I Deduce the Female Lead Likes Me [Transmigration into a book] - Chapter 17: Shielding

When Kou Shuang woke up, she was tied to a chair. The ropes dug into her skin, hurting badly.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, nor where she was.

The only thing she could do, perhaps, was wait for someone to rescue her here.

Like, Song Muxue.

Kou Shuang frowned, thinking: No, at least I can still sort out the case.

Things seemed to change right after she met Sun Jiawen while looking for an internship. The job that should have been hers was taken by Sun Jiawen—no, not “taken,” she should say she let it go. Afterward, she got entangled with Lu Renjia and incurred Sun Jiawen’s resentment. Sun Jiawen introduced her to work at the gallery.

Because she was not skilled in art, she sold one or more fake paintings at the gallery, with the amount involved being at least 420,000. After the exhibition ended, she discovered something fishy about the gallery. After escaping with Lu Renjia’s help, she took a leave of absence.

Old Chun and Lux must have heard the rumors and fled during this time. Because the surveillance recorded her, they seemed to think she had actively tipped off the police, yet she knew nothing about it and still didn’t even know the name of the man with sunglasses.

– So, how did the man with sunglasses know that painting was fake?

Meanwhile, Sun Jiawen called her, probably wanting to invite her to join them, but she didn’t answer. Perhaps Sun Jiawen mistakenly thought she was refusing, so she conveyed the information to Old Chun and Lux.

– At this point, would Sun Jiawen, who believed she had a thing with Lu Renjia, genuinely invite her to join them without any reservations? If she truly wanted to invite her, a phone call might not be enough; wouldn’t arranging a meeting via WeChat be better?

Then there was her night exploration of the gallery with Song Muxue and Zheng Fenglin. Song Muxue accidentally turned on the surveillance, alerting Old Chun and Lux. They called Sun Jiawen, telling her to come overnight and take away the discarded paintings. That’s why when the police went to seal the gallery the next day, those paintings were already gone. So Old Chun and Lux probably didn’t know she had taken photos, because the surveillance was only on for about five seconds—but it didn’t matter anymore, because her phone had been destroyed.

Many former interns, including herself, were summoned by the police. Posts defaming her started appearing on the forum, likely created by Sun Jiawen out of jealousy. If Sun Jiawen was right, then Lu Renjia had previously cleared her name.

– And what was Lu Renjia’s motive for that? Did he really like her? Not necessarily.

She went to the department’s art studio to find Sun Jiawen, saw the other forgeries, discovered the “S” mark, and heard Old Chun call Sun Jiawen, planning to retrieve various discarded paintings and evidence. The agreed time and place were the small grove outside the girls’ dorm.

At the same time, the paint on the fake painting bought by the man with sunglasses peeled off, revealing the “S” mark on the canvas. The police mistakenly thought this was Kou Shuang’s “shuang”, increasing her suspicion. She was called out of class to cooperate with the investigation. Zheng Fenglin leaked information to Song Muxue, and Song Muxue then told her the news. She realized Sun Jiawen was involved in the forgery and informed the police.

– The paint on the fake painting peeled off… that’s too fantastical and absurd. If they’re really making fakes, wouldn’t it be better if it could never be discovered? Sun Jiawen must have made quite a few forgeries; why would she make such a basic mistake?

At the same time, Song Muxue noticed Lu Renjia’s abnormal behavior, followed him to the small pavilion, and informed her of the situation. She followed them and found Sun Jiawen preparing to hand over the criminal evidence to Old Chun.

– Why didn’t Old Chun and his associates just have Sun Jiawen destroy the paintings? Why did they specifically come to retrieve them? If it was just to get the paintings, why would Sun Jiawen arrange to meet Lu Renjia? Could it be… this was Sun Jiawen’s last chance? Were they going to take Sun Jiawen with them?

Lux used to be in charge of painting fake paintings, but now his “hands are ruined,” which sounds related to a past murder case… Is it a psychological disorder? Anyway, they’re missing a painter.

– Are they still planning to continue this business?

And then… she was pulled into the van by Sun Jiawen, knocked unconscious, and tied up.

After clearing up the timeline, Kou Shuang finally focused on herself. Her head hurt, her cheeks were hot and swollen, and her limbs felt numb like wood. She must have been tied up for a long time.

Kou Shuang had a headache… Why did she end up in such a situation? It was just an internship, and she still encountered this kind of forgery and sales case…

Was it because “Snow and Wind’s Gift to Me” was a mystery novel? As long as she was connected to Song Muxue, would she always encounter cases? Or was this novel a large Gotham-style city, chaotic, evil, and never at peace?

Kou Shuang couldn’t help but groan “Ouch.”

“You’re awake?” Old Chun narrowed his eyes at Kou Shuang, a cigarette still between his fingers.

Lux held a machete, flexed his wrist, and tilted his head to ask Old Chun: “This one, should I kill her?”

Kou Shuang glanced at Lux. This handsome man held the knife with a bloodthirsty, ruthless aura, but she wasn’t afraid—she couldn’t say why, she just wasn’t. It was as if her subconscious believed nothing bad would happen to her.

This subconscious feeling had appeared several times when watching movies: even when the protagonists were in the most dangerous situations imaginable, the audience just knew the protagonist wouldn’t die. This is commonly known as “protagonist’s halo.”

Was it because she had latched onto Song Muxue’s “thigh”?

…Or was it egocentrism at play, unconsciously believing that she was the protagonist?

Kou Shuang realized she was distracted at this moment and quickly pulled her thoughts back.

Old Chun looked at Sun Jiawen and said: “Don’t you have questions to ask? Ask them.”

