The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 54

Lin Wan woke up shortly after.

She glanced at Sheng Qian somewhat sheepishly and said softly, “Qianqian, I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at washing hair. It was so soothing that I actually dozed off. ”

Sheng Qian loved hearing compliments. This was something Lin Wan had learned from spending time with her recently.

Lin Wan had thought that after Sheng Qian finished washing her hair and she praised her a few times, Sheng Qian would let go of her anger and the matter would be over.

But to her surprise, Sheng Qian stared at her coldly, pursed her lips, and didn’t respond at all.

“Qianqian?”

Lin Wan blinked in confusion and reached out to hold Sheng Qian’s hand.

“Sister, I’m fine.”

Sheng Qian glanced at her, as if just snapping out of it, and smiled at Lin Wan. “I was just wondering.”

She picked up a cloth towel and began drying Lin Wan’s damp hair, casually asking with a hint of curiosity, “While you were asleep, you kept murmuring a name ‘Bai Yin.’ Was that a childhood friend of yours?”

“Did I?” Lin Wan widened her eyes slightly, trying to recall, but she couldn’t think of anyone named “Bai Yin” among the people she knew.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Wan felt that Sheng Qian wouldn’t lie about such a thing, so she assumed Sheng Qian must have misheard. She asked quietly, “Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”

“I don’t know anyone named Bai Yin,” Lin Wan said, scratching her head apologetically. “When I was little, I did raise a pure white eagle. Its feathers were snow-white and extremely rare. But it was too wild. I couldn’t tame it, so I released it after about half a year.”

Lin Wan’s expression was utterly sincere, and she didn’t seem to be lying.

Sheng Qian stared intently at Lin Wan, blinked, and then smiled softly. “So that’s how it is!”

Finally seeming to be appeased, she wore the familiar smile Lin Wan knew and leaned in closer, meticulously drying Lin Wan’s hair.

“Not angry anymore?” Lin Wan teased, giving her a sidelong glance.

Sheng Qian pursed her lips, looking a bit embarrassed, but answered honestly with an “Mm.” She added earnestly, “I don’t want Sister to be close to anyone else.”

Lin Wan chuckled inwardly and gently tapped Sheng Qian’s delicate nose. “I understand. From now on, I’ll only be the very best with Qianqian!”

She had meant it as a joke, but Sheng Qian responded with a serious “Mm” and nodded. “As long as Sister doesn’t betray me, I’ll only be close to you from now on.”

Sheng Qian’s words sounded somewhat childish, yet they were spoken with genuine sincerity. Lin Wan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, feeling even more affection for Sheng Qian.

It was because she lacked a sense of security that Sheng Qian clung to her so tightly.

And in a way, it was Lin Wan’s fault. She had been so focused on protecting Sheng Qian and keeping her safe under her wing that she hadn’t considered helping her build a stronger inner world.

How could Sheng Qian only be close to her? She was such a bright and remarkable girl.

“Qianqian, I know you care about me.”

Lin Wan looked at Sheng Qian seriously, choosing her words carefully as she resolved to correct Sheng Qian’s mindset. “But the world is vast, and there are so many outstanding people out there. I hope you’ll meet more people you’d like to get to know in the future.”

“My Qianqian is so exceptional! She deserves to be loved by many more people.”

However, Sheng Qian, who was usually clever, seemed not to grasp Lin Wan’s meaning this time. She frowned slightly and said, “But I only wish to stay by my sister’s side and go nowhere else.”

In Lin Wan’s era, gender equality had long been achieved, which was why she deeply disagreed with certain notions of this time. A girl’s horizons should not be confined solely to the people and matters around her. Perhaps after experiencing the world, some women might still choose to return to domestic life, but that should be a decision made after having options and understanding the vastness of the world. If one remains blindfolded and ignorant, with no real choices, then such so-called willingness is nothing but a joke.

Yet Lin Wan did not argue with Sheng Qian, knowing her ideas were far too advanced for this era. She wasn’t sure whether this would be good or bad for Sheng Qian, but she felt compelled to take her out to see the world. They couldn’t remain stagnant just because of unknown dangers.

–

Lin Wan was always one to act on her decisions.

Soon after, Qingqing knocked on the door to remind Lin Wan that it was time for the meal. As she ate, Lin Wan gazed at Sheng Qian thoughtfully and quickly formulated a plan. Her escort agency had already been established and had surpassed many others in scale. While her initial purpose in starting the agency was to protect the Lin family in the future, Lin Wan now felt more responsibilities. The world was growing increasingly chaotic, and for many of the agency’s escorts, it was a crucial means of supporting their families. To ensure a better life for the hundred or so people under her care, Lin Wan had to work even harder.

She didn’t have dedicated time to teach Sheng Qian, and Sheng Qian, being strong-willed, might not heed her lectures anyway. It would be better to take Sheng Qian along on her outings, allowing her to gradually meet more people through subtle influence.

Having made this decision, an opportunity soon arose. There was a business matter to discuss in the suburbs, so Lin Wan decided to take Sheng Qian out of the city that afternoon. Their destination was the residence of Squire Jiang outside the city. Before retiring, Squire Jiang had served as a vice minister in the court and still had many connections in official circles.

