The Mad Beauty and the Sick Young Lady [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 41

The hostel inside and out was a mess.

Everyone had evacuated outside the building. Su Li had also sobered up and was sitting on a small stool that Guan Jingxian had moved over, waiting for the police to arrive and handle the situation.

It was already two o’clock in the morning. Guan Jingxian, who had previously sprayed the curtains and windows with a fire extinguisher, was still scared as she looked at the entire smoke blackened building:

“How could we run into something like this on a trip we finally managed to take…”

Su Li also found it unbelievable. The original novel never mentioned this kind of plot, but she had been deviating from the original plot for a long time now, so it probably wasn’t a good reference point anymore.

However, Su Li couldn’t shake the memory of being carried out of the fire by Jiang Zhuoye just now.

She looked left and right, searching for Jiang Zhuoye in the crowd, but couldn’t find her anywhere. The person seemed to have vanished.

Su Li saw a man who had been chatting with them by the bonfire. Unable to stand up herself, she reached out and grabbed the corner of his jacket:

“Did you see where Jiang Zhuoye went?”

The man pointed to a dark alley in the corner and then turned and left.

Su Li ate two pieces of chocolate. Once her body regained strength, she stood up and walked towards the alley.

Guan Jingxian wanted to go with her, but she refused.

The alley was deep and dark, obscure, and nothing could be seen. There were no streetlights, only the pale moonlight scattering a faint layer on the ground.

Su Li looked around and saw a figure squatting against the wall deep inside the alley. It was a small, huddled mass, and its shadow was stretched long by the moonlight.

It looked desolate and lonely.

The huddled figure seemed to be trembling slightly. For some reason, Su Li felt a pang in her heart just looking at it.

She tentatively walked forward and called out:

“Jiang Zhuoye?”

The figure trembled violently, quickly stood up with its head down, and was about to run away, but its movements were shaky, clearly lacking strength.

Su Li could smell a faint, familiar scent of fresh grass. She walked slowly up to the figure, squatted down, looked at the person at eye level, and said softly:

“Let’s talk.”

Jiang Zhuoye was clutching her head with both hands, tightly curled up, revealing only a mass of thick, smooth black hair. Her body trembled constantly, her hands firmly locked on her arms like two shackles, pinching her own limbs.

Su Li felt pain just watching it. She reached out to help Jiang Zhuoye pry her fingers open, saying as she did so:

“Thank you for today.”

Jiang Zhuoye didn’t answer. Her fingers initially resisted as Su Li moved them, but quickly relaxed and hung at her sides.

She slightly raised her head, revealing only a pair of eyes peeking at Su Li through the gaps in her black hair, and whispered:

“You shouldn’t have come…”

Su Li:

“I had to thank my lifesaver no matter what.”

Jiang Zhuoye shook her head, shaking it desperately. Eventually, her black hair flew wildly, and her whole body continued to tremble, the frequency increasing until her body seemed about to fall apart.

This look was terrifying, as if she were having a psychiatric episode. Su Li was a little scared too. She couldn’t do much, so she just reached out and pressed down on Jiang Zhuoye’s shoulders, raising her voice to shout at her:

“Jiang Zhuoye, Jiang Zhuoye! Stop this, it’s scary!”

Jiang Zhuoye’s body instantly stopped trembling. A pair of black eyes was revealed from the black hair, and her voice came out muffled:

“Scary, you say…”

She suddenly looked up and burst into loud laughter:

“Hahaha, haha…”

Su Li was so startled that she took a step back, almost falling onto the ground. She stumbled, holding onto the nearby wall with both hands to keep her balance.

Jiang Zhuoye opened her mouth wide and laughed towards the sky. Her laughter was less a laugh and more a cry, like the wailing of a night owl, chilling to the bone.

Her throat must have been damaged by the thick smoke. It was no longer the soft, sweet sound from before, but rather husky and dry, like sandpaper rubbing wood. Coupled with this crazed laughter and the pale moonlight, the scene was worthy of a horror movie.

