Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 4

The two walked out of the building, and the assistant, seeing Gong Zhi and Shen Ying approaching, quickly opened the car door for them without a strange expression.

Compared to the assistants Shen Ying had encountered before—those who flattered their employers to their faces but then sold them out online, or who were lovers with their employers—this assistant was clearly highly professional.

The sudden normalcy was a little unsettling.

Gong Zhi got in. When Shen Ying was slow to follow, she felt a slight impatience. Although she had been a “salted fish” for twenty years, in her past life, she was a decisive, no-nonsense person. She unscrewed the thermos lid and slowly sipped her tea. “You should get to know the roads, or what if you run away?”

Shen Ying was taken aback, then got in. The car was spacious, and she didn’t worry about touching Gong Zhi.

But as she sat there, Shen Ying still felt that Gong Zhi’s presence was too strong, much stronger than the spoiled Gong family heiress she remembered, who was propped up by luxury brands. It was as if they were two completely different people.

Could one person change so much from just a single rebirth?

A flicker of doubt crossed Shen Ying’s mind. But she quickly suppressed it. Didn’t she herself know what it was like to change? She, too, had once been innocent and kind, believing that she could repay malice with kindness and that her tormentors would repent. She never expected…

Thinking of the past, Shen Ying gripped the leather sofa beneath her hands tightly.

[Darkness meter: 98]

“Doesn’t your hand hurt?”

Gong Zhi’s voice came through. Shen Ying let go. She lowered her head to hide her expression and whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Gong Zhi pressed her hand to her forehead. Noticing that the darkness meter had stopped moving, she said no more, simply closed her eyes, and leaned back to rest.

Shen Ying didn’t hear a reply. She looked up and saw Gong Zhi. Not knowing what to do, her tense feelings, which had been tight since her sudden rebirth, inexplicably relaxed. At that moment, the assistant leaned his head in and handed Shen Ying a business card.

Shen Ying took it. It read “Zhang Shan,” an unfamiliar name that hadn’t appeared in her past life. Zhang Shan then mouthed something, gestured, and raised the divider.

Shen Ying realized he was telling her to watch over Gong Zhi and call him if anything happened.

The car became even quieter. If it weren’t for the movement of the scenery outside, you wouldn’t even feel the vibration.

Shen Ying slowly closed her eyes, too. Her rebirth had been so sudden, with so many things happening one after another. She needed to calm down and think properly—about her enemies and about how she would…

…get her revenge!

[Host, the female lead is right next to you. Aren’t you going to nurture your relationship?]

[Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?]

The system slowly produced a question mark. It didn’t quite understand human brainwave communication.

But noticing that Gong Zhi’s attitude seemed more friendly than before, the system struck while the iron was hot: [Host, why did you have the female lead follow you? The darkness meter went up because of it.]

[It’s because the darkness meter went up.] Gong Zhi had a major headache. [Do you have a better idea of how to prevent this ‘darkness meter bomb’ from exploding at any moment?]

The system was silent.

Gong Zhi asked coldly: [What exactly happened to the female lead?]

[The system has scanned the female lead. All her stats are normal.]

How could the darkness meter fluctuating like that be normal? That was ridiculous.

[So, did she transmigrate? Get reborn? Get possessed?]

Since Gong Zhi herself had transmigrated, it wouldn’t be surprising if other possibilities existed.

The system was silent for a moment: [This requires the host to investigate personally. We systems are not authorized to verify it.]

So this thing was utterly useless. It just gave her a pointless life countdown.

Gong Zhi was certain that if she hadn’t had the system, she could have lived to be 100 with her diligent health regimen.

Gong Zhi’s brow slowly furrowed. It seemed she would have to find a way to test the female lead’s origins. More importantly, Gong Zhi needed to know if she was working for nothing! This was a big deal that, as a former capitalist, she couldn’t tolerate!

The system coughed a few times, and its electronic voice became guilty: [Is it really all the same whether she was reborn or not… The host’s main goal is to lower the female lead’s darkness meter.]