Squire Jiang, being elderly and fond of quiet, had purchased an estate outside the city. However, in recent years, as the number of refugees increased, his home had been burglarized several times. Unable to bear the disturbances any longer, he decided to move back into the city. He had a large amount of belongings to transport, and although the suburbs were not far from the city, the roads were teeming with refugees. Fearing that his possessions might be compromised, Squire Jiang hired an escort agency for protection.

However, since Lin Wan’s agency had only emerged in the past two years, Squire Jiang still had some reservations. He requested to meet the agency’s owner in person.

After disguising themselves and removing all hairpins and jewelry, Lin Wan and Sheng Qian boarded an inconspicuous carriage and, escorted by five guards, left the city for the suburbs.

A little over a year ago, Lin Wan had stayed at a manor in the outskirts. During her travels back then, although there were refugees, they had not gathered in large numbers. But the scene now was entirely different.

Countless refugees had gathered in the suburbs, their eyes gleaming with a hungry green light at the sight of anyone emerging. From a distance, the refugees seemed endless, and cries of despair echoed everywhere.

“They all believed that reaching the capital would improve their situation, as this is the fabled, most prosperous city in the land.”

“Who knew the capital couldn’t accommodate so many people? The authorities simply won’t allow refugees to enter the city.”

Even with prior expectations, Lin Wan froze momentarily at this sight. It took her a long while to process everything before she turned to whisper an explanation to Sheng Qian.

Sheng Qian seemed lost in thought perhaps stunned into silence. Her gaze remained utterly calm, betraying no emotion.

Lin Wan’s group had deliberately chosen old, lean horses and disguised both herself and Sheng Qian as men, selecting the burliest guards from the escort agency to accompany them.

Yet even so, as they left the city, several ragged refugees trailing families clung to their heels, pleading incessantly.

“Kind sirs, have mercy! Spare some food.”

Lin Wan’s eyes fell on the emaciated child cradled in one refugee’s arms, its cries as feeble as a kitten’s mewl.

She shut her eyes, unable to bear the sight, suppressing her soft-heartedness as she murmured low, “We have no food either. Half a li east, in about an hour, the Lin Family Escort Agency will be distributing porridge. You’d better go secure a good spot in line. ”

The refugees followed them for a while longer, but seeing Lin Wan remain unmoved, they eventually retreated resentfully back into the refugee crowd.

“Last month, Miss Wang went for a spring outing outside the city. She had a kind heart and gave her pastries to some refugees. But when they saw she was wealthy, they swarmed and kidnapped her. By the time her family found her.” Lin Wan watched the refugees’ retreating figures, her lips pressed tight as she quietly explained to Sheng Qian.

“Sister,” Sheng Qian sighed softly, having witnessed it all, and interrupted Lin Wan, “Sister must never become the second Miss Wang.”

Sheng Qian understood Lin Wan better than Lin Wan had imagined, and remained far calmer than expected. Instead, it was Lin Wan who struggled to control her emotions, becoming the one in need of comfort.

“Sister needn’t blame yourself. That child has his own fate. You might save one, but you can’t save them all, and you might even sacrifice yourself in the process.”

“In these chaotic times, all living beings suffer. That these refugees have fallen to such straits has nothing to do with you.”

Lin Wan pressed her lips together.

Both she and Sheng Qian knew well where the root cause of this chaos truly lay.

But knowing was one thing, the image of that dying child kept surfacing before her eyes.

“I’ll instruct the escort agency,” Lin Wan closed her eyes briefly, “from now on, refugee families with children will receive an extra half portion of porridge.”

“Sister has always been kind-hearted.”

Sheng Qian responded with a gentle smile, her dark eyes swirling as she gazed at Lin Wan.

“In the future, I’ll become stronger. I’ll protect you, Sister, so you can do everything you wish to do.”

“How could I let you protect me?”

Touched by Sheng Qian’s sentiment, Lin Wan chuckled with a sigh. “I’m so much older than you. If anyone should be protecting someone, it should be me protecting you.”

Sheng Qian smiled at Lin Wan but said nothing more.

Soon after, the two arrived at Squire Jiang’s residence.

No wonder Squire Jiang wanted to relocate. His mansion had clearly endured multiple waves of refugee intrusions. Even the imposing main gate now stood battered and broken.

“You have no idea. These refugees have started breaking into homes to steal. I feel like they’re capable of anything. Soon enough, they’ll probably begin looting and pillaging.”

Seeing Lin Wan’s sincere approach, Squire Jiang didn’t hesitate either, promptly signing the contract.

He kept sighing deeply in front of Lin Wan: “This world is about to descend into chaos.”

Lin Wan followed behind Squire Jiang, echoing his words while meticulously recording the items he needed to move out, all the while planning the personnel arrangements in her mind.

Before nightfall, Lin Wan finally verified everything and returned to the city.

On the way back, Lin Wan saw several people carrying corpses into the nearby mountains.

Worried that Sheng Qian might be frightened, Lin Wan observed her expression throughout the journey. Sheng Qian remained as composed as ever, showing no signs of distress.

Lin Wan felt relieved.

Little did she expect that after returning home, finishing her wash-up, and preparing to go to bed, there would be a noise at the door. Sheng Qian appeared at Lin Wan’s doorway, clutching a pillow.

“Sister, whenever I think about what I saw today, I feel so scared.”

“Sister,” she gazed pitifully at Lin Wan and spoke softly, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”