When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 25

I have a new target…

What should she do if the new target is her ex-husband’s good brother?

Yun Ruo was dazed for several days. As long as she thought about having to pursue Han Qi—no, even just picturing Han Qi’s face—she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

She had imagined the target might be someone in Bincheng, or maybe in another city. If it were someone in another city, at least it would be easier to handle.

But Bincheng was her birthplace, and she had even been married to Meng Tingmo there. Plenty of people knew her.

And now? Not only was the target in Bincheng, but he was also someone she already knew.

Just thinking about it made her unable to breathe.

“I’ve known Han Qi for five years. Plus the four years I was in a coma, that’s nine years in total,” Yun Ruo complained to the system. “How am I supposed to look him in the face and tell him, ‘I’m going to pursue you’?”

【……】

“Yes, although I’m your brother’s ex-wife, although you don’t have any feelings for me, although I don’t like you either, but I’m still going to pursue you.”

【……】

“Ha.” Yun Ruo forced a laugh. “So this is what those so-called ‘bitter smiles’ in novels actually feel like.”

It was too bitter.

【……】

It was the weekend—the day she had agreed to meet with Meng Tingmo. He Xi Tong had to see clients at the golf course, so before leaving she reminded Yun Ruo not to cook for her:

“Look at your hand, scared me half to death. Don’t do something that dangerous again.”

It was just a cut, though Yun Ruo glanced down at the bandaged finger on her left hand. That day she had sliced a little too deep.

She had gone through several tissues to stop the bleeding. When He Xi Tong came home from work, she thought Yun Ruo was stuck in the past and hurting herself on purpose.

The meeting time was ten in the morning. Yun Ruo changed clothes and went out, checking the address Meng Tingmo had sent—Bincheng Yunshui Park.

Near Liuli Road. During her pregnancy she had often gone there for walks, and if Meng Tingmo had time, he would accompany her.

She didn’t quite understand his intentions—it felt deliberate.

【……】

She took a cab there. Meng Tingmo was waiting at the gate. When he saw her get out of the car, he asked if she wanted water, saying he’d buy it.

His tone was casual, just like years ago.

—Food, drinks, fun, I’ve got it all covered.

Yun Ruo shook her head. “No need, it’s just a quick talk.”

Four years had passed, but the park hadn’t changed much. The shop owners inside were still the same people. When they saw Meng Tingmo, they greeted him warmly, remembering that he and his wife used to come often.

Later the wife stopped showing up, but the husband still came.

“And this is…?” The shopkeeper hesitated, looking at Yun Ruo, then recognition dawned. “Oh, your wife. Haven’t seen her in years.”

Meng Tingmo stayed silent, turning instead to watch Yun Ruo’s reaction.

Yun Ruo: “Ex-wife.”

Shopkeeper: …sorry for disturbing.

Meng Tingmo’s brow twitched. Yun Ruo quickened her pace and went straight into an air-conditioned café.

She fanned herself with her hand. A midsummer day, and he wanted to meet in a park? What was Meng Tingmo thinking?

【……】

“You’ve been speechless all day.”

【Your current style is so decisive.】

Before, at least she would hesitate for half a day.

“It’s because I’ve cut out thinking time,” Yun Ruo explained. “As long as I don’t think, I won’t worry about the consequences. If I don’t worry about the consequences, then I can always make the choice that benefits me most in that moment.”

Her personality couldn’t have changed completely in just two months. So, the only way was to force herself not to think.

Whether her words or actions hurt others didn’t matter—she only had to satisfy herself.

And more cold-bloodedly, she believed she would eventually return home. Since that was the case, the people here had nothing to do with her.

“I guess I can be a ruthless person too.”

Meng Tingmo came in after her. She had only ordered a drink for herself, so he casually added one of his own. They sat across from each other.

“You wanted to talk about Xiao Han?” Yun Ruo pulled out a list she’d prepared. “Can you start by telling me about the big events in his life so far? Both happy and sad ones.”

“And… what does he think of his mother? Does he hate me or want to see me?”

“What are his hobbies? What games does he like to play? Does he have little friends to play with?”

She rattled off question after question. Meng Tingmo listened quietly, realizing by the end that Yun Ruo’s only purpose in coming today was for Meng Feihan.

She hadn’t spared him even a glance.

“Do you still remember this park?” he suddenly asked.

Yun Ruo stopped talking, then, after a pause, decided to play along. “I remember. I came here many times. Did Xiao Han also play here?”

“He came a few times, but more often it was me. These four years, whenever I thought of you, I came here to walk.”

They had once agreed that after the baby was born, the three of them would come play here as a family.

“Really?” Yun Ruo sipped her coffee. “Then you probably didn’t come that often.”

Meng Tingmo: “I came many times.”

Yun Ruo set down her cup. She couldn’t keep humoring him. “I thought you’d thought things through before asking to meet.”

“I did.” Meng Tingmo stared at her intently. He wanted to reconcile. “Let the past be the past. Let’s go back to how we were.”

“What do you mean by ‘how we were’?”

“As husband and wife.”

“……”

“Are you joking?” Yun Ruo let out a short laugh. “After four years of chaos, you suddenly say you want to go back to before. Didn’t you hate me?”

She had never told him about the system. Now, since the system’s restrictions had been lifted—because it had broken the rules first—she said: “That dream you had was real. I really did come with a system to ‘strategize’ you. You should hate me.”

