Cen Lingqiu was suddenly jolted awake from her sleep by a faint electric shock. The System’s anxious voice echoed in her mind.
【The female lead’s self-destructive tendencies have risen to ninety-five percent. She is in mortal danger. Host, please take immediate action!】
She opened her eyes, dazed and groggy for a long moment before she fully came to her senses.
Yu Mingjiao!
Without a second thought, she ran to the next room in her pajamas.
Click—
She flipped on the light.
Immediately, her pupils contracted. She saw a scene that would be difficult to forget for a long time to come.
Yu Mingjiao’s pale, gaunt wrist hung limply over the side of the bed. Blood gushed continuously onto the floor, quickly forming a pool.
The glaring red snaked its way toward Cen Lingqiu’s feet.
Her face was a deathly pallor, her eyelids shut tight. She lay motionless in a pool of her own blood.
The scene was both horrifying and possessed a strange, decadent beauty.
Cen Lingqiu covered her mouth. The bloody sight stirred a hidden memory, and a wave of nausea threatened to rise from her throat.
But there was no time for hesitation. She suppressed the urge to vomit, her trembling hands tearing off gauze to tightly wrap the deep wound. Then, without stopping, she carried her to the car.
Fortunately, the rain had stopped, so driving wouldn’t be too difficult.
Cen Lingqiu drove to the nearest hospital at almost top speed. By the time she got Yu Mingjiao into the emergency room, it was the middle of the night.
She sat outside the emergency room, still trying to calm the tremors that the earlier scene had sent through her.
Cen Lingqiu loathed the color red. She loathed blood.
The image of Yu Mingjiao lying in a pool of blood made her uncontrollably recall the cold winter of her eighteenth year.
On the day of the Spring Festival when she was eighteen, she had a high fever and broke a bowl while washing dishes. Her grandmother, finding it unlucky and very displeased, locked her in the storage shed.
The shed’s window was open, and it was snowing outside. Burning with fever, Cen Lingqiu felt very cold and wanted to close it.
The window was too high for her to reach, so she had to stand on a stool. Unfortunately, the fever made her so dizzy and light-headed that she lost her footing and fell. Her hand instinctively reached out to grab something, but she accidentally knocked over a pile of bamboo and wood in the room.
Her grandfather was a carpenter who usually worked in the shed. The room was a mess, filled with various tools, bamboo, and wood. He was a careless old man who would casually place his tools on the wood after finishing his work.
The bamboo and wood came crashing down on her waist and legs. She felt something pierce her side; it must have been one of her grandfather’s tools that had accidentally stabbed her.
She had no strength left in her body. Terrified, she wanted to call for help but couldn’t speak. She could only watch helplessly as her body grew colder and colder.
Before she lost consciousness, all she saw was the large pool of blood flowing from her side.
Flowing, metallic-smelling red.
The damp room was a sea of red.
But outside, there was only flawless snow.
Cen Lingqiu died just like that in the storage shed. No one knew that the next day would have been her eighteenth birthday.
She had died before she even had the chance to fully grow up.
It wasn’t until she was lucky enough to start working for the Book Transmigration Bureau that the deep-seated shadow of her aversion and fear of blood continued to haunt her life.
She hadn’t thought about that scene for a very, very long time. Since working for the Book Transmigration Bureau, she had forgotten many memories of her past life. Her spirit had grown numb to a point of detached indifference, rarely dwelling on past memories.
It was painful, and she didn’t want to think about it.
But today, because of Yu Mingjiao, this memory had resurfaced after a long time.
For a fleeting moment, Cen Lingqiu seemed to see herself, dying on that snowy night.
【Host.】
The System’s voice sounded.
【I’ve detected your emotional fluctuations. It’s okay. I just detected the female lead’s vital signs. Your mission hasn’t failed, so don’t be discouraged.】
The System had been with her for nearly eight years. Although it didn’t appear often, it would frequently offer human-like comfort whenever Cen Lingqiu was in a daze.
Cen Lingqiu wouldn’t tell an electronic system her true thoughts anyway; the System wouldn’t be able to understand.
“Mm,” Cen Lingqiu replied in her mind. “Thank you, 77.”
77 was her System’s serial number.
The doctor came out.
Because she had been brought in promptly, her life was not in danger. The doctor just told Cen Lingqiu to pay close attention to the patient’s mental state.
Yu Mingjiao was moved to a hospital room. Her hand was wrapped in thick bandages, her lips were pale, and her face was so weak and white it nearly matched the color of the wall.
Cen Lingqiu sat beside her, looking straight at her.
After calming the suppressed emotions within her, she began to think about Yu Mingjiao’s sudden act.
Things had been quite peaceful the last few days. Why did she suddenly decide to die?
Had she suffered some kind of blow?
There were only the two of them in this manor. She had been quite good to Yu Mingjiao these past few days, so she shouldn’t have provoked her for no reason.
No.
A thought flashed through Cen Lingqiu’s mind. She remembered yesterday’s phone call.
If Yu Mingjiao had overheard her conversation with the male lead yesterday, then her breakdown would make sense.
