Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 15
Every day, Gong Zhi would wake up early to exercise, then go to class. Sometimes she would see Shen Ying, who would either be in good spirits or not. Gong Zhi would look at Shen Ying, and since she had died from overworking in her last life, she would feel like an “experienced person” when she saw young people who didn’t take care of their bodies. She would always feel the urge to give them advice.
After a great effort to restrain this unlikable impulse, Shen Ying seemed to have noticed something. She started to take better care of herself and looked much more refreshed in the mornings. Gong Zhi, who was on the verge of being driven crazy by her OCD, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She took a sip of her coffee and happily went out.
Early to bed, early to rise, regular exercise, a low-key lifestyle, and a long life.
This was the goal Gong Zhi had set for herself when she was transmigrated. Now, it seemed she was finally back on track, and her whole being felt invigorated.
“Miss Shen also worked overtime until nine o’clock today and slept for a while on the way back.”
Zhang Shan was still reporting. Gong Zhi turned a page of her book and said, “Okay. Tell Aunt Chen to make some astragalus tea for her tomorrow to boost her energy.”
“Yes, boss.”
Zhang Shan replied respectfully, becoming even more certain of his suspicions. Although the boss had never said it outright, had she ever asked someone to make astragalus tea for herself?
Never!
The boss was just extra concerned about Miss Shen!
Gong Zhi yawned.
Zhang Shan quickly gave his final report. “Miss Shen has plans to have dinner with a friend tomorrow night. She already told me in advance.”
“Having dinner with a friend?” Gong Zhi narrowed her eyes. She pulled up the synopsis provided by the system and stared at the part where the best friend fell in love with her own brother at first sight and ended up betraying Shen Ying.
“This is one of Miss Shen’s good friends, named Chen Chen,” Zhang Shan replied immediately.
Gong Zhi’s expression twisted for a moment. “How do you know all this so clearly?”
Could it be that Zhang Shan has been with the female lead every day and was influenced by her irresistible charm?
If that were true, Gong Zhi would feel incredibly guilty. The female lead belonged to the male lead. Any admirers other than the male lead were just cannon fodder! She didn’t want her excellent pawn to become cannon fodder. And, knowing so much about the female lead’s private life… that just felt creepy, no matter how she thought about it!
In that moment, Gong Zhi and Shen Ying’s thoughts were perfectly aligned.
Zhang Shan keenly sensed the displeasure in Gong Zhi’s voice and quickly answered loudly, “Reporting, boss! To better complete the task you’ve assigned, I had a private detective look into Miss Shen’s social life, just in case.”
“To better complete the task I’ve assigned”… he made her sound like a creep.
At that moment, Gong Zhi felt like she had shot herself in the foot.
She paused, unable to do anything but accept the loss. “…This matter must never be revealed to Shen Ying.”
Zhang Shan immediately promised again and again.
The next day, Shen Ying came downstairs in a well-tailored business suit. Gong Zhi was there, which was a rare sight. She was reading the newspaper, with “Cow” snuggled in her lap, and she was idly stroking its fur. Hearing the sound, Gong Zhi looked up, and her gaze lingered on Shen Ying for a moment.
They had only seen each other a handful of times this week. Although she had heard from others about Shen Ying’s excellent work ethic and efficiency, Gong Zhi’s impression of Shen Ying was still that of the fragile little white flower in the small white dress.
But now, this woman radiated a fierce aura, completely different from the fragile girl in her memory.
[What happened to the female lead? What caused such a big change?] Gong Zhi wondered if her eyes were deceiving her.
The system seriously scanned her. [No abnormalities were found in the female lead. It’s safe to assume everything is normal.] After saying that, the system paused. [Perhaps the female lead wanted to change her style?]
Gong Zhi immediately muted the system. Useless!
“What’s wrong?” Shen Ying asked, seeing Gong Zhi’s expression. She looked down at her clothes and smiled. “Is something… wrong with this?”
