The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 45

Lin Wan went straight to her destination.

Her schedule was so rushed that after getting off the plane, when she wanted to inform her family of her safe arrival, she realized she had accidentally left her phone on the aircraft.

She contacted the airport, and they agreed to mail it back to her. Thinking she wouldn’t be abroad for long, Lin Wan had the phone sent directly to Bai Yin’s home. She then bought a new SIM card and the cheapest phone available overseas.

In Lin Wan’s original era, landline phones had long been obsolete, so she never developed the habit of memorizing numbers. It was only then that she realized she couldn’t recall anyone’s phone number.

With limited funds, the phone she bought abroad had only the most basic calling functions. For several days, she had been unable to contact Bai Yin.

To make matters worse, her trip turned out to be in vain.

She had initially thought it would be easy to find the person she was looking for, but upon arriving at her destination abroad, she discovered she was too late: the doctor had taken on an emergency surgery and had already left for another city.

Having come this far, Lin Wan couldn’t give up at this critical moment, so she followed the doctor to the other city.

She waited anxiously in the new city. Fortunately, after two days, she finally managed to locate the doctor.

To Lin Wan’s surprise, the doctor was not a native but could haltingly speak her language.

“You’re asking me to go treat your good friend?”

After reviewing the documents Lin Wan handed over, the doctor looked at her with a strange expression. “Your good friend is Bai Yin?”

“Bai Yin doesn’t need treatment.”

The doctor turned away and returned the documents to Lin Wan.

Lin Wan grew increasingly anxious. This doctor was an authority in the field. If he said so, did it mean Bai Yin’s leg was truly beyond hope?

Moreover, the doctor was different from what Lin Wan had imagined. Rumor had it that he was extremely greedy for money. Lin Wan had previously learned that Steward Zhao had offered three times the market rate for the doctor’s services. As long as the doctor agreed to treat Bai Yin domestically, whether the treatment succeeded or not, Steward Zhao would not shortchange him.

Frantically, Lin Wan tried to persuade the doctor, but he remained unmoved.

The doctor, who seemed to be on vacation again, was planning to travel to another country.

He intended to take a cruise ship.

Though the doctor had been avoiding Lin Wan the day before, that day he approached her proactively and asked.

“I have an extra ticket I won in a raffle. Would you like to come with me?”

“If you’re willing to accompany me on this trip, I might consider seeing Bai Yin.”

The doctor’s face was full of smiles, a stark contrast to his previous evasiveness.

As Lin Wan met the doctor’s smiling eyes, for a moment, she even wondered if she had encountered a human trafficker. If not for his renowned reputation.
After some thought, she gritted her teeth and agreed, secretly bringing along a few self-defense tools.

The cruise ship was more luxurious than Lin Wan had imagined.

The doctor said he had won a deluxe suite on the ship.

Lin Wan’s room was extremely lavish and comfortable, with a spacious layout and an expansive view.

She boarded the ship in the evening.

By the time she finished unpacking and left her room for dinner, it was already dark, and a party was underway on the ship.

The doctor had disappeared somewhere. Lin Wan searched for him for a long time without success, so she eventually sat down, planning to grab a bite at the party before returning to her room.

It was a masquerade party, and everyone wore masks. Lin Wan was given one when she entered.

The ball was filled with an array of lavish food. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, Lin Wan stood out starkly among the crowd adorned in glamorous attire.

Her mask, made of feathers, covered her entire face. Finding it cumbersome while eating, she simply pushed it to the side.

The cruise ship was luxurious, and the food was delicious.

Lin Wan focused on enjoying the banquet’s offerings while wondering if Bai Yin would like the taste.

She had no idea how Bai Yin was doing now.

At the thought of Bai Yin, a bittersweet feeling surged in her heart.

If Bai Yin recovered her confidence with the doctor’s help and could go out again, given her beauty and talent, many would surely admire her. Perhaps Bai Yin would even find a lifelong partner.