Gong Zhi fell silent and didn’t answer for a long time. The system’s point was too logical for Gong Zhi to refute.

The system grew anxious and quickly added: [It’s really not that we didn’t do our job properly. We reminded you of the darkness meter on time. And since you transmigrated as a child, you’ve been unconsciously acknowledged by the world, so you’re not restricted and don’t have to maintain a specific character persona for the tasks. This is also, this is also a happy accident.]

[Then what about the original Gong Zhi?] Gong Zhi suddenly asked. [If I hadn’t transmigrated… or if I had transmigrated at the correct time, what about the original Gong Zhi?]

[She would have been erased. A supporting character’s energy is far below that of the main characters and cannot sustain the world’s operation.]

[Then why not have the original Gong Zhi do all this? She was acknowledged by the world and would have been a better fit than me, wouldn’t she?]

[Host.] The system’s mechanical voice was now indifferent, just like its name—cold and mechanical. [A person’s character determines their fate. Please trust the system. This is the final reason why the system calculated and ultimately chose you for this task.]

Gong Zhi was silent for a long time. Just as the system thought she had nothing more to say, she spoke: [I want to report you. For not informing me of these basic facts beforehand.]

System: !!! Why is she reporting me again?! Why is she talking about reporting as if it’s a game?!

The car came to a smooth stop. The assistant opened the car door. Shen Ying got out first, reverting to her “white flower” appearance, and stood beside the assistant.

Gong Zhi slowly got out of the car and stood there blankly for a moment, as if just realizing where she was. She looked at Shen Ying. “I’m not going out tomorrow. Are you?”

Shen Ying was stunned. “I… I’m going to see my mother.” She looked at Gong Zhi cautiously, as if she was afraid Gong Zhi wouldn’t agree.

Gong Zhi nodded. “Brother Zhang, remember to make an appointment with Miss Shen to pick her up.”

Zhang Shan agreed and looked at Shen Ying kindly. “Just give me a call, Miss Shen. I live right next to the villa.”

Shen Ying nodded and followed Gong Zhi into the villa. It was a two-story townhouse. It wasn’t as private as the Gong family’s main residence, but it was more than enough for a typical wealthy second-generation. Gong Zhi opened the door for Shen Ying. “I’ll have someone come to register your fingerprints today. From now on, you can open the door yourself.”

Shen Ying followed close behind, watching Gong Zhi open the door.

The interior was also not the style Shen Ying remembered.

The decor was very pastoral, with warm colors. A pair of quaint and adorable dolls sat on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, looking innocent and lovable. A vase next to them held a small, blooming chrysanthemum. In the distance, the sofa was piled with soft-looking cushions.

With just a glance, you could tell that the owner of the house loved and enjoyed life.

“The last room on the second floor is the master bedroom, which you can’t enter. The first room on the right is the study, and the second is the gym. You can use those. There are two guest rooms, both with beds made. You can choose whichever one you like.” Gong Zhi got a glass of water, came back, and, seeing the slightly nervous Shen Ying who had just changed into slippers, handed the water to her.

Shen Ying stood in the entryway, holding the glass of water. She was so flustered she didn’t even drink it. She looked soft and easy to bully.

“The darling of the world…” Gong Zhi said softly.

“What? I didn’t catch that.”

Gong Zhi turned her head. “Nothing. Drink your water and get a good night’s rest. You’re going to see your mother tomorrow, aren’t you? The first installment of the payment should be in your account tomorrow morning to tide you over.”

Thinking of her mother, Shen Ying’s body stiffened. She lowered her head and drank the water. The temperature was just right, and the rising steam landed on her eyelashes. She blinked uncomfortably, feeling the long-lost tears well up in her dry eyes.

Mom… It had been a long, long time since she had seen her mother. She didn’t even dare to think about it.

Gong Zhi watched Shen Ying’s obedient demeanor from the side, then turned her head away.

Because of the world’s favoritism toward Shen Ying, she, who was supposed to have died, was given life.

But was a life like the one in the novel truly the world’s favor or its malice?

Gong Zhi didn’t know. Gong Zhi just wanted to lie down.