After Transmigrating, I Bent the Female Lead O - Chapter 18
News of Murong Feng’s injury quickly became a trending topic.
He owned a small company but also worked as an actor. He had just landed a new drama, so an injury severe enough to prevent him from filming was no small matter.
The role Murong Feng had secured was coveted by many young male actors. He Lingxing considered his acting skills merely average; he relied mostly on his handsome face to attract fans, and getting the role was largely due to his male lead halo.
Just as the production was about to start, he was suddenly unable to film. The diagnosis suggested it would be a long time before he could resume normal activities.
The entire crew couldn’t possibly wait that long for him. Every day of halted production meant a huge financial loss, infuriating the director to the point of speechlessness, who wished nothing more than to rush to the hospital and beat Murong Feng up.
Of course, his attempt to mark Shu Minglan and being beaten by a mysterious person couldn’t be made public. Even his manager only learned the truth after persistent questioning and immediately opted for a cover-up, claiming Murong Feng had accidentally slipped down the stairs.
How high would a staircase have to be for someone to be incapacitated for months? Whether this excuse was believable was up to individual interpretation.
In any case, every word that came out of his mouth only further angered the director and head producer. They hung up the phone exasperated within five minutes, then notified other male actors to audition for a replacement.
This series of “brazen moves” garnered the entire crew’s resentment and kept the trending topics on various platforms ablaze.
Fans were desperately defending their idol, while also expressing their well wishes on Weibo and other platforms, advising Murong Feng to recover well. Among the general public, half expressed doubt and mockery, while the other half conveyed regret.
As for anti-fans, they were out in full force. Various marketing accounts had clearly been bought by his rival companies, continuously questioning why Murong Feng, who was fine earlier, suddenly sustained such a severe injury from falling down stairs at this particular time. Murong Feng’s studio had no counter-arguments and could only remain silent.
••••
He Lingxing happily indulged in the gossip during her breaks from handling the new project, simultaneously sending the news link to Shu Minglan, who was still filming. Shu Minglan’s scenes must have been numerous, as she didn’t reply until very late that night.
[He was trying to take advantage of me back then.]
Shu Minglan hesitated repeatedly but finally told He Lingxing the truth. Although He Lingxing was deeply in love with Murong Feng in the original plot, saying this might not work in her favor. However, whenever she recalled the way Murong Feng had looked at her that day, Shu Minglan felt utterly disgusted.
He Lingxing hadn’t actually harmed her much so far, even helping her out several times. Whether she liked Murong Feng was still questionable.
They were all adults and should be able to distinguish right from wrong. If He Lingxing truly liked Murong Feng to the point of disregarding all morality, Shu Minglan felt she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
In fact, staying silent would have been the best approach, but a strong sense of hope compelled Shu Minglan to broadly describe the entire incident to He Lingxing. To ensure she was believed, she also sent an audio recording.
At that moment, Shu Minglan sensed something was wrong and originally wanted to run, but the thing in her mind actually tried to forcibly control her to follow the plot.
The audio came from a hidden voice recorder Shu Minglan carried, capturing all the sounds.
To prevent Murong Feng from denying it or retaliating, Shu Minglan had even carried scent storage bottles to collect the pheromone scent.
Of course… there was also the ephemeral rum and night blooming rum scent that appeared later.
He Lingxing remained silent for a while before typing: “SO”
[I’m just stating the facts. Whether you believe it or not is your judgment. But I want you to know that I have never liked Murong Feng, and I would never frame someone to steal him.]
Shu Minglan’s end showed “The other party is typing…, but after a long time of typing, nothing was sent.
Not being in a face-to-face conversation, the prolonged silence made it harder to guess what the other person was thinking, gradually magnifying mutual doubts.
In reality, if He Lingxing wanted to, she could completely use her position to retaliate against her, or even find a way to destroy the evidence, leaving Shu Minglan with no means of revenge. Telling He Lingxing earlier was an impulse on Shu Minglan’s part. She had only acted based on her impression of He Lingxing, completely unaware of how she was perceived by the other person.
She had acted impulsively.
But she didn’t regret it.
As long as there was a glimmer of hope to pull someone out of the mud, she didn’t want anyone to repeat the same tragic fate, to abandon everything and become subordinate to that person.
Fifteen minutes wasn’t a long or short time, but in the bewildering wait, every second felt like torture. The indoor window of the crew’s room wasn’t closed, and the cold wind rustled across Shu Minglan’s cool face. Her phone remained silent. Her movements seemed slowed as she rose to close the window.
“Clang.”
The sound of it closing seemed to strike her heart. Shu Minglan slowly exhaled. Just as she was about to set her phone to do not disturb and continue reading the script, the familiar profile picture suddenly popped up, and the vibration of the message alert made her heart tremble for no reason.
Shu Minglan paused for a few seconds before picking up her phone.
[He Lingxing]: Understood.