Lin Wan took a deep breath and lowered her gaze: After bringing the doctor back, she needed to quickly rein in her emotions.

From then on, she would dutifully stay by Bai Yin’s side as a good sister, without revealing the slightest hint of her true feelings.

Thinking this, the food in her mouth suddenly tasted bitter.

Sitting alone in the corner, her slender back resembled a delicate little white flower, evoking a sense of pity.

Lin Wan didn’t know why, but ever since boarding the ship, she felt as though someone was watching her from the shadows, leaving her unsettled.

As she sat there, people kept approaching to strike up conversations, but Lin Wan politely declined each one.

In her heart, love was an exceedingly rare emotion not something to be pursued just because someone seemed suitable or appealing. It required perfect compatibility and a stroke of luck.

Even if she couldn’t be with Bai Yin, she had no intention of casually starting a relationship with anyone else.

Lin Wan listlessly finished the last dessert on her plate and was about to leave when someone abruptly blocked her path.

It was a stunning woman.

The woman wore a metallic mask covering the upper half of her face and a provocative black mini dress, her figure impossibly perfect. A true enchantress.

From the moment she appeared, the woman had drawn attention, with many attempting to chat her up. But she remained at the bar, drinking alone, ignoring all advances. Whenever someone tried to get close, her two tall foreign bodyguards would promptly escort them away.

The woman stopped in front of Lin Wan, leaned down slightly, and provocatively lifted Lin Wan’s chin with her finger.

“Miss, care to dance?”

The woman spoke fluent foreign language. Initially, Lin Wan had assumed based on the woman’s hair and skin tone that they were from the same country, but hearing her flawless accent, Lin Wan suddenly felt uncertain.

As the woman bent over, from Lin Wan’s angle, she could clearly see the curves of certain areas.

Lin Wan’s eyelids twitched, and she quickly averted her gaze, shaking her head as she looked down. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Lin Wan turned to leave, but the woman seemed unwilling to let go. She grabbed Lin Wan’s wrist, wrapped an arm around her neck, and actually sat on her lap!

Lin Wan felt utterly flustered!

Instinctively, she tried to push the woman away, but when she looked up and saw the lower half of the woman’s face, she froze for a moment.

From this angle, the lower half of the woman’s face looked strikingly similar to Bai Yin, about eighty percent alike!

However, Bai Yin’s demeanor was gentle and mild, while this woman carried an undisguised sharpness and assertiveness, making her style completely different from Bai Yin’s.

Besides, how could this woman, who flirted so casually, even compare to Bai Yin?

Lin Wan steadied herself and pushed the woman, but she didn’t budge. Just as Lin Wan was about to push again, the woman leaned close to her ear and let out a seductive, low laugh: “If you push again, I might accidentally expose myself.”

Lin Wan’s hand froze, and she immediately stopped. She couldn’t help but glance at the woman’s skirt and noticed that it had already ridden up to mid-thigh, revealing a beautiful rose tattoo.

The position of this rose seemed to match the location of Bai Yin’s leg scar.

Perhaps, once Bai Yin recovered, she could also use a design to cover the scar.

But Bai Yin was so delicate. She’d definitely be afraid of the pain from a tattoo. Maybe it would be better to buy some temporary tattoo stickers for her instead.

Lost in her thoughts, Lin Wan didn’t notice the woman leaning even closer, pressing her forehead against Lin Wan’s as if tempting her, and giggling softly: “Do my legs look good?”

From an angle only Lin Wan could see, she lifted her skirt a little higher.

The woman’s beautiful eyes seemed to enchant Lin Wan as she gently took one of Lin Wan’s hands, her tone alluring: “If you want, you can not only look, you can also touch.”

“You—”

“I have no such thoughts!”

Lin Wan’s face flushed with anger at this persistent woman. She pushed away the hand that was caressing her cheek and glared sternly at the woman: “What will it take for you to leave me alone?”

“How about you dance one dance with me?”

