When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 7

Meng Tingmo’s return was something Yun Ruo hadn’t expected.

After their argument at the old family house, Meng Tingmo had continued staying at the company. Yun Ruo, preoccupied with He Xitong’s matter, didn’t think much about it. She had planned to deal with He Xitong first and then go find Meng Tingmo at the company.

She glanced at the time—it was already seven in the evening.

Meng Tingmo was leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed as if resting. The housekeeper had already prepared dinner, just waiting for the two of them to reconcile before eating together.

Yun Ruo thought Meng Tingmo’s return meant he wanted to make peace.

But he remained cold.

“Since I’m back, let’s eat.”

Yun Ruo set her bag down. “Aren’t you going to ask where I went?”

Meng Tingmo stood up. “Wherever you want.”

Yun Ruo’s chest tightened again. The double blow from He Xitong and Meng Tingmo made her sharp and defensive. “What exactly did Jiang Yufei say to you?”

Meng Tingmo’s gaze snapped toward her. “What does this have to do with her?”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You went to see her?”

“Do you think our problems are because of her?”

Yun Ruo’s eyes reddened instantly.

That tone, that protective attitude—it overlapped with the past.

Back then, before they’d fallen in love, Meng Tingmo’s whole world had been his white moonlight. Whenever it came to Jiang Yufei, he would explode like a lit firecracker.

She thought she’d never see that again.

Lowering her head, Yun Ruo’s voice trembled. “I didn’t go to her.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything to her.”

She stood there alone, head bowed low, like she’d suffered the greatest grievance.

Seeing her like that, Meng Tingmo felt a fine, piercing ache in his chest. He had spoiled this woman for three years—if she so much as scraped her skin, he felt distressed, unwilling to even say a harsh word.

In those three years, they had never once spoken about Jiang Yufei.

He didn’t love Jiang Yufei.

Unconsciously, he reached out a hand. He wanted to apologize, to say he didn’t mean it—but stopped at the last second.

Yes. That was the problem.

He didn’t even know if the heart-splitting pain he felt now was real. He was “controlled” to “love” Yun Ruo—so this pain must be fake, just a normal physical reaction.

He shouldn’t give Yun Ruo another chance to hurt him.

Meng Tingmo realized coming back had been a mistake.

It was only that he hadn’t been home for several days, and every night he slept poorly. Half-asleep, half-awake, he always imagined Yun Ruo lying beside him as before.

But it wasn’t so.

He told himself he came back only to check on the child—using that as an excuse.

Yet things turned out the way they just had.

Hardening his heart, he walked toward the dining room first. “Let’s eat.”

The dining room was quiet. Neither spoke a word.

Jiang Yufei received the system prompt:

【Relationship Collapse Progress: 30%】

She let out a surprised “wow,” as if amused at how easily Yun Ruo and Meng Tingmo’s relationship was unraveling. It didn’t seem difficult at all.

It didn’t seem like they were ever that in love.

“The reward is the same—give Yun Jia a dream.”

“Poor Yun Jia. He still doesn’t know his sister has already been replaced.”

Yun Ruo knew nothing of what was happening with Jiang Yufei. Before the system left her, it had told her that only one system was allowed into a given world. If a system completed its mission, that world would be marked.

Other systems would have to either wait decades, until all influence faded, or go to a completely unrelated region to avoid overlap.

The main system forbade malicious competition. A perfect achievement recorded by one system could not be maliciously altered by another.

【Don’t worry. No other system will disturb your life. You’ll have a happy future.】

Yun Ruo had believed that completely.

No one expected a system to violate the rules and enter.

With Meng Tingmo and He Xitong already pressing down on her, Yun Ruo thought things couldn’t get any worse. That night, all she could think of was how to repair their relationship.

But reality proved otherwise—things could get worse.

The next morning, Yun Ruo received a message from Yun Jia asking if she was home.

Meng Tingmo had already left. They hadn’t even slept in the same room last night.

She replied that she was home, assuming Yun Jia wanted to visit her. She even told the housekeeper to buy his favorite food.

But she felt puzzled—he’d just visited a few days ago. Why come again so soon?

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Yun Ruo opened the door, surprised. “What happened? Why so urgent?”

Yun Jia’s eyes were strange.

He had dreamt last night.

As her younger brother, Yun Jia knew better than Meng Tingmo just how different Yun Ruo was now compared to when they were children. His suspicions deepened—no, he was sure.

“What’s wrong?” Yun Ruo asked, seeing him stare at her silently. She touched her face. “Is there something on my face?”

Yun Jia stepped inside. “You…”

Yun Ruo tilted her head. “Hmm?”

What he wanted to ask was—Are you really my sister?

He tried several times, but couldn’t say it aloud. For eight years, he had lived as Yun Ruo’s younger brother, treating her as his only family. For her, he could do anything.

She was his anchor in this world. With her, he knew he wasn’t alone. No matter where he went, someone cared for him.

Without Yun Ruo, what would he do?

