After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 43

Ye Ling had vanished.

Security footage showed her leaving her room around midnight last night, taking the elevator to the fourth floor.

After that, she disappeared from the cameras.

The fourth-floor cameras were temporarily offline for electrical maintenance. Further down, from the third floor to the Yuexin main entrance, no trace of Ye Ling appeared in the footage.

Moreover, she hadn’t taken her phone, making it impossible for her to have left Yuexin. All signs pointed to Ye Ling vanishing on the fourth floor.

The worst-case scenario was… that…

After seeing off the police investigators, Meng Lianqiu removed her glasses and repeatedly pressed her temples with the heels of her hands.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she began retracing her steps from the last time she saw Ye Ling, searching for any anomalies.

The first anomaly was easy to spot. Two days ago, when Ye Ling woke from her coma, her condition was already off.

She claimed time had reversed and insisted that Geng Xiaoxiao’s body had been found and was in Hai City.

How could that be possible?

Ye Ling seemed more like she’d had a nightmare during her coma and was now trapped in its grip.

Ye Ling insisted on coming to Hai City, leaving Meng Lianqiu no choice but to accompany her.

As expected, they sent people to search every funeral home and morgue in Hai City, but found nothing.

Before the results came back, Ye Ling had already lost much of her insistence on the matter. Meng Lianqiu thought she had finally come to her senses.

Even the last lingering unease vanished the next day when Ye Ling simply sat peacefully on the terrace restaurant, enjoying the breeze.

This wasn’t the first time Meng Lianqiu had witnessed such a scene. She assumed Ye Ling was merely reminiscing about Geng Xiaoxiao.

But upon closer examination of the details, ever since they arrived in Hai City—no, to be more precise, ever since Ye Ling plucked that fallen leaf from the hydrangea bush—a subtle change had begun to manifest within her.

Ye Ling’s emotions had always been deeply restrained. It was only now that Meng Lianqiu vaguely realized the key to the problem lay in that moment.

What exactly had happened? If she had been more perceptive, could she have…?

Bang!

Meng Lianqiu slammed her fist on the table, the water in the porcelain cup sloshing violently, unable to settle for a long time.

When Xue Jiqing arrived, the rescue team had already begun their search.

The scene mirrored what had happened three years ago. Her eyes red-rimmed, Xue Jiqing rushed to Meng Lianqiu and asked in a hoarse voice, “Where’s Ye Ling?”

“No news yet,” Meng Lianqiu replied, lowering her gaze. “Based on the traces left at the scene, President Ye may have made… the same choice as Miss Geng three years ago.”

Even though Xue Jiqing had mentally prepared herself on the way, the answer still left her reeling.

She stumbled back a few steps and was caught by a petite, round-faced girl behind her. The moment their bodies touched, Xue Jiqing’s expression stiffened slightly, and she quickly pulled away.

The round-faced girl gently squeezed Xue Jiqing’s empty hand, her expression momentarily downcast. But she quickly composed herself and said, “Xiaoxiao hasn’t heard anything new. There’s no reason President Ye would do something like this. Could there be some misunderstanding? Maybe she just went somewhere to clear her head?”

Meng Lianqiu shook her head, refraining from refuting the girl’s fanciful but well-intentioned comfort. “I hope so. And you are?”

“Chen Qiao,” the girl said, extending her hand. “We’ve exchanged contact information before, but I think this is the first time we’ve actually met.”

“That’s right,” Meng Lianqiu replied, stepping forward to shake her hand politely. “Did you come with Miss Xue?”

“…Yes,” Chen Qiao replied vaguely, withdrawing her hand. “Ji Qing and I happened to be together when we heard the news, so we came right away. I hope we’re not causing you any trouble.”

“Not at all,” Meng Lianqiu said, gesturing for them to follow. “I’ll take you to the scene.”

When Pu Mengyu kicked the soft, yielding object, she nearly called the police.

Fortunately, the hallway light flickered on just in time, revealing the face she had seen only moments before.

