The Female Lead Insists on Being My Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Stealing the Wife in a Stand-in Novel (Part 12)

Humans are like that: the more they are suppressed, the more they resist.

When many people discovered that their posts were being mysteriously deleted, topics cleared, or even vanished entirely, the spirit of resistance grew fiercer. Silencing voices cannot stop anything. When a group of people twists together into a single cord, they become a force that cannot be underestimated.

Behind the network, Shen Chuli engaged in a digital game of chess with the “Father” who controlled the Garden. But unlike the opponent, who was isolated and relied solely on a captive army of bots, Shen Chuli had a tide of righteous netizens on her side.

“Can I post it now?” Li Meng couldn’t help but urge once more.

It was strange; she had endured for eight or nine years, yet now, her prideful patience had vanished. She only wanted to hammer that person to death and personally send him behind bars.

Shen Chuli understood her feelings. “You may.”

Li Meng couldn’t restrain herself. Almost the instant Shen Chuli nodded, she impatiently sent out the blog posts she had long since drafted. The moment she saw the “Upload Successful” notification, Li Meng was incredibly overwhelmed, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Only after slowly exhaling the turbid air trapped in her chest did her heart settle slightly.

Li Meng’s Weibo post was nothing less than a thunderclap on a clear day. Her account was newly registered, with a blank bio and nickname, but Shen Chuli used her “banknote power” to thrust the post before the public eye in one fell swoop. Although it was quickly deleted, quick-witted netizens had long since taken screenshots.

Chen Suihe was also constantly monitoring the online trends, so she naturally saw Li Meng’s post. However, the moment she finished reading it, the link turned into a 404 error.

Suddenly, Chen Suihe felt a bone-chilling cold. She wrapped herself tightly in a quilt, unable to recover her senses for a long time. The methods and tactics detailed in the post had, without exception, happened to her as well.

Though, perhaps because she shared some similarities with Shen Chuli? Xu Hao hadn’t copied everything exactly; his methods had been slightly milder, not quite as draconian.

Shen Chuli had already predicted that Chen Suihe would see the things posted online. Those were her old wounds—like a scar that looked healed on the surface but was full of necrotic flesh underneath. If one wanted to be cured, they had to ruthlessly gouge out the rot.

“Are you okay?” Shen Chuli walked in carrying a glass of warm milk.

Seeing the girl’s terrified state, her heart ached, feeling as if it were being pierced by dense needles. Of course, Shen Chuli wanted to protect Chen Suihe within a safety circle she had designed, shielding her from the wind and rain so the world’s filth wouldn’t disturb her. But if she did that, how would she be any different from Xu Hao?

Shen Chuli still preferred the Chen Suihe who had her own pursuits and ideals—the one willing to enter the fray to defend her rights and the rights of others. Such a vivid Chen Suihe was the one truly dazzling to the eyes.

Chen Suihe snapped out of her thoughts, the warmth of the milk in her hands being completely absorbed by her palms.

“I’m fine,” she said in a low, incredibly hoarse voice, murmuring as if to comfort herself. “I’m fine, it’s okay.”

Shen Chuli’s hand paused in mid-air. She wanted to comfort her, yet didn’t know where to start. After a moment, she withdrew her hand and instead grasped Chen Suihe’s cold fingers.

“Trust me.” She looked into Chen Suihe’s eyes without blinking. “They will certainly be sanctioned by the law.”

A steady stream of warmth flowed from Shen Chuli’s palm, slightly steadying Chen Suihe’s panicked heart.

“Okay,” Chen Suihe said hoarsely. “If… there is anything I… can do to help, please tell me. I beg you.”

Shen Chuli stared at the girl’s downcast eyes, her grip tightening slightly. Whatever she wanted to do, Shen Chuli would not stop her. She would cut down the thorns on the path for Chen Suihe and be the lamp that lit her way.

When she received a private message from Chen Suihe, Li Meng’s head went blank. Bewildered, she took a screenshot of the message to Shen Chuli, only to receive a reply saying, “Do as you see fit.”

Li Meng had a slight understanding of Chen Suihe. After all, before Shen Chuli’s return, who didn’t know that Young Master Xu kept a stubborn little stand-in lover? To “discipline” her into his ideal image, Xu Hao had spent no small amount of money contacting “Father” just to grind her into the shape he liked.

The numbers in the Garden weren’t fixed; whoever had more “guests” could move their number forward. But as 03, Li Meng had never seen 01 or 02. Some said they were Father’s private pets, some said they were Father himself, and others said they had already become “guests.” The stories varied, but the only certainty was that 01 and 02 were not in the Garden; no one had seen them, and no one recognized them.

In the absence of 01 and 02, the high-ranking 03 became the top star of the Garden. She could join any banquet at will if she wished. Using this identity, Li Meng had heard plenty of gossip about Xu Hao, a “Special Grade Guest.”

In the impression Li Meng had pieced together from those rumors, Chen Suihe should have been a stubborn, cold girl—like wild grass. But after actually communicating with her, those impressions were completely overturned.

Chen Suihe was very talkative, like a warm little sun. She cared about Li Meng’s current situation and worried about her lack of income. Fearing Li Meng might do something drastic, she invited her to meet offline several times and even gave her her bank card to use without any defenses.

