Failed to Transmigrate, I’m Back Again - Chapter 38

Tang Wuyun pondered the matter, realizing there was indeed some merit to the idea, but she hesitated to draw such a simple conclusion.

“Do your phones still have records of our past conversations and calls?” she suddenly asked the group.

Shi Shuwu tilted her head and was the first to answer, “Yes.”

Tang Wuyun shook the hand Shi Shuwu was holding and cleared her throat. “Yours doesn’t count.”

Shi Shuwu: “……”

Got it. She wasn’t even talking to me.

She immediately let go of Tang Wuyun’s hand.

Tang Wuyun gritted her teeth, touching the hand that had just been held, and couldn’t help but regret her words. Why did I have to say that and upset Shi Shuwu?

Pei Yinxi immediately handed her phone to Tang Wuyun. “What do you need this for?”

Tang Wuyun quickly took it, explaining, “To confirm whether our hypothesis holds up.”

Between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM that day, she should have returned to the real world for the first time. From that point onward, every subsequent reset would also bring her back to the real world.

“I remember calling Miaomiao immediately after my sixth reset. It was around noon. If there’s a record of me contacting her between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM, it would prove I was indeed in the real world during that time. That was the only time I thought to contact you all right away after returning.”

Shi Zhimiao immediately pulled out her phone and checked her call history. Sure enough, she found a missed call from Tang Wuyun between midnight and 1 a.m.

Missed…

The others stared at Shi Zhimiao with accusing eyes, as if blaming her for not answering Tang Wuyun’s call.

Shi Zhimiao quickly explained, “It’s not that I didn’t want to answer. I was abroad at the time, and there was a time difference.”

She had also drunk quite a bit of alcohol that night due to work obligations. By the time she woke up, Tang Wuyun had already gone mad.

Bai Jin nudged Tang Wuyun. “Why did you only contact Miaomiao?”

There were no records of calls or messages from Tang Wuyun in Bai Jin’s or Lu Ya’s phones.

Tang Wuyun shrugged. “It’s not that I only contacted her. It’s just that this was the only time I immediately reached out to her after rewinding.”

She reassured the group, “Besides, I figured a domineering CEO like Miaomiao might have some unique methods.”

Shi Zhimiao: “……”

Pei Yinxi sighed softly. “I have chat logs from 3 p.m. onward, but you didn’t say anything.”

The chat history consisted solely of Tang Wuyun spamming crying and pitiful emojis.

After reviewing the messages, Tang Wuyun muttered to herself while scrolling through her phone before handing it back to Pei Yinxi.

The others couldn’t quite make out what she was muttering.

Shi Shuwu nudged her. “What are you mumbling about?”

Tang Wuyun whispered, “This was after the seventh reset. I was still recovering when I came back, feeling really down. I finally broke down and went to Sister Pei to cry. I knew she didn’t have time for me, so I just cried silently.”

The others stared in silence.

Tang Wuyun lowered her head and touched her wrist.

That particular reset had followed her first murder. Her mind had shattered, and she’d spent a long time alone, trying to recover.

Lu Ya stubbornly flipped through her phone again.

Finally, she had to admit that aside from Tang Wuyun’s deliberately provocative messages, there was nothing else here.

Lu Ya expressed her frustration. “This doesn’t make sense! Every time we reset, we have an hour or two to pull Wuyun back into the real world. But after so many resets, how come no useful information ever leaked through to us?”

Bai Jin sighed heavily. “The fact that Wuyun even tried to contact us proves she was still resisting. The moment she tried to tell us something, she was probably immediately thrown back into that torturous world, reminding us—the few who still existed—of her existence.”

This indifference was another form of torment.

Their lack of concern was perhaps even more devastating than Shi Shuwu’s appearance.

Growing increasingly agitated, Tang Wuyun looked at Pei Yinxi with a pitiful expression, tearfully lamenting, “This is mental torture!”

She felt like she was being subjected to a brutal interrogation.

First, they would beat her, then pause to demand her submission. If she stubbornly refused, they would resume the beating, repeating the cycle until she finally broke.

Only this time, the beating was to her mind.

And in the end, she had finally submitted.

Pei Yinxi patted her head reassuringly, murmuring, “It’s okay now.”

Tang Wuyun’s voice grew even more aggrieved. “But the trauma from the torture… it lingers…”

Shi Shuwu interrupted her attempt to seek sympathy from Pei Yinxi, yanking her back to the whiteboard. “Enough with the torture talk! Focus on remembering what exactly has been watching you. You never noticed it before?”

Tang Wuyun, her spell interrupted, slapped away the hand gripping her collar.

“No,” she huffed, “I don’t know.”

