Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 13

Along with the cats, they found a nearby pet hospital, where they were checked, dewormed, and bought a large amount of cat food, scratching posts, litter, and a litter box.

By the time they came out, it was already dark. The streetlights flickered on one by one, casting a faint, yellowish glow on the road. The light made everything feel a little cozier, especially with the addition of a person and two cats.

Gong Zhi was in a daze the whole time. She watched Shen Ying hug the kittens with a smile, while her own hands were on the steering wheel, still unable to fully process what had happened. In both her past and present life, Gong Zhi had never owned a pet. In her previous life, she was always too busy and tired. In this life, she hadn’t made up her mind to be responsible for a small life.

But all of a sudden, she had “children.”

That’s right, two little kittens, a male and a female, were active and lively, meowing nonstop in Shen Ying’s arms.

Shen Ying’s handling of them was also clumsy. She looked down at the kittens and suddenly asked, “Do you like cats?”

“…Not really,” Gong Zhi said, starting the car and heading home. “But raising a cat is not bad. Did you know? A cat’s purring makes a kind of resonance that can boost a person’s immunity.”

Shen Ying: “…Your pursuit of health… is a bit obsessive.”

She had realized that Gong Zhi had a good routine and exercised regularly. Her fridge was full of nothing but milk and water, and she had a nutritious breakfast. Although they hadn’t had dinner or lunch together, she had a feeling it was probably the same. Shen Ying looked down and played with the kittens. “I’d almost think you died from overworking in your last life, and that’s why you’re so particular in this one.”

Wasn’t that exactly what happened?

Gong Zhi pouted. Her heart was still pounding. The shadows from her previous life had been gone for twenty years, and now they were haunting her again. No one could handle that.

“Early to bed, early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise. I have money, a house, a car, and money. I don’t have any other pursuits, so I can only pursue health.”

The reasoning was sound and convincing. It just made you want to hit her.

Shen Ying chuckled softly and didn’t dwell on the issue. “You saved them. Don’t you want to name them?”

“Didn’t you save them?”

“But you paid the money.”

Gong Zhi turned to look at Shen Ying, then looked down at the two little creatures crawling around, only to be mercilessly pulled back by an “iron claw.” After a moment of silence, she said, “Hua Hua… and… Da, Da Huang…?”

The car was very silent. And the silence became awkward.

Help! As a former underachiever who hadn’t even finished college, naming things was not her strong suit, even with a fresh start!

Gong Zhi felt uncomfortable. She twisted her neck. “Then, how about… ‘Cow’ and ‘Little’…”

Before the word “Yellow” could come out, Shen Ying looked up and smiled. “Let’s go with ‘Cow,’ and I’ll name the other one.”

Gong Zhi had a feeling that if she refused, she would have a terrible death. She was silent, then nodded.

When they got home, Shen Ying, with Gong Zhi’s permission, began to busy herself. Gong Zhi watched her move clumsily, but it was as if she already knew what to do and what not to do. Gong Zhi drank her milk and watched Shen Ying walk around the house. The kittens were a little scared at first and hid in a corner, but with just a look, you could see that they were alive.

[This is what life is about,] Gong Zhi couldn’t help but sigh.

System: [Because you have children and a wife?]

[You shut up!]

Gong Zhi didn’t hesitate to mute the system, then got up and heated a cup of milk for Shen Ying. “A gift for a gift.”

“Thank you,” Shen Ying smiled, taking a sip. The temperature was perfect, and it was clear that she had done this many times before. She looked up and saw Gong Zhi’s hidden, expectant gaze.

So Shen Ying paused. “It’s delicious.”

Gong Zhi smiled. “Milk is best at 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. I used a thermometer, and 35 degrees is perfect. Temperatures that are too high will damage the nutrients inside.”

Shen Ying: “…” She looked down at the milk in her hand and suddenly felt that the cup of milk had become very precious. “Ah… thank you. It’s wonderful.”

Gong Zhi raised her cup to Shen Ying and checked the time. “I should go to sleep. You should go to bed early, too. You have dark circles under your eyes. You have to go to work tomorrow, right?”

