I Deduce the Female Lead Likes Me [Transmigration into a book] - Chapter 21: Obstacle
On the day of the accounting practice exam, Kou Shuang was miraculously no longer nervous.
She had received Song Muxue’s blessing, which should be an unbeatable treasure in this world.
Although Song Muxue lightly reprimanded her for being idealistic, Song Muxue didn’t know that it was indeed the truth.
Kou Shuang smoothly completed all three exams. When she left the examination hall, she felt a great sense of relief.
Nervous my foot! These were all extremely simple questions. Forget eighty points, ninety points was a sure thing. It seemed that strange premonition was just her scaring herself.
Song Muxue asked Kou Shuang: “How did you do on the exam?”
Kou Shuang smiled and said: “Thanks to you, I’ll probably pass.”
“Sixty points?”
“Ninety, ninety! Definitely ninety! Why do you have so little faith in me!” Kou Shuang exclaimed. Only when she saw a faint smile on Song Muxue’s face did she realize the other person was just joking with her.
She immediately felt a bit annoyed: Well, Song Muxue, I didn’t expect even you, with your prominent features, to become so mischievous!
Then she was somewhat surprised. She had thought Song Muxue was pure and aloof, untouched by worldly affairs, but she turned out to be just an ordinary person after all.
She could joke, she could be afraid, she could be impatient, and there were things she couldn’t do.
In the original novel “Snow and Wind’s Gift to Me,” there were no such settings or details.
So, was this Song Muxue’s own personality? Did story characters really have such a thing as “personality”?
Kou Shuang stared at Song Muxue until the other person became a little uncomfortable, looking down to check her clothes, and asked: “What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me?”
“Nothing,” Kou Shuang chuckled, shaking her head, “I just think you’re occasionally quite real.”
Much more real than the cold and calm female lead in the book.
After finishing the accounting exam, Kou Shuang began the arduous process of sending out resumes again.
Unlike last time, this resume carried Kou Shuang’s aspirations for the future and her hopes for reality, so she took it exceptionally seriously. Whether it was the Big Four or small workshops, as long as it was an accounting-related position, she tried them all.
She hadn’t been able to get into the Big Four when she was studying. If she could succeed now, it would be a fulfilled regret. However, it was difficult with her current resume. If she could truly get in, it must be due to the protagonist’s halo she had rubbed off Song Muxue.
It didn’t matter if she couldn’t get into the Big Four. She also applied to some small companies, the kind of small workshops where she could get a job just with her qualifications, as a fallback.
Kou Shuang was truly very afraid of failure.
She couldn’t quite explain why, but she always felt that if she didn’t find a job this time, she would never be able to find an accounting-related job in this world.
Strangely enough, Kou Shuang applied to companies and positions of various levels, but rarely received a reply. Even if she occasionally received an aptitude test invitation, she never received a second interview opportunity after completing it.
Why was this?
She felt vaguely agitated, a sense that the whole world was against her.
Song Muxue hadn’t resigned from her internship at the law firm, and the small apartment hadn’t been given up, so Kou Shuang didn’t mention moving out, stubbornly staying there. She always felt that being with the female lead would make her slightly luckier than under normal circumstances.
She didn’t mention it, and Song Muxue didn’t proactively bring it up either. After living together for a while, even Song Muxue noticed Kou Shuang’s consecutive failures and asked her: “You still haven’t found a job?”
Kou Shuang nodded, threw the throw pillow from the head of the bed to the foot, and asked Song Muxue: “Tell me, will I not be able to find a job?”
Song Muxue felt a little helpless. She thought it was very strange that Kou Shuang, with her qualifications, couldn’t get any offers. She had paid attention to the resumes Kou Shuang submitted, and at the time she even questioned if Kou Shuang was setting her sights too low. But now, the result was that even a small company with only five people didn’t extend an olive branch to Kou Shuang.
Song Muxue racked her brains, finally coming up with a comforting remark: “…Is it that your resume is awkward, so small companies dare not hire you, and large companies look down on you?”
She had never encountered major setbacks in her life; even in the year her parents died, she still managed to get into National University. With everything going smoothly, she was very unaccustomed to “finding reasons.” She used to believe that only those who weren’t strong enough and unwilling to admit it would look for reasons. Now it seemed she might have to change her mind. There truly were inexplicable things that one simply couldn’t do in this world.
Kou Shuang looked at Song Muxue with a wronged expression, then finally nodded and said: “Maybe.”
After a while, she added: “It seems I can only wait for the accounting exam results to come out, refresh my resume, and then apply again.”
Song Muxue nodded and said: “You will definitely pass. Keep it up.”
Song Muxue was a very good friend. After learning of Kou Shuang’s repeated failures, she actually took leave from her law firm internship and accompanied Kou Shuang to her interviews.
Kou Shuang originally wanted to stop her because she thought it was just a small interview that didn’t need a “final weapon” like Song Muxue, and she also feared encountering a murder case if she was with Song Muxue. But on second thought, she agreed.
