The Mad Beauty and the Sick Young Lady [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 41.1

By the time the entire statement process was finished, it was already bright outside. Su Li still needed to visit Guan Jingxian in the hospital. Apparently, a piece of glass had lodged in one of Guan Jingxian’s nerves, requiring a small surgery, and she would need to stay for two days for observation afterward.

Jiang Zhuoye had her manager and driver come to pick her up. Su Li had Li Zhenzhen, who had heard the news, arrive with her driver, practically carrying Su Li out of the police station with extreme caution.

Jiang Zhuoye said goodbye to Su Li before leaving. Su Li just smiled faintly and casually waved her hand.

Although Jiang Zhuoye had risked everything, running from the first floor to the second, grabbing a fire extinguisher to smash the door and rescue her, Su Li wouldn’t instantly become overly affectionate with her because of it.

At most, she would treat her as a lifesaver and thank her profusely, but she couldn’t return to the status of a close friend immediately. Moreover, Su Li felt incredibly complex emotions right now and wasn’t really keen on becoming close friends again.

Jiang Zhuoye wasn’t the female lead of the original book the innocent and kind Korean drama heroine Jiang Zhuoye. Instead, she was a woman who had been burned to death and came from another world!

Su Li found it completely unbelievable, yet she had to believe it. Her brain quickly connected all the information, clearly indicating that this was the truth. Even if it was fantastical, it was the only truth!

Su Li visited Guan Jingxian, returned home, and slept under the covers until the afternoon.

She had many messages on her phone. Opening it, she saw inquiries about the situation from various friends, including the not very close Chen Anji, who was repeatedly asking if Jiang Zhuoye was also at the fire scene.

Su Li opened Weibo, and sure enough, #JiangZhuoyeSavesPersonInFire had exploded to the top of the trending list.

The content in the hot search was surveillance footage released by a marketing account. Su Li clicked to watch: through heavy flames, Jiang Zhuoye came up the stairs with a fire extinguisher, aggressively clearing a path. She stopped at a door, yelled something, and then lifted the iron canister of the fire extinguisher to start smashing the door. After a while, she broke the wooden door, rushed in, and soon after, emerged carrying a girl. Though her steps were shaky, her upper body was steady as she carried the girl and rushed off-screen.

Netizens were stunned by the comments. Who had ever seen an Omega this powerful? Able to bravely enter a burning building to save someone and even carry a girl in a princess carry? She was too strong!

Some netizens immediately began to doubt Jiang Zhuoye’s true gender:

“Is this girl an Alpha? Even an ordinary Alpha like me might not be able to do this. Isn’t she a pampered Omega?”

“No gender discrimination needed. What’s wrong with Jiang Zhuoye being a relatively strong, promising Omega?”

“I’m not trying to be discriminatory, but I just feel that an Alpha pretending to be an Omega to enter the entertainment industry is a bit exploiting of other Omega actors, encouraging involution in the industry!”

Netizens were divided. Su Li just stared at the surveillance video for a long time.

She was familiar with every expression on Jiang Zhuoye’s face. She could tell that when smashing her door, Jiang Zhuoye was incredibly determined, completely disregarding her own life and death, with only… concern filling her eyes.

Jiang Zhuoye was deeply concerned about that room because Su Li was inside, waiting to be rescued.

Jiang Zhuoye, a strange soul from another world, cared about Su Li, even more than her own life and death.

This look made Su Li feel a mixture of emotions.

She didn’t understand why, just as she still didn’t understand why Jiang Zhuoye intentionally approached her, yet wanted to destroy her.

Her heart was thumping. Su Li paused the video, reached out to touch Jiang Zhuoye’s face, covered by sweat and hair, on the screen. In her mind, she saw the eyes, seeking pity, buried in black hair under the silver moonlight.

Jiang Zhuoye offered no explanation for the hot search incident. After some time, the local government sent a commemorative banner to Jiang Zhuoye’s studio to commend her for saving someone, which the studio posted online.

Jiang Zhuoye didn’t bother to argue with netizens about her gender and posted nothing herself.

She only cared about Su Li, whose contact information she had re-added.

After careful consideration, Jiang Zhuoye chose her own private hotel property, a luxury suite, as the location for this crucial meeting.

Su Li arrived promptly at the agreed time, wearing a floral dress suitable for spring/summer, with a pure pink jacket over it. She had light makeup and her hair was pinned up, giving her a formal look.

Jiang Zhuoye was overjoyed just seeing Su Li arrive. She had prepared a table full of dishes she had cooked herself in the hotel suite’s kitchen, placing them on the large dining table, waiting to be enjoyed.

Su Li sat down, showing no intention of eating, and got straight to the point:

“Let’s start.”

The smile that had been blooming on Jiang Zhuoye’s face gradually faded. She was busy in an apron, but hearing this, she stopped, reached to untie the apron, and put it away in the kitchen.

When Jiang Zhuoye emerged from the kitchen, the entire room’s atmosphere shifted.

Her expression was calm and serious. When she spoke, her voice was still husky, carrying a deep magnetism.

