Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 2
“Little sister, don’t be ridiculous.”
Gong Yi, having seemingly come to a realization, strode over. As the male lead, he was tall and handsome with a rugged charm; even his frown had a masculine quality.
He pursed his lips. “Don’t get involved in this. I know what I’m doing.”
[Darkness meter: 97, 98…]
The warning beeps sounded again.
Gong Zhi was speechless. She had been a “salted fish” for twenty years, and now she was this exhausted. Was this the result of her past actions catching up to her?
She turned to look at the female lead, grinding her back teeth, and forced a stiff smile. “Wait a second.”
The female lead blinked her dark, innocent eyes and softly hummed in acknowledgment. The darkness meter strangely stopped rising, and Gong Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Gong Zhi leisurely took a step back, dodging Gong Yi’s hand. She waved her phone. “You can explain what you’re doing to Dad.”
Just as she finished speaking, Gong Yi’s private phone rang. He looked down at the flashing words “The Old Man” on the screen, and his handsome face contorted. He shot Gong Zhi a glare before turning to take the call.
His voice was faint, but his tone was much more submissive.
After all, the old man was the one who held real power at Qiming Group. As long as he and Gong Zhi were on the same side, Gong Yi wouldn’t be able to go too far.
Gong Zhi curled her lips and raised an eyebrow, a proud smirk on her face. She turned to the female lead and crooked a finger. “Come with me.”
The female lead’s gaze swept over Gong Zhi’s smiling face, pausing on her simple, almost rustic casual wear, before nodding. “Okay.”
She was obedient and lovely, the kind of person who would make anyone feel protective. It was no wonder her brother was infatuated.
Gong Zhi entered her brother’s office. Gong Yi was a flirt, but he was good to his family, so Gong Zhi was free to come and go.
She plopped down into the leather chair, which spun around before coming to a stop. Gong Zhi rested her chin on her hand and looked at the female lead. “Your name?”
“Shen Ying.”
The girl answered every question. She was a senior in college, a year or two older than Gong Zhi. Her voice was pleasant, clear, and gentle. With her youthful face, she stood there like a delicate daffodil swaying in a breeze.
She was so beautiful. Even as a simple vase, she would be perfect.
Gong Zhi suddenly felt a little envious of her brother.
The system stirred: [Is the host thinking of replacing the male lead…]
Not a chance! Gong Zhi immediately mentally suppressed the system. The system whined pitifully. It hadn’t even finished its thought.
Gong Zhi picked up Gong Yi’s pen and twirled it expertly between her fingers. “Shen Ying, right? How much money do you need? I’ll have my assistant come over. As long as it’s a legitimate request, we can provide assistance…”
“A lot. I need five million yuan,” Shen Ying said without blinking. “I need it all in my account within a month.”
Gong Zhi: “…”
She nudged the system in her mind: [Five million?? Does she think I’m young and easy to fool? She’s asking for five million right off the bat!!]
The system lightly cleared its throat: [Uh… the contract she was discussing with the male lead was… also five million…]
Gong Zhi gasped. She understood now. It wasn’t her fault; it must be the fault of the uncultured author!
Gong Zhi gave Shen Ying a half-smile. “Five million, Miss Shen. May I ask why?”
A flicker of contortion appeared on Shen Ying’s beautiful face. An alarm immediately went off in Gong Zhi’s mind: [98, 99…]
“Stop!”
Gong Zhi quickly cut off Shen Ying’s thoughts. She pursed her lips. Her life was hanging on the emotions of an unstable person. It was like marrying a volatile, abusive partner; you never knew when you were going to get hit.
But at least you could divorce an abusive husband. Gong Zhi couldn’t unbind the system. While she was skeptical about the system’s claim that she would die if the darkness meter filled up, she wasn’t about to risk her life to test it.
“Qiming Group isn’t a charity,” Gong Zhi said.
[Host, why didn’t you just agree to the female lead’s request?] the system asked timidly.
Gong Zhi impatiently yelled at it to shut up in her mind.
With her words, the female lead’s emotions seemed to stabilize, and Gong Zhi heard the darkness meter slowly drop back to 97.
She quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the female lead wasn’t completely unreasonable. If she could be reasoned with, she could be managed.
Not a big problem.
Shen Ying lowered her head, her gaze fixed on a patch of light on the floor.
Gong Yi’s office had a great view. On a sunny day, large patches of light would stream in, making the whole room bright as if to sweep away all gloom.
But Shen Ying had stood in this light before and had not felt any warmth. Her eyes were slightly red. Then, she curved her lips in what could have been a sneer or self-deprecation.
“My mother has a severe kidney disease and needs a transplant. Her health is failing, and if she has an episode, she has to go to the ICU. The bed alone costs tens of thousands.”
