Begging the Female Lead to Let Me, a Salted Fish, Go (GL) - Chapter 8
[Darkness meter: 100!]
Gong Zhi felt her vision go black. A familiar yet strange searing pain gripped her chest. She clutched the fabric over her heart and bent forward deeply. Shen Shu’s anxious voice reached her ears. She wanted to smile at Shen Shu, but cold sweat streamed down her face.
Gong Zhi was familiar with this feeling.
It was the same angina that had caused her death in her previous life.
[Darkness meter is full. The host has 1 minute to say goodbye to the world. Please hurry and bid farewell to your loved ones.]
What the hell is this farewell?! I’m not going to die!
Gong Zhi bit down hard on the soft tissue inside her mouth. The pain brought her back to her senses. She grabbed Shen Shu’s hand. “Auntie, call your daughter.”
Seeing Gong Zhi’s state, Shen Shu panicked. She nodded quickly and dialed her daughter’s number.
“Hello? Mom?”
[Darkness meter: 99]
The moment the call connected, the darkness meter suddenly dropped.
The pain in her chest slowly receded, and Gong Zhi sat panting, drenched in sweat.
“Xiao Ying, Gong…” Shen Shu was about to say something, but Gong Zhi put a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. Shen Shu frowned, put her hand down from the nurse call button, and half-stood to protect Gong Zhi.
Gong Zhi glanced at Shen Shu and smiled at her. “Auntie, don’t move. You’re still on an IV.”
“Your health is more important than mine,” Shen Shu said with a frown. “What’s wrong? I’ve called a doctor. They’ll be here soon.”
“I’m fine. It’s just… a stomachache. Just talk to my senior for a bit and don’t hang up,” Gong Zhi said, her expression sincere. “If I leave, no one will be here to chat with you, Auntie. So please, don’t hang up.”
With that, Gong Zhi jumped up and ran out.
“Hey!” Shen Shu was too slow to stop her and watched as Gong Zhi scurried out like a rabbit. On the other end of the phone, Shen Ying was still asking Shen Shu what was wrong.
Shen Shu couldn’t help but sigh. “That little girl said she had a stomachache. Her face looked terrible. When you get back, take her to see a doctor…”
Gong Zhi hurried forward, her expression serious. It had been a long, long time since she had felt so close to death, and she didn’t want to try it a second time.
[Where is the female lead?]
The system dared not delay: [I have located the best route for the host.]
Gong Zhi scanned the route in her mind and frowned. [What happened to her again?]
The system sounded a little guilty: [Well, it might be a plot point… The host also knows that this is a real world, and an author can’t possibly write a date and time for everything, so we…]
[So we just have to guess.]
Gong Zhi sneered. She followed the map provided by the system, turned the corner of the stairs, and saw the payment counter. Gong Zhi knew that Shen Ying’s excuse to get water was actually to pay the outstanding fees.
The female lead was currently standing at the payment counter’s entrance. She was clutching an invoice in one hand and her phone in the other, her eyes cold as she looked at the man in front of her.
[Attention, attention, the system has detected a key character, Weng Nan.] The system suddenly beeped loudly.
[Weng Nan?] Gong Zhi asked.
System: [The second male lead.]
Gong Zhi said, “Oh.” [I remember him. He used to be my brother’s sidekick when we were kids. I didn’t like him, so I beat him up and told my brother to stay away from him.]
System: […You’ve truly integrated into this world.]
Gong Zhi didn’t confirm or deny it. She looked at Weng Nan. The little boy she remembered who used to bully girls had now grown into a mature man. He was wearing a sharp suit, and his presence made many women stop to steal glances at him. He had one hand in his pocket and the other against the wall, trapping Shen Ying in a “wall slam.”
[Ugh… he’s still so annoying,] Gong Zhi couldn’t help but say.
She saw Shen Ying say something quietly, hang up the phone, and try to walk past Weng Nan. He laughed and blocked her. “Miss, can you give me your contact information?”
“I already told you, I can’t,” Shen Ying’s voice was cold, but her vibrant clothes made her look like a thornless rose, completely unthreatening.