In these otherwise dull days, only that one thing could have destroyed Yu Mingjiao.
Cen Lingqiu felt the male lead’s influence over Yu Mingjiao. A single phone call was enough to make the female lead’s defenses crumble.
She knew exactly what kind of person the male lead was. He wouldn’t care about the female lead’s feelings at all. If he were to get closer to the female lead later, it would be tantamount to pushing her step by step into her grave.
Cen Lingqiu stroked Yu Mingjiao’s hair, pondering to herself.
She already had a plan in mind.
She couldn’t let the male lead and female lead have any chance to interact. As long as she could cut off all contact between them before the female lead’s birthday, she believed Yu Mingjiao’s emotional state might slowly get back on track, and her mission would be complete.
This was the most direct method.
At the same time, aside from the mission itself, Cen Lingqiu had her own selfish reasons.
She knew she had developed a sense of compassion for a mission target.
This had never happened before.
In every past mission, she had only wanted to finish quickly and rest early. She had always maintained an attitude of indifference toward the feelings and experiences of each character.
Yu Mingjiao was unique.
Cen Lingqiu couldn’t articulate why she felt this heartache. Perhaps it was because the blood on her wrist was too glaring, or perhaps it was the thought of not wanting her to die at such a young age.
In any case, Cen Lingqiu really hoped she would live a good life.
Yu Mingjiao had no family and no friends, so Cen Lingqiu was the one who took care of her in the hospital until she woke up.
After the heavy rain, today was finally a sunny day.
Cen Lingqiu sat by the window, looking at her computer and tapping away at the keyboard.
The original owner was a freelance translator, fluent in English and French.
Cen Lingqiu had once played the role of a French major in a mission. She was mainly a passerby friend to the female lead, helping her out occasionally. The mission was quite easy, and Cen Lingqiu had even found time to learn French.
As for English, it was Cen Lingqiu’s strongest suit. Her English was excellent in high school, and she would read English books and watch movies when she wasn’t on a mission.
When she arrived in this world, she took some time to study English more deeply. Combined with the memories and talents left by the original owner, she had no problem with her work.
These past few days, she had taken on a Chinese-to-French translation job for a pharmaceutical company’s drug information leaflet. It contained many professional and difficult terms, keeping Cen Lingqiu busy for several days.
Her attention was completely focused on the document, and she didn’t notice that Yu Mingjiao had opened her eyes.
Yu Mingjiao opened her eyes to a world of white.
She hadn’t managed to die again.
This was the first thought that popped into Yu Mingjiao’s head.
The sound of a keyboard reached her ears. She turned her head toward the source of the sound.
Outside the window, the sunlight was brilliant. A gentle breeze stirred the white curtains, like a white petal in spring. Cen Lingqiu sat at the intersection of the daylight and the white curtains. The warm light fell on her chestnut curls, flowing down her elegant, serene features.
As if sensing something, she tilted her head. Her cool, aloof eyes softened in the sunlight, and she gave Yu Mingjiao a faint smile.
“You’re awake.”
Cen Lingqiu closed her laptop and walked over.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I…”
Yu Mingjiao stammered, her pale lips trembling, looking at her with a mixture of confusion and despair.
“Why am I not dead yet.”
Cen Lingqiu was silent.
“Do you have to die?” she asked.
“Yes.” Yu Mingjiao’s voice was like it had been soaked in ice-cold water.
“Why did you save me again.” Her eyes were empty, devoid of any life.
Cen Lingqiu’s tone was calm. “Does one need a reason to save someone?”
Yu Mingjiao looked as if she had heard a funny joke. She wanted to laugh, but it had been so long since she had, her facial muscles were stiff. She couldn’t manage a smile, only a strange twitch of her lips, which gave her beautiful face a bizarrely decadent look.
“Why won’t you let me die?” She propped herself up with her hands. The small movement exhausted her strength. She leaned against the headboard, panting softly.
Then she looked at her expressionlessly, her eyes listless and drooping. As if she had guessed something, she tilted her head with a child-like innocence. “Ah, are you afraid that if I die, you’ll lose a toy you can hit and scold as you please?”
Cen Lingqiu was truly bad at explaining things. She couldn’t tell her the truth either. With a hint of helplessness, she said, “I wasn’t thinking that.”
“Then what is it you want!” Yu Mingjiao suddenly grabbed her by the collar, pulling her face close.
Cen Lingqiu stumbled, afraid of touching her wound, and braced herself on the bed with her hands.
“Lin Qiu, what are you pretending to be?” Yu Mingjiao’s voice was hoarse, filled with gritted-teeth hatred. “Why don’t you torture me casually like before? Why did you tell me the lie that you’d take me away! And why won’t you let me die! What are you trying to do with all this hypocrisy!”
“As long as I’m dead, your precious younger brother won’t be with me. Isn’t that what you want?”
“You humiliated me day after day because of this. If that’s the case, why did you save me? Why won’t you let me die! Why do you insist on keeping me alive to suffer at the hands of you and your brother—”
Yu Mingjiao’s eyes were bloodshot. She had had enough of this life of being toyed with and tormented. She had already decided to end this damn life, so why did she fail time and time again?