After she finished speaking, she stared at Gong Zhi’s expression. She was gradually showing a side of herself that was completely different from what she was like at this point in her past life. If Gong Zhi had any thoughts…
Gong Zhi was stunned for a while. She thought about it and then nodded. “It’s good. You should be a little more assertive at work. Being too soft makes you easy to bully.” She then smiled at Shen Ying. “Your neck is a little bare. I have a necklace that would go well with that. If you need it, you can borrow it.”
It wasn’t a gift or an act of charity. Gong Zhi was always considerate in just the right way.
Shen Ying thought of the phone that Zhang Shan had given her earlier. She suddenly felt a little deflated. She sat down next to Gong Zhi, and they ate breakfast in silence.
After a while, Gong Zhi heard Shen Ying speak. “…Why are you so nice to me?”
Isn’t it obvious?
If she’s good, I’ll be good, too.
“Because I invested five million yuan,” Gong Zhi said, taking a bite of her sandwich and chewing it carefully before swallowing. “You can’t let me lose money.”
Shen Ying nodded. They finished breakfast in silence. Shen Ying wiped her lips and then spoke. “I’m having dinner with a friend tonight… I might be home a little late.”
Gong Zhi’s eyes darted around. Although she had already heard the news from Zhang Shan, she was happy that Shen Ying was being so upfront.
That’s right! That’s the happiness of not wasting money!
“Can I come along?” Gong Zhi asked, looking at Shen Ying.
Shen Ying thought for a moment. She still couldn’t figure out what Gong Zhi was up to. And besides Gong Zhi, everything else was going smoothly.
Shen Ying looked at Gong Zhi, who showed obvious interest and seemed to be genuinely curious.
The Gong Zhi from her memories wouldn’t have been studying so hard.
Of course, the Gong Zhi from her memories also wouldn’t have woken up at 6 a.m. every morning and gone to bed at 10:30 p.m.
“Okay.”
If I don’t know what her goal is, I’ll just keep her close. She remembered when they first met, the girl tiptoeing to tell her that no one would bully her. Shen Ying’s lips curled up, and her heart felt calm.
“Great, I’ll go change,” Gong Zhi immediately stood up.
[A ticking time bomb like the female lead is dangerous if not kept close.]
As soon as she turned around, Gong Zhi let out a dejected sigh, the kind a person gets when they have to work overtime.
[Go, host!] The system immediately became her cheerleader.
Gong Zhi quickly changed her clothes. She put on a casual outfit, dabbed some lotion and sunscreen on her face, and followed Shen Ying out the door.
Shen Ying had planned to take the bus, but with Gong Zhi coming along, they would, of course, be driving.
The two of them soon reached their destination. The car glided to the side of the road. Gong Zhi looked out the window and saw a woman looking around, clearly waiting for someone. She gently nudged Shen Ying. “Is that her?”
Shen Ying looked up. Her eyes in the car’s dim light looked a little dark. “Yes.”
“Should we drive to the other side to get out?” Gong Zhi asked considerately. The female lead was a person who was supposed to be seen as strong, kind, and independent, so she probably didn’t want people to see her get out of a luxury car.
Shen Ying turned to look at Gong Zhi. After a while, Shen Ying shook her head. “No need to go to all that trouble. Let’s just get out here.”
Gong Zhi’s eyebrows raised slightly, and then her smile deepened. “Okay.”
[The female lead has to be hiding something,] Gong Zhi said in her mind. [I suggest you scan her, or maybe get an upgrade or something.]
The system wanted to argue but remembered the fluctuating darkness meter and didn’t dare to. [I’ll contact the main system.]
After the two of them finished their mental conversation, Gong Zhi opened the car door and got out, and then Shen Ying followed. Chen Chen’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Shen Ying get out of the luxury car. She looked at the confident Shen Ying, then turned to look at Gong Zhi beside her and subconsciously blurted out, “Xiao Ying? You… you’re being supported?”
She immediately covered her mouth in a panic, looking around nervously.
Gong Zhi looked up and saw the female lead’s face instantly darken. Then she looked at the profusely apologizing Chen Chen and thought to herself, [This is just a spiteful person being overly dramatic.]
[Darkness meter: 96]
Gong Zhi’s brow twitched. The person being dramatic was a spiteful person, but she was always the one who got hurt.
But then again… when did the female lead’s darkness meter get so high again?!