Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 12
Gong Zhi turned on the wipers. The car was quiet, with gentle music playing, isolating them from the outside world’s noise. Gong Zhi rarely felt so relaxed. “It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been this idle.”
In just two or three days of knowing the female lead, she felt as though her twenty years of peaceful life had been shattered. It was like a salted fish suddenly thrown into a hot frying pan, having to constantly flip over to avoid being burnt.
Gong Zhi squinted her eyes comfortably. “I wish the female lead didn’t exist.”
That way, she wouldn’t have to be so busy and wouldn’t have to spend so much money.
Thinking of the five million, her heart ached a little. But then she thought of Shen Shu, and she felt it was worth it.
[The host’s thoughts are not good. Without the female lead, this world would not have been created,] the system popped up at just the right moment, interrupting Gong Zhi’s thoughts.
[…You’re right.]
Gong Zhi usually wasn’t hostile toward the system. Even when the system opposed her, she accepted it calmly.
The system emitted a hesitant electronic sound. [Host… do you like this world? Compared to the host’s previous world.]
Gong Zhi hesitated. “There’s nothing to compare. Before… I didn’t have rich parents, and I didn’t have the chance to go to college. I had to fight for everything myself. It wasn’t bad, but sometimes I wanted to rest and know what it felt like to be loved unconditionally by my family. And now, my dream has come true, hasn’t it?”
The system beeped twice. [We systems can’t dream, so it’s hard to understand the host’s feelings.]
[…So, is that why you need to find a host to help you complete your missions?] Gong Zhi replied. She looked at the changing traffic light ahead and pressed the gas pedal.
System: […Please don’t put words in the system’s mouth.]
Gong Zhi laughed a few times. She glanced at the map provided by the system and frowned. “The female lead isn’t at the company?”
[The system is not sure. The system can only track the female lead’s location.]
“Okay,” Gong Zhi sighed. She picked up her phone and muttered unhappily. “This girl is always causing trouble. The moment she’s not under my watch, she wanders off…”
The call connected, and Gong Zhi greeted her familiar professional manager. “Sister Sun, how’s the person I introduced?”
“A graduate from A University’s School of Economics and Management. I’ve heard of her advisor,” the voice of a mature woman on the other end laughed. “She’s very good. I conducted a simple interview, and she has unique views on many things. I gave her a one-day trial, and she picked up the work quickly.”
Gong Zhi said, “Oh.” “And where is she now?”
“I told her to go home. She just started, so she needs to get settled. She’ll officially start tomorrow.” Sun Jing answered with a smile. The sound of typing could be heard on the other end. “What’s wrong, boss? Why are you so concerned about this little girl? Whose family is she from?”
There was a hint of curiosity in her words.
Gong Zhi smiled. “She’s my senior. I’ve seen her photo on our honor roll every year. It’s not easy for a talent like her to fall on hard times. How could I not seize the opportunity?”
If she’s really a talent, why didn’t you have a professional approach her?
Sun Jing was a smart person. She knew Gong Zhi didn’t want to say more and just laughed along. “The girl is very good. I’ll have her work as an assistant in the CEO’s office for a while.”
“It’s your call when it comes to company matters, Sister Sun,” Gong Zhi said humbly. “I’m just a student. I don’t know anything. But, since she’s a talent, don’t treat her like a fresh graduate.”
I’d be a fool to believe you. Who caught the mistake in last year’s annual report? And that last sentence was completely devoid of politeness.
Sun Jing frowned on the other end of the phone.
The two “adults” laughed together for a while and made plans to grab a meal, and then Gong Zhi hung up.
She turned the steering wheel in the direction the system indicated, but her expression was a little gloomy. Sun Jing was capable and professional, but she had been in charge for too long, so much so that she truly believed the company was hers and not someone else’s.
I hope she doesn’t cause any trouble.
Gong Zhi’s thoughts were swirling in her mind, and she drove a little faster.
[Doesn’t the host trust the system?] the system asked, its electronic voice full of grievance. [I’ve set up the most advanced navigation and search systems.]
[It’s not that. If someone is late or leaves early, a boss has to ask why. If she only has a good education and doesn’t stick with the company, then my five million will be for nothing.]
The system fell silent. So she’s worried about not getting her money back? As expected of a former capitalist, every penny is calculated.
The system guided her to a small alley.
It wasn’t far from the company. It was a quiet spot in a bustling area.