When He Lingxing typed that sentence, she had actually intended to follow it with something else, but just as she was about to send it, an unfamiliar number called. After answering and hearing the voice, He Lingxing’s face hardened, and she instinctively wanted to hang up.
“Aunt Zhou is at the hospital.”
The other party simply said a few understated words, quickly stated the hospital’s name, and then promptly hung up.
••••
Pingkang Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department
The strong smell of disinfectant in the corridor made He Lingxing, who was already somewhat averse to it, sneeze uncontrollably. Immediately, a small, perfume-soaked handkerchief was offered to her.
Seeing her step back, Yu Fanhui chuckled, as if oblivious to He Lingxing’s resistance:
“Sister Lingxing, you’re so funny. We used to sleep in the same bed when we were little, and we’re both women. Do you need to guard against me like a wolf?” Yu Fanhui tried to put her arm around her shoulder. “Alright, I was just kidding earlier. I’m straight, I won’t have those kinds of thoughts about you.”
He Lingxing simply found her noisy and unceremoniously brushed away Yu Fanhui’s hand trying to touch her: “Do you have ‘straight’ and ‘gay’ written on your face?”
Even if they were both straight women, she didn’t want any involvement with this type of person.
“Alright, alright, I won’t bother you anymore, you’re so fierce.” Although she said this, Yu Fanhui only kept a slight distance and didn’t make any more physical advances. “Aunt Zhou is having a check-up.”
The original book didn’t describe “He Lingxing” much, and her family was barely mentioned at all. Therefore, He Lingxing didn’t know what was wrong with her nominal mother.
He’s father went to get the forms, and only Yu Fanhui was beside her. The other party didn’t intend to tell her, and He Lingxing didn’t want to ask proactively, until a few minutes later when the doctor pushed the door open and came out.
He Lingxing went to meet her.
“Are you Zhou Lan’s family member?” The doctor nodded upon receiving an affirmative answer. “In seven months, you’ll have a younger brother or sister. The patient needs to receive some nutrient fluid and will be hospitalized for three days.”
He Lingxing was slightly stunned.
Society was relatively egalitarian now, and Omegas were not forcibly required to bear children. In this family, she was the only child. And now her mother was almost fifty, considered an elderly primigravida. She hadn’t expected her to become pregnant again.
Even for a high-ranking Omega, bearing a child at such an age was quite dangerous.
Although she didn’t have much affection for the original owner’s family, He Lingxing still ordered a fruit basket first, then headed towards her mother’s hospital room.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw the woman on the bed trying to sit up. He Lingxing stepped forward to help, but her hand was subtly pushed away the moment it touched her arm.
“It’s a little hot.”
After hearing her mumble, He Lingxing pushed the window open a crack, letting in the cool and fresh night breeze. Zhou Lan then asked her to pour a glass of water, which she drank most of in one gulp before letting out a long, comfortable sigh and looking up at He Lingxing, who was standing by the bed.
The woman in her twenties had a slender and beautiful figure, tall and well-proportioned enough for people to believe she was an Alpha. In fact, she had also suspected if He Lingxing was an Alpha pretending to be an Omega, but the test report sent at the time clearly stated Omega, forcing Zhou Lan to yield to reality.
Alphas were natural leaders, while Omegas were relatively much weaker, serving little purpose beyond arranged marriages.
But this daughter of hers, without an Alpha’s body, possessed an Alpha’s arrogance, directly refusing any path she arranged, leaving no room for discussion.
Zhou Lan’s half-smiling gaze made He Lingxing a little uncomfortable. She wasn’t the type to tolerate being suppressed and stifled, but she endured it for the sake of the other person being a patient and the original owner’s mother, only avoiding the sharp gaze.
However, He Lingxing’s concession seemed to be misunderstood by Zhou Lan. After a moment, a sneer escaped her lips:
“So you still remember to come back, He Lingxing? I thought this family had lost you.”
Yu Fanhui, who entered with He’s father, heard this barbed remark the moment she stepped in. Seeing He Lingxing’s slightly off expression, she quickly interjected:
“Auntie, don’t be angry. What happened last time was my fault. Lingxing is an Omega, and it’s right for her to keep her distance from Alphas. Lingxing, why don’t you apologize to Aunt Zhou? How about we let bygones be bygones?”
He Lingxing’s long eyelashes drooped, but she remained silent.
“Alright, alright, I forgive Sister Lingxing for leaving without a word last time. Aunt Zhou, don’t be angry with her either.”
Yu Fanhui smoothed things over with a smile, but her gaze drifted to He Lingxing’s perfectly smooth profile. Her jawline was exceptionally beautiful, always making one want to touch it. Her bowed head at this moment was like an elegant and melancholic swan, stunningly beautiful for an instant.
Yu Fanhui’s heart stirred. In front of He Lingxing’s parents, she wrapped her arm around He Lingxing’s neck and leaned in.