The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 21

Lin Wan was frantic with worry.

Logically, she knew Bai Yin shouldn’t be in any real danger. After all, Bai Yin had left with Li Pei in full view of everyone. If anything happened to Bai Yin, Li Pei wouldn’t be able to escape suspicion, and given Li Pei’s personality, she would never allow herself to be implicated.

Yet, for some reason, Lin Wan couldn’t shake the feeling that something unexpected might happen.

It was only then that Lin Wan realized she cared about Bai Yin far more than she had thought.

At first, she had approached Bai Yin purely for the sake of her mission. But over time, Lin Wan found herself unconsciously drawn to the fragile girl, developing an almost maternal instinct to protect Bai Yin from any harm.

She desperately wanted to go out and search for Bai Yin, but she was also afraid that Bai Yin might return and not find her. Torn between the two, Lin Wan ultimately stayed in the hall, anxiously waiting.

Time crawled by, each minute an agony for Lin Wan.

After about half an hour, Lin Wan decided to call Bai Yin.

She picked up her phone and dialed Bai Yin’s number, but no one answered!

The ominous feeling in her heart grew stronger. Unable to sit still any longer, Lin Wan bit her lower lip and prepared to go out and search.

Just as she pushed open the door, she collided head-on with Li Pei, who was entering!

Instinctively, Lin Wan grabbed hold of Li Pei.

Li Pei looked flustered, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes when Lin Wan stopped her. Recognizing Lin Wan, she visibly relaxed and gripped Lin Wan’s arm, pulling her aside.

“Bai Yin is missing!”

Li Pei’s expression was dark, her teeth clenched as she met Lin Wan’s widened eyes. “It wasn’t me.”

“I had already prepared a perfect alibi. But if something really happens to her now, we’ll all be ruined.”

“You need to find her and bring her back as soon as possible!”

According to Li Pei, her weak-willed and gullible stepdaughter had indeed approached her to warn her about the gossip circulating among the villagers.

Li Pei couldn’t care less about such talk. She had invited those people precisely to flaunt her wealth in front of them.

But the foolish girl seemed eager to please her, offering to spend money on gifts from the exhibition hall up ahead as an apology to the villagers.

Bai Yin would foot the bill, and Li Pei would reap the benefits, only an idiot would refuse!

So, Li Pei followed Bai Yin to the exhibition hall.

The hall was vast, and since she had rented it out, the sales staff remembered the wealthy lady vividly. Seeing her arrive, they naturally flocked to her, eager to make their pitches.

Surrounded by salespeople as she browsed the merchandise, Li Pei inevitably lost track of Bai Yin in the wheelchair. In her mind, even if she wasn’t paying attention, the meek Bai Yin would naturally follow her.

But to her surprise, when she hurriedly finished selecting gifts, mindful of her waiting guests and turned to have her stepdaughter pay, Bai Yin was nowhere to be found.

The sales staff, eager to curry favor, checked the surveillance footage, only to discover that the cameras had mysteriously malfunctioned. No one knew where Bai Yin had gone.

Li Pei panicked. As much as she hated to admit it, Bai Yin had inherited her parents’ striking looks. Her face was the kind that could easily provoke dark desires.

Bai Yin had gone out with her. If anything unexpected happened, she would undoubtedly be the first suspect.

And the crimes she had committed were far too numerous to withstand any investigation.

“I’ve already sent people to the guardhouse at the estate to ensure no one leaves during this time. Some of the estate’s surveillance cameras are malfunctioning, and we’re working to repair them as quickly as possible.”

“She’s paralyzed! She can’t run far. The estate isn’t that big. Once you find her, bring her back immediately and make sure she appears in front of everyone.”

Li Pei had shed her previously feigned noblewoman demeanor, now utterly frantic.

She was truly regretting her earlier actions. deliberately sabotaging the surveillance system to carry out her plan to kill Bai Yin. Perhaps she had damaged the entire circuit, as many of the estate’s cameras were now malfunctioning.

But regret was useless now. The cameras couldn’t be fixed anytime soon, and Li Pei didn’t dare publicize the situation. Instead, she sent a few trusted people to search for Bai Yin, Lin Wan among them.

Fearing leaks, Li Pei paired them off in twos to search different areas. Lin Wan was grouped with Bai Ru whether intentionally or not, Li Pei assigned them to the western part of the estate, which was under maintenance.