There were many coffee shops and bookstores nearby, with tall, straight trees lining both sides of the sidewalk. The trees were lush and green, their canopies almost covering the entire street. It was a popular place for people from nearby companies to hang out, and the female lead was in a small alley that branched off from this street.
Gong Zhi parked the car, looked around, and frowned.
It was raining, so the usual crowds were taking shelter, and there was no one around.
“Is she still inside?”
[Yes.]
Gong Zhi frowned and got out of the car. Her soft shoes landed in a puddle, creating a ripple. Gong Zhi looked at her shoes and sighed. “I don’t like rainy days.”
The system agreed. [Me neither. Things get rusty, especially with all the acid rain now.]
“…You’re just a system living in someone’s brain, so don’t say such a depressing thing. It’s not your head that’s getting soaked.”
[I’m not living in your brain. Please don’t make it sound like we’re some kind of low-level parasitic organism. We are…]
The system was still rambling, but Gong Zhi had already walked around the puddle and headed into the alley.
It was too quiet. The only sound was the light tapping of rain on the umbrella, a regular beat. Gong Zhi saw Shen Ying squatting on the ground. She seemed to really like white, as she was wearing a white dress again. Her lower legs were tense under the skirt, looking straight and slender.
Shen Ying’s umbrella was tilted, and her back was almost completely soaked, but her gaze was fixed ahead.
There was a small cardboard box in front of her. Two small kittens had their paws on the edge of the box and were looking at her with their heads tilted.
A beautiful and pure girl, and two cute and innocent kittens. The misty rain, a small transparent umbrella…
“It’s just like a novel,” Gong Zhi whispered.
She then smiled faintly. That’s right. I’m in a world from a novel. So now, all that was missing was a man who would see this scene and be moved.
Gong Zhi looked up and saw a man with an umbrella standing opposite her. Even from a distance, she could clearly see the shock and admiration in his eyes and on his face.
Gong Zhi’s heart sank. [Is this also part of the plot?]
She hadn’t read the full novel, only a synopsis.
[Beep, the system is checking the synopsis and timeline for a match.]
[Beep, search complete.]
[Host, yes, this is supposed to be the first time the second male lead meets the female lead. He falls in love with her at first sight here, and as a result, he deliberately changes his personality to get closer to the female lead and eventually falls for her.]
Gong Zhi narrowed her eyes. [Even though he met her before, he’ll still fall in love with the female lead?]
[The novel is the foundation of this world. The storyline will push the characters toward the plot. The characters’ personalities often determine the kind of person they like. The system believes the host knows why the second male lead likes the female lead.]
Gong Zhi was silent. She wasn’t close to Weng Nan, but they were in the same circle, so she knew a lot about the Weng family. Weng Nan’s deceased mother was a woman who seemed pure, kind, and loved small animals.
Gong Zhi changed the subject with a sigh. [But before, she wasn’t sponsored by my brother.]
[But you’ve taken the male lead’s place and completed the sponsorship plot.]
Gong Zhi didn’t ask for more details. She strode forward. Her footsteps made Shen Ying turn her head. “Oh, it’s you. How did you know I was here?”
“I called Sister Sun, and she said you had left. This area is very unique, so I thought you might have come here,” Gong Zhi replied. She subtly tilted her umbrella toward Shen Ying, shielding her back from the rain.
“Why aren’t you going home in this heavy rain?”
“I… don’t have a home anymore…” Shen Ying gave a bitter smile.
Gong Zhi remembered that to pay for her mother’s treatment, she had already sold the only small house she had to fill the bottomless pit. She used to live in the student dorms, but with the plot’s progression, that was no longer an option.
Gong Zhi looked down at Shen Ying. When they were standing, Shen Ying was slightly taller than her, but now she had to look down at her and the two kittens.
Maybe it was because of the change in height, but at that moment, Gong Zhi felt a sense of pity, as if she were really looking at three homeless kittens staring up at her.
Gong Zhi lowered her eyes. “Then come back with me.” She paused, then saw Shen Ying turn to look at the kittens and added, as if on a whim, “Bring the cats with you.”
Shen Ying’s eyes immediately lit up. This was probably the most childlike Gong Zhi had ever seen her.
Gong Zhi couldn’t help but smile. She watched Shen Ying reach for the cardboard box and helped her grab it. The two of them looked up. Gong Zhi discreetly glanced in Weng Nan’s direction. He was no longer there.