The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 10

“My grandma’s braised chicken legs are super delicious. Are you sure you don’t want to try one?”

A photo of a plate of chicken legs.

“The little girl next door said I look like a fairy. I told her you’re the real fairy, but she didn’t believe me!”

A photo of a drooling little girl.

“I’m learning how to make tofu pudding from my grandma now. Once I master it, I’ll make some for you when I get back.”

A pile of tofu-making tools in a photo.

…

Bai Yin stepped out of the laboratory and took the phone handed to her by Butler Zhao. Messages popped up one after another on the screen.

Lowering her head, Bai Yin’s gaze softened slightly as she carefully examined the photos Lin Wan had sent, but she didn’t reply to any of them.

“Ah—”

Butler Zhao, who had grown accustomed to this behavior, let out a long sigh. Gone was his earlier vigilance and readiness for battle; now he just seemed weary. “Miss, what do you think she’s really after?”

At first, he had suspected Lin Wan was sneaking into the kitchen to poison the food. He’d even installed several hidden cameras overnight, with multiple people taking shifts to keep a close watch.

But Lin Wan seemed genuinely devoted to honing her culinary skills, experimenting with all sorts of dishes without ever tampering with anything.

Her cooking was indeed delicious. So much so that even the usually picky Bai Yin would eat a little more. If it had been anyone else, Butler Zhao would have been overjoyed, treating them like a godsend. But the fact that it was Lin Wan.

Later, when Lin Wan still showed no signs of malice, Bai Yin took a risk and found an excuse to keep her close.

Despite countless opportunities to act, Lin Wan never harmed Bai Yin. It was as if she had become a completely different person, treating Bai Yin like a naive child who needed careful tending. She put in more effort than even Butler Zhao himself.

If not for that night when Lin Wan had blown pollen into Bai Yin’s room. Just as they’d anticipated, Butler Zhao might have believed he’d wronged her.

“You said she already made her move that night, so why did she suddenly change her mind and save you?”

Butler Zhao grew more puzzled the more he thought about it. This question had been gnawing at him for over a month. “Did she realize you’d taken the drug that mimics death and panicked?”

“Or could it be that she actually had a change of heart and decided not to harm you anymore?”

“Miss, you must stay alert. I—I’ve noticed you seem to treat her differently lately.”

…

Bai Yin remained silent, and Butler Zhao’s voice gradually trailed off.

Having lived so many years, Butler Zhao had only encountered two people he couldn’t figure out. The first was Bai Yin herself.

To outsiders, Bai Yin seemed to lack nothing. But only Butler Zhao knew how few peaceful days she had truly lived.

Bai Yin’s mother, Li Ruyue, had fallen head over heels for the minor celebrity Bai Jian and insisted on marrying him, even at the cost of cutting ties with her family.

The first few years of their marriage were sweet, and Bai Jian built his fortune using the wealth Li Ruyue brought with her.

But once he gained some status, Bai Jian cheated with a neighbor from his hometown and fathered Bai Ru.

Li Ruyue, stubborn to the end, refused to divorce even after learning of his infidelity. Instead, she absurdly believed she wasn’t good enough to keep her husband and desperately tried to improve herself.

She could torment herself all she wanted, but she also relentlessly tormented Bai Yin, always making harsh demands of her.

Bai Yin was exceedingly obedient, dutifully following the path her mother had set for her without ever resisting: mastering various skills, striving to excel in every aspect, and becoming engaged to a fiancé she had barely met.

Despite Bai Yin’s outstanding academic achievements, none of it could withstand Bai Jian’s declaration, “I want Bai Yin to inherit my legacy and attend film school.” Thus, Bai Yin had no choice but to follow Li Ruyue’s advice and apply to film school.

If film school was truly so wonderful, why did Bai Jian spend a fortune to enroll the academically unqualified Bai Ru in business school?

To outsiders, Bai Yin appeared gentle and kind-hearted. Everyone assumed she was a puppet in Li Ruyue’s hands, molded and manipulated at will. But Butler Zhao knew Bai Yin was not as submissive as she seemed.

Though Butler Zhao ostensibly obeyed Li Ruyue and followed her out of the Li family, he had always served the family behind Li Ruyue.

Seeing Bai Yin suffer, even though Li Ruyue had severed ties with her family, the family still provided Bai Yin with some support within their means.

Originally, they only wanted Bai Yin to live a better life. No one expected that, with just that small bit of help, Bai Yin would gradually rise and build her own business empire.

Having witnessed Bai Yin’s genius and knowing her potential was limitless, Butler Zhao remained unwaveringly by her side during the period after her mother’s death.

Yet even after all these years of companionship, Butler Zhao still didn’t know what Bai Yin truly wanted.

