The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 2

Lin Wan’s heart raced with panic, and she instinctively pulled her head back.

When she peeked out again, everyone was busy tending to Bai Yin, and no one was looking in her direction.

Lin Wan blinked, realizing it was just her own guilty conscience at play.

She had always been a top student, sailing smoothly through life. After graduation, she had landed her dream job at the Space-Time Bureau. The biggest setback she’d ever faced was a period of less-than-ideal exam results. How could she have ever imagined witnessing a scene of deliberate murder?

Now, recalling everything that had happened, Lin Wan couldn’t help but shudder with lingering fear.

Fortunately, the crowd’s attention was entirely focused on Bai Yin, and no one noticed Lin Wan hiding in the corner.

Before long, everyone followed Bai Yin into the medical room.

Seizing the moment while the surveillance system was still down, Lin Wan quickly dashed back to her own room and burrowed under the covers.

Listening to the commotion outside, she reviewed the day’s events, slowly piecing together her thoughts.

She had never intended to become a savior, but if what the world’s consciousness said was true, she couldn’t simply turn a blind eye to the impending disaster.

Though the whole situation was riddled with unanswered questions, one thing was certain. Being granted a second chance at life was an incredible stroke of luck in itself.

Having made up her mind, Lin Wan took a few deep breaths, and her tense nerves gradually relaxed.

She resolved to treat this as a long-term mission. She would give it her all to complete the task. As for the truth behind it all, she would surely uncover clues while gathering the world’s energy.

With this thought in mind, Lin Wan settled down and immediately felt an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.

Since her university days, she had been conducting research under her advisor’s guidance. The long hours of mental exertion had ingrained in her the habit of falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But tonight, her sleep was far from restful.

The butler, Zhao, offered extremely generous benefits to the caretakers, with each assigned a private room. However, the original owner of this body had joined the household last, so she was stuck with the darkest, dampest room. The air conditioner alternated between freezing and scorching, waking Lin Wan multiple times throughout the night.

When she finally managed to fall asleep, her dreams were turbulent. One moment, she was in the original world, drenched in rivers of blood; the next, she was the foolish, threatened original owner, living in constant fear.

The next morning, when her alarm blared, Lin Wan’s nose felt stuffy, and her head was heavy, her body sluggish.

She had always been prone to morning irritability. Normally, she followed a strict biological clock, and waking up naturally was fine. But if she was jolted awake, she’d feel unbearably cranky.

Grumpily, Lin Wan turned off the alarm and squirmed under the covers for a moment before the memories of her mission flooded back. Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of bed.

As she washed up, a delicate, pretty face stared back at her from the mirror.

The original owner bore a seventy percent resemblance to the real Lin Wan. However, while Lin Wan was open and poised, the original owner had lost her mother early in life. After her father remarried, she was sent to live with her grandmother and shuffled between her uncles’ homes, growing up timid and insecure, always hiding behind long bangs as if desperate to disappear.

Who would have thought this timid, cowardly girl would muster the courage to strike a deal with Bai Yin’s stepsister and take on the task of killing him?

Lin Wan sighed, her emotions complicated, as she tied her hair into a ponytail, her usual style before heading to the kitchen.

＊

Including Lin Wan, there were eight caregivers in this villa, each with different responsibilities: some assisted the family doctor, some oversaw Bai Yin’s rehabilitation, some took care of Bai Yin’s meals. The original host had only been here for a month and hadn’t been assigned a specific role yet, merely helping out behind the other caregivers.

Everyone had heard the alarm last night, but such situations had occurred many times before. Sometimes, too many people could complicate things, so Butler Zhao had long since made arrangements: apart from the caregivers assisting the family doctor, the others didn’t come out last night.

Lin Wan was scheduled to help in the kitchen that day.

“Why do you look so pale today?”

When Lin Wan arrived, Sister Zhang, the caregiver responsible for Bai Yin’s meals, was already in the kitchen, simmering porridge on the stove.

Sister Zhang was a distant relative of the original host’s deceased mother and had been the one to introduce the original host to work in the villa.

With this connection, Sister Zhang treated Lin Wan with great kindness.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should go back and rest. There probably won’t be much to do here today. The young lady always loses her appetite after a serious illness and can only manage a little porridge.”

Though the workload was light, for safety reasons, even if it was just simmering a bowl of porridge, the kitchen couldn’t be left unattended.

Lin Wan naturally wouldn’t listen to Sister Zhang and return to her room: this was Bai Yin’s private kitchen. Everyone else ate in a separate kitchen, so staying here would give her a better understanding of Bai Yin’s condition.

“I just didn’t sleep well last night and caught a bit of a cold.”

Lin Wan sniffled, pulled over a small stool, and sat beside Sister Zhang: “I’ll stay here. If things get busy, I can lend a hand.”

“It probably won’t be too busy today.”

Seeing Lin Wan sit down, Sister Zhang didn’t insist further and sighed worriedly.

“Honestly, I’d rather be busier if it meant the young lady could eat more.”

“She only sticks to those few bland dishes every day, barely sustaining herself with vitamin tablets. Dr. Wang and I have tried to persuade her so many times, but she won’t listen. How can her body endure this in the long run?”

Having inherited the original host’s memories, Lin Wan knew Bai Yin’s habits. After the car accident, Bai Yin had become extremely picky and couldn’t tolerate even a hint of meat or strong flavors.

“That’s right!”

Lin Wan echoed the sentiment, feeling the weight of her mission. Bai Yin’s body was already so frail, and with such picky eating habits, even if she managed to avoid the schemes of her stepmother and stepsister, she might not live to a natural old age with this lifestyle.

