After Transmigrating, I Lived with the Charismatic/Beloved Female Lead - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Wei Yue had heard Lu Yuanqiu say, “I believe family heirs should not have this kind of orientation,” but she certainly wouldn’t throw a tantrum over it.
As someone who had eavesdropped on the entire conversation, combined with the System’s later “setting supplement,” if Lu Yuanqiu hadn’t said that, who knew what Lan Shangui, as the manifestation of the minor world’s rules, might have done.
Moreover, she didn’t believe Lu Yuanqiu was the type of person to criticize Wei Ling.
So, was Lu Yuanqiu’s hesitant look just now out of concern that I might misunderstand?
Wei Yue thought this and immediately felt that she didn’t want any misunderstanding between herself and Lu Yuanqiu. She quickly replied, “I know, I don’t mind! The one with the problem is clearly Lan…”
Just as she was about to utter the name “Lan Shangui,” the System’s alert sounded in her mind: OOC level has risen to 45%. Host, please be mindful.
It had been a while since Wei Yue had heard a prompt about OOC fluctuation. She knew that the judgment criteria had changed significantly with the progression of the mission and the development of her relationship with Lu Yuanqiu.
However, the original host’s affection for Lan Shangui was a deeply ingrained characteristic of her persona. It was still too early to try and change that completely.
Under the constraint of the OOC level, Wei Yue didn’t finish her sentence, but it was enough for Lu Yuanqiu to understand her meaning.
Lu Yuanqiu didn’t show any sign of surprise regarding Wei Yue’s criticism of Lan Shangui. She realized that Wei Yue had genuinely heard those words, and quite a lot of them, suggesting she had been lurking nearby from the beginning.
So why did she come out then?
Lu Yuanqiu’s eyes moved, looking at Wei Yue’s face, which had returned to normal: “Are you really okay? Your complexion was quite poor just now.”
“…Hearing something like that, it’s bound to be a bit surprising, right?” Wei Yue could now flawlessly invent reasons to explain her words and actions. “Of course, what surprised me more was… Lan Shangui’s attitude.”
“Some of the things he said were truly nasty,” Lu Yuanqiu admitted, with an undisguised sense of rejection when mentioning Lan Shangui.
But perhaps out of consideration for Wei Yue, or due to her innate good manners, she controlled her wording and shifted the topic more reassuringly: “Regardless of whether the matter is true or false, sexual orientation is a personal freedom. You don’t need to take his words to heart.”
“Auntie Wei is your mother. What matters most is what you two think of each other.”
Lu Yuanqiu’s voice softened as she looked up and gazed at Wei Yue.
If before, Wei Yue mostly admired the beauty of Lu Yuanqiu’s amber eyes, now, seeing the slight warmth and reassurance in the other’s gaze gave her a deeper sense of comfort, both mentally and emotionally.
Lan Shangui’s behavior today, and the System’s explanation, abruptly reminded Wei Yue that she had transmigrated into a book, and the people around her were all book characters with predetermined life trajectories and stories.
But Lu Yuanqiu made her realize again that even characters were not inanimate objects or machines. She had her own thoughts, her own path to follow…
Even though she had already felt early on that the people around her were not merely flat “paper people.”
Yet, under the influence of “rules,” Lu Yuanqiu hadn’t been significantly affected.
Indeed, she is different.
Wei Yue thought this, feeling her heart in her chest beat a few times faster.
“Mhm… I know. But whether my mom likes men or women, I really don’t care,” she replied, unconsciously rubbing her forearm—the spot where Lu Yuanqiu had held her earlier.
Presumably, even the original host wouldn’t have much to say about this.
After all, Wei Ling’s indulgence towards her was far beyond the norm. Unless the original host was homophobic, as the biggest beneficiary, she couldn’t criticize her own mother.
“But… where exactly did Lan Shangui hear this news, and why was he so sure it was true?”
After her emotional fluctuations slowly subsided, this was the first question that came to Wei Yue’s mind.
While Lan Shangui’s subsequent actions could be attributed to the influence of the minor world’s rules, there must have been an initial trigger. Even if Lan Shangui was the heir to the Lan family, he shouldn’t have direct access to information about Wei Ling, the head of her family.
After all, he didn’t seem as capable as Lu Yuanqiu.
Wei Yue contemplated while simultaneously not forgetting to belittle the male lead.
“Auntie Wei’s matter should be known to the previous generation,” Lu Yuanqiu was also curious about this. “Lan Shangui showed no signs of strangeness at the birthday banquet on the weekend, and he was resting at home on Sunday.”
Prompted by Lu Yuanqiu, Wei Yue recalled what Wei Ling had said when she asked her to invite Lu Yuanqiu out to dinner at the start of the semester: she and the heads of the other families were childhood playmates, so they naturally knew everything about each other.
If that was the case, Lan Shangui might have heard his father mention the matter, which is why he was so certain of the news’s authenticity.