Meng Tingmo’s expression was complicated. “I did hate you. But in the four years you were gone, I realized that more than hate, what I truly felt for you was love.”

Before Yun Ruo could respond, the system jumped in: 【See? I told you he wanted to get back together with you.】

Yun Ruo sighed. “But you should also see—he still doesn’t believe me.”

Meng Tingmo still clung to the false story Jiang Yufei had fed him. He had hated her, but found he couldn’t live without her, so he convinced himself to forgive for the sake of love, wanting to continue together.

It had taken him four years to sort out hate from love.

Yun Ruo lowered her eyes. What she felt most was bitterness—for herself.

For the third time, she realized her mistake.

In Meng Tingmo’s heart, she would always carry a stain.

She stayed silent, and Meng Tingmo went on: “These past four years, I longed countless times for you to appear before me again.”

Even in the two years he thought he hated her.

Even if it was only hatred, he still needed to see her.

“But now you’re finally back,” he said softly, his eyes slightly reddened.

Yun Ruo looked at him coldly, unmoved from beginning to end.

She wasn’t here for the old cliché of “the heroine leaves, the hero repents, then they reconcile.”

“Meng Tingmo.” She spoke earnestly. “My bottom line is very low. That’s why I’ve allowed people to hurt me again and again.”

Whether it was the five years she pursued him, or that single month when their relationship crumbled overnight—she had been hurt countless times.

“But once the hurt piles up enough to make me lose hope, I never turn back.”

With Meng Tingmo, she had reached that conclusion three times already.

Her meaning was clear: she would not reconcile, no matter how he begged.

Meng Tingmo had never seen this side of her. A wave of panic surged in him.

Impossible—Yun Ruo loved him. Their story couldn’t just end like this.

Then suddenly his eyes lit up, catching a loophole in her words: “I remember you once said, ‘This body has been in a coma for four years.’”

Yun Ruo nodded.

Meng Tingmo: “If the dream was real, and you’re not from this world, then what you meant is that during those four years of coma, you returned to your own world?”

Yun Ruo thought for a moment, then nodded again.

Meng Tingmo leaned forward suddenly, close to her face. “Then why did you come back?”

If she had decided to leave, why return? It could only mean she couldn’t let go of something here—and the only person connected to her was him.

He subconsciously overlooked his son.

Even if Yun Ruo came back just to complete some money-making mission, the target would still be him.

Money wasn’t a problem. He had plenty. As long as she came back, he didn’t care how much she wanted.

Without realizing it, his eyes filled with hope—that she would confirm she returned for him.

Yun Ruo held his gaze for a few seconds, then pushed him away.

Maybe the answer was cruel to him—

“I have a new strategy mission.”

She told the truth.

Did he think she came back because she couldn’t let go of him? No.

She came back for herself.

Her world no longer revolved around Meng Tingmo.

Stunned, he gripped her shoulders tightly. “Impossible.”

He didn’t want to believe it.

Yun Ruo simply looked at him calmly, without explanation, without anger.

After a long moment, Meng Tingmo seemed to resign himself. Gritting his teeth, he asked: “Who is it?”

Yun Ruo’s eyes flickered. She had been able to face him calmly earlier, but now she felt guilty.

Not because of Meng Tingmo—but because whenever she thought of Han Qi, something just felt wrong.

Meng Tingmo noticed her shift in expression. He was always sharp, and quickly caught the key point: “Is it someone I know?”

Yun Ruo shook off his hands.

Whether he knew or not, he’d find out eventually.

“If you’re willing to tell me about Xiao Han now, we can keep talking. But there won’t be another time.”

“I’m tired of meeting only to leave empty-handed every time.”

“Next time, I’ll just go straight to Xiao Han. For his sake, please let him know soon that I’m back.”

Meng Tingmo didn’t reply. Yun Ruo picked up her bag and stood.

Just before she left, he called her back, his face cold. “Fine. We’ll talk about Xiao Han.”

Although busy with work, he had always paid some attention to his son, and he shared the details one by one. Their talk lasted until lunchtime.

Of course, Yun Ruo wasn’t going to eat with him. He knew it too, and didn’t try to stop her as she left.

She hailed a cab to the city center.

She didn’t feel like cooking. With He Xi Tong out, the house was too quiet and boring.

She thought about buying Meng Feihan a gift for their first meeting.

Meng Tingmo had said he was interested in aerospace and aviation, with piles of models at home. She wasn’t familiar with that field, and even after researching all afternoon, she still couldn’t decide what to buy.

On her way home, she ran right into the person she least wanted to see.

“Han… Qi.”

Han Qi told his assistant to go ahead. His dinner engagement was nearby. He hadn’t expected to run into Yun Ruo.

But it was a pleasant “accident.”

“When did my name become so hard for you to say?”

“It hasn’t,” Yun Ruo denied quickly.

“Then next time, just be direct.” Han Qi glanced behind her—no one else was there. She had come alone. “When you see me, you don’t need to feel awkward or troubled. If there’s anything, just tell me straight.”

Really?

After a whole exhausting morning entangled with Meng Tingmo, Yun Ruo was worn out. Right now, she actually appreciated straightforwardness.

And sometimes, when you can’t find the right opportunity, it’s better to just seize the moment.

“There is one thing I need to tell you.”

Han Qi took off his earpiece and stepped closer. “I’m listening.”

“I’m going to pursue you.”

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