An overwhelming sense of grievance drowned her. She was only a twenty-year-old girl who hadn’t yet mastered the art of hiding her emotions. She could feel wronged, get angry, and throw a tantrum like a child.
Because the pain was too much to bear, tears streamed down uncontrollably, soon soaking her pale face.
Her grip on Cen Lingqiu’s collar loosened limply. She lowered her head heavily, crying silently and trembling.
Cen Lingqiu felt an immense despair emanating from Yu Mingjiao.
This despair was almost tangible, a viscous, cold temperature that washed over her in waves. Despite the sweltering summer heat, Cen Lingqiu felt a chill.
“Drip. Drip.”
The bandage on Yu Mingjiao’s hand had split open, and blood dripped onto the snow-white quilt.
“Your hand.” Cen Lingqiu frowned.
Yu Mingjiao seemed not to hear, feeling no pain at all.
Her voice was very hoarse.
“Lin Qiu, I hate you. You saved me, and I hate you even more for it.”
“Neither you nor your brother are any good. All my suffering was inflicted by you, and now you even want to take away my right to die—”
A sinister madness filled her eyes. Strands of damp hair clung to her temples, tears streamed down endlessly, and her hands were clenched into tight fists.
“Yu Mingjiao, calm down.” Cen Lingqiu gripped her bleeding wrist, her light voice laced with a heavy weight.
Yu Mingjiao was completely lost in her emotions, unable to hear Cen Lingqiu’s words at all. Her whole body trembled violently with despair.
“Lin Qiu.” Her voice was faint, her pale lips trembling morbidly. “Tell me. The reason you saved me.”
Her sorrowful and desperate appearance was like that of a wounded kitten on a rainy night. Cen Lingqiu felt a flicker of sympathy. She crouched down to meet her gaze. “Because I want you to live, Yu Mingjiao. Death doesn’t suit you. Only by living a good life can all the things that cause you pain come to an end.”
Cen Lingqiu wasn’t speaking empty words or feeding her chicken soup for the soul. This was a fact.
In the novel, after the female lead escaped from the male lead, she became an outstanding jewelry designer in the industry thanks to her superb drawing skills and unique talent for jewelry design. No one looked at her differently because of her disability; she was constantly admired and respected.
That was the real Yu Mingjiao.
Unfortunately, the current Yu Mingjiao wouldn’t understand her words.
But it didn’t matter. She would let Yu Mingjiao come to understand slowly.
For now, Cen Lingqiu just wrapped the gauze tightly around her wrist to stop more blood from flowing out, while also pressing the button by the bed to call for a doctor.
Yu Mingjiao had little rationality left. The fact that she was still alive was enough to make her break down. Seeing this woman, Lin Qiu, still by her side, she couldn’t help but remember the pain this woman had inflicted on her in the past.
This woman was full of lies. She would never believe her again.
Yu Mingjiao’s mind was frantic. As Cen Lingqiu lowered her head to tend to the wrist wound, she saw a small fruit knife on the bedside table. She grabbed it, aimed the tip at Cen Lingqiu’s wrist, her eyes filled with a coldness devoid of reason.
She wanted to make Cen Lingqiu feel the same pain she did.
She wanted her to die with her.
The instant before the knife’s tip could touch her, Cen Lingqiu sensed it and grabbed the blade.
“Do you want to kill me, Yu Mingjiao?” She looked calmly into Yu Mingjiao’s crazed eyes.
“I’m in so much pain, Lin Qiu,” she said, word by word. “Why can’t you understand this pain of mine?”
“Mingjiao, ah, murder is against the law,” Cen Lingqiu said in a slow, deliberate tone. “If me feeling pain would make you feel a little more balanced, I’ll satisfy you.”
As she spoke, she tightened her grip on the knife. Watching the blood flow from her palm, Yu Mingjiao’s pupils slowly regained a sliver of reason. Her eyes widened slightly, and as if in disbelief, she let go of the knife handle.
Cen Lingqiu took the handle, acting as if she felt no pain at all. “You should stay away from knives in the future. They’re really dangerous for you.”
Just then, the doctor came in. Seeing their hands, he frowned. “What happened?”
“I was just cutting fruit for my younger sister and accidentally cut my hand,” Cen Lingqiu replied with polite detachment. “My sister is awake. Could you please check on her, doctor? I’ll go take care of this.”
After speaking, she added to Yu Mingjiao, “Be good and let the doctor examine you.”
Hearing her lie, Yu Mingjiao’s eyelids twitched.
Why didn’t Lin Qiu expose her?
She just left so calmly.
Yu Mingjiao watched Cen Lingqiu’s departing back until the door closed.
“Your older sister is very good to you,” the nurse said casually while changing her gauze. “She’s been taking care of you these past few days, and she’s been watching over you at night, too.”
“She’s not my sister.”
“Oh, is that so.” The nurse gave an awkward laugh. “Well, she’s a very nice person, a kind person.”
In response to the nurse’s words, Yu Mingjiao just gave a cold sneer.
Kind.
Who?
Lin Qiu?
Heh, who knows.
False kindness.