At that moment, Pu Mengyu felt an eerie sense of “I knew it.”

The door opened, and Lan Xiao, still on the phone with the embassy, took in the scene. She closed her eyes briefly and explained the situation to the staff with a resigned tone.

Pu Mengyu, feeling equally resigned, quickly checked Ye Ling’s condition before moving into the living room. She rearranged the throw pillows on the sofa to create a space where Ye Ling could lie down.

After ending the call, Lan Xiao carried Ye Ling inside and laid her down. “She has a high fever. Do we have any antipyretics at home?”

Having studied abroad for three years, Lan Xiao had learned the hard way about the local healthcare system, especially the exorbitant prices and ineffectiveness of emergency care at night. She had no intention of taking Ye Ling to the hospital.

“I think so. I’ll go get them.” Pu Mengyu stood up, then froze. “Oh no! I brought the whole first-aid kit to the party for convenience and forgot to bring it back.”

Two days and one night was quite a long time, and Lan Xiao, fearing any mishaps, had brought the entire first-aid kit with her. That’s how Ye Ling got the spray.

Lan Xiao paused, then asked, “What about ibuprofen?”

“Got it! Wait here, I’ll go find it.”

Pu Mengyu dashed into the room. Lan Xiao poured a cup of warm water and propped Ye Ling up with pillows.

“Wake up, Ye Ling. Take your medicine and then go back to sleep. Ye Ling? Wake up…”

After calling her name several times, Ye Ling finally cracked open her eyes, her face flushed with fever.

“Xiaoxiao?”

Her face was slightly swollen from the fever, and her eyes looked like they’d been fished out of water, red-rimmed and hazy.

She gazed at Lan Xiao, her mind still foggy. “I dreamed about you again… Did you dye your hair? It’s so…”

Before she could finish, Lan Xiao snatched the medicine from Pu Mengyu’s hand and shoved it into Ye Ling’s mouth without a word.

“Drink the water. Take the medicine.” She handed her the cup.

Ye Ling glanced at her and obediently complied.

After Ye Ling swallowed the pills, Lan Xiao removed the pillows propping her up and let her lie back down. Noticing her eyes were still open, she commanded, “Close your eyes. No peeking.”

Two soft commands later, Ye Ling’s eyelids fluttered, and under the combined effects of the medication and her physical discomfort, she quickly drifted into sleep.

Pu Mengyu brought over a blanket and whispered, “How do you think she found us here?”

Lan Xiao glanced at the foot of the sofa. “I’m more curious about how she got here. The embassy is so far away.”

Pu Mengyu followed her gaze and gasped. Ye Ling’s ankle, which had been only slightly swollen when they parted, was now swollen to the size of a steamed bun, the skin stretched taut and almost glistening.

She hissed involuntarily and rotated her own ankle. “I gave her some emergency money before I left this afternoon… She probably took a taxi part of the way and walked the rest, right?”

Seeing Lan Xiao rummaging through Ye Ling’s pockets without a word, Pu Mengyu leaned closer, a little flustered. “Should I not have given her the money? Maybe she would have given up if she hadn’t had it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lan Xiao reassured her, patting her hand. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

She pulled a printed receipt from Ye Ling’s pocket. Pu Mengyu peered over her shoulder. “Ah, isn’t that a dry cleaner’s receipt?”

“Mm,” Lan Xiao nodded, tossing the receipt with the address into the trash. “I grabbed a bag from home to pack clothes and didn’t notice this was in there.”

“But it has my name on it,” Pu Mengyu pointed out.

“Your name, but I brought it,” Lan Xiao sighed. “Let’s just leave it at that for today. I’ll keep watch. You’re tired, go get some rest.”

Pu Mengyu thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll leave the door unlocked. Call me if anything happens.”

“Okay.”

Lan Xiao nodded, picked up her phone to reply to a couple of messages, then grabbed a stack of soft cotton wipes. She dampened them and put them in the freezer to use as cooling patches.

