Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 5
Music, crowds, and dazzling lights.
Everything was a blur of movement.
People holding champagne flutes and murmuring softly smiled and raised their glasses as she approached.
“Happy wedding.”
“Wishing you happiness.”
“Hope you have a child soon.”
She thanked them softly, her hand linked through the man’s arm next to her, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. The music swelled, and the man’s deep, cello-like voice murmured in her ear: “Xiao Ying, I’ll make you happy.”
Was she happy?
Her beloved mother wasn’t at this wedding because she had died early in their relationship due to a petty person.
Her friends weren’t there either. Her friend had a crush on her man, so she had spread rumors about Shen Ying without hesitation, causing her to lose her job.
Her best friend had tried desperately to convince her to break up with him but, failing that, had left, only to die on her way to visit Shen Ying.
This wedding, everything about it, belonged to the man she was to spend the rest of her life with. His friends, relatives, business partners—they smiled and offered their blessings. His former lovers—they glared with hatred.
So much happiness.
But she felt exhausted.
Was she happy?
She looked at the man beside her. He happened to be looking down at her, and his face slowly transformed into another beautiful, young face with a five-tenths resemblance.
There was a lazy air about her, and when she raised her eyebrows to look at Shen Ying, there was a hint of weariness. “Don’t you know if you’re happy or not?”
Shen Ying opened her mouth to speak.
“I have nothing left. Why should I be forced to feel happy?”
“I’m not resigned to this.”
Then that face broke into a smile…
The alarm clock blared. A hand reached out from the soft covers, and Shen Ying fumbled for her phone.
8:30 a.m.
The phone was a bit old, somewhere between a smartphone and an old-school flip phone. The sound was loud enough to wake anyone from a deep sleep.
Shen Ying turned off the phone, and her groggy mind finally cleared. She looked through her notepad, patted her face, and walked into the bathroom.
The guest room was very cozy. The bed was soft, and the covers smelled of sunshine, making you want to sink in and never get up.
Shen Ying splashed some cold water on her face to fully awaken. She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her face was pale, and the dark circles she’d gotten from a lack of sleep were a little less pronounced thanks to last night’s rest, but they had only gone from black to bluish.
This was 22-year-old Shen Ying, still with a naive student-like air, but she looked vibrant and full of life, unlike the her of the past.
Shen Ying looked at her own eyes. They were too heavy, looking like an old woman’s, not a student’s at all. Shen Ying bit her lower lip. She blinked, trying to make herself look as natural as possible. She was going to see her mother today and couldn’t let her notice anything.
Thinking of her mother, Shen Ying’s expression softened. It was wonderful. Nothing had happened yet; everything was still salvageable.
Shen Ying looked down at her phone. She didn’t see a transfer record and her heart sank.
As expected, she thought. That woman says one thing and does another. Saying she’d transfer the money today was probably just a stalling tactic. It seems I need to find another way.
Shen Ying thought with her head down as she changed into a brighter-colored outfit. Although her mother was seriously ill, her outlook was positive and optimistic. She wanted her daughter to be the same and always preferred for her to wear brighter colors.
Reuniting after so many years, Shen Ying didn’t want to displease her mother.
She went downstairs. There was no sound in the room, and Shen Ying secretly smiled.
That woman was used to a life of luxury and always woke up around noon. There was no way she would be up at this hour. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It seemed the person was still the same person. Thinking this, Shen Ying felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
“You’re just getting up? What time is it?”
Gong Zhi’s voice rang out. Shen Ying looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Gong Zhi raised an eyebrow. “What, are you surprised to see me? Did you forget whose house this is?”
Shen Ying pursed her lips, studying Gong Zhi. She was wearing a light sportswear set. Her hair was loose and still damp, and she was haphazardly drying it with a towel.
Gong Zhi said her piece and didn’t seem to expect an answer from Shen Ying. She just walked over to the dining table and took a sip of the black coffee that had already been brewed. It was then that Shen Ying noticed breakfast was already laid out.
There were two identical breakfasts.
Meat, vegetables, an appropriate amount of carbs, and a cup of coffee.
“They’re both the same. If you have any preferences, you can tell Brother Zhang, and he’ll let the auntie know. Oh, and the auntie comes at 6 a.m. every day to make breakfast and then leaves, so you have to be on time.” Gong Zhi explained as she sat down at the table with a straight back. She then picked up a newspaper and began to read while she ate.
Shen Ying hesitated. Gong Zhi’s actions were so matter-of-fact that it made her feel inexplicably that this was all a matter of course.