Only then did Kou Shuang notice the presence of another person in the cramped room.

Sun Jiawen stood up from a small stool and walked in front of Kou Shuang, saying softly: “I think you have a secret.”

Kou Shuang didn’t back down, saying: “You’re so interested in me precisely because you have secrets too, aren’t you?”

Sun Jiawen smiled and said: “I thought you were like me. Well, let’s try it now.”

Sun Jiawen lifted her skirt and directly straddled Kou Shuang’s thighs. Her previously wooden thighs suddenly tingled as if pricked, like legs that had been frozen in a refrigerator and then brought out to thaw.

Kou Shuang remembered cutting meat before, too lazy to defrost it, just taking it out of the freezer and slicing it like shaved ice. She felt her legs were like that right now…

Lux looked away and said: “I didn’t know you had this preference…”

Sun Jiawen ignored him, wrapped her arms around Kou Shuang, kissed her neck, then her ear, and finally asked: “Do you like Lu Renjia?”

Kou Shuang was somewhat exasperated: “I thought you had absolutely no interest in him…”

“Do you like anyone else, in this world?” Sun Jiawen immediately followed up.

“What do you mean…”

“Don’t like, don’t fear, don’t care, don’t mind,” Sun Jiawen’s lips brushed Kou Shuang’s earlobe, saying: “You’re not from this world, are you?”

Sun Jiawen’s voice was very soft, but Kou Shuang heard every word clearly. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head to look at Sun Jiawen, appearing incredulous.

“You…”

Sun Jiawen asked: “When were you born? When did you find out?”

Kou Shuang thought she had met a fellow transmigrator. One second she was happy, the next she was confused by Sun Jiawen’s words.

“How did you defeat the other Kou Shuang and gain control?”

The warmth in Kou Shuang’s heart subsided, even turning somewhat cold and disgusted.

It turned out this was just a second personality attempting to usurp control.

Kou Shuang said nothing. Sun Jiawen urged her.

“Shh!” Old Chun suddenly said.

Sun Jiawen immediately fell silent. Along with Kou Shuang, she looked over and saw Old Chun standing up, pressing his ear to the door, whispering: “There’s a sound.”

A sound? Kou Shuang’s eyes lit up. Was it Song Muxue bringing people?

Old Chun, Lux, and Sun Jiawen all pressed their ears to the door. Kou Shuang couldn’t join them to listen, but she saw a head poke out from the window on the other side. It was Zheng Fenglin.

Zheng Fenglin “shushed” Kou Shuang, then agilely climbed in.

By the time Old Chun and the others reacted and turned around, Zheng Fenglin was already standing in the center of the room. Several more police officers were climbing into the room.

Lux paused, then swung the machete at Zheng Fenglin.

In a flash, Zheng Fenglin dodged the blade with a sidestep, then somehow disarmed Lux, throwing the knife far away. The next second, Lux was already subdued on the ground, his face pressed to the floor, his expression quite distorted and unyielding.

Wait, that’s it…? Kou Shuang was dumbfounded. It felt like the fight scene ended before it even began. Was it because the author of “Snow and Wind’s Gift to Me” couldn’t write action scenes?

Several of Zheng Fenglin’s friends also climbed in through the window, quickly subduing Old Chun.

Sun Jiawen, being a weak woman, and categorized by the police as a “coerced and deceived university student,” wasn’t paid much attention to. They simply waited for backup to arrive, after which she would be taken back to the station for interrogation.

Zheng Fenglin handed Lux over to a colleague, then walked to Kou Shuang and untied her, saying as gently as possible: “Were you scared?”

Kou Shuang shook her head and asked: “How did you find us?”

She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but judging by the stiffness of her muscles, it couldn’t have been long.

Zheng Fenglin said: “This is the art studio Sun Jiawen rented. Xiaoxue said you might be here, so I brought a few of my brothers over. I don’t know how she knew, though; I’ll have to ask her later.”

Speaking of Song Muxue, Zheng Fenglin slapped his forehead and said: “Xiaoxue is still waiting outside!”

He ignored Kou Shuang, turned, and walked towards the main door, his face showing a subtle pride and joy.

As soon as Zheng Fenglin opened the door, Song Muxue rushed in, a faint worry on her face. Seeing Kou Shuang safe and sound, she let out a soft sigh of relief, walked over, and said: “You were too reckless just now…”

Song Muxue’s first words upon entering were a reproach, which made Kou Shuang feel a bit more dejected. She knew Song Muxue was the type to plan before acting, but when she saw those two arguing, she just instinctively rushed in; there was nothing she could do about it.

Another person followed behind Song Muxue. Lu Renjia’s face showed even more intense worry. He rushed towards Kou Shuang, saying: “I’m so glad you’re okay! You scared me to death!”

“Lu Renjia…”

Everyone ignored a faint voice.

“My heart almost stopped when I saw you get taken away! If I had known that woman was so terrifying, I never would have dated her!” Lu Renjia was still shaken.

Kou Shuang subconsciously frowned upon hearing this. The moment she looked at Sun Jiawen, her eyes widened.

“Be careful!”

Sun Jiawen picked up the machete that Zheng Fenglin had thrown aside and rushed straight towards her.

The target is me. Be careful my ass… Kou Shuang’s physical reaction was slow. She could only stand there, watching the blade approach, her mind still clearly complaining.

Am I going to die?

…No, wait, Song Muxue stepped in front of her.

Kou Shuang didn’t feel any pain, but darkness immediately enveloped her. She felt an irresistible fatigue from within.

Did Song Muxue actually shield me from the knife…? Kou Shuang wondered.

So, why did you have to shield me?

Kou Shuang closed her eyes.