By the time she finished showering, the first batch of cooling patches was nearly frozen. Lan Xiao applied them to Ye Ling’s forehead and ankles, then slipped back into her own room and closed the door before Pu Mengyu noticed.

“Hey!” she hissed, lowering her voice. “If you don’t come out and explain yourself right now, I’m dumping Ye Ling on the side of the road!”

Whether it was that particular threat or something else, the childish voice finally reappeared, still brimming with resentment.

How dare you!

“What wouldn’t I dare? The whole country’s gone mad searching for her.”

Lan Xiao gritted her teeth, her voice laced with frustration. “What kind of job did you do? Ye Ling’s about to be treated like an illegal immigrant! Couldn’t you even fix her entry and exit records?”

…Who said I didn’t? I just haven’t had time yet.

Though still clueless about how to proceed, He silently added this to His to-do list.

Damn it! He hadn’t even finished dealing with the cascading problems caused by the world’s collapse and time jumps. He was swamped!

Lan Xiao showed no sympathy. “Explain yourself. What’s your criteria for ensuring Ye Ling doesn’t ‘get into trouble’? And why did you bring her to me?”

“Not getting into trouble” means not dying. That’s all.

Having to ask for a favor, He forced Himself to remain calm.  As for bringing her to you, Ye Ling keeps disrupting the plot and causing chaos. I just needed someone to keep an eye on her.

“Really?” Lan Xiao asked skeptically.

 Really,  He replied with unwavering conviction.

What else could He say? He couldn’t possibly tell the truth: that He had created a fake “Geng Xiaoxiao” corpse to make Ye Ling give up and follow the plot properly, nearly collapsing the world in the process.

Ha! I’d rather die than admit that!

Fortunately, Lan Xiao lacked enough information. She merely frowned, clearly skeptical but not pressing further.

She continued, “Ye Ling has no identification. I can’t keep her here forever. The embassy will likely trace her identity soon. She should be able to return home, right?”

She can return, but you have to go with her.

Lan Xiao blurted out, “Why? I’ve already broken free from the plot!”

Broken free? You just got dragged back in!

Seizing Lan Xiao’s stunned silence, He rattled off the explanation like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Ye Ling recognizing her true savior is a major plot point. Completing these plot points grants me energy, which I need to maintain the world’s stability.

Now that you’ve assumed this identity, you have to follow the plot.

“Stop!” Lan Xiao understood the first part, but the second…

Confused, she asked, “I only saved Ye Ling by accident. I’m not the female lead. How am I supposed to follow the plot?”

…Force your way through it.

“And what if I refuse?”

Hmph.

The child’s voice chuckled coldly, its tone sinister.  Even if I can’t move you directly, I can bring others here.

Lan Xiao: “……”

Don’t blame me. I’ve poured nearly all the energy I’ve accumulated over these years into this. I can’t afford to be picky about methods.

Don’t worry. According to the story’s setting, Ye Ling will regain her memories upon seeing the heroine’s Jade Token. Once you return to the country, find a way to approach the heroine, obtain the Jade Token, and wave it in front of Ye Ling. Then I’ll release her memories… Ah, wait, the ages don’t match up. I’ll adjust them before releasing the memories. That should work.

“What do you mean ‘that should work’? Aren’t you the one who determines whether the plot succeeds?”

If I could directly decide, why would I go through all this trouble?

Though it had no physical form, Lan Xiao could practically feel something rolling its eyes at her.

To you, this might be a fake world, but the people here are real, living beings. Humans have their own thoughts, and thoughts lead to disobedience.

She’d just never encountered someone so stubbornly disobedient.

In the past, dealing with target characters who weren’t attracted to her had been relatively straightforward. Love, after all, was just a matter of accelerated heartbeats, dopamine, hormones, and the like. By adjusting these factors and creating more opportunities for interaction, she could usually steer them back onto the script.

“Well, that was convenient. I noticed the adjustment as soon as it started, forcing me to knock the person unconscious before investigating the cause. That’s how I discovered Lan Xiao, the outsider.”