The woman, however, seemed completely oblivious to Lin Wan’s rejection. She nibbled on Lin Wan’s earlobe and spoke in a husky voice.

The woman was so close that Lin Wan could smell her perfume. A completely unfamiliar scent, yet for some reason, it felt strangely familiar.

“Do you… do you have to be so persistent?”

Lin Wan felt utterly overwhelmed.

Her body stiff, she spoke through gritted teeth. For someone usually as mild-tempered as her, this was already an extremely harsh accusation.

Yet the woman didn’t seem to care at all about Lin Wan’s words. Holding her close, she chuckled softly: “I used to care too much about pride, which is why the girl I liked ran away. I’ve come to realize that sometimes, you just can’t afford to be soft-hearted.”

Her tone was melancholic as she tilted her head to look at Lin Wan.

From this angle, she resembled Bai Yin again.

Lin Wan swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down her spine and an inexplicable sense of guilt creeping in.

She glared at the woman, who calmly tilted her head and stared back without moving.

Lin Wan was the first to lower her gaze.

Stalemating like this wasn’t going to solve anything. Lin Wan was completely at a loss with this woman.

“Just one dance. After that, you have to stop bothering me.”

Lin Wan lowered her voice, speaking indignantly, and ultimately chose to compromise.

The woman let out another soft laugh.

This laugh, however, sounded somewhat odd. Not exactly happy, but rather carrying a hint of gritted-teeth resentment.

“You agreed awfully quickly.”

Lin Wan widened her eyes in disbelief: Wasn’t she the one who pressured me into agreeing? Why does she look like someone just stole her home?

She had never encountered such a bizarre woman before!

Just as Lin Wan was about to demand an explanation, the woman slid off her lap, wrapped her arms around Lin Wan’s waist, and half-pushed, half-guided her into the center of the dance floor.

Lin Wan’s unspoken questions were stifled in her throat, leaving her no choice but to follow the woman’s lead in the dance.

Lin Wan was not a skilled dancer. Intent on teaching the woman a lesson, she deliberately tried to step on her feet while dancing. Yet the woman moved with remarkable agility, swaying effortlessly to the music. Not only did she evade Lin Wan’s attempts, but she also led Lin Wan to become the center of attention in the room.

The longer she watched, the more the woman’s figure seemed to resemble Bai Yin; slender, graceful, and flawless.

Lin Wan couldn’t help but imagine. If Bai Yin’s legs were healed, would she dance as exquisitely as this woman?

She had heard that Bai Yin had learned to dance from a young age.

Distracted by her thoughts, Lin Wan danced absentmindedly, oblivious to the whispers around her.

At some point, the music suddenly stopped.

Most people around them ceased dancing, and some even left the dance floor, leaving only Lin Wan and the woman still moving.

Nearly everyone turned their gaze toward the pair.

“Who are you thinking about?”

The woman seemed unfazed by the onlookers’ stares as she leaned in close to ask.

Lin Wan pressed her lips together and did not respond.

She had no intention of engaging with this strange woman and feared being entangled further, so she dared not reveal any more information.

While Lin Wan might have been bold enough to step on the woman in private, under the scrutiny of so many eyes, she felt constrained and hesitant.

“The dance is over!”

Lin Wan looked up and spotted the doctor among the crowd, watching the scene with amusement. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly addressed the woman, “My boyfriend is here. I need to go back with him.”

The woman’s eyes darkened.

Just as Lin Wan was about to push the woman away, a new, frantic piece of music suddenly blared through the speakers. Its rhythm urgent and chaotic, entirely different from before.

And then, most of the people who had been standing idly by embraced their partners and began kissing.

Lin Wan’s eyes widened in shock!

The woman beside her, observing her reaction, let out another low, soft laugh.

“Didn’t you know?”

The woman’s voice was now tinged with a husky quality.

“This is the cruise ship’s mixer. If both parties are interested, they stay together after the music ends.”

