I Became the Female Lead’s Current Obsession - Chapter 7

“You idiots! Chase them, now! What are you standing there like fools for!?”

The bald man braced himself against a steel pipe to stand up again, yelling furiously at the four companions frozen in place.

That finally snapped them out of their daze, and they took off after the fleeing pair.

The bald man gritted his teeth, the throbbing pain at the back of his head twisting his face into a grimace. Spitting on the ground, he pulled out his phone and called, “Boss… it didn’t work out…”

Jiang Qing dragged Hou Xue as they ran, fast as the wind. But truth be told, she had no idea where she was going. Driven by sheer panic, she’d just kept running forward. Only after putting some distance between them and the pursuers did she realize something felt off.

She didn’t know the way.

Slowing her pace and steadying her breath, Jiang Qing tapped the inside of Hou Xue’s wrist with her fingertip and asked, “Actually… I don’t know this area. Are we going the right way to get out?”

Hou Xue glanced at Jiang Qing’s restless fingers, frowning at the fact that she didn’t even know the way, but replied in a muffled voice, “I’ll tell you if we’re going the wrong way.”

Jiang Qing nodded. “Alright.”

They hadn’t been far from the main street when Hou Xue had been cornered earlier, but the maze of alleyways made the route complicated. Still, under Hou Xue’s guidance, they quickly returned to the familiar archway within a few minutes.

By pure luck, a vacant taxi was idling by the curb. The driver, a man with curly hair, had rolled down his window and was leisurely smoking with one arm propped on the door.

Jiang Qing glanced back at their still-persistent pursuers and, without a second thought, jumped into the taxi. Barely catching her breath, she pointed toward the four men who had just reached the arch and said urgently, “Driver, go! Now!”

The driver took one look at the approaching thugs and instantly sensed trouble. His mind flashed to scenes from Young and Dangerous movies.

Calmly extinguishing his cigarette, he pulled the handbrake, looked into the rearview mirror with a knowing smirk, and said, “Hold on tight.”

Then he stomped on the gas, leaving a cloud of exhaust and four stunned men in the dust.

“Son of a—” one of the tattooed men cursed as he watched the taxi disappear, then grabbed the collar of a nearby high school boy in a Yangrui uniform and shouted, “You said everyone hates her? That she has no friends?”

“N-no, Tian-ge… she really is hated in Yangrui. No one talks to her, let alone helps her. I swear I wouldn’t lie about this!” the boy stammered in terror, struggling to break free.

“Then what the hell was that just now, huh!? Explain it to me!” the man barked in his face.

Another tall student in the same uniform spoke up, “Tian-ge, I think… the girl who pulled Hou Xue away just now… I think that was Jiang Qing.”

“Jiang Qing?” The tattooed man let go of the student and exchanged a glance with his crew.

“The second daughter of the Jiang family?” said a man who looked like a skinny monkey.

“Yes, yes, that’s her.” The tall boy nodded quickly but then added hesitantly, “But… she’s the one who hates Hou Xue the most. It doesn’t make sense that she’d help her…”

The tattooed man fell silent, deep in thought. A moment later, his phone rang in his pocket. He answered it, paused for three seconds, then said, “Hello? Qiang-ge, we didn’t catch them… Yeah, yeah, you’re right to be pissed. But I know who that girl was. It was Jiang Qing. Jiang family’s second daughter.”

…

“What’s going on, young lady?” The taxi driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror. “You girls from Yangrui? That school’s full of bright kids. I’m always picking up students there.”

“You recognize our uniforms, Uncle?” Jiang Qing chuckled, seizing the moment. “It’s no big deal. You saw those two in uniform chasing us? Same school. Just messing around, trying to scare us.”

The enthusiastic driver chatted all the way. He was fascinated by their story and rambled about all sorts of things—even said he’d always dreamed of being part of an exciting chase like in the movies. Today, his dream came true.

Jiang Qing’s quick thinking and casual lies fooled the straightforward driver easily. She guessed that with his personality, he would definitely ask more questions if given the chance, but she couldn’t tell him the truth—it all went back to the original owner of her body.

Only after getting out of the car did Jiang Qing finally feel herself relax. The tension she’d held through all the improvising and lying finally eased.

But just as she was about to enjoy the scenery, the usually silent female lead suddenly spoke.

“Why were you at the old street?” Hou Xue asked.

Her voice was quiet, but every word rang crystal clear in Jiang Qing’s ears.

That same nerve tensed again.

Jiang Qing felt exhausted.

With a sigh, she answered, “Total coincidence. I was just there to hang out but got lost. Then I heard your voice.” She paused. “If I said that, would you believe me?”

Hou Xue stopped walking too. She didn’t answer immediately. After a few seconds, she asked, “Have you ever told me the truth, even once?”

Her expression was as calm as ever, but her eyes—backlit by the sun—were dark and unreadable.

Like they weren’t just trying to see through her—but into her.

Jiang Qing’s throat tightened. The question felt like a trap, and any answer she gave seemed inadequate.

After a long pause, she replied hoarsely, “This time, I’m telling the truth.”

So… everything before was a lie?

