After Transmigrating, I Lived with the Charismatic/Beloved Female Lead - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Wei Yue was momentarily distracted. The spot where Lu Yuanqiu’s fingertips touched her seemed to carry a burning heat, and quickly, this heat spread from her fingers to her earlobes.
Realizing her own unusual reaction, Wei Yue felt the gift box in her hand become scalding and quickly let go, handing it to Lu Yuanqiu.
However, this action, in the eyes of bystanders, looked as if she were somewhat avoiding suspicion, simply dumping the gift on Lu Yuanqiu.
“You…”
Xu Mengning frowned, wanting to say something, but she looked at her best friend beside her. Seeing that the other girl maintained her faint smile, and knowing Lu Yuanqiu had her own plans, she ultimately didn’t pursue the matter.
“Alright, the gift has been given!” Wei Yue felt that if she stayed any longer, her OOC level would be difficult to maintain. She managed to squeeze out one sentence and prepared to leave immediately.
However, just as she took a step, another voice approached: “Oh? Student Wei, you’ve arrived?”
Wei Yue had no choice but to stop and look at the newcomer, finding it was Jiang Yun Juen.
Huh? Wasn’t Jiang Yun Juen supposed to be a side character/NPC? Why is she here?
Jiang Yun Juen was wearing a silver-white cheongsam. Her shoulder-length hair seemed simply styled, and paired with the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose, it enhanced her scholarly air.
Seeing the gift box in Lu Yuanqiu’s hand, Jiang Yun Juen smiled at Wei Yue and said, “You came to give a gift to Student Lu.”
Why is this topic coming up again!
Wei Yue was nervous every time she heard the word “gift,” but she had to brace herself and reply: “Mm, yes. I couldn’t help it. Since she’s my roommate, it’s better to give the gift in person.”
“Ah, I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation?” Jiang Yun Juen covered her mouth, sounding somewhat remorseful.
Seeing Wei Yue continuously avoiding her gaze, Lu Yuanqiu also spoke: “Not at all, we hadn’t started talking about anything. Since we are all classmates, it’s good that we can gather.”
“Isn’t that right, Wei Yue?”
Hearing Lu Yuanqiu redirect the topic to her again, Wei Yue regretted not being more decisive when leaving earlier.
Talk about what! If she stayed any longer, her life could be in jeopardy!
But at this moment, she had to reply to Lu Yuanqiu.
So Wei Yue forcefully squeezed her fingers, forcing her heart rate to calm down, and managed a smile: “Haha, yes, it’s quite a coincidence to run into university classmates here.”
“My family moved to K City a few years ago. Most of my elders work in the electronic technology industry. I didn’t expect to be able to attend Student Lu’s birthday banquet this time.”
Jiang Yun Juen proactively explained her reason for being there. Then, she looked at her clothes with some helplessness and sighed: “But I really might not be suited for this kind of occasion. It’s too restrictive.”
The banquet was filled with K City’s well-known, influential people. Most conversations were formal and polite, or focused on business interests. As this was Jiang Yun Juen’s first time, she was clearly finding it a bit taxing.
“Those people in the business and political circles are just like that. It might be a little better during the dance later,” Xu Mengning, being straightforward, offered a direct consolation.
“Student Jiang can start looking for a dance partner now,” Lu Yuanqiu was more considerate, adding, “If you don’t want to participate in the dance, you can stand by the drinks area to avoid being bothered by unwelcome guests.”
Dance… partner…
Wei Yue quickly recalled this part of the original plot. As the host of the banquet, Lu Yuanqiu’s partner would naturally be Lan Shangui. During the dance, Lan Shangui would express his feelings again, but Lu Yuanqiu was completely uninterested, yet forced to endure it for appearance’s sake.
Facing this situation, the original owner would naturally be overcome with jealousy, fiercely desiring revenge on Lu Yuanqiu. This led to the subsequent scene where she caused Lu Yuanqiu to fall and be humiliated in public.
However, looking at Lu Yuanqiu’s genuinely relaxed expression now, the plot had probably completely deviated. And the person who would attempt to harm Lu Yuanqiu had changed from “her” to… Zhou Ling.
Speaking of which, since Zhou Ling came to find her last week, saying they would discuss it later, she hadn’t contacted her again.
Wei Yue didn’t believe Zhou Ling was the type to let a “good opportunity” pass by. She immediately glanced around secretly, trying to spot Zhou Ling.
“Wei Yue, what about you? Have you found a dance partner?”
Suddenly, Lu Yuanqiu’s voice rang out, tossing the topic back to Wei Yue. She distinctly felt all three people beside her look at her.
Wei Yue: “…”
Seriously, why does Lu Yuanqiu keep handing the conversation to me today?!
After just seeing Lu Yuanqiu, Wei Yue already felt her reaction was off and was thinking of finding a place to compose herself.
Now, not only could she not leave, but she also had to frequently make eye contact and converse with Lu Yuanqiu, making her already turbulent state of mind even more dramatic.
“No, there’s no rush for a dance partner,” Wei Yue took a deep breath, keeping her expression calm. “Besides…”
Besides, she couldn’t dance! What did the dance have to do with her?
Instead, during the time of the dance, she needed to find clues for the Main Mission or locate Zhou Ling to see what the other person was planning.
Congratulations to the host for triggering a Side Mission! The birthday banquet has reached the halfway point, and the dance is about to begin. As one of the important plot points, how can a villainess not participate! Please find your most desired dance partner!
