Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 1
The black business car glided through the downpour, quiet and steady.
It was a summer day in City B, and the rain was pouring. Looking out the window, pedestrians were scrambling for cover, caught off guard by the sudden deluge that drenched everyone.
No one was in a good mood, especially the person inside the car.
Gong Zhi had her eyes squeezed shut, a cold expression on her face and an impatient frown.
Her head was throbbing, and a constant buzzing in her mind was interspersed with a sporadic electronic voice.
The voice had started yesterday and had been bothering her all day.
Yet, Gong Zhi felt a sense of “it’s finally here.”
Gong Zhi was a transmigrator with her memories intact.
In her previous life, she was a bona fide workaholic, a soulless money-making machine.
Her ending was predictable: she collapsed at 3 a.m. while working. She was 27 years old, and her company, which she had built from the ground up, had just been listed on the stock market.
She hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy the extravagant life of a newly rich person before she experienced a fatal heart attack. When she opened her eyes again, she was a baby who only ate and slept.
After realizing she had transmigrated, Gong Zhi tried to see if there was a system or anything else in her mind, but there was nothing. She passed her childhood and adolescence peacefully and smoothly.
She was lucky. The body she transmigrated into came from a well-off family with doting parents and an older brother who didn’t expect her to take over the family business.
Gong Zhi agreed. After pushing herself to the brink once and losing her life, she decided to live well, become a retired “salted fish” focused on health and wellness, and make up for her premature death.
But some things, though late, were inevitable. After 20 years of peace, the intermittent electronic voice finally connected to her brainwaves, and Gong Zhi only caught a few keywords.
[Transmigrating into a book… host… system…]
Gong Zhi was annoyed, yet she also felt a sense of finality. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch, especially not a life this happy.
This broken system, however, seemed to have been out of service for a long time; it took forever just to connect.
The phone suddenly rang.
“It’s Madam’s call,” the assistant said quietly, handing her the phone.
Gong Zhi clicked her tongue but answered the phone, her voice softening. “Mom, what’s wrong with big brother this time?”
The assistant discreetly raised the divider, showing great tact.
The voice on the other end was also exhausted and hoarse from crying. “He’s completely lost his mind. He brought a woman to the company today and even had a contract drafted to keep her. I heard she’s a college student who hasn’t even graduated yet!”
The signs were all there.
Gong Zhi lamented not noticing this sooner.
Her older brother, Gong Yi, was the CEO of Qiming Group. Backed by their grandfather, the chairman of the Gong family, he had a smooth journey, was decisive, dutiful to his parents, and kind to his little sister. In recent years, he had worked diligently to expand the company significantly.
The entire company respected him, and their grandfather had gradually grown to trust him and delegate power.
But ever since his “moonlight” first love left him, Gong Yi’s personality had changed. His subsequent girlfriends were short-lived and all bore a resemblance to her, though he at least maintained some sense of propriety in his work.
But a family like the Gongs couldn’t allow their eldest son and future heir to have such a reputation. They arranged a marriage for him, hoping he would settle down after getting married.
Thinking of this, Gong Zhi couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose.
Look, a “moonlight” first love and a fiancée—all that was missing was a substitute lover. This was the classic setup for a melodramatic novel. And now, the dramatic substitute had arrived.
She should have realized something was wrong a long time ago.
As this thought crossed her mind, the electronic voice in her head, as if triggered by a keyword, let out a “ding.”
[Host successfully connected. Welcome to the derivative world of “The Overbearing CEO’s Substitute Love.” Please strive for survival and alter the female lead’s fate of turning dark, which would ultimately lead to the world’s destruction. System knowledge has been transmitted to the host’s mind.]
[Task 1 has been triggered: prevent the male and female leads from meeting.]
Gong Zhi twitched her lips. “You’re too late.”
[Wha-what?! Too late? Where is the plot at right now??]
The electronic voice faltered, then turned into a trembling wave.
Gong Zhi pressed her hand to her forehead. This broken system was indeed unreliable. But it seemed to be able to communicate… and it sounded soft and easy to manipulate.
Gong Zhi turned her head to look out the window. Under the curtain of rain, the tall building of Qiming Group was faintly visible. She would arrive at her destination soon. She went through the system’s instructions in her mind. They were good and very formal. She decided to get this over with quickly.
[I want to report you.]
Ten minutes later, the dejected system huddled in a corner of the host’s mind, trembling.
All the rules about not going out of character and following task limitations were gone. The thought of Gong Zhi’s righteous reporting and refusal to cooperate made the system want to shed its code.
Would a host like this really be willing to complete the task for the future of the world?
Gong Zhi, meanwhile, extended her hand, the divider slid down, and the assistant respectfully handed her an already-opened thermos. She took a sip of the sweet goji berry and chrysanthemum tea and felt a bit of relief in her heart.
She turned her head, and the glass doors of the Qiming Group opened for her.
After her brief struggle with the system, she had a rough idea of the situation. This world was real, but its origin was a melodramatic novel. Following the timeline, she realized the female lead wouldn’t have a happy ending with the male lead as the book described. Instead, she would turn dark and eventually destroy the world.
To prevent this, Gong Zhi and the system had arrived. The difference was that for some unknown reason, Gong Zhi had arrived 20 years early.
The assistant got out of the car first, holding an umbrella and waiting.