“In my previous life, I was an orphan. From childhood, I scraped by in the film and television city, gradually growing up to be an extra… I had a companion when I was little. Her family situation wasn’t good. Her parents sent her to be a child star, treating her as a cash cow, but she never quite became famous. We were childhood best friends. She looked… very much like you, and she also had a congenital illness.”

Su Li listened intently, as if the scene Jiang Zhuoye described was unfolding before her eyes.

The young Jiang Zhuoye was probably not sweet or cute, perhaps thin and weak, or with a sallow complexion and a protruding stomach.

No one offered Jiang Zhuoye free lunch. She either begged on the streets or did whatever work she could manage.

She had endured hardships Su Li couldn’t even imagine.

Once, to play a corpse in a war drama, she covered her face with dog feces mixed with mud she was only eight years old then.

Once, to recover unpaid wages from a foreman, she chased him for several blocks with a group of boys, knocked him down from behind with a stick, and rummaged through his wallet. The boys took the rest of the money, and she only took what she was owed she was only thirteen years old then.

Once, she was tricked out of all the money she had saved since childhood, and nearly forcefully assaulted by a powerful figure in the industry… After she escaped and reported it to the police, they only mocked her for wearing too few clothes. She barely had enough money to buy winter clothes.

As Su Li listened, her tears streamed down uncontrollably. Her life had been too good. She couldn’t even imagine how anyone could live such a life, how the world could be so appalling.

Fortunately, things eventually improved. Jiang Zhuoye got a role in a TV series, moving from a tertiary role to a lead. She had a company, fans, a manager… Her best friend also entered the industry, whom she helped, and also had a few representative works.

Jiang Zhuoye received a film offer, and her best friend also received one. Both films were released at the same time. Jiang Zhuoye’s film became a box-office hit, while her best friend’s film flopped, unnoticed by anyone.

By the time Jiang Zhuoye found out, her best friend had already given herself to a powerful industry figure the same one who had once bullied Jiang Zhuoye.

Jiang Zhuoye was angry but helpless. She could only temporarily cut ties with her best friend, planning to find a suitable time to persuade her to live a better life.

Jiang Zhuoye’s second starring film won the Best Actress award. On the night of the ceremony, Jiang Zhuoye drove back to her villa and unexpectedly saw her best friend’s silhouette.

She was happy, thinking her best friend had come to reconcile, but instead, her best friend launched into a torrent of abuse, telling her:

“You are the person I hate the most in this life. How dare you always be ahead of me in everything? How can you be so capable, so talented, getting famous just by filming a few things, while no matter what I do, I can’t succeed? I hate you so much. I hate you so much that I dream about it. I wish you didn’t exist in this world…”

The best friend smiled, held up a lighter, and threw it onto the curtains on the other side, which were already soaked in gasoline. Flames erupted. Her best friend laughed wildly and tried to leave, only to find the exit blocked.

Jiang Zhuoye stopped speaking at this point.

Su Li’s face was wet with tears, which had long since dried. Listening to the latter half of the story about the best friend, she felt a bone-chilling coldness.

She asked:

“Did she die?”

Jiang Zhuoye:

“I don’t know. I only know that the next time I opened my eyes, I was in this world.”

The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

The dishes on the table had long gone cold. After an unknown period, Jiang Zhuoye stood up:

“I’ll reheat the food.”

Su Li stopped her:

“Don’t move.”

Jiang Zhuoye stood still, her gaze fixed on Su Li:

“Hmm?”

Su Li looked up, her tone extremely soft:

“So, you treated me as a substitute for your best friend, didn’t you? Was your initial idea to take out all your revenge against your best friend on me?”

Jiang Zhuoye’s expression was complex. She nodded, like a prisoner awaiting judgment, waiting for Su Li’s next words.

Su Li also nodded, her gaze clean and clear:

“In that case, I can understand your motive. However, your actions still caused me irreparable harm. Therefore, you must compensate me from now on until I decide it’s enough.”

Jiang Zhuoye understood the meaning of her words and showed surprise and delight:

“You… are you saying…”

Su Li’s small face was tightly strained and pale, but her cheeks were flushed from the effort. She spoke:

“I’m saying we can try to be friends again.”

Jiang Zhuoye:

“!”

She suddenly leaped up, nearly knocking over a chair, without any of the movie star’s composure.

“Thank you, Li Li, thank you so much for giving me this chance! I was wrong before, and from now on, I will be twice as good to you, ten times, a hundred times as good!”

Jiang Zhuoye’s eyes were wide open. She gesticulated while speaking, her smile as sweet as honey, as if she had instantly returned to her teenage years. Su Li couldn’t help but smile too.

But she still had a few things to say, so she cleared her throat.

Jiang Zhuoye immediately quieted down, sitting up straight, waiting for her to speak.

Su Li:

“Regardless of your situation in your previous life, I only have one wish… I hope that in this life, you can live happily and forget the pain. So, to prevent you from taking your anger out on me again in the future, I think you should find a psychological counselor to talk to, understood?”

Jiang Zhuoye nodded repeatedly, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled:

“Li Li, you care about me so much. I’m so happy.”

Su Li:

“…Tsk.”

A bit cheesy.