The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 16

“Of course, you can keep a pet!”

Bai Yin was clearly too concerned with others’ opinions. Despite being the owner of the villa, she still felt the need to seek permission before getting a pet.

Lin Wan sighed inwardly, knowing Bai Yin’s personality wouldn’t change overnight. She secretly resolved to push this matter forward. Once they had a pet, wouldn’t Bai Yin have to go outside?

“Bai Yin, what kind of pet do you want? If it’s a dog, we could build a little house for it in the backyard garden. It could play with us, guard the house.”

“If it’s a cat, they’re also super cute, but they can be a bit noisy at night. I wouldn’t want it to disturb your rest, so the cat would have to sleep with me. During the day, we could take it out together.”

Lin Wan enthusiastically planned out their future life with a pet.

Unlike her earlier anxiety, her eyes now sparkled with excitement, bright and clear, her face full of anticipation.

Bai Yin pursed her lips as she watched Lin Wan like this, her fingers twitching slightly at her side.

That strange, almost electrifying sense of excitement surged through her again.

Her thoughts drifted, and through Lin Wan’s descriptions, she seemed to return to that night when she had sneaked into Lin Wan’s room.

Lin Wan had been curled up under the blankets, sleeping soundly, only her small, delicate face visible.

Adding a sleeping kitten beside her head, the image didn’t seem out of place at all.

That night, Bai Yin had originally intended to touch Lin Wan’s arm, but as if guided by some unseen force, she had instead pinched Lin Wan’s cheek.

The result confirmed her suspicion. She didn’t recoil from Lin Wan’s touch.

The softness beneath her fingertips had even stirred a faint thrill within her.

She hadn’t used much force, yet even though Lin Wan, drugged by the candy, couldn’t wake up, she had still let out a soft, petulant murmur in her sleep.

Listening to Lin Wan’s breathing in the darkness, Bai Yin had suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of contentment. In Lin Wan’s tiny room, she could shed her façade and finally feel normal.

She had stayed in Lin Wan’s room for a long time that night, her mind unprecedentedly at peace.

So, when she later saw the note Lin Wan had stuck on the door. The one that said not to touch her, she had torn it off without hesitation.

It was rare for her to find someone who suited her tastes and didn’t repulse her. Even if Lin Wan was pretending, so what?

She would peel away Lin Wan’s mask and make sure she stayed by her side.

…

But now, looking at Lin Wan’s joyful expression, Bai Yin pressed her lips together and suddenly felt reluctant to go through with her plan of erasing Lin Wan’s memories.

A hollow, mindlessly smiling Lin Wan would be nothing compared to the vivid, lively girl before her now.

That wasn’t the Lin Wan she wanted.

But a lively Lin Wan could betray her, run away, even kill her.

“I’ll think about it a little more,” she replied vaguely, lowering her eyes slightly.

If Lin Wan was pretending, keeping her lucid by her side would be like dancing with a wolf.

Yet even so, the thought of spending the rest of her life with Lin Wan sent an uncontrollable thrill through her.

This wasn’t right.

She told herself that.

But before long, she couldn’t help but start thinking again. What could she do to bind Lin Wan to her side forever?

＊

After this conversation, Lin Wan’s anxious mood eased considerably. Seeing Bai Yin with her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought, Lin Wan didn’t disturb her further and closed her eyes to rest in her seat.

Perhaps because the car had entered the mountainous area, Lin Wan occasionally felt a chill run down her spine, making her curl up involuntarily. The quiet environment was conducive to drowsiness, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Her sleep was far from peaceful. Her head swayed with the bumps of the car, and in her dazed state, she felt something brush against her neck. She instinctively leaned to one side, finding support, and finally managed to sleep a little more soundly.

She had no idea how long she had been asleep when the sudden clamor around her jolted her awake.

“Lin Wan, you’re finally awake!”

The driver turned his head and grinned at her teasingly: “We’ve been here for almost ten minutes. The young lady saw you sleeping so soundly and wouldn’t let us wake you.”

Lin Wan blinked, only then realizing her entire body was leaning against Bai Yin’s shoulder.

