The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 22

Upon reflection, the original host had only met Bai Ru once before, and any messages Bai Ru wanted to convey to Lin Wan were always relayed through Wang Jiang.

Because of this, Lin Wan had initially assumed that Bai Ru’s desire to harm Bai Yin stemmed solely from the grudges between their elders.

But now…

As Lin Wan stared at the luck value floating behind Bai Ru, it was impossible not to connect the dots.

Bai Ru could steal luck by getting close to men who possessed it, but what if the target was a woman?

…

Shen Zhen moved quickly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his luck had been siphoned away. As he walked, he discussed the plan to find Bai Yin with Bai Ru.

The male lead wasn’t foolish. Shen Zhen quickly devised a countermeasure.

“Although involving the police might damage Bai Yin’s reputation, if we can’t find her ourselves, reporting it is still the best option!”

Frowning, he analyzed, “Bai Yin has gone missing, and the surveillance just happened to malfunction at the same time. It’s all too coincidental.”

“I suspect whoever took Bai Yin came prepared. They might have been watching her for a long time.”

Bai Ru knew exactly what was going on and naturally didn’t dare respond. Instead, she changed the subject. “Right now, speculating about the culprit’s motives isn’t important. Let’s focus on finding my sister first!”

“Where do you think she might be?”

“Whoever took Bai Yin must be very familiar with this resort. They wouldn’t dare make a scene, so they’re probably hiding somewhere secluded.”

“I brought the map booklet from the resort lobby. I looked it over on the way here. The west side is under maintenance, and the workers there are a mixed bunch. It’s definitely the most likely place for trouble.”

Lin Wan bit her lip.

She had been avoiding thoughts of what Bai Yin might be enduring after her disappearance, but Shen Zhen’s words laid the brutal reality bare before her.

The mere idea that Bai Yin could be suffering abuse made Lin Wan burn with the urge to personally strike down the perpetrator. The delicate young lady she had so carefully cared for, kind-hearted and never one to make enemies. Why did misfortune keep finding its way to her?

She would rather Bai Yin were ruthless and selfish than constantly subjected to cruelty.

Lin Wan took a deep breath to steady herself, then lowered her head and spoke softly. “There are so many hidden spots here. Should we split up to search?”

Once separated, she could immediately call the police. The sooner Bai Yin was found, the less danger she’d be in.

Shen Zhen nodded in agreement, but Bai Ru’s eyes flickered uncertainly. She hesitated before glancing at Shen Zhen. “Brother Shen, I… I’m a little scared to go alone.”

“I’ll go with Lin Wan instead, so we can keep each other company. We’ll meet back here in half an hour, okay?”

It was indeed unsafe for the girls to search alone, so Shen Zhen naturally had no objections.

Lin Wan clenched her fists in secret. It seemed Bai Ru still didn’t trust her.

She followed Bai Ru to one side, subtly quickening her pace to leave the other girl behind. Bai Ru appeared not to notice, continuing to walk leisurely behind her.

Once they entered the maintenance area, the light dimmed significantly. Lin Wan had gained a lead of nearly twenty steps and was about to turn a corner to shake Bai Ru off when a voice suddenly rang out from behind.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Caught?

Lin Wan froze, her entire body tensing.

Did Bai Ru discover that she was a mission-taker collecting luck, or did she find out about her attempt to secretly call the police?

Lin Wan froze in place, turning her head to see Bai Ru watching her leisurely before slowly walking up to her.

Bai Ru eyed Lin Wan with a knowing gaze, her expression full of disdain. “Bai Yin’s kidnapping, you were in on it with someone else, weren’t you?”

?!

Lin Wan’s eyes widened. She could hear every word Bai Ru said, but she couldn’t comprehend their meaning.

Bai Ru actually thought she had kidnapped Bai Yin?

“Stop pretending!”

Bai Ru snorted coldly. “Wang Jiang told me you’ve been acting distant toward him lately. Nine times out of ten, he can’t reach you when he tries to contact you.”

“You weren’t like this before. Every time you met, your eyes would practically cling to Wang Jiang, and you were always finding excuses to call him first.”

Bai Ru fixed Lin Wan with a steady look. “The only explanation for such a sudden change in attitude is that you’ve got another plan.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to expose you.”

Seeing Lin Wan standing stiffly in place, Bai Ru seemed to mistake her reaction for guilt and patted her shoulder. “Honestly, I couldn’t figure out what you were up to at first. Until today, when you showed an unusual level of concern for Bai Yin.”

“You looked even more nervous than my mother!”

Bai Ru sighed. “That was a bit over the top. There’s no way you actually care about Bai Yin, right?”

“It’s not like I haven’t interacted with Bai Yin before,” Bai Ru continued, her smile fading as she noticed Lin Wan’s puzzled expression.

“I even tried to win her favor once, but she’s like a stone; completely unresponsive. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get anything back from her. If even I couldn’t win her over, how could you?”

“Maybe our roles were destined to be adversarial from the start. I had to find another way.”

And so, Lin Wan learned another thing.

Bai Ru had multiple methods for stealing luck points: she could gain them by winning the favor of the male and female protagonists, or she could resort to other means.

Bai Ru had once tried to gain Bai Yin’s favor to obtain luck, but she had clearly failed.

So when ingratiation didn’t work, Bai Ru decided to simply kill Bai Yin instead.

……

“I know you won’t believe me just because I say this,” Bai Ru continued, seeing Lin Wan press her lips together in silence. “But I only have one demand.”

“Whether you kidnapped Bai Yin for ransom or have some other scheme, she cannot come back alive!”

“Or name your price. How much would it take for you to help me kill Bai Yin?”

……

Bai Ru clearly had no idea that Lin Wan had already guessed her true motives. Her words revealed a great deal. She had even taken a stance opposite to her mother’s, solely wanting Bai Yin dead.

Such bizarre behavior only further confirmed Lin Wan’s suspicions about Bai Ru’s identity.

It was obvious that Bai Ru was now on the opposing side.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Lin Wan feigned ignorance, looking up at Bai Ru. “I was just afraid of getting implicated if the truth came out, so I acted extra nervous to distance myself.”

“As for what you just said, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. After all, we’re in this together now. It’s not like you’re worried I’ll expose your secret.”

Currently unaware of Bai Ru’s true intentions, Lin Wan dared not act rashly and decided to avoid her for the time being while continuing her investigation.

Having said that, Lin Wan had no desire to engage further with Bai Ru and turned to walk away.

The night lights were dim, and the ground was littered with excavated hot spring pools. One misstep could send her tumbling into a pool, so Lin Wan treaded carefully.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Bai Ru sneered, catching up to Lin Wan. “Just how much money do you want?”

Before Bai Ru could finish, her words caught in her throat as she stared wide-eyed ahead.

Not only had she heard it, but Lin Wan had too.

In the silent space, a phone was ringing. A ringtone Lin Wan had grown accustomed to: Bai Yin’s.

A patch of ground nearby was faintly glowing.

Lin Wan stepped forward and found a phone in the grass.

The screen displayed a string of missed calls, among which Lin Wan spotted her own number.

This was indeed Bai Yin’s phone!

Clutching the phone, Lin Wan’s heart grew heavier: if Bai Yin had lost her phone, where could she possibly be?

“So, you really didn’t kidnap Bai Yin?”

Bai Ru frowned as she watched Lin Wan pick up the phone, her composed demeanor finally cracking.

“She isn’t dead yet,” Bai Ru muttered, glancing around. “Then where could she be now…”