Hou Xue seemed amused by this realization. She didn’t press further, and instead, a rare and fleeting smile tugged at her lips.

Jiang Qing looked up and caught the smile still lingering on Hou Xue’s face.

It was unexpectedly relaxed. Natural.

Beautiful.

Like a lily suddenly blooming—pure and elegant, making everything else feel dull in comparison.

Was she smiling… at me?

Suddenly, Jiang Qing heard a loud thump in her ears. After a few seconds, she realized it was her own heartbeat.

She quickly averted her eyes, flustered, and awkwardly rubbed her nose. “I-I can prove it.”

She pulled a white plush cat from her bag, worth nearly 200 yuan, and held it out. “I won it at the arcade.”

Hou Xue didn’t take it right away.

Jiang Qing bit her lip and added, “It’s for you.”

Only then did Hou Xue accept the plush. She studied it for a moment and softly said, “Thank you.”

Jiang Qing instantly felt that the 200 yuan was worth every penny.

After this exchange, she decided she’d be far more careful when speaking to Hou Xue in the future.

Others didn’t matter, but with Hou Xue—the story’s protagonist—making her upset would never end well.

Yet Jiang Qing still couldn’t quite figure out if Hou Xue was happy or not.

Hou Xue possessed that classic main-character trait: a serene mask that betrayed no emotion. She always looked calm and composed. So, to see her smile—something must have changed.

Jiang Qing remembered that, in the original novel, Hou Xue’s first smile came after landing a billion-yuan deal at her company.

The author had spent pages describing that moment, and readers in the comments had gone wild over her smile. Back then, Jiang Qing thought it was exaggerated. But seeing it in person today, she only wanted to apologize to the author. “Cold beauty” was a perfect description. The only downside to that smile was how addictive it was. One look wasn’t enough.

…

Who knows when Hou Xue might smile at her again?

Jiang Qing tapped her pen against the desk, staring at a question but unable to focus.

She hadn’t been able to eat properly that night. Her thoughts were scattered but revolved around one person—Hou Xue.

The thugs, Hou Xue’s safety, that rare smile… and the gift.

Yes, the gift.

This was Jiang Qing’s last planned move to gain favor. Originally, she thought this would be the end of it.

But now… she was no longer satisfied.

Yet even if asked, she couldn’t explain what exactly she wanted more.

In the end, she concluded: take it one step at a time. Life goes on, no matter how much you overthink.

“You’ve spent fifteen minutes on that multiple-choice question,” Hou Xue remarked, still writing. “Is it really that difficult?”

“Ah…” Jiang Qing snapped back to reality. Looking at the question, she replied hesitantly, “Maybe… a little?”

Hou Xue, always efficient and direct, was about to explain the question but was quickly stopped.

“No, no. I’ll try it myself first,” Jiang Qing said helplessly.

Hou Xue raised an eyebrow and went back to her own work.

After a few more questions, Jiang Qing capped her pen.

“I just remembered something. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a response, she left the room and even thoughtfully closed the door.

Hou Xue’s eyes lingered on the shut door for a few seconds. Then she picked up Jiang Qing’s paper, scanned it, and silently noted two wrong answers before calmly returning to her own work.

Jiang Qing knocked on the door next to hers—Jiang Xing’s room.

In the original novel, Jiang Xing was the Jiang family’s spoiled youngest son, hell-bent on being a delinquent despite his privileged background. He got by on the family name, caused trouble, and peaked in high school. But in the end, he couldn’t outmatch Hou Xue and met a bitter fate.

Still, for what Jiang Qing needed now, he was the perfect choice.

Soon, a blond head peeked out.

“Jie?” Jiang Xing’s voice was laced with surprise and joy.

Though Jiang Qing hadn’t spent much time with him before, her recent closeness with the “outsider” Hou Xue had made him sulky and resentful. So, her visit now felt like a peace offering—he was ecstatic.

“Mm.” Jiang Qing reached out and ruffled his hair. “I need you to warn two people for me.”

“Who?” Jiang Xing frowned, already imagining himself beating up whoever had upset his sister. But deep down, he was grateful to those guys—for giving him a chance to shine.

“Two high schoolers. I don’t know their names, but they’re in Yangrui, senior year, and definitely part of a gang. You’ll recognize them when you see them. Shouldn’t be hard to find.”

Jiang Qing only wanted Jiang Xing to give those two students a scare. As for the bald man and his crew—they weren’t much, but taking revenge now wasn’t worth the risk.

She knew the Jiang family still held power in the area. Once those two students confirmed her identity, they’d never dare touch Hou Xue again.

Jiang Xing nodded. “I’ll have someone pull up photos of Yangrui’s senior class. But you’ll need to identify them.”

“Photos?” Jiang Qing’s eyes lit up. “You know someone good with computers?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Xing said proudly. “He’s from our school. Crazy good with tech. Need something?”

Lately, Jiang Qing had changed so much that even this didn’t surprise him anymore. He figured if she wanted to talk, she would. Otherwise, he’d just follow orders.

“Then ask him to help me pick out a computer. Top specs. Money’s not an issue. I need one suited for serious technical work.”