Yun Jia’s eyes filled with pain. “Do you really… Do you truly…”

Yun Ruo jumped at his anguished tone. He looked just like he had after the car accident years ago. She quickly reached for his hand. “Did someone bully you? Tell me, I’ll fix it for you.”

But Yun Jia instantly shook her off.

“Do you really see me as your younger brother?”

Yun Ruo froze.

For a second, she thought she’d misheard. How could Yun Jia ask such a thing? Their sibling bond was beyond doubt.

“What are you saying, Xiao Jia?”

Yun Jia stepped back. Having asked, there was no point hesitating. “I said—do you really see me as your younger brother?”

“…What?” Yun Ruo also stepped back, beginning to wonder if exhaustion was making her hallucinate. Everything these days had been surreal—including this morning’s Yun Jia. “Of course we are siblings. You are my brother.”

“Not a tool to make money?” Yun Jia sneered bitterly. “A profit-harvesting system, huh. You told me to study hard, find a good job, earn lots of money, live a good life.”

“Earn money for who? Whose good life?”

Yun Ruo’s breath caught.

It was like she didn’t recognize him anymore.

“You think—I said that for myself?”

Yun Jia clamped his lips shut. He wasn’t certain. Or rather, he was certain, but didn’t want to believe it. His mind was a mess. He didn’t know what to do.

Yun Ruo, however, grew calm. “Go home first.”

She walked over and opened the door. “You’re tired lately. Go rest.”

Hesitating, Yun Jia finally obeyed and left.

As soon as he was gone, Yun Ruo slid down against the wall, clutching her arm. It wasn’t a dream.

It was real. Yun Jia had said she treated him like a money-making tool.

She remembered when she had first transmigrated. “Yun Ruo” had just finished her college entrance exams, and Yun Jia was only a first-year in high school. With their parents gone, he only had her left. She had wanted to take good care of him.

He lived at school, only coming home once a week. His grades were poor, so every weekend she tutored him. Afraid he was being bullied, she subtly probed into his school life. She attended his parent-teacher meetings, took care of his daily needs, and brought him out each month to ease his pressure.

By his senior year, she rented an apartment near his school so she could take care of him while pursuing Meng Tingmo during the day. At night, she cooked and washed for Yun Jia. She remembered the blackout in winter when they huddled together, talking about the future.

She had no family, so she truly treated Yun Jia as her real brother.

Wanting him to have a good job, make money, and live well—she only wanted him to have a secure life. She hadn’t known whether she could succeed in her mission. If she failed, she would die. If that happened, Yun Jia would be alone. At least with a good job, he could survive.

Closing her eyes, she felt the baby in her womb kick. She laid a hand on her belly. Normally she would have immediately shared the news with Meng Tingmo. This time, she didn’t.

She only propped herself up and calmly called the housekeeper, saying not to buy groceries—Yun Jia wasn’t coming.

She was too tired.

She couldn’t bear it anymore.

Yun Ruo fell ill.

She thought it was just a minor cold, not worth taking medicine, so she simply rested at home.

She didn’t want to think about Meng Tingmo, He Xitong, or Yun Jia. She didn’t want to send endless unanswered messages. She didn’t want to be cursed at as a liar. She just wanted to empty her mind and sleep for two days. Let the rest of the world do whatever it wanted.

The housekeeper saw all this and worried deeply. Yun Ruo was kind and easygoing, and she was glad to work for her.

So she called Meng Tingmo. He hadn’t stayed home since that one night and didn’t know Yun Ruo was sick.

When Meng Tingmo rushed back, he found Yun Ruo napping on the sofa bed, a thin blanket over her, hands resting outside. Her breathing was heavier than usual.

He instinctively touched her hand.

Warm.

He let out a breath of relief.

The sound of his steps woke her. She opened her eyes, saw him, then shut them again—too exhausted to waste energy.

Meng Tingmo frowned. “Why didn’t you call a doctor?”

Yun Ruo didn’t answer, too sleepy.

Swallowing his words, he called the doctor himself. The examination showed nothing serious. Only then did he realize how tense he had been the entire way home.

Once the doctor left, he sat nearby. “You’re an adult. Don’t you know how to take care of yourself?”

Now awake but still drained, Yun Ruo stared out the window, unwilling to argue.

Meng Tingmo suddenly grew angry. “You did this on purpose?”

She turned her head, incredulous.

He paced, convincing himself. Yes, it made sense—a bitter-meat ploy. If he softened, she could pull him back.

Heh. Yun Ruo miscalculated.

“I won’t be fooled again.”

Yun Ruo sighed. “I didn’t make the call. I didn’t summon the doctor. I didn’t even say a word.”

Meng Tingmo faltered—then quickly found another excuse. “You knew the housekeeper would definitely call me.”

Yun Ruo blurted, “You could have chosen not to come.”

His steps halted. He looked at her seriously. “Is that truly what you think?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Of course it wasn’t what she thought.

Being sick was when she was most vulnerable—pregnancy had made her even more sensitive. After these last few days, all she wanted was to hide somewhere safe, then emerge to find everyone back at her side.

“If I said I wanted you to come back, would you?”

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