Gong Zhi understood. The high cost, the search for a donor, paying off hospital staff and doctors, expert consultations—it was all a constant drain on funds.
[No wonder the female lead was willing to sell herself and be taken care of.] Gong Zhi murmured in her mind.
The system was in tears: [Waaah, the female lead is so pitiful. Host, please help her.]
Gong Zhi pondered, gently tapping the pen on the desk. Shen Ying looked up at Gong Zhi’s silent, thoughtful expression and gave a cold smirk, which Gong Zhi caught.
Gong Zhi: […Was she mocking me just now? Does she think I can’t afford it?]
System: […No, no way.] Suddenly, the system got excited. [That’s it! Host! If you help her now, you’ll immediately gain her favorability!]
Gong Zhi ignored the system and stood up, walking toward Shen Ying. She put on an authoritative air, only to realize she was a head shorter than Shen Ying.
Gong Zhi couldn’t help but look down at her shoes and then stood on her tiptoes. For health and comfort, she rarely wore high heels unless it was for a formal occasion.
Right, it’s all because she wasn’t wearing high heels!
[Darkness meter: 96]
Gong Zhi: [What did I do to make her happy?]
It couldn’t be because she was short…
Gong Zhi dismissed the thought, but she kept her stern face as she looked at Shen Ying. “That’s your need, so what can you offer me? Do you think you’re worth five million? You know, five million isn’t a small amount; at the very least, it’s not a casual charity sum.”
As she said this, Gong Zhi noticed Shen Ying’s expression change. Gong Zhi frowned, unafraid to hold her gaze.
Her cheeks were slightly puffed out from her displeasure. As a twenty-year-old girl, she still had some of the residual baby fat of youth, and her flushed cheeks gave her a cute, spirited look.
But Shen Ying knew the person in front of her was not as she appeared. She lowered her eyes. “You can make a request.”
Gong Zhi stared at Shen Ying, seemingly in deep thought, while Shen Ying waited quietly. After a moment, Gong Zhi chuckled. “Alright, let’s draft a contract. I’ll be the one to take care of you.”
At that moment, Shen Ying’s eyes darkened, and the darkness meter, as expected, jumped up.
Gong Zhi chuckled again. “However, my money isn’t that easy to earn.”
The darkness meter stopped rising abruptly. Shen Ying stared at the lively eyes of the person in front of her. She asked, “What do you want?”
If she’s trying to humiliate me…
“Hmm, how about this?” Gong Zhi clapped her hands and smiled like a cunning little fox. “You’ll intern at my company and work for me after you graduate until you’ve paid off the five million. Until then, I’ll provide you with help and ensure your mother gets the best care.”
Shen Ying was silent for a while before asking, “What makes you think I have that ability?”
Gong Zhi: Oh no, I was too careless.
But she had been through a lot in her previous life. Facing the female lead’s question, she maintained a perfectly straight face and spouted nonsense. “My brother wouldn’t care about someone who only has a pretty face.”
Shen Ying remained silent for a moment before nodding. “Okay, I understand.”
[Darkness meter: 95]
Gong Zhi finally sighed in relief. She took out her phone, edited a contract template, and handed it to Shen Ying. “See if you want to make any changes or have any extra requests.”
Shen Ying nodded and read it carefully.
Gong Zhi frowned, feeling a subtle dissatisfaction: [Why is she reading it so carefully now? She didn’t read my brother’s trashy contract that closely.]
After reading it, Shen Ying handed the phone back to Gong Zhi and shook her head.
Gong Zhi waved her hand. “You can wait outside while I print this.”
Shen Ying turned and left without another word.
Gong Zhi collapsed onto the sofa. The printer’s whirring was punctuated by her sigh. “This is so much trouble.”
The system timidly poked its head out: [Host, why do you want to “take care of” the female lead?]
A woman “taking care of” another woman? That’s too exciting.
Gong Zhi was a puddle of mud on the sofa, drinking a cup of plain water. [It’s a legitimate employment contract, not an arranged relationship. There’s something wrong with this female lead. The darkness meter is too unstable. It’s better to keep her close and in my sight.]
The system was quick to flatter her: [Host is so amazing! You’re a former young entrepreneur, so you’re so thoughtful…]
Gong Zhi listened to the system’s flattery with a blank expression.
She had deliberately mentioned an “arranged relationship” to test the female lead’s “darkness” meter, and the system hadn’t caught on. This meant the system couldn’t read her deeper thoughts. She needed to find a way to extract more information from this useless system.
How long was she going to be stuck with this life-on-a-leash situation?!
[Darkness meter: 96, 97…]
Gong Zhi let out an exasperated “Aahhh!” She had just managed to soothe the female lead, keeping the darkness meter at 95. Who on earth was messing things up again?
Gong Zhi opened the door with murderous eyes. Anyone who wanted to take her life would lose theirs first!