After Transmigrating, I Lived with the Charismatic/Beloved Female Lead - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: (Start of V-section)

“System, what’s the status regarding the plot?”

After Lu Yuanqiu left, Wei Yue lay on the bed and asked the System.

I have submitted the application to the Main God, but receiving a response will require some time.

Seeing that there was no immediate reply, Wei Yue began to recall the events of the evening, trying to organize her thoughts.

She had heard the conversations of those people just now, but with her head throbbing intensely, she could only lie on the ground waiting for the doctor.

They said… Lan Shangui acted crazily because he was drunk.

Wei Yue did not believe this reason. The wine at the banquet, which she had just drunk two glasses of, was clearly a low-alcohol beverage.

As the heir of the Lan family, Lan Shangui had been exposed to such grand occasions since childhood. Even if he was impulsive, why would he get drunk and cause a scene in public? Moreover, he clearly knew that the marriage alliance with Lu Yuanqiu would be announced at this birthday banquet.

He would absolutely not want to mess it up.

After a few seconds of thought, Wei Yue remembered what Zhou Ling had told her and the glass of wine she was given.

Zhou Ling said the wine was drugged and would cause dizziness. Lan Shangui, after knocking her down, collapsed and seemed to have passed out.

Doesn’t that roughly match what Zhou Ling said…

Wei Yue’s expression changed. Could this be an accident?

After all, Zhou Ling was Lan Shangui’s partner. They might have interacted after the dance. The drugged wine could have been accidentally misplaced and ended up in Lan Shangui’s hand.

But this was an important banquet with so many people in the hall. If Zhou Ling was truly that careless, and the drugged wine ended up in someone else’s hands, it wouldn’t be hard to trace the incident back to her.

And when she drank those two glasses of wine in front of Zhou Ling and Lu Yuanqiu, Zhou Ling likely didn’t know she had already poured the “drugged” wine away. Zhou Ling was only surprised by her action, not panicked.

So if it was deliberately given to Lan Shangui, why did she come to me, telling me the wine was drugged and intended to frame Lu Yuanqiu?

Wait a minute, Lu Yuanqiu…

In a flash of insight, Wei Yue recalled what Lu Yuanqiu had said while they were dancing.

She said I would have more chances to dance with Lan Shangui in the future…

If the marriage alliance between the Lu and Lan families was truly announced at this birthday banquet, then Lan Shangui’s partner at future dances would only be Lu Yuanqiu. How would it ever be her turn?

Therefore, Lu Yuanqiu knew the announcement of the marriage alliance wouldn’t happen!

Wei Yue was startled by this thought. She even bounced up from the bed, but the sudden movement tugged at her wound, and she grimaced in pain, slowly lying back down.

If this were true, it would indicate not only that Lu Yuanqiu had a complete plan to prevent this “verbal” engagement but also that she chose Zhou Ling, someone who had previously tried to frame her, as an ally.

And even more…

Wei Yue remembered Lu Yuanqiu’s desolate smile just now and what she said. She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt saving her. Could Lan Shangui’s sudden attack on her have been within her calculations?

At this thought, Wei Yue felt it was somewhat exaggerated. Lan Shangui was delirious then. It was entirely possible he saw wrong and rushed toward a random person mistaking them for Lu Yuanqiu.

Although some parts were illogical, given her limited information, this could only be considered speculation. However, this incident was definitely not a mere coincidence. Someone must have been pushing the chain of events.

If it was Lu Yuanqiu… this personality doesn’t quite match the “gentle and kind” image described by the System and in the original novel.

Not only had the background and plotline completely deviated, but now it seemed the character setting was different too.

Furthermore, why would Lu Yuanqiu seek cooperation with Zhou Ling?

After all, Zhou Ling was still spreading rumors about her in school last week. Every time she encountered Zhou Ling, the hostility in her eyes towards Lu Yuanqiu was obvious. It couldn’t have been entirely staged, could it?

If it was, Zhou Ling, at her young age, could easily go into the entertainment industry and aim for the Best Actress award.

Moreover, compared to Zhou Ling, she, Wei Yue, was clearly a more suitable choice, right?