Shen Ying nodded.

Gong Zhi politely said goodbye and went upstairs, holding the handrail. At the corner, she looked down at Shen Ying. She was drinking her milk with her head down, looking a little well-behaved.

The little kittens next to her had also overcome their initial fear of being in a new place. They had moved closer to Shen Ying, looked up at her, and watched her with wide eyes.

Aww, they’re a little well-behaved, too.

With that thought, Gong Zhi returned to her room and nudged the system. [Pull up the synopsis. I want to look at it again.]

Before, Gong Zhi thought that cutting everything off at the source would keep her safe. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case. So she had to think of other solutions.

The system brought up the synopsis. [Host, here it is. The grayed-out parts are the plot points that have already happened. The bright ones are the ones that haven’t.]

As a novel that could evolve into a small world, the synopsis was indeed extremely rich, with many storylines. And the layout was linear, which was very user-friendly. Gong Zhi didn’t scroll down but started from the beginning.

Selling the house, the mother’s serious illness, the sponsorship contract, and moving into the male lead’s house had all been completed…

The male lead?

Gong Zhi couldn’t help but ask, [Does moving into my house count?]

[The person is different, but the action is the same,] the system replied.

Gong Zhi hummed and continued. Her eyes moved down and suddenly stopped at the part about the mother’s death. Gong Zhi’s gaze paused. She remembered Shen Shu’s smiling face. Her lips tightened, and she scrolled up again, seeing the part where her friend fell in love with Gong Yi at first sight and betrayed the female lead.

“Why doesn’t it say how she betrayed her? And how she fell in love at first sight?” Gong Zhi couldn’t help but frown.

The system replied: [Host, have you ever seen an author write a plot that’s detailed down to the exact time?]

Okay, she hadn’t. Gong Zhi sighed and picked up her phone.

“Miss,” Zhang Shan’s voice was very respectful. As Gong Zhi’s assistant, he usually didn’t have much to do, but when he did, Gong Zhi was very serious.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be Shen Ying’s temporary assistant. I want you to report back to me every night on what she does and who she meets. And also,” Gong Zhi remembered Shen Ying’s old phone. “Give her a phone tomorrow. It doesn’t need to be too expensive or too cheap. Just a normal one that someone with a regular income would use.”

Zhang Shan’s heart immediately raced. “Miss, we can’t do anything illegal!”

Gong Zhi: …This guy was thinking of something bad, wasn’t he? She didn’t have proof.

“I’m not asking you to install a bug or a mini camera. I’m just asking for normal reports.” Gong Zhi was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake by hiring this guy as her assistant. Did she look like someone who would break the law?

Is there no trust between people anymore?

“Oh, okay.” Zhang Shan understood. He had handled the contract, so he knew how much Gong Zhi had spent.

Five million yuan was not a small amount. He knew his boss was always very careful with her money. She would never spend a dollar on something that was only worth a penny. He couldn’t see what about that little girl was worth so much money.

If she has no value, it must be love!

The boss is giving him this order because she’s afraid that other people will be interested in the girl!

Zhang Shan quickly made up a bunch of scenarios in his head. A sense of responsibility welled up in his chest, and he patted it proudly. “No problem, boss. Even if a fly appears around her, I’ll report it to you in time.”

“…That’s not necessary…”

Although Gong Zhi had no proof, she had a feeling that Zhang Shan was imagining some weird things.

Oh well. This was her goal anyway.

Gong Zhi hummed. “Then I’ll leave it to you. She’ll be working at the normal time tomorrow morning. I have to go to school…” She felt a little uneasy. “Don’t be too obvious. A lot of people in the company know who you are, got it?”

The boss can’t be with her beloved girl because she has to go to school, so everything is up to Zhang Shan. Zhang Shan said, “Yes, boss, no problem, boss.”

Gong Zhi hung up the phone, satisfied but also a little confused. She couldn’t help but yawn. She looked at the time. It was already 10:30 p.m. She quickly got into bed, put on her eye mask, and closed her eyes.

No matter what, she had to maintain a healthy sleep schedule.