Su Li’s subconscious reaction was to retreat, but she held back and stood her ground.

She quietly watched the seemingly hysterical Jiang Zhuoye in front of her, waiting silently.

Jiang Zhuoye laughed for a while, attracting several people to peer into the alley from the entrance. Guan Jingxian thought something had happened, rushed straight in, and grabbed Su Li:

“What’s going on? Is she trying to bully you?”

Su Li shook her head and pointed at the alley for Guan Jingxian:

“I’m fine. Could you please keep an eye out for me and make sure those people don’t come in? I need to talk to her alone.”

Guan Jingxian agreed, though confused. She glared at Jiang Zhuoye, then turned and left.

Jiang Zhuoye finished laughing and went back to squatting there blankly, her arms wrapped around her knees, but her beautiful, vibrant face was now covered with sweat dampened hair.

Su Li walked closer, got very near, and whispered:

“Are you… afraid of fire?”

Su Li had studied some psychology. She felt that Jiang Zhuoye’s abnormal behavior resembled PTSD.

The fire just now was indeed frightening, but ultimately no one was severely injured, and the incident was handled promptly. Even Su Li, who considered her psychological resilience to be average, was now back to normal, yet Jiang Zhuoye was still acting so wildly.

This could only mean that Jiang Zhuoye was very afraid of fire and must have a history related to it.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuoye lowered her head again and said in a hoarse voice:

“I… was burned to death.”

Su Li:

“…Huh?”

Jiang Zhuoye repeated herself clearly and distinctly:

“In my previous life, I was burned to death, in my own villa.”

Su Li was profoundly shocked, and her legs gave way, making her fall onto the ground.

She couldn’t believe what she had just heard!

Her eyes widened, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her heart was pounding madly, and every pore on her body tightened with tension.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing this, they would simply think the movie star Jiang Zhuoye was overly traumatized and was beginning to talk nonsense or was joking.

But Su Li was different. She was someone who had dreamed the entire original novel. She knew that this world was constructed from a novel, and she herself, as a supporting character, had somehow awakened consciousness and was gradually taking control of her own destiny.

To this day, she was still counting down to her own death.

So, Jiang Zhuoye… being burned to death in a previous life and becoming the female lead, the movie star of this book in this life, could also be true!

Su Li sat on the ground, her palms sweaty. Her voice trembled:

“You said… previous life? So you, you are… reborn?”

Jiang Zhuoye looked up, glanced at Su Li in surprise, and seemed puzzled as she asked:

“Don’t you find it absurd? Don’t you think I’m lying, or that I’m mentally ill?”

These three consecutive questions left Su Li confused herself. She couldn’t be sure if Jiang Zhuoye was telling the truth she could only rely on her own feelings.

She opened her mouth and finally said:

“I don’t think you’re the type to talk nonsense.”

Jiang Zhuoye curved her lips into an unpleasant smile. Her eyes slightly narrowed, and strands of hair cut across her vision. In the moonlight, her expression was bewildered, yet crazy, possessing the freedom of someone who had nothing left to lose.

She said:

“I came to this world from another world. I transmigrated into the body of Jiang Zhuoye of this world and have lived as her for eight years.”

Su Li slowly digested this information, feeling only the chill of the moonlight. Her chest felt cold.

She covered her heart with her hand, her eyes fixed on Jiang Zhuoye’s eyes, and asked:

“So, from the age of 21 onwards, the famous Jiang Zhuoye has always been you, not the original person?”

Jiang Zhuoye nodded slowly, her expression like a beast finally freed from its shackles, possessing a wild arrogance. She laughed again:

“Hahahaha, you didn’t expect that, did you? It’s me who used Jiang Zhuoye’s body, me who saved her rotten career, and me who possesses world-class acting skills. The person you’ve known all along is me. Are you surprised?”

Su Li remained silent. She lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the ground in front of her.

On the ground, Jiang Zhuoye’s slipper clad feet were red from the cold and constantly trembling.

Su Li sighed softly and asked:

“Why are you telling me this?”