Hearing the woman’s husky, desire-laden tone, Lin Wan sensed danger and took a step back, trying to escape. But it was already too late.

The woman wrapped her arms around Lin Wan’s waist, pressing her suggestively against the corner of the wall. For a moment, Lin Wan found herself unable to break free.

“How dare you!”

Lin Wan’s face flushed red. “I don’t know what kind of ridiculous rule this is, but if you dare kiss me, it’s harassment. I’ll call the police.”

“I wouldn’t have dared before, but now…”

The woman’s gaze toward Lin Wan was unmistakably filled with pity.

“Dear lady,” she interrupted softly, “perhaps you’re unaware, but we’re in international waters now. There are no surveillance cameras here.”

“Besides, do you even know who I am? Even if you report this to the police, by the time they board the ship, if I disembark midway, how would you ever find me.”

It was then that Lin Wan realized the hidden dangers lurking aboard this seemingly ordinary ship.

What frightened her even more was the look in the woman’s eyes. It was utterly terrifying, as if she were about to devour Lin Wan in the next moment.

Lin Wan had no idea why this terrifying woman had taken an interest in her, but right now, the most important thing was to escape from her!

The more critical the situation, the calmer Lin Wan’s mind became.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Wan prepared to break free from the woman’s grasp and slip past her, but the cunning woman anticipated her move.

The woman lowered her body, and Lin Wan, trying to flee, ended up colliding right into her embrace.

“So eager, are we?”

Lin Wan tried to pull back, but the woman behind her wasn’t about to let her go so easily. She tilted her head slightly and said, “If you give me a kiss, I’ll let you go.”

How could Lin Wan agree?

She took another deep breath, gathering her strength to force her way out, but the woman seemed to know exactly where her weakness lay. Just as Lin Wan was about to make her move, the woman reached out and lightly tickled her waist.

A shiver ran down Lin Wan’s spine, and all the strength in her body dissipated like air from a punctured balloon.

How did this woman know she was ticklish?

Lin Wan widened her eyes, staring in terror as the woman drew closer.

At the moment the woman approached her cheek, even though Lin Wan knew it was just a kiss. Nothing too serious, and if it came to it, she could just pretend she’d been bitten by a dog.

Despite thinking this, tears still welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.

“Scared to tears?”

To her surprise, the woman, whose face was now just inches from hers and whose eyes were filled with desire, suddenly stopped.

She looked at Lin Wan with an unreadable expression, pressed her forehead against Lin Wan’s, gritted her teeth, and after a series of shifting emotions in her eyes, finally spoke with a hint of exasperation.

“Now you’re scared?”

Lin Wan watched the woman’s expression cautiously. The woman pursed her lips, wiped the tears from Lin Wan’s face, but didn’t go any further.

Could it be that this scoundrel of a woman was moved by tears?

Lin Wan immediately felt a surge of determination and decided to test this method.

Thinking of all the anxiety she’d been carrying lately, her tears flowed even more freely, and her emotions surged.

“I live in constant fear every day. Am I not even allowed to cry?”

“If I slip up even a little, the person I love most could be killed by them. Do you have any idea how much pressure I’m under?”

“Even when I fled abroad, there was no peace.”

The woman seemed taken aback by how heartbroken Lin Wan appeared. Clearly flustered, the predatory desire in her eyes completely faded. She blinked and, when she looked at Lin Wan again, a faint smile suddenly appeared in her gaze.

She cleared her throat twice before speaking softly.

“Perhaps the person you love isn’t as fragile as you think. She can protect herself.”

“What do you know!”

Lin Wan’s tears fell even harder. “She’s so kind and delicate! How could she possibly stand up to those people? With those desperate criminals around, how could she ever find peace? I wish she were more shrewd.”

“Are you really that afraid of them?”

The woman gazed deeply into Lin Wan’s tear-filled eyes and patted her shoulder as if to comfort her. “Actually, they’re really nothing to be afraid of.”

“Of course, they’re nothing to you!”