“You’ve really had a hard time all these years!”

Lin Wan continued the conversation, subtly probing for more information: “Is the young lady still not eating much today, just porridge?”

“The young lady hasn’t woken up yet,” Sister Zhang sighed again, picking up a piece of ginger and starting to peel it.

“Last night, some pollen somehow blew into her room. She’s allergic to pollen, and on top of that, she caught a chill. Dr. Wang said her condition is quite serious. If she doesn’t wake up by tomorrow, she might have to be transferred to the hospital.”

Lin Wan was stunned: she had seen Bai Yin’s complexion improve slightly in the hallway last night and thought she had pulled through. She hadn’t expected Bai Yin’s condition to worsen so much.

Lin Wan’s heart tightened again.

“Not just the young lady, you’re the same!”

After peeling the ginger, Sister Zhang turned her gaze to Lin Wan and shook her head: “You young girls always take your youth for granted and pay no attention to your health. The weather’s been unpredictable lately, so you need to take better care of yourself too.”

Sister Zhang patted Lin Wan’s shoulder and lit another burner to prepare ginger soup for her.

The warm ginger soup soothed Lin Wan’s stomach, making her feel much better. Grateful for Sister Zhang’s kindness yet still worried about Bai Yin’s condition, Lin Wan spent the entire day in the kitchen.

The original owner of this body had been preoccupied with harming Bai Yin and had never been close to Sister Zhang before. But after spending the day together, the two had grown much closer, and Lin Wan managed to gather more information about Bai Yin.

Bai Yin was a performing arts student at a film academy. Originally in her second year, she had taken a leave of absence after her mother’s death and a car accident that left her legs impaired. Since then, she had shut herself away at home.

Bai Yin had the eccentric temper of a young mistress. She rarely made things difficult for others but had always detested being touched. Even when caregivers assisted her, they had to wear sterile medical gloves.

Hearing this, Lin Wan recalled how she had pinched Bai Yin’s cheeks in a moment of triumph the night before and nearly lost her composure.

No wonder Bai Yin had reacted so strongly. That pampered young lady must have been seething with anger.

Instantly, Lin Wan felt a pang of guilt, her remorse toward Bai Yin deepening.

……

Sister Zhang didn’t suspect Lin Wan’s intentions.

After all, Bai Yin was the owner of this villa. It was only natural for Lin Wan to inquire about Bai Yin’s preferences and learn the household’s taboos.

Lin Wan had lunch in the kitchen and spent time with Sister Zhang flipping through cookbooks, learning a few nourishing recipes. Time passed quickly.

It wasn’t until evening that Lin Wan finally received news; Bai Yin had woken up!

Both Lin Wan and Sister Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. Before long, Butler Zhao called, instructing Sister Zhang to bring some food to the sickroom.

Sister Zhang beamed with joy and immediately carried out a bowl of warm congee from the kitchen.

Lin Wan also felt relieved, though she braced herself internally.

Now that Bai Yin was awake, she would surely tell Butler Zhao everything that had happened the previous night. Though Lin Wan had prepared herself for this moment, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Yet, to Lin Wan’s surprise, even after another hour passed and darkness fully descended, there was no sign of any large-scale search. Sister Zhang returned to the kitchen with the dishes, and the outside remained eerily quiet.

Bai Yin hadn’t finished the congee. Her appetite was poor, and despite Sister Zhang and Butler Zhao’s urging, she had only managed a few small sips.

“The young mistress took her medicine and went back to sleep. We don’t need to keep watch in the kitchen tonight.”

After washing the dishes and helping Sister Zhang tidy up, Lin Wan followed her downstairs as she locked the kitchen door.

The basement and first floor of the villa housed the caregivers, servants, and drivers. Bai Yin lived on the second floor, while the third floor was said to store belongings of Bai Yin’s late mother. Apart from Bai Yin and Butler Zhao, no one else was allowed up there.

Everyone they encountered along the way looked relieved. Clearly, Bai Yin’s well-being was on everyone’s minds.

Though the villa was located in a somewhat remote area, the benefits and working conditions were excellent. For many, it was a dream job, one they could hardly find even with a lantern in hand. Everyone hoped Bai Yin would live a long life so they could continue working here peacefully.

Lin Wan returned to her room, tense the entire way, but nothing seemed amiss.

☆

The situation was truly puzzling.

Back in her room, Lin Wan closed the door and was about to carefully mull over the matter when suddenly her phone rang.

“Lin Wan! How are things now? Is Bai Yin still aliv?”

Wang Jiang’s feigned concern came through the phone line.

On the surface, it seemed like Wang Jiang was genuinely worried about the original host, but Lin Wan, having read the storyline, knew exactly what he was plotting.

Ever since Wang Jiang had “saved” the original host from a group of thugs, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

Coming from a wealthy family himself, Wang Jiang was someone the original host felt she could never measure up to, so she could only admire him from afar in secret.

She saw him as her light, believing she had hidden her crush well. When she accidentally learned about Wang Jiang’s massive debts, she foolishly took them on for him, unaware that she had long been targeted by Bai Yin’s stepsister. What she thought was a desperate, one-sided love was actually a carefully laid trap by the playboy heir.

Lin Wan was instantly irritated by Wang Jiang’s fake concern over the phone. She had planned to brush him off and hang up, but as soon as she answered, a sudden idea struck her, and she changed her mind.

“Brother Jiang, what should I do?”

Lin Wan lowered her voice. Already feeling unwell, the strained tone made her sound like she was on the verge of tears.

“Bai Yin was rescued. Butler Zhao seems to have noticed something. He’s been wandering around the villa all day today.”

“Brother Jiang, do you think they’ll call the police?”