They were both designated “villainess side characters.” She had a more compelling reason to interact with Lan Shangui, and she was Lu Yuanqiu’s roommate, making it easier to discuss any plans.

Why didn’t she seek me out!

Wei Yue frowned, feeling somewhat inexplicably depressed.

But she knew that if all of this was planned by Lu Yuanqiu, then the fact that she chose Zhou Ling, who currently seemed to lack significant ability, as an ally, must be due to a strong motive.

After all, judging from the current outcome, Lu Yuanqiu was the biggest beneficiary, meaning she must have thoroughly rehearsed this.

With the plot completely skewed, Wei Yue instinctively felt that this motive was vital for both the future direction of the story and her mission.

Wei Yue closed her eyes and began to recall the background and plot information she had gathered so far, as well as Lu Yuanqiu’s potentially clue-ridden words.

“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt saving me…”

Ah, right!

The incident that caused the rift between the Lu and Zhou families and closely linked Lu Yuanqiu and the Zhou family was when Zhou Ling’s cousin drowned while saving Lu Yuanqiu, who had fallen into the water.

Even though Zhou Jing, the male second lead, had a good attitude towards Lu Yuanqiu, the two families still had an obvious superficial barrier due to the drowning incident.

Lu Yuanqiu choosing to cooperate with Zhou Ling now rather than anyone else must be related to Zhou Ling’s identity, specifically the Zhou family behind her.

However, it was highly unlikely to involve business matters.

Currently, Zhou Jing completely overshadowed Zhou Ling. Barring any accidents, the Zhou family’s corporate assets would surely remain firmly in Zhou Jing’s hands.

Moreover, Zhou Jing himself was willing to approach Lu Yuanqiu. If it was about business, she could simply approach Zhou Jing instead of Zhou Ling, which seemed like an unnecessarily difficult path.

And even concerning the Zhou family, Zhou Ling’s relationship with her father and brother was very poor. She mostly kept to herself and rarely interacted with her family.

All of this was discernible from the information provided by the System and Lu Yuanqiu’s brief comments.

An unvalued Zhou family member, the drowning incident, Lu Yuanqiu’s continued preoccupation…

“Could it be…” A thought flashed into Wei Yue’s mind, causing her pupils to contract.

Did Lu Yuanqiu have some other insight regarding that drowning incident?

Ding ding!

The System’s alert tone sounded. Wei Yue’s heart raced. She opened the mission panel and found a 10% progress increase in the previously stagnant Main Mission!

The mission was now displayed as a tree diagram, and one entry clearly stated—Regarding the drowning incident a year ago, it seems the reality is not as widely circulated outside…

It really is!

Wei Yue was both surprised and delighted. Although the conclusion she reached was based on combining the information she knew, it was still speculation. She hadn’t expected to accidentally hit the mark and genuinely advance the Main Mission’s progress.

At least now she had a direction to focus her efforts on, rather than being completely lost.

“System, can I not access the original owner’s memories at all?” Wei Yue tentatively asked.

No, the original owner’s soul took its memories with it upon dissipation. The Host has no way to view them. The System flatly refused.

Damn it. The original owner definitely attended Lu Yuanqiu’s coming-of-age party a year ago! If I could access those memories, it would save so much trouble!

And she definitely couldn’t try to ask Lu Yuanqiu about this now.

Firstly, Lu Yuanqiu hadn’t volunteered any of this information herself. Asking abruptly might certainly arouse her suspicion. Secondly, the drowning incident must have caused her immense negative impact. Asking about it would be equivalent to inflicting secondary trauma.

Considering all options, it seemed she could only ask Wei Ling.

Thinking this, Wei Yue planned to subtly sound out Wei Ling when she woke up tomorrow.

Just as she closed her eyes, she heard the doorknob of the room turn. She looked over cautiously and saw Wei Ling tiptoeing in.

Seeing the room light still on, Wei Ling and Wei Yue stared at each other. Wei Ling asked, “Yueyue, you’re still awake?”

Wei Yue: “…Mm! I’m having a little trouble sleeping!”

This is truly my mom! She came when I needed her!