Jiang Zhuoye’s mouth stretched to her ears, her smile bizarre:

“I don’t want to deceive you anymore. I want you to know all my secrets. Maybe this way you’ll forgive me. Will you?”

Su Li was silent once more. She bit her lower lip, her emotions complicated.

She recalled a thought she had a long time ago when she first researched Jiang Zhuoye’s background:

【The entire world operates according to the rules of the novel, but Jiang Zhuoye, alone, is like a broken gear in this regulated world.】

She finally understood why.

Because this Jiang Zhuoye had long since changed souls. The soul was no longer the one from the book, which is why she felt nothing for the person destined to be the attacker in the original novel.

It was also why Jiang Zhuoye was the woman Su Li loved and hated right now.

From the moment Su Li met her, she was unconsciously attracted to her in many ways, and their relationship deepened step by step, to the point where Su Li even entertained rebellious ideas.

In other words, the person Su Li liked had always been Jiang Zhuoye’s current soul.

She slowly opened her mouth:

“That depends on what your secret is.”

Jiang Zhuoye smiled.

Just then, the sound of noisy police sirens came from outside, indicating that both the police and the hospital teams had arrived.

Su Li suddenly realized that their information packed conversation had only lasted about five minutes.

She looked back at Jiang Zhuoye and saw her red and swollen feet again:

“Are you okay?”

Jiang Zhuoye tried to stand up. She had been squatting for too long, and her legs were numb. As soon as she stood up, she stumbled.

She fell straight into Su Li’s arms.

Su Li awkwardly extended both hands to hold her, deliberately trying to keep a slight distance from her own body, but the effect was minimal.

Jiang Zhuoye’s soft curves still pressed against her. They were very close, their breaths near each other’s ears and cheeks.

Their hearts were pounding like drums, and their chests felt like they were about to explode.

Su Li heard two heartbeats. She wanted to cover her ears, to pretend to herself that she wasn’t this excited.

But the other heartbeat seemed even more intense and frantic than hers.

Jiang Zhuoye leaned on Su Li, her soft body resting against most of her shoulder:

“I’m a little… unable to walk.”

Su Li could only half-hug, half-support the limping Jiang Zhuoye out of the alley.

Dozens of people got into the police cars together. Those with injuries took the ambulances. The large group set off towards the city center.

In the early hours of the morning, no one spoke in the cars. Everyone was either exhausted and scared, or they were closing their eyes to rest or staring blankly out the window.

Jiang Zhuoye sat opposite Su Li. A few of them were in a police car since they weren’t injured.

Jiang Zhuoye had a wound on her arm, but it wasn’t deep. In contrast, Guan Jingxian, who had been wielding the fire extinguisher to smash the window glass, had been cut by broken glass and it looked quite bad, so she had to go to the ambulance for emergency treatment.

They soon arrived at the police station. Su Li and Jiang Zhuoye waited together to give statements, sitting on chairs in the corridor.

Jiang Zhuoye pointed at Su Li’s phone.

Su Li understood, unlocked her phone, and removed Jiang Zhuoye’s contact from the blacklist.

The next second, Jiang Zhuoye sent a message:

【Will you think I’m a monster? Will you report me to the country?】

Su Li turned her head and shook it at Jiang Zhuoye.

She had enough on her plate and honestly didn’t have the energy to deal with these things. If transmigration was real, then so be it. She herself was an awakened character from the book, so if they were to report it to the country, both of them might end up being isolated and studied.

The soul is something that, to this day, humanity hasn’t figured out. Su Li had no intention of sacrificing her own life to become cannon fodder on humanity’s path forward.

Jiang Zhuoye should handle her own affairs; Su Li didn’t want to interfere.

Jiang Zhuoye typed with her head down:

【Thank you for being willing to keep my secret. After all this is over, let’s meet somewhere, and I’ll tell you everything.】

Su Li read it and nodded.

Jiang Zhuoye’s eyes were blazing. She no longer looked as frantic as before and had transformed back into the dazzling movie star, albeit with some dust on her cheeks, tears in her clothes, and still wearing slippers.