“Don’t be so absolute,” Weng Nan smiled. “I heard from the nurses about your situation. You’re a kind and filial girl, and I just want to help you.”
As he spoke, he gazed at the girl’s slightly pale cheeks. The girl, who had just left school, still had a hint of innocence about her. Her face was bare but radiant and seemed almost translucent.
Weng Nan couldn’t help but gulp. He had a strong urge to kiss her. He lowered his voice and smiled. “Your mother’s medical bills aren’t small, are they? I can help you. All I need is your contact information. Isn’t that a great deal?”
“…” Shen Ying looked at Weng Nan, her eyes as cold as ice, but her face was still soft and easy to bully. This contrast made Weng Nan feel a shiver of excitement.
Weng Nan studied Shen Ying carefully and then suddenly said, “You look familiar…” He seemed to remember something and suddenly laughed. “I know who you are. You should agree to me now. Otherwise, if another person finds out…”
[Darkness meter: 99]
Gong Zhi let out a quiet cough. She had to step in. If she had any doubts about the system’s words before, the chest pain had completely erased them.
She looked at the two of them and said with a half-smile, “In a public place like this, isn’t this gentleman being a little ungentlemanly?”
Shen Ying looked at Gong Zhi almost instantly. She saw the gloom in Gong Zhi’s eyes and the frown on Weng Nan’s face. She seemed to realize something and pursed her lips tightly.
“Gong Zhi.” Weng Nan turned around, his voice laced with annoyance.
“So you still remember me,” Gong Zhi said, brushing the hair from her shoulder and giving a fake smile. “Brother Weng Nan.”
Weng Nan put his hands down, and Shen Ying took a step back. Gong Zhi immediately looked at Shen Ying. “Why are you backing away? Come to my side. Good kids don’t play with scumbags.”
Shen Ying looked at Gong Zhi with a look of suspicion, but in the end, she chose to walk toward her.
Gong Zhi grabbed Shen Ying’s hand. Shen Ying’s body stiffened, but she could feel the gentle but firm grip on her wrist, pulling her back.
So Shen Ying relaxed and let Gong Zhi pull her behind her. She looked at Gong Zhi’s back. The girl was a little younger than her, her shoulders were slender, and she was a little shorter, but she was standing in front of her like a protector.
“What scumbag? Gong Zhi, don’t slander my name,” Weng Nan said with a frown, his tone slow and deliberate, as if a mature man was reprimanding an immature girl.
Gong Zhi chuckled. “You’ve grown up now, but what about before? The street racing, the nightclubs, the assaults…”
“Enough,” Weng Nan’s face stiffened, and he quickly cut her off. He could already hear the onlookers whispering. When he had blocked Shen Ying, he hadn’t cared about others because it was to show off his charm, but now, he just wanted everyone to go away.
Gong Zhi shrugged. “She’s with me. You should stop getting horny in public.”
“She’s with you?” Weng Nan sneered. “I don’t believe you don’t see how much she resembles someone. You’re probably trying to use her to please your brother.”
Gong Zhi smiled. “I’m not like the weaklings in your family who have to please you to survive. You can ask my brother yourself to see whose person she is.”
Gong Zhi squeezed Shen Ying’s hand again and led her away. She took a few steps, then turned back to Weng Nan. “Oh, and don’t get any funny ideas. If I find out, I won’t hesitate to tell your grandpa.”
Weng Nan’s face stiffened, and he stopped pretending. He said angrily, “How old are you, still tattling on people!”
“It works,” Gong Zhi said, waving her hand and walking away with Shen Ying.
[Aren’t male leads supposed to be well-mannered and deeply in love? What’s going on? How can this kind of spoiled, good-for-nothing rich kid be a male lead?]
The system timidly said: [Men only become devoted after they fall in love with the female lead… Also, in the book, host, you were infatuated with him, but he liked the female lead, which is why you were so against the female lead…]
Gong Zhi’s steps faltered. Shen Ying nearly stumbled into her and asked in a strange voice, “What’s wrong?”
Gong Zhi answered gloomily, “The weather’s getting cold. The Weng family should go bankrupt.”