With that, she turned her pitiful gaze back to Pei Yinxi, opening her arms in a gesture for a hug.

Shi Zhimiao’s sharp eyes moved swiftly, grabbing Tang Pu before he could reach Pei Yinxi and shoving him back onto the sofa.

“Since you want to know everything, sit quietly and stop interfering.”

Don’t think I can’t see through you, Tang Pu. You’re only targeting Pei Yinxi because you know she’s the key.

Lu Ya and Bai Jin exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a shared helplessness that only they could understand.

Tang Pu turned away, determined to drag Lu Ya along to continue their exploration, completely ignoring the women.

Having untangled most of the threads, the group began searching for new breakthroughs, the atmosphere growing tense.

Meanwhile, Tang Wuyun, feeling a renewed sense of hope, lounged on the sofa, snacking and drinking while occasionally chiming in with a few supportive comments to remind them of her presence.

Lost in their investigation, the others didn’t invite Tang Wuyun to join them.

Truthfully, they were more worried she’d only complicate matters.

Tang Wuyun: “Hey, great detectives, shouldn’t we take a break and have dinner?”

It was nearly nine o’clock, and Bai Jin hadn’t rested since returning from work.

Bai Jin glanced back, her tone impatient. “Quiet! We’re at a critical moment.”

Pei Yinxi checked the time and decided, “It’s still early. I’ll start dinner. You guys keep working.”

Tang Wuyun raised her hand. “Sister Pei, I’ll help you.”

Shi Shuwu glanced back at her.

Bai Jin pointed at Tang Wuyun, her expression stern. “You stay put. If I need help, I’ll ask you.”

Meanwhile, Shi Zhimiao silently put down her pen and followed Pei Yinxi into the kitchen without a word or even a glance at Tang Wuyun.

Tang Wuyun: “……”

Fine, I get it. I’ll stay out of the way.

She knew when to back off.

Shifting her gaze from Shi Zhimiao’s retreating figure, Tang Wuyun turned to Bai Jin. “I know what you’re trying to figure out, but I honestly don’t know how I got back.”

She’d already said everything she knew and had been racking her brain trying to remember.

Bai Jin tapped her forehead. “I want to know the exact time you returned.”

Tang Wuyun thought for a moment, then quickly replied, “Just a few minutes before we met. I was in the production crew’s car at the time.”

At the time, I couldn’t escape even if I wanted to. I was so desperate I wanted to die.

Shi Shuwu raised an eyebrow, her expression relaxed.

Tang Wuyun stood up and walked over, noticing the word “Prank” written on the whiteboard.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Shi Shuwu chuckled softly.

“It seems like she did it on purpose. She specifically brought you back on the day of the show filming, just to mess with you.”

Considering all the trouble Tang Wuyun had caused before the other woman took over, leaving her to deal with the mess, it’s no wonder she wanted to prank her a little.

Tang Wuyun was astonished. “She… pranked me?”

Are you kidding me? This woman replaced me and nearly killed me!

Shi Shuwu explained, “She might have been pulled here randomly.”

The other woman might not even know what Tang Wuyun had been through.

Bai Jinruo mused, “The timing of Wuyun’s return is too perfect. It looks like she chose that moment deliberately. If she could decide when to bring Wuyun back, does that mean Wuyun’s return was all her doing?”

Lu Ya stroked her chin, pretending to ponder deeply.

“All this ‘Evil Orange Juice’ has done is sign up for a variety show. Hmm… maybe Evil Orange Juice isn’t so evil after all?”

They had been conflating the entity tormenting Tang Wuyun with the one targeting them.

Tang Wuyun nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

Having served only to nod, Tang Wuyun was promptly pushed back into the group by the other three.

Shi Shuwu frowned deeply, struggling to grasp certain aspects of the situation.

Under the watchful eyes of Bai Jin and Lu Ya, she opened a novel app on her phone.

Bai Jin: “……”

Lu Ya: “……”

Learning on the fly, are we?

Bai Jin patted her shoulder. “If you have any questions, just ask me. I read a lot of novels.”

Shi Shuwu thought for a moment, then closed the app and voiced her confusion. “I’m trying to understand why the System would assign these Missions to me. Why would it help the entity tormenting Tang Wuyun?”

Tang Wuyun nodded frantically in agreement from behind.

“Exactly! Why are they targeting me? I haven’t broken any heavenly laws!”

Was entering a plot world supposed to lead to its destruction? Yet now that she had publicly come out online, the plot had veered off course by a hundred thousand miles, and there seemed to be no significant consequences.

The group was completely stumped by this problem.

Just as they were at a loss, Shi Zhimiao emerged from the kitchen and casually drew a line on the whiteboard, separating the System and the Transmigrator into distinct entities.