“But… oh well, it’s all fate.”

After a moment of silent sighing, the entity continued explaining:  “Because of this, the criteria for determining plot nodes have a certain margin of error, making them relatively flexible.”

“As for who makes these judgments, you’re an outsider, so you should have heard that voice. It has no self-awareness; it’s merely a tool to help me manage things.”

Lan Xiao recalled the voice she’d heard at noon. Though only half a day had passed, she could no longer remember its tone, only its words.

“What about you?” she asked. “What kind of being are you?”

“Why do you need to know that?”

“A name,” Lan Xiao said. “I need to know your name so I can call you if I need something in the future.”

The entity remained silent for an unusually long time. Just as Lan Xiao was about to assume it had slipped away, she finally received an answer.

“Calling me the original work’s spirit isn’t quite accurate. I oversee more than just one book, but I didn’t create this world. I simply exist in a mutually beneficial symbiosis with it… You could call me the world consciousness, if you like.”

Lan Xiao nodded. “Alright, Xiao Jiu.”

?

Lan Xiao explained, “The World Consciousness is too long. If you don’t mind, I can call you Xiao Shi.”

…Whatever!

Are you done with your questions?

The child’s voice remained irritable, but having a name created a special connection. Lan Xiao found herself less annoyed by Xiao Jiu’s voice than before.

“Pretty much. I can’t think of anything else for now… Oh, it’s okay if I don’t reclaim Geng Xiaoxiao’s identity, right?”

No problem. That little virus of yours is quite efficient. If necessary, I’ll just put in some extra work and patch things up. But I can’t control Ye Ling; at most, I can influence the others.

He was already developing a psychological aversion to Ye Ling.

“Thanks.”

This time, everything seemed truly settled. Enough time had passed; it was time to check on Ye Ling again.

Just as Lan Xiao was about to leave, Xiao Jiu’s voice rang out once more.

I forgot to mention—just in case—I’ve put a little trick on Ye Ling. As long as you two aren’t in the same city, she’ll randomly teleport within a kilometer of you.

Don’t worry, I’ll remove it once the plot is resolved.

Lan Xiao: “……”

Grasping the doorknob, she muttered a curse under her breath.

The next morning, dawn was breaking.

Ye Ling faintly heard hushed voices and the aroma of frying eggs.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw a black-haired woman in her early twenties trying to persuade a pink-haired woman to rest.

The pink-haired woman had her back to Ye Ling, yet despite not being able to see her face clearly, Ye Ling felt an inexplicable urge to cry.

Ye Ling stared blankly at her. When the black-haired woman noticed she was awake, she said something to the pink-haired woman, who turned around, silhouetted against the morning light.

The sunlight was too bright, obscuring her features in shadow.

Ye Ling opened her mouth, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Before she realized it, the name had slipped from her lips:

“Xiaoxiao.”

The pink-haired woman stopped, her expression displeased.

She unlocked her phone, holding the screen almost against her face.

Ye Ling had to shift her gaze to the text on the screen:

“Ye Ling, CEO of Mo Yuan Technology. Is this you?”

Memories of yesterday flooded back. Ye Ling pressed her lips together and nodded. “It’s me.”

“Good,” Lan Xiao said, retracting her phone. “The embassy will send someone to pick you up today. After that, they’ll probably send you back home.”

“What about you?”

“Me? What does this have to do with me?”

Lan Xiao blinked, as if struck by a sudden thought. “President Ye, I’ve told you countless times—I’m not the person you’re looking for.”

“You are.”

Ye Ling refused to give up, her gaze fixed on Lan Xiao. “Come back to China with me. I’ll find the evidence to prove you’re her.”

Lan Xiao returned her gaze, silent.

After a long moment, Lan Xiao sighed softly.

“In other words, if you can’t find the evidence, you’ll finally accept that I’m not Geng Xiaoxiao?” she asked.

“Exactly,” Ye Ling agreed.

Lan Xiao nodded. “Fine. I’ll make time to go with you.”