Bai Yin possessed extraordinary research abilities. She had cured her own pollen allergy, and the new pharmaceutical formula recently coveted by Bai Jian and others was actually her creation.

Bai Yin suspected that the car accident that killed her mother was no accident. Over the years, she had been investigating the truth and recently, she uncovered some shocking revelations.

Back then, Bai Jian’s real estate investment had failed, and he sought to borrow money from Li Ruyue. But the sum he needed was enormous, and Li Ruyue, older and no longer as easily swayed as in her youth, refused despite his desperate pleas.

No one could have imagined that Bai Jian, driven by greed for Li Ruyue’s fortune, would turn vicious and plot against his own wife and daughter.

That car crash had been meticulously orchestrated by Bai Jian.

After the accident, Bai Jian successfully seized Li Ruyue’s inheritance and weathered the crisis.

Now, over two years later, most of the evidence had been erased. Even knowing the truth, Bai Yin had no way to expose Bai Jian.

So, she decided to lure the snake out of its hole.

She introduced her newly developed drug into the pharmaceutical company, generating substantial profits. Meanwhile, Bai Jian’s real estate business was in decline, plunging him into another crisis.

Sure enough, Bai Jian and his cohorts resorted to their old tricks, plotting to target Bai Yin and seize her assets to save themselves.

Apart from Butler Zhao and a few other trusted individuals, no one knew the villa had two surveillance systems. Through the hidden one, Bai Yin and Butler Zhao had long identified Bai Jian’s spies.

From the moment Lin Wan entered the villa, she had been under Bai Yin’s watch. Bai Yin had known all along about her plan to harm others using pollen.

Originally, Bai Yin had planned to go along with the scheme. Taking a specially formulated fake-death drug to feign demise, then hiding in the shadows to gather evidence before slowly exacting her revenge.

This was the opportune moment Bai Yin had been waiting for. Given Bai Jian’s cautious nature, if he learned something had happened to Bai Yin, he would surely come to see for himself, and might even notice something amiss.

But Bai Ru, guilty and fearful, would only hasten to cremate Bai Yin as quickly as possible.

On the day Lin Wan made her move, Bai Yin arranged for someone to send Bai Jian away on a three-month business trip abroad.

Everything was set. All that remained was for Bai Yin to fake her death and escape. No one expected things to go awry because of Lin Wan.

Lin Wan changed her plan at the last minute and triggered the alarm.

Meanwhile, Bai Jian’s departure was delayed by a week due to unforeseen circumstances.

Fearing it might arouse Bai Jian’s suspicion, Bai Yin had no choice but to abandon her original plan of feigning death. She could only stay in the villa and observe Lin Wan’s next move.

Now that Bai Jian had successfully left the country, Butler Zhao and Bai Yin deliberately created numerous opportunities for Lin Wan to act. Yet, to their surprise, Lin Wan remained inactive.

Bai Yin had long devised a series of plans to deal with Bai Jian. Even knowing he deserved his fate, Butler Zhao couldn’t help but shudder when reviewing those schemes.

Seeing Bai Yin remain silent, Butler Zhao also fell quiet, standing to the side as he watched Bai Yin once again settle into her wheelchair, pretending to be unable to walk.

In truth, Bai Yin’s legs had fully recovered a year ago.

“We’ll know in a few days.”

Just when Butler Zhao thought Bai Yin wouldn’t speak again, a faint smile curled at her lips as she murmured, “My stepmother truly believed that land was going to be turned into a supermarket after demolition. She poured all her money into it and is now scrambling to raise funds.”

“They’ll likely execute their new plan in the coming days.”

And when that time comes…

Bai Yin narrowed her eyes, recalling the way Lin Wan had pinched her cheeks that night. The image of Lin Wan’s bright, smiling eyes gazing at her seemed to float before her.

“Like a little white mouse in a cage?”

Bai Yin lightly touched her own cheek, letting out an almost imperceptible chuckle.

She had to admit. She rather liked the way Lin Wan looked at her. It sent a shiver down to her bones, making her feel as though she was being indulged.

For once, she didn’t even mind Lin Wan’s touch.

Butler Zhao’s words had struck a chord: lately, she had indeed grown closer to Lin Wan. Being with Lin Wan felt novel and relaxing, an unfamiliar sensation she’d never experienced before.

But she understood better than anyone: Lin Wan’s kindness was like a sugar-coated pill, likely concealing the deadliest poison within.

Whatever reason Lin Wan had for not acting, it would be best if she never tore off that sugary veneer. If she could keep up the pretense of kindness forever, Bai Yin would gladly play along, feigning ignorance.

Otherwise—

Bai Yin’s eyes slowly narrowed.

She had no shortage of nerve-damaging drugs at her disposal. She wouldn’t mind keeping another pet. One she didn’t dislike, one who would always smile at her. A Lin Wan like that wouldn’t be so bad.