“Don’t worry! I earned this all from my secret part-time job!”

Chen Suihe really liked this new friend with the same shared experiences, and she felt even more heartache for what Li Meng had gone through. As if compensating herself, Chen Suihe wanted to give everything she currently had to Li Meng.

But the person she considered a “best friend” was secretly sending screenshots of their conversation to Shen Chuli.

“It seems she isn’t being entirely honest with you, huh?” Li Meng teased: “She even gave me her bank card.”

The other party didn’t reply for a long time. Li Meng didn’t bother waiting and switched screens to continue chatting with Chen Suihe. One by one, Li Meng sent photos to dispel the girl’s worries. Only after seeing that Li Meng was truly doing alright did Chen Suihe feel at ease.

Immediately after, she started worrying about Li Meng’s studies and future plans. She looked like a little old lady who could never stop worrying, but it made Li Meng’s heart feel warm.

Then, a message from Shen Chuli popped up. Li Meng clicked it with a smile.

“Don’t covet what you cannot have.”

With just that one sentence, the smile on her lips froze and dropped in an instant. She didn’t know whether to blame Chen Suihe for being too warm or Shen Chuli for being too perceptive. Perhaps the real culprit was her own greed.

Dull as she was, Chen Suihe didn’t notice the distancing of her chosen friend. She was too busy. Every day, she had to monitor the renovation progress of her new home, accompany Mother Shen shopping to satisfy the elder woman’s desire to dress her up, and cling to Shen Chuli to ask for the latest updates.

As the start of the school term approached, Shen Chuli stopped pretending.

Want to know the progress of the case? You have to give something in exchange.

Usually, a hug around the neck or a sticky kiss on the cheek would suffice, but today, those tricks failed completely. Chen Suihe was stunned. Her little brain stalled; she didn’t understand why the moves that worked yesterday weren’t effective today, even as a “combo” attack.

“Have you been having fun chatting with your new friend lately?” Shen Chuli pulled her into her arms, casually hooking a strand of her hair and twining it around her finger.

Chen Suihe’s eyes widened. After a moment, she realized what was happening and counter-attacked: “Are you… are you… spying on me!”

Shen Chuli didn’t deny it. She merely leaned in to peck at the girl’s neck, making her itch so much she laughed until tears came, eventually covering the woman’s mouth.

“You can’t… divert… attention.” Chen Suihe barely suppressed her laughter and said seriously, “You can’t… do this.”

“It’s… illegal.”

Her serious look made Shen Chuli’s heart itch, and she couldn’t help but lean in for another peck, earning an annoyed scolding from Chen Suihe. Shen Chuli held her tight, burying her face in the girl’s chest.

“I have a sense of crisis, Chen Suihe,” she said in a muffled voice. “I’m afraid that once you get to university and meet more people, you’ll abandon me.”

She raised her head from Chen Suihe’s embrace: “After all, in the beginning, you only wanted to use me to get revenge on Xu Hao, didn’t you?”

Her past intentions were exposed, and panic appeared on Chen Suihe’s face. Before she could explain, she heard Shen Chuli continue: “It doesn’t matter. It is my honor to be a part of your revenge plan.”

“Just love me a little more. Even just a little.”

She was so humble. Like a devout believer kneeling before a god, begging for the god’s pity and love.

Chen Suihe was dazed. A moment later, she felt a dampness against her chest. She reached out and cupped Shen Chuli’s face.

“Why… be so… humble?” she whispered. “You are… the pride of heaven. You shouldn’t… be like this.”

But the panic radiating from Shen Chuli made her heart tremble. That feeling of “fear born from love” was something she was experiencing so tangibly for the first time. Perhaps her love for Shen Chuli wasn’t as deep, or perhaps she subconsciously believed they would still part ways in the end. She liked Shen Chuli, but she didn’t have such an intense, agonizing feeling of being afraid to lose her.

Shen Chuli didn’t speak; she just stared quietly into the girl’s eyes. In the end, Chen Suihe couldn’t help it and gently pulled her into a hug. Because Shen Chuli was in a bad mood, for the first time in a long while, the two slept in the same bed.

In the early morning hours, Li Meng was still surfing the internet. Her phone dinged, and she unlocked it to check the message. It was a photo. In the small thumbnail, Li Meng saw a person’s sleeping face.

Immediately after, the other party sent another message: “Don’t even think about it. She’s mine.”

“The trope of a latecomer taking the lead won’t happen between us.”

Seeing who the sender was, Li Meng was practically laughed into a rage. She immediately started typing a long paragraph, but in the end, she deleted it silently. She had to admit: Shen Chuli protected Chen Suihe very well. The only news about Chen Suihe on the internet was the day she took the initiative to reveal her experience to the public to hammer Xu Hao.

With a surge of anger and nowhere to vent, Li Meng chose to point her gun at Xu Hao. After giving Shen Chuli a heads-up, she uploaded the videos she had in her possession, adding another layer of bricks and mortar to the case against him.

Support The Female Lead Insists on Being My Wife [Quick Transmigration]