Gong Zhi got out leisurely, and the system spoke in a subservient tone: [Host, I can locate the female lead for you.]
Gong Zhi scoffed. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. A receptionist immediately rushed over and said respectfully, “Miss, the CEO is on the top floor. That woman is there, too.”
System: …Sob, sob, it felt utterly useless.
Gong Zhi used her key card to access the private elevator, looking at her reflection in the shiny doors. Twenty-year-old Gong Zhi was young, with an open and clear expression. She had just left home, wearing a loose and comfortable pure cotton casual outfit.
[Host, the male lead is going to have the female lead sign an “arranged relationship” contract.] The system said, like a sycophant, sharing the plot.
Gong Zhi winced in discomfort, remembering how she felt when the system showed her the novel’s outline.
The male lead, while repeatedly claiming his love for his “moonlight” first love and being engaged, also wanted a small mistress. The mistress, in order to pay for her mother’s medical treatments, had no choice but to humble herself to the male lead and become his other woman.
Then came the typical plot of “if you don’t love me, I’ll hurt the people around you.” The female lead’s family and friends were abused, some dying and others scattering.
After being tormented by the fiancée, the “moonlight,” the harsh mother-in-law, and the wicked little sister-in-law, and after getting pregnant, having a miscarriage, having her kidney taken, and running away while still pregnant, the male lead finally had a change of heart, and the female lead successfully married into his family.
“From now on, we’re a family.”
The original quote made Gong Zhi want to throw up.
What a massive gaslighting scenario. It was totally normal for the female lead to turn dark in the end.
But now, her brother was the male lead, her loving mother was the “harsh mother-in-law,” and as for herself… Hehe, the wicked and foolish little sister-in-law…
Gong Zhi felt she couldn’t think about this anymore. She pressed her hand to her forehead and reconfirmed: [If I stop the female lead from turning dark, I get an extra 80 years of life, for a total of 100, right?]
[That’s right! But if the female lead’s “darkness” meter fills up, your life will start a countdown as well.] The system replied cheerfully. This was the only motivation to get the host to work. Thinking of how the host had threatened to strike, the system felt like it was losing lines of its code.
[The plot is just starting, host. You can complete the task very easily.]
Gong Zhi hummed. “Just in case, check the female lead’s ‘darkness’ meter.”
The system was a bit confused: [The male and female leads have just met. The female lead should be like a saint; it’s unlikely there would be any change.]
Despite saying this, Gong Zhi’s earlier assertiveness made the system check anyway.
[…Beep, beep, beep.]
Gong Zhi grew impatient: [Why is it so slow?]
[It’s the first check, please wait a moment, host.] The system sounded a bit apologetic but also cheerful. [Don’t worry, the female lead hasn’t signed the contract yet, so there’s still time!]
With a “ding,” the elevator doors opened.
Gong Zhi decided to ignore the system for now and get down to business.
Outside the doors stood two people: a tall, handsome man holding a contract and a graceful woman in a pristine white dress. They both looked at Gong Zhi, as if she had interrupted the meeting of a perfect couple.
Gong Zhi’s face was grim. She walked over, grabbed the contract, glanced at it, and without a word, tore it to shreds.
The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Little sister, what are you doing here? This doesn’t concern you…”
“This thing doesn’t have any legal validity. What are you trying to do, kidnap a civilian?” Gong Zhi retorted. “It doesn’t concern me? Your business has already reached Mom’s ears.”
Gong Yi stiffened and pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Ignoring her brother, Gong Zhi turned to look at the female lead, who was like a white flower.
The female lead indeed looked like the one in the novel, bearing a seven to eight-tenths resemblance to the “moonlight” first love. But her demeanor was more gentle, and perhaps due to her past hardships, she had a more fragile, pitiful presence. She was like a delicate gardenia swaying in the wind—beautiful, sweet, yet vulnerable, making her seem easy to control.
She was also a little dumb.
Signing something with no legal validity. Was she really a college student? Was she really a top student from the country’s best university?
The system heard the host’s complained and weakly defended: [This is a classic romance novel.]
Alright, so the author was uncultured, not the female lead.
Gong Zhi reassured herself. She forced a smile and said to the female lead, “We’re a legitimate company; we don’t traffic people.”
The female lead looked at Gong Zhi, and her bright black eyes slowly filled with tears. She whispered, “But… I need money…”
Gong Zhi already had an answer for this. “That’s alright. The Qiming Group has public welfare projects every year. I’ll have my assistant follow up on this. Your…” Gong Zhi paused, changing the subject. “…as long as it’s a legitimate request, we can help.”
At this, Gong Zhi pursed her lips. Seeing the female lead’s hesitant look, and urged on by the system, she reluctantly added a line that was supposed to increase favorability: “…Don’t worry, no one will bully you.”
Gong Zhi smiled, taking her brother’s path to leave him with no path to take. There would be no follow-up. This way, she’d complete her task and could go back to being a “salted fish,” right?
[Darkness meter check complete…]
After a series of alarm beeps, the electronic voice’s waveform started to tremble again.
[The female lead’s “darkness” meter is rising! Warning! The female lead’s “darkness” meter is rising! 97! 98! 99!…]
Gong Zhi: “…???”
This was utterly ridiculous!!
At that moment, the female lead stared at Gong Zhi and suddenly beamed. “Alright.”
[Beep! Darkness meter: 98, 97…97…]