasion. It’s so meaningful. I’m truly very happy.”

When Kong Qian finished speaking, the air around them seemed to freeze for a second, but soon a few girls started to praise her. “Wow, we have to eat dog food before work?”

“I’m so full, I really can’t eat anymore.”

“He sounds like a very gentle commander.”

…

Xie Zhitian also agreed. Although she didn’t think the things Li Changhui did were that special, she could only offer praise in this situation.

She knew what was on Li Changhui’s mind. A single middle-aged man meeting a beautiful, rich young woman would, of course, be willing to cater to her expectations and package himself as a good man, all to seize her and her money.

But it was precisely this false tenderness that gave the orphaned Kong Qian the illusion of being loved. A small gesture, an empty word of concern, or an ordinary little gift could make her happy for a long time.

Being good to someone can be giving them a flower every day, but it must not be just giving them a flower every day. Besides, a person like Li Changhui probably couldn’t even manage that.

After distributing the supplies she brought, Kong Qian bid farewell to everyone. “I’m going now. You all have work to do, so I won’t bother you anymore. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang stayed behind to help her carry the empty boxes back to the car one by one.

Just before Kong Qian started the car, Xie Zhitian stopped her. “Miss Kong, thank you for your constant care. If you ever need our help, just say the word.”

Kong Qian was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled again. “You’re welcome. Aren’t you all helping me all the time? If anyone should be saying thank you, it’s me.”

At night, Xie Zhitian and her group followed the main force back into the forest. A question had been on her mind: Where was the nest of these aliens, and why did they seem to be an endless supply?

But after observing for a few days, Xie Zhitian realized the forest was huge and had no end. The area they cleared every day was only a small part close to the district. Moreover, there were more places with aliens on the outskirts of the district than just this forest. If they were to investigate, the scope would be very wide. Relying on manpower alone wouldn’t be enough; they would need modern equipment, so she could only put this question aside for the time being.

As planned, Luo Yang and Xie Zhitian were in charge of clearing the emerging aliens, Xia Fufeng continued to practice domesticating them, and Tang Zhuoran was responsible for investigating any anomalies in the surrounding environment.

Luo Yang and Xie Zhitian were, as always, quick and efficient, chopping any approaching aliens into pieces instantly. Tang Zhuoran didn’t have to worry about anything and could focus on her investigation.

Tang Zhuoran’s body flickered, and she nimbly leaped onto a large tree branch. She looked down, where the silver moonlight poured down like water, painting the endless forest below in a silvery glow.

The cold wind from the heights ruffled her long hair, and the tree crowns swayed in the wind, rustling. Accompanied by the roars of the aliens, it felt incredibly eerie.

Tang Zhuoran carefully inspected the surroundings and then leaped to another tree. She checked more than a dozen trees in one go and then stopped, a look of contemplation in her eyes. She had looked at all the tree crowns in the surrounding area but hadn’t found anything abnormal.

Just as they had speculated, after all these days, there were probably many other suspicious soldiers. If they had really placed attractants nearby, the soldiers would have noticed.

But if the soldiers were active in this area every day and there were no anomalies, she felt it was quite unlikely.

Tang Zhuoran returned to the ground and truthfully reported her findings to her teammates.

The atmosphere fell into a stalemate. Xia Fufeng, in her desperation, turned her head and asked the little fox on her shoulder, “Milk Cake, have you found anything?”

Milk Cake blinked its watery eyes and let out a pitiful whine, its expression clearly saying, “You can’t be this difficult with a little fox.”

“You really are only responsible for being cute.”

Xia Fufeng sighed and stroked Milk Cake’s big tail. “I thought you had some special ability since you’re with us on the battlefield every day.”

Milk Cake whimpered again and rubbed its head against her palm, as if saying, “I’m just a clingy baby.”

Luo Yang held up her longsword to ward off an alien and then spoke up for the little fox. “Why are you being so hard on it? We should review what we do every day and see if there’s anything out of the ordinary.”

She turned to Xie Zhitian. “What do you think, Zhitian?”

Xie Zhitian said, “We can do that.”

In fact, she had already been trying to recall every day since they entered the district. The scenes replayed in her mind like a slideshow, and she tried to remember every detail.

At one point, a flash of a stark white wall suddenly appeared in her mind.

Xie Zhitian was taken aback. She remembered Wang Haibo saying that the rooms in the apartment had been specially renovated and that even with the district’s limited conditions, they would try their best to provide the best for everyone.

She also recalled Li Changhui’s smug expression when he talked about Kong Qian’s dowry and Wang Qiong’s bitter look when she spoke of the district’s preference for men.

“I think one thing is very strange.”

Xie Zhitian looked up at her companions. “Given how much Li Changhui loves money and how he looks down on women, how could he bear to renovate the apartments for us female cyborgs?”

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