?

“I’m sorry!” Lin Wan quickly straightened up, the remnants of sleep vanishing instantly. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Bai Yin’s expression.

She hadn’t expected to fall asleep like that. It was really unprofessional, and she had no idea what Bai Yin must think of her now.

“Let’s get out of the car!”

Fortunately, Bai Yin didn’t seem to mind Lin Wan’s lapse. Her gaze was fixed out the window, and there was even a hint of cheerfulness in her tone.

Lin Wan glanced at Bai Yin and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her again: She must be happy at the thought of seeing her family soon.

Who would have guessed that these very relatives wanted her dead?

……

“Let me help you.”

Lin Wan assisted Bai Yin out of the car and into her wheelchair, then pushed her toward the entrance of the mountain resort.

Songhe Mountain Resort was the largest hot spring resort in the city, owned by Bai Jian’s company. Despite being business rivals, the city’s elite loved booking the resort for banquets. Thus, when Li Pei chose Songhe Mountain Resort for her birthday celebration, the staff had no reason to suspect anything.

Lin Wan, however, had a vague inkling of another motive behind Li Pei and her daughter’s choice: if something were to happen to Bai Yin here, the reputation of Songhe Mountain Resort would take a severe hit, and the only beneficiary would be Bai Jian’s company.

As soon as they stepped out of the car, a bellboy approached, checked their invitation, and led them toward the banquet hall.

The closer they got to the hall, the deeper Lin Wan’s anxiety grew. Her previous life had been too sheltered. She had never experienced such a den of wolves in sheep’s clothing. For a fleeting moment, she even considered taking Bai Yin and fleeing, avoiding any potential harm.

“Don’t be afraid.”

As if sensing her unease, Bai Yin didn’t turn around but reached back to pat Lin Wan’s hand where it rested on the wheelchair. “If you feel uncomfortable, you can go rest in the room. I can handle this alone.”

“How could I do that!”

Lin Wan immediately rejected the idea. If she left, wouldn’t that give Bai Ru and her mother the perfect opportunity?

Bai Yin pressed her lips together and said nothing more.

Songhe Mountain Resort was vast. Even with the bellboy guiding them, it took nearly five minutes to reach the grand hall where Li Pei was hosting her banquet.

When Lin Wan entered, Li Pei was chatting with a group of society ladies.

Spotting Bai Yin, Li Pei immediately plastered on a warm smile and strode over with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Oh my! Long-time no see, our Bai Yin looks even more beautiful now!”

“If I’d known you were coming at this time, I should have waited outside to greet you.”

In front of outsiders, Li Pei played the role of the perfect stepmother flawlessly. To those unaware of the truth, it would genuinely seem like she cared deeply for Bai Yin.

Sure enough, Bai Yin appeared deeply moved, a faint smile curling on her lips. “Aunt Li, today is your birthday. How could I let you trouble yourself?”

As she spoke, Bai Yin gestured for Lin Wan to present the gift to Li Pei.

Yet Lin Wan didn’t move.

“Lin Wan, what are you looking at?”

Bai Yin pressed her lips together and called out again before Lin Wan finally snapped out of it, hurriedly handing the gift to Li Pei.

Not long after, the two people Lin Wan had been staring at approached Bai Yin.

Bai Ru wore a sweet, obedient smile as she deliberately clung to the male lead, Shen Shen, walking up to Bai Yin and calling out, “Sister.”

Bai Yin responded coolly with a faint “Hmm.”

Lin Wan couldn’t help but glance at the pair again.

Compared to Bai Yin, whose luck value had already reached 52%, Shen Shen’s was a pitiful 10%.

But that wasn’t what had surprised Lin Wan.

As the scheming stepsister who framed Bai Yin, the world’s consciousness should have despised Bai Ru just as much as Bai Yin did. Yet, bizarrely, Bai Ru also had a luck value of 8%.

What was going on? Had the world’s consciousness lost its mind?

…

Bai Yin narrowed her eyes, observing Lin Wan’s prolonged stare at Bai Ru. Her gaze darkened, and she pressed her lips together.