After all, this woman was nothing but a scoundrel who harassed others. She probably had never known the meaning of fear in her life.

Lin Wan didn’t want to waste any more words on this scoundrel.

Seeing the desire in the woman’s eyes seemed to have faded, Lin Wan seized the opportunity to push her away.

Sure enough, the woman hesitated for a moment and did not stop her again.

Lin Wan breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and strode away from the woman.

Only after running far from the dance floor did Lin Wan dare to look back.

On the dance floor, the woman raised her head, still staring in the direction she had left.

From such a distance, Lin Wan couldn’t make out the expression in her eyes.

Lin Wan didn’t dare to look any longer and hurriedly left the floor. She circled the deck to make sure no one was following her before finally relaxing and returning to her room.

Even after returning to her room, she wasn’t fully at ease. She blocked the door with some items before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

However, not long after she returned to her room, there was a knock at the door. Lin Wan was startled, and even when she heard the doctor’s voice outside, she remained on guard.

“I heard you were frightened on the dance floor. I brought you some food.”

The doctor seemed to sense Lin Wan’s fear and didn’t ask to enter the room. When Lin Wan didn’t respond, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I’ll leave the food by the door. You can take it in later.”

With that, the doctor set the items down and left the doorway.

Lin Wan did not go out.

She had indeed been frightened earlier, but the woman hadn’t kissed her. After crying and venting her frustrations, Lin Wan actually felt a bit better.

However, after the woman’s words, Lin Wan suddenly realized how reckless she had been. Running around alone outside was indeed a bit dangerous.

Whether the doctor would agree to treat Bai Yin after disembarking or not, Lin Wan decided to return to her home country immediately after getting off the ship.

For the remaining days on the ship, Lin Wan resolved to keep a low profile, going out as little as possible to avoid encountering that woman again. After all, that day, for the sake of eating more easily, Lin Wan had removed her mask, and the woman had already seen her face. Yet, from start to finish, the woman had kept half of her own face covered.

The woman was in the shadows, and Lin Wan could only stay vigilant to avoid being discovered by her again.

Lin Wan had an instinctive feeling that if they met again, the woman would not let her go.

For some reason, Lin Wan felt like a startled bird, constantly feeling as if someone was watching her whenever she went out, and even while sleeping, she vaguely sensed someone observing her.

The ship ticket included meals.

For the next two days, to avoid encounters, Lin Wan initially asked the crew to deliver food to her room, but the tips were simply too high for her to afford. In the end, she decided to time her visits, going to the dining hall only at the very end of meal times.

That evening, the dining hall’s offerings were unusually lavish.

When Lin Wan arrived, there was still plenty of food left, including the vegetable soup she particularly liked and had only tried once before.

Overjoyed, Lin Wan drank two extra bowls. That night, after returning to her room, she slept deeply for the first time in a long while.

She even dreamed of Bai Yin, whom she hadn’t seen for days.

In the dream, Bai Yin was angry that she had been away for so long and kept sulking. Anxious, Lin Wan could only hold onto the dream version of Bai Yin, repeatedly calling “Yin Yin” in an attempt to explain.

As she called out, a voice that sounded familiar to Lin Wan, one that belonged to Bai Yin, seemed to come from beside her.

“I’m here!”

When Lin Wan called out for Yin Yin once more, someone answered her.

Lin Wan opened her eyes groggily and saw Bai Yin’s scumbag father Bai Jian and stepmother Li Pei kneeling before her, trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Wan closed her eyes again.

Must have woken up too abruptly, already starting to see villains repenting. Better sleep a little longer.

“Wanwan, were you trying to flee abroad because you were afraid of them?”

As Lin Wan closed her eyes, a voice she knew all too well came from behind her.

Bai Yin’s soft red lips brushed near, her voice low and husky as she reached from behind to embrace her, gently kissing Lin Wan’s wide, disbelieving eyes and trembling lashes.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I can ruin their reputation anytime I want. ”