She sat down across from Gong Zhi, looked at the identical breakfast, and on a whim, picked up the newspaper. She glanced at the headline: Economic Times. Since when did the Gong family’s little princess, who I thought only knew how to spend money, start reading this kind of newspaper?
The feeling of absurdity from yesterday surfaced again.
Maybe her so-called rebirth was just a dream.
Shen Ying couldn’t help but entertain the thought again.
“Sit up straight,” Gong Zhi suddenly said.
Shen Ying instinctively looked at her. Gong Zhi had put down the newspaper and was looking at Shen Ying seriously. “When you sit, you have to keep your back straight. Otherwise, prolonged sitting will lead to bone spur formation and lumbar disc herniation, and your back will hurt a lot.”
Gong Zhi’s expression was so serious that Shen Ying couldn’t help but straighten her back a little. A smile appeared in Gong Zhi’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but feel emotional in her mind toward the system: [The female lead is very well-behaved and listens to reason.]
System: …It’s not surprising that the female lead can listen to reason.
After her emotional moment, Gong Zhi lowered her head and ate her breakfast. She saw Shen Ying picking at her food and, after some thought, spoke up again. “It’s not good to be a picky eater. You’re too thin, and breakfast is very important. Our breakfast is nutritionally balanced to meet all your morning needs.”
My goodness, Shen Ying thought. Why does a 20-year-old girl talk like an old person? She’s not a bit like the socialite who was obsessed with luxury goods and slept until noon!
Shen Ying’s hand paused, and she looked up at Gong Zhi.
Gong Zhi frowned. “Why are you looking at me? Are you unhappy with me lecturing you?”
She knows she’s lecturing me? Shen Ying opened her mouth and managed to say, “No, it’s just… you… you’re too nice to me.”
Gong Zhi’s serious expression immediately softened. She gave a small cough and looked away, appearing a little embarrassed. Shen Ying was surprised to see that Gong Zhi could be embarrassed.
[The host can be embarrassed!] The system was not as worried as Shen Ying and let out a series of whirring electronic noises.
Gong Zhi was suspiciously silent for a moment: [The truth is often hard to hear. Most people don’t want to listen to others’ advice.]
So why does the host still say it? The system wondered but didn’t vocalize the thought.
Gong Zhi slowly took a sip of her coffee. “You’ll have to work to pay me back, and a good body makes more money.”
A capitalist is a capitalist. No matter when, they always think of how to get the most out of something.
Hearing about money, any surprise or shallow gratitude Shen Ying had felt instantly vanished. She ate in silence but scoffed inwardly. This person says one thing and does another. I can’t be led by Gong Zhi’s rhythm and end up in a trap.
Just then, her phone dinged. Shen Ying looked down and saw a text message: “Chao Sheng Limited Company contract payment of 1.5 million yuan has been credited to your account.”
Shen Ying’s hand trembled slightly.
In an instant, she felt as if she was pulled back into the nightmare. She had signed a contract with Gong Yi, and the first payment had solved her most urgent problem. But when the kidney donor was found, the payment for the surgery was delayed.
She went to find Gong Yi, only to be told he was on a business trip. She went to his secretary, who opened the contract, pointed to a clause, and smiled at her: “It’s not that I don’t want to give you the money, but since we signed a contract, we have to follow it. This payment requires the CEO’s special approval and signature. You can only get the money after he signs it. As for now, well, you’re just unlucky, aren’t you?”
If I had gone to Gong Zhi instead of Gong Yi back then, would my mother have survived?
Shen Ying’s heart sank further. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.
[Darkness meter: 99, 95, 97, 90…]
Gong Zhi’s hand was also trembling. She forced herself to drink some coffee to stay alert: [I hate roller coasters. They’re not good for your health and are torture for both the mind and body.]
At that moment, the system was in complete agreement: [Me too!]
Gong Zhi suddenly stood up, slamming her hand on the table with a loud bang.
Shen Ying was startled by the sound and looked up, staring at Gong Zhi with a slight confusion. Gong Zhi saw the glint of tears in Shen Ying’s eyes. A tearful beauty was a pitiful sight.
Gong Zhi couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. If this weren’t a novel, she would actually want Shen Ying to become her sister-in-law.
After all, not many young people would listen to her health and wellness theories.
With a lonely sigh, Gong Zhi’s gaze toward Shen Ying softened even more. “Aren’t you going to see your mother? I’m free, so I’ll drive you.”
Shen Ying slowly blinked, as if coming back to her senses. Her eyes quickly cleared. “Okay.”
She said, tightly gripping the old-fashioned phone in her hand as if it were a lifeline.
[Darkness meter: 90]