However, before Wei Yue could finish her thought, the long-silent system voice rang in her mind, startling her into an immediate silence.
Just hearing the title of this Side Mission gave her a bad premonition.
1. Male Lead Lan Shangui, Reward: 10 hours of life value; 2. Female Lead Lu Yuanqiu, Reward: 20 hours of life value; 3. Female Side Character Xu Mengning, Reward: 8 hours of life value; 4. Passerby NPC Jiang Yun Juen, Reward: 5 hours of life value; 5. Female Side Character Zhou Ling, Reward: 8 hours of life value. Time limit: 10 minutes.
“Besides, a dance partner still needs to be carefully chosen, haha…” Wei Yue gave two awkward laughs, quickly changing the subject.
Why does this rotten system always announce missions only at critical moments! She almost decided not to attend the dance!
Moreover, the time limit for this mission was incredibly tight, only 10 minutes.
“Carefully? If you take any longer, you might lose the opportunity again.” Xu Mengning wouldn’t miss any chance to provoke Wei Yue. Her words were pointed, and her gaze drifted toward Lan Shangui, who was still surrounded by many people.
Clearly, she thought Wei Yue still wanted to invite Lan Shangui.
Heh, what’s Lan Shangui?
Wei Yue ruthlessly mocked him internally. Not only did he have a bad personality and poor character, but he wasn’t even worth much! Only 10 hours of life value. She would never choose Lan Shangui.
She currently only had 24 hours of life value, which would reset at midnight, a truly critical situation. While the other options were relatively easy to complete, the rewards were too low. So, the best choice could only be…
Wei Yue slowly raised her eyes and looked at Lu Yuanqiu across from her.
Seeing Wei Yue’s gaze, Lu Yuanqiu took a sip of water from her glass and spoke: “The dance will start in about 20 minutes. If you have someone you want to invite, you really can’t delay any longer.”
Watching the gentle movement of Lu Yuanqiu’s throat as she drank water, Wei Yue felt a momentary flicker of distraction again.
But this time, she recovered quickly, as the completion of the Side Mission was now imminent.
Wei Yue hardened her resolve, staring directly at Lu Yuanqiu: “Not much time? Perfect. Since I still don’t know who to invite, how about you?”
“Huh?” This time, Xu Mengning exclaimed first. She looked at Wei Yue as if she had seen a ghost. “You, who are you going to the dance with?”
“My roommate! Is there a rule against it!” Wei Yue put on a fierce demeanor, though her calves were actually shaking.
Although this was consistent with the original owner, she really couldn’t dance! If Lu Yuanqiu agreed, wouldn’t she truly drag Lu Yuanqiu down and become the public joke?
If Lu Yuanqiu didn’t agree, her life value would immediately run out, and she might perish tomorrow.
This was truly a no-win situation.
Seeing Wei Yue speak so righteously, Xu Mengning was about to say, “Why should your roommate agree to your request?” but she turned and saw Lu Yuanqiu lightly stroking her chin with her fingers, her eyes half-closed, clearly contemplating.
No way… Lu Yuanqiu isn’t actually considering agreeing, is she?
Xu Mengning felt that both Lu Yuanqiu and Wei Yue were being highly dramatic tonight.
Her bad premonition came true. She heard her friend say with a somewhat lighthearted tone: “Sure. We’ve attended so many banquets, and we’ve never been each other’s partners. Let’s try it this time.”
Xu Mengning: “…” She must still be dreaming.
On the other side, Wei Yue was unable to relax despite Lu Yuanqiu accepting her invitation.
“System, System! Do you have any one-click teaching or skill packages! Help me!” Wei Yue frantically called the system in her mind. “I can’t dance at all! When the dance starts, I’m definitely going to go OOC!”
The system’s electronic voice became a barely audible buzz: I’m sorry… this system does not have that skill… But please trust in human potential during a crisis!
This isn’t something human potential can solve! If she can’t do it, she just can’t!
Lu Yuanqiu had been observing Wei Yue’s reaction. She noticed the other girl’s expression clearly showed nervousness and confusion after she accepted the invitation.
Her eyes darkened, and countless possible scenarios flashed through her mind.
However, a gentle smile remained on her face as she casually said, “Tonight’s dance is no different from the past; it’s just ballroom dancing. But… since we’re both women, do you want to lead or follow?”
“…I don’t care, but judging by our outfits, it might be more suitable for you to follow.” Wei Yue said instinctively.
How could she possibly know the difference between leading and following!
Lu Yuanqiu nodded, indicating she understood: “Alright, then we’ll wait here…”
“Yuanqiu!” A male voice suddenly interrupted Lu Yuanqiu’s words. The few people looked over and saw Lan Shangui quickly approaching, his face clearly showing urgency.
“So you’re here. I’ve been looking for you for ages!” Lan Shangui took a breath. “The dance is about to start. Shall we prepare?”
Wow, what’s wrong with this male lead! Does he think everyone is blind? Wasn’t he just surrounded by a group of people? He clearly wasn’t looking for Lu Yuanqiu!
Wei Yue looked at Lan Shangui’s face and just felt increasingly annoyed.
The smile on Lu Yuanqiu’s face faded a bit. She said, “I apologize, but I already have a partner. You might need to find someone else.”
Wei Yue keenly noticed that after Lu Yuanqiu said she “had a partner,” Lan Shangui’s pupils constricted, and his expression instantly darkened, carrying a noticeable sense of oppression.