“Don’t treat them as a single entity,” Shi Zhimiao said. “Let’s consider them separately.”

She had noticed the two terms were spaced slightly apart earlier and had a sudden inspiration.

“Perhaps they’re not working together.”

Bai Jin had a sudden realization, as if struck by lightning. “I’ve got it!” she exclaimed excitedly.

She grabbed Tang Wuyun by the shoulders and shook her violently. “Aaaah! I understand now!”

Tang Wuyun’s vision swam from the shaking.

What do you understand?!

Lu Ya was equally excited. “Sister! Jin-jie! What did you figure out?!”

Pei Yinxi, hearing the commotion from the kitchen, came out to investigate.

Tang Wuyun gripped Bai Jin’s arm tightly. “Don’t… I’m going to throw up!”

Finally released by Bai Jin, Tang Wuyun shook her poor, aching head.

“What did you figure out?” she asked. “Why are you so excited?”

Shi Shuwu, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “I think I know too.”

Bai Jin’s face lit up, her gaze burning into Shi Shuwu. “You mean you know what that dirty thing is too?!”

Shi Shuwu nodded decisively.

Tang Wuyun exploded. “Just tell me already!” She pounded the sofa repeatedly in frustration.

Bai Jin snapped, “Can’t you use your brain? It’s so obvious!”

Tang Wuyun took a deep breath. “So you’re still not going to say it.”

Afraid Tang Wuyun would die of impatience, Shi Shuwu finally cut to the chase. “It’s the System. It might have been inside you all along.”

Bai Jin nodded. “We made a mistake earlier, separating the System from the Transmigrator. We assumed they were both later additions.”

With this explanation, everyone finally understood.

Only Tang Wuyun remained calm, patting herself all over and finding every inch of her body strangely comfortable.

Oh no! There’s something dirty on me!

Bai Jin chuckled, watching Tang Wuyun. “As the female lead, having a System or something isn’t really that strange.”

“It’s just that your System seems even more rebellious than you, wanting to get rid of its own host.”

Tang Wuyun’s face darkened, her expression as mysterious as a secret.

Shi Shuwu sneered. “It might not directly defy your wishes, but it can torment your spirit under the guise of ‘protecting’ you, ultimately luring someone else to replace you.”

Shi Zhimiao offered another theory: “Perhaps Wuyun isn’t some novel’s female lead at all, and this isn’t a novel world. Maybe the System fabricated everything, trying to force Wuyun to follow its script.”

She had never fully accepted the “novel world” explanation.

Tang Wuyun scratched herself all over, fidgeting and patting her body.

“I get it, no need to explain further. The real problem now is this dirty thing inside me!”

Shi Shuwu strode over to Tang Wuyun and grabbed her by the hair, snarling, “You’d better hope I don’t drag you out of there. If I do, I’ll grind you to dust and scatter your ashes!”

Tang Wuyun, on the verge of tears, desperately shielded her head.

Can’t she just pull my hair?

She sighed heavily, “I really hope you’re all wrong.”

This was terrifying.

Pei Yinxi reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s just a theory.”

Lu Ya, however, twisted the knife, “But it’s probably right. Everything makes sense now.”

Now that she understood, everything seemed perfectly logical.

Shi Zhimiao twisted the knife even deeper.

“And this System might have been with you since childhood, influencing you through osmosis.”

Goosebumps erupted all over Tang Wuyun’s body.

Terrified, she frantically shrank closer to Shi Shuwu, who was still yanking her hair.

Seeing Tang Wuyun’s genuine fear, Pei Yinxi quickly interrupted Bai Jin, who was about to twist the knife further.

“Alright, alright, enough!”

They were nearly scared to death.

Lu Ya pointed at Tang Wuyun, blurting out, “She just wants Shi Shuwu to hug her!”

Pei Yinxi froze for a moment, then quickly caught on and nodded in agreement.

Tang Wuyun had weathered far greater storms in her life. How could a few words from them make her tremble like a leaf?

Exposed, Tang Wuyun panicked briefly before straightening up and loudly protesting, “That filthy thing isn’t even on you!”

Shi Shuwu, who had long seen through the act, subtly curved her lips into a smile.

She obligingly wrapped her arms around Tang Wuyun. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

Tang Wuyun’s voice dropped. “It’s really hard not to be afraid.”

The observing quartet: “……”

Keep pretending!

It was impossible to tell whether Shi Shuwu was genuinely fooled or simply playing along.

Bai Jin nudged Shi Zhimiao with her elbow.

“We should find a drama for them to star in. They’re quite the actresses.”

Shi Zhimiao: “They’d be better suited for sketch comedy.”