Lin Wan knew this was Li Pei’s way of keeping an eye on her, using Bai Ru as a watchdog. After all, everyone else was Li Pei’s trusted subordinate. Only Lin Wan was an outsider.

And if Bai Yin met with an accident, Bai Ru, stationed in the western part of the estate, would have an easier time destroying any evidence of their murder plot.

Lin Wan was well aware of their schemes but had no mind to dwell on it. She had called Bai Yin seven or eight times in a row, but no one answered.

The thought of Bai Yin’s beautiful face. One that could easily provoke ill intentions, filled Lin Wan with growing regret. She should have shamelessly insisted on going with Bai Yin!

But she knew regret was pointless now.

Her mentors had always praised her for her emotional stability.

She could quickly adapt to sudden changes in circumstances.

The more urgent the situation, the calmer Lin Wan became. She decided to secretly call the police behind Bai Ru’s back. The current search party was far too small to find Bai Yin.

Lin Wan strode ahead, swiftly heading toward the western part of the hot spring estate, a stark contrast to Bai Ru, who walked leisurely behind her as if taking a casual stroll.

Why wasn’t Bai Ru in a hurry?

Lin Wan frowned, glancing at her. As Li Pei had said, if Bai Yin met with an accident, neither mother nor daughter could withstand scrutiny. Even if Bai Ru had strong mental fortitude, she shouldn’t appear as composed as she did now.

Lin Wan wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Bai Ru’s calmness even carried a hint of joy.

What was she so happy about?

“Wait, let’s hold off for a bit!”

Not long after they set out, Bai Ru received a call and stopped Lin Wan.

Lin Wan was burning with impatience, but remembering her current role, she forced herself to stay composed and warned, “Miss Bai, if this gets exposed, we’re all finished.”

“I know,” Bai Ru replied dismissively. “Just wait a little while. I know what I’m doing. ”

Lin Wan clenched her teeth, about to suggest going ahead alone, when Bai Ru’s awaited guest arrived.

Shen Shen, the male lead, rushed over, panting, and immediately asked Bai Ru, “How is Bai Yin?”

A hint of mockery flashed swiftly through Bai Ru’s eyes, but she lowered her head with a concerned expression: “I’m only telling you this in secret. My sister insisted on going shopping with Mom, and while Mom was chatting with the salesperson, my sister suddenly disappeared.”

“Why not report it to the police?” Shen Shen took out his phone, frowning as he spoke.

“We can’t call the police!”

Bai Ru grabbed his arm, her face tinged with embarrassment: “Think about it. With my sister’s looks, who wouldn’t be tempted? Whoever took her might have.”

She hesitated before continuing: “If the police find out and it becomes a scandal, my sister is already paralyzed. If something like this happened to her, how could she ever marry in the future?”

Shen Shen’s eyes narrowed as he instantly grasped the implication of Bai Ru’s words.

“You’re right to think ahead.”

Taking a deep breath, Shen Shen once again took Bai Ru’s hand: “I’ll help you look for her.”

The moment he saw Bai Yin, Shen Shen had briefly considered switching back to the original marriage arrangement. But Bai Ru’s words reminded him. If Bai Yin had indeed been violated, how could he, the heir of the prestigious Shen family, marry such a woman?

Bai Ru was better. Though not as stunning as Bai Yin, she was cautious, low-maintenance, and most importantly, devoted solely to him.

Lin Wan, trailing behind the pair, quietly lowered her head, concealing the storm raging in her eyes.

Shen Shen didn’t notice, but Lin Wan saw clearly: the instant Shen Shen took Bai Ru’s hand, a fleeting smile had crossed Bai Ru’s lips.

And with that gesture, Bai Ru’s fortune value instantly surged to “10%,” while Shen Shen’s dropped again to “8%”!

At that moment, Lin Wan became absolutely certain: Bai Ru knew about the existence of fortune values and was actively siphoning them. Moreover, her method of absorbing fortune seemed to involve sabotaging the relationship between Bai Yin and Shen Shen.

Just what was Bai Ru’s origin?

Lin Wan couldn’t help but think of the world-destroying “her” mentioned by the World Consciousness. Was there any connection between Bai Ru and that “her”?