The Female Lead of the Abusive Novel Can Hear My Heart's Voice - Chapter 11

At night, the garbage truck passed by with a thunderous rumble. Xia Mucai felt like she was being crushed into a pile of foul smelling junk, unable to breathe.

In her dream, she was being manipulated at will, just like when she was still in her original form. People even commented on her luster, asking if she could truly bring fortune.

No matter how she tried to sleep, she couldn’t rest peacefully. Tossing and turning, beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

“Qiang-ge, there’s a box here. You said this villa area is full of rich people do you think there might be jewelry inside?”
The intern, picking up a wooden box, hopped into the passenger seat of the garbage truck and showed it to the driver, shaking it near his ear but hearing nothing useful.

“Please. Rich people are stingier than us poor folk,” the driver scoffed, frowning at the box. “You’d have better luck digging through trash bins on Valentine’s Day or Qixi Festival for discarded couple gifts.”

The driver glanced at the box disdainfully.

“If you picked up a box a rich person threw away, and it’s cursed by some master they hired, you’d be screwed.”

The intern didn’t take it seriously and asked, “What kind of curse?”

The driver Qiang-ge stepped on the gas, slowly driving through the dimly lit villa area under streetlamps, clearly trying to spook the naïve rookie.

“I heard from a coworker that someone once found a wooden box discarded by a rich person, thinking it held gold and jewels. But it actually contained a doll from Thailand. That doll absorbs a person’s fortune to nourish its owner.”

The intern clutched the box tighter. The elegant wood grain seemed to symbolize something beautiful not anything horrifying.

Darkness tends to intensify fear. They say never to speak of people during the day, and never of ghosts at night.

Qiang-ge added, “You ever wonder how the rich got so rich? It’s all from using things like this to harm others.”

Suddenly, a stray cat darted out into the road. The man slammed the brakes, and the car’s momentum nearly launched both of them through the windshield.

Luckily, they had fastened their seatbelts something they rarely did. Tonight, however, they had done it instinctively.

Cold sweat streamed down their faces, hearts thumping wildly.

The intern, now forced to believe, stammered, “Q-Qiang-ge… we’ve been cursed.”

He stared blankly at the cat illuminated by the headlights, as though he’d lost his soul.

“Stop talking nonsense. I was just messing with you,” Qiang-ge scolded. “That box definitely has treasure. You hold onto it tight lose it and someone else will profit.”

He gave the intern’s head a smack.

The intern snapped out of it and quickly shoved the box at Qiang-ge. “Then here! You take it. I’m quitting this job. Consider this my parting gift for how well you treated me.”

“What?” Qiang-ge immediately backed away. He now believed it really was cursed and wanted no part of it. “Are you trying to kill me?! If anyone’s dying tonight, I’m dragging you down with me!”

As the sky began to brighten, Xia Mucai finally awoke from her nightmare. Her ears caught the anxious, worried voice of Xia Chi, calling her name over and over.

“Xia Mucai, Xia Mucai, wake up!”

She opened her eyes and saw a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes staring at her. She stared blankly for a moment and noticed a small mole on the bridge of the person’s delicate nose right there.

Her hand, beyond her control, reached out to touch it, but then

“Sister, you’re awake!”

The words shocked her into full consciousness.

She screamed and rolled to the edge of the bed, colliding with the wall and bumping her forehead.

Clutching her head, she pointed at Xia Chi in alarm. “You you why were you so close to me?!”

Xia Chi raised her hands in surrender. “You looked like you were having a nightmare, so I was trying to wake you.”

Seeing Xia Chi’s serious expression, and knowing she had indeed had a nightmare, Xia Mucai reluctantly believed her.

“Fine.”

Her voice was hoarse from just waking up. She lowered her hand and warned, “Don’t do that again next time. I’ll wake up on my own.”

“Okay, okay.” Xia Chi promised readily, raising four fingers in a vow. “I swear, I won’t do it again.”

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed Xia Mucai clearly didn’t want her getting too close.

Xia Mucai let out a quiet sigh. As a cat, her territory absolutely could not be violated.

Xia Chi had crossed a line this time. Although she didn’t explode in rage like the first time, she also hadn’t fully accepted Xia Chi into her space.

This was a space no one was allowed into. The fact that she had made an exception was already unthinkable.

So Xia Chi should feel lucky.

Xia Mucai tried to calm her racing heart, mentally reviewing what had just happened.
“I’m becoming so strange. The moment I see Xia Chi’s face, I can’t look away. My mind goes totally blank.”

“Want me to make you some fish cakes?”

The sudden question snapped her out of her thoughts.

The train of reasoning she’d almost reached the answer that was just about to surface was immediately replaced by the mental image of fish cakes from Xia Chi’s mouth.

Without thinking, she shot her hand up like a kindergartener and shouted, face beaming with joy, “Yes!”

Xia Chi laughed softly and ruffled her head, like a gentle teacher. “Okay.”

Realizing how childish she looked, Xia Mucai’s face turned beet red. She ducked away from Xia Chi’s hand.