“But my mom has always been very discreet, and we haven’t heard any rumors, suggesting the matter was being concealed. So why would the older generation suddenly bring it up?” Wei Yue still couldn’t figure it out.
In fact, based on the System’s mission prompt, it was already confirmed that the conflict between the Wei and Zhou families stemmed from Wei Ling’s sexual orientation.
Wei Yue boldly guessed that the woman Wei Ling liked must be a woman from the Zhou family.
Lu Yuanqiu’s eyes were half-closed. Prompted by Wei Yue’s words, some long-ago memories slowly surfaced.
“Perhaps… it wasn’t concealed,” she said hesitantly.
To her surprise, although Wei Yue outwardly maintained a calm expression of “I’m listening,” the sudden intensity in her eyes was hard to ignore.
Lu Yuanqiu: “…”
It looked like Wei Yue genuinely didn’t care about the issue itself and was even more curious about her own mother’s gossip.
“Let me ask first, are you still very bothered by Zhou Yue?” Lu Yuanqiu asked, exasperated for a moment.
Wei Yue was taken aback by Lu Yuanqiu’s opening, but she honestly and obediently shook her head.
When Zhou Yue was mentioned, she still felt a slight heaviness in her chest and some aversion, but that was caused by the original host’s strong emotional residue. To her, Zhou Yue was merely a stranger.
“But actually, it doesn’t have much to do with Zhou Yue… I just heard her mention it once,” Lu Yuanqiu lowered her voice, her emotions dipping slightly.
“Your family and the Zhou family both specialize in the high-tech industry, but with different primary focuses. The competition was relatively weak, and I also found in some research that your two families used to cooperate. But twenty years ago, their cooperation suddenly ceased, and they haven’t been in contact since.”
“I recall… Zhou Yue once said that her maternal uncle was extremely displeased with her. He once criticized her to her face, saying that if it weren’t for her mother, the Zhou family’s industry would be more perfect, instead of being constrained by the rivalry with the Wei family.”
Zhou Yue’s… mother?
Didn’t they say she had died years ago in a car accident?
But not wanting to interrupt Lu Yuanqiu’s recollection, Wei Yue followed her lead: “Are you suggesting that perhaps the older generation actively avoided the issue because of the falling out, rather than deliberately concealing it?”
Lu Yuanqiu was slightly surprised that Wei Yue so smoothly picked up her train of thought, but she nodded: “When I heard Zhou Yue say these things in the past, I only thought about her difficult situation. But now, with all this information connected… perhaps there really is a deeper meaning behind it.”
She paused, then added, “Of course, this is just speculation. Our information is still limited.”
Although Lu Yuanqiu called it speculation, Wei Yue now knew the other party’s deduction was correct.
Because at that moment, the System’s alert sound was ringing continuously in her mind: “Ding, ding, ding.”
The last piece of the Main Mission puzzle was also unlocked. The feud between the Wei and Zhou families was because Wei Ling once had a romantic relationship with Zhou Yue’s mother.
As heirs of powerful families, they could be gay, but for the sake of the family’s reputation and face, it was absolutely forbidden to go public. However, the two of them seemingly didn’t conceal their relationship at the time, which ultimately led to their separation.
Congratulations to the Host for completing the second phase of the Main Mission! Reward: 30 days of life value, 2 plot keys. Current cumulative life value: 31 days and 2 hours. Please continue your efforts!
Th-thirty-one days!
Wei Yue was so overwhelmed by the large number that she felt dizzy. If she hadn’t been mindful of Lu Yuanqiu’s apparent dislike for physical contact, she would have rushed over and given the other woman a huge hug to express her gratitude.
Lu Yuanqiu, across from her, noticed the sudden shift in the woman’s expression from gossipy excitement to profound emotion, immediately interrupting her fast-spreading thoughts.
That vibrant face making such an exaggerated expression looked truly incongruous.
Lu Yuanqiu silently thought that while the current Wei Yue seemed more reliable, capable of thinking and communicating on the same frequency as her much of the time, sometimes she still seemed… quite prone to minor breakdowns.
But… she didn’t dislike it. In fact, she might even say she felt a bit nostalgic.
The System, which had been silently observing the entire time, hesitated, then composed and sent a message to the Main God.
Its Host might not know the specific operating rules of the minor world, but the System, as one of the supervisors, had detailed information in its manual.
Although there were rules, these rules were not immutable. When characters within the minor world developed self-awareness, the plot development would inevitably deviate, and the rules should change accordingly, just like the criteria for Wei Yue’s OOC level.
Currently, setting aside marginal characters like Wei Ling, the most important protagonist—the female lead Lu Yuanqiu had clearly deviated greatly from the original novel. Therefore, the minor world’s rules should change to accommodate this! Yet, Lan Shangui’s words and actions were still maintaining the original order.
There must be a deeper problem within this minor world!