She acted cool and casual, hiding her embarrassment well.

Sitting down at the vanity, she propped her chin on her hand and muttered quietly, “If you keep this up, Xia Chi, you’re going to spoil my taste buds.”

Though the room was big, it was quiet with just the two of them. Xia Chi clearly heard the grumble.

She chuckled to herself, rubbing the hand that had just touched Xia Mucai’s head, relishing the lingering warmth.

Walking over, she picked up a cushion brush and gently combed Xia Mucai’s long black hair.

“Then… how about I make you food every day from now on?”

Her face still red, Xia Mucai felt a jolt like a spark of electricity the moment Xia Chi’s fingers touched her.

Her cheeks flushed again.

The heat burned her brain, turning her thoughts into mush. She even found herself thinking:
“If you really cooked for me every day, I’d marry you.”

What nonsense! She scolded herself.
The female lead was destined for the male lead. She was just the “evil supporting character” what was she even thinking?

She grabbed the remote on the vanity and turned on the air conditioner, setting the temperature as low as it would go.

It was summer after all, so no one would question her using the AC.

She was truly jealous of the male lead for having such a capable, caring female lead. Trying to cool down her face, she grumbled sourly,

“Sure, you work yourself to death. No one’s stopping you.”

The words had an unintended bitterness, which she didn’t notice at first.

But as soon as she realized how her tone sounded, she panicked and tried to explain.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that…”

Little did she know, Xia Chi’s heart was already bursting with joy, her thoughts running wild “So Xia Mucai does think we’re a good match. She’s even thinking about marrying me!”

If Xia Mucai really did want to marry her, then she’d need enough money and power to give her a sense of security.

She imagined their wedding day Xia Mucai in a beautiful gown…

Giggling to herself, she couldn’t hide her goofy smile. Her voice bright and full of energy, she replied, “It’s okay.”

Shock. Absolute shock.

Xia Mucai glanced up suspiciously at Xia Chi, still brushing her hair.
Why did she seem… excited?

Had her words really affected her that much?

Was she crazy?

I must never say something like that again. Ever.

“I’m going downstairs to make breakfast. Come down and eat,” Xia Chi said.

Xia Mucai nodded with her head hung low, “Mm-hmm.”

Her little head drooped, looking pitiful.

Soon after, the bedroom door slammed shut. The world went quiet. Only the ticking of the wall clock filled the silence.

Suddenly, she noticed a bird outside the window grooming its feathers, as if it were bathing. That reminded her of the lucky cat she’d kept in the wooden box.

The sun was so warm today it would be a good time to take it out and let it bask.

Thinking this, she sprang into action. She ran to the vanity, then dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed to reach for the wooden box.

She groped around but found… nothing. Not even dust.

A bad feeling crept up her spine. She slid all the way under the bed. It was dark, but she could still make out shapes.

Nothing. Not even the lucky cat.
Spotless.

Like…

Like someone had cleaned it out.

Xia Mucai scrambled out from under the bed. She was about to brush off the dust on her pants, only to find there was no dust to brush.

Wearing flip-flops, she clattered down the stairs like something was chasing her.

Before she even reached the bottom, she shouted, “Mom!”

When in doubt, call Mom. A habit she’d picked up living here.

Her adoptive mother smiled kindly, “What is it, Cai Cai?”

Panting, Xia Mucai finally reached her, asking breathlessly, “Mom, did anyone go into my room yesterday?”

Her mother shook her head and gently patted her back to calm her breathing.

“No one went in. Didn’t you tell us not to enter? I reminded the cleaning staff not to go in either.”

This was weird. Then how did her original body suddenly vanish?

While she was still confused, her adoptive mother added,
“I noticed your room hadn’t been cleaned in a while, so I went in myself yesterday to tidy up a bit. I cleared out some toys you don’t play with anymore.”

“WHAT!?”

Xia Mucai’s eyes widened in disbelief. She wanted to grab the rich lady by the neck.

Her fury was like a volcano about to erupt plumes of smoke already rising.

“I told you not to go in my room!!!” she shouted, slapping away the hand trying to soothe her.

“But… but I’m your mother…” the woman feigned innocence, like a delicate white flower.

In truth, she was more like a carnivorous plant.

Knowing there was no point arguing, Xia Mucai stopped looking at her altogether.

“Don’t ever go into my room again. I’m leaving. Eat breakfast yourselves.”

“Cai Cai…”

In her heart, Xia Mucai thought
If only her mother’s care had been split in half and given to Xia Chi, then Xia Chi wouldn’t have suffered so much.

But her own rage was real. If her original body was destroyed, it could damage her or even kill her.

She stormed off, leaving her adoptive mother sobbing at the dining table.

Xia Chi, who had just emerged from the kitchen, was confused. She saw Xia Mucai storm out and immediately lost her appetite.

She set the ladle down, removed her apron, and calmly wiped her hands with a dishcloth.

Her movements were always smooth and graceful.

“Mom, I’ll go bring Cai Cai back.”

Through her tears, the woman nodded, covering her face and sobbing, “Okay, please bring her back…”