If they went together, maybe the blessing power would be stronger.
This time, she was interviewing at a logistics company with a total of ten employees. Reportedly, their accountant suddenly went back to her hometown to get married, so they were in a great hurry to find someone. The boss even held Kou Shuang’s hand, unwilling to let go, repeatedly saying, “Why don’t you start working this afternoon?”
This truly was… a turning point after a series of setbacks. After being rejected so many times, Kou Shuang didn’t hesitate, only saying that she needed to go home to pack and inform her parents.
However, just that afternoon, in the evening, she received a call from the boss, who said that the accountant had fought with her fiancé, the engagement was canceled, and she had returned to work, apologizing that they couldn’t hire her.
Kou Shuang was speechless.
Why am I so unlucky? Does God just not want me to have an accounting job?
However, this wasn’t the unluckiest part yet.
The night she received the rejection letter from the logistics company, a piece of social news exploded on Weibo.
A large-scale, major cheating incident occurred in the city’s accounting practice exam. The responsible parties had been dismissed and detained. The scores of the relevant examination centers were canceled, and Kou Shuang’s examination center was among them.
Kou Shuang was beyond furious. She finally accepted a fact.
—This world was preventing her from changing.
••••
Putting the job search aside, let’s turn our attention to the gallery case.
From filing the case to solving it and then the trial, a long time passed.
After going through one procedure after another, it finally reached the trial, which was the final sentencing stage.
The man with sunglasses was the plaintiff. Song Muxue and Kou Shuang appeared as witnesses. Zhang Chunsheng, Wu Luwei (Lux), and Sun Jiawen were the defendants and suspects.
During the trial, the plaintiff presented a series of evidence proving that the painting he purchased, valued at 420,000 yuan, was a forgery by Sun Jiawen and sold by Zhang Chunsheng and Wu Luwei.
The court ruled that Zhang, Wu, and Sun were to compensate the plaintiff for all economic losses and were sentenced to fifteen, ten, and five years of imprisonment, respectively. Sun Jiawen, after being diagnosed with a mental illness, had her application for medical parole approved. She could serve her sentence in a mental hospital until her recovery.
As for the murder case committed by Zhang Chunsheng and Wu Luwei over a decade ago, it belonged to a separate criminal case and was not mentioned during this trial.
Kou Shuang’s phone was damaged by Wu Luwei, so the evidence she took could not be presented in court. Song Muxue’s video, however, indirectly proved Sun Jiawen’s mental illness.
While waiting to be called in backstage, Kou Shuang nudged Song Muxue’s arm and said: “In the future, you’ll become a great judge like this, too. How long do you think it will take for you to reach that position?”
Song Muxue glanced at Kou Shuang and said faintly: “Still a long way to go.”
She had a clear career plan and neither belittled herself by saying she wasn’t qualified nor boasted by giving too short a time frame.
Kou Shuang chuckled, sighing: “You’re so clear about your life, it’s like you’ve read a script.”
Song Muxue said: “Life has no script; one can only plan. How far one can go is the result of effort and talent.”
Kou Shuang, however, smiled without speaking, appearing to disagree.
“Isn’t it?” Song Muxue asked.
“Probably,” Kou Shuang shook her head.
Perhaps her own life had no script, but Song Muxue’s certainly did, and she even knew the trajectory.
After all, it was a novel Kou Shuang had liked for a long time. Even if she couldn’t perfectly reproduce it, remembering the general outline was no problem.
Thinking this, Kou Shuang suddenly had an idea.
What would happen if she rewrote “Snow and Wind’s Gift to Me” in this world?
Would it bring down divine retribution? After all, Sun Jiawen had warned her “don’t fight against heaven,” and she had already witnessed how ruthless this world could be.
Sun Jiawen… Speaking of Sun Jiawen, she needed to talk to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Kou Shuang shook her head.
The trial ended, and the doctor led Sun Jiawen out of the courtroom. Kou Shuang noticed and quickly jogged, catching up to the doctor.
“Dr. Li, please wait.”
Dr. Li remembered Kou Shuang and indeed stopped.
“How is Sun Jiawen’s condition now? If I want to visit her, do I need to make an appointment in advance?” Kou Shuang asked, glancing at Sun Jiawen as she spoke. Sun Jiawen seemed fine; she didn’t have an episode throughout the trial and looked very normal.
However, it was the normal Sun Jiawen who adored Lu Renjia.
Dr. Li looked at Sun Jiawen, then smiled and said: “The patient’s condition has been well-controlled. Currently, it seems you can have contact with her.”
Kou Shuang then asked: “What illnesses does she have?”
Song Muxue stood a short distance away, watching the two, not understanding why Kou Shuang was always so concerned about Sun Jiawen. The matter was over, yet she still insisted on getting involved.
Did Sun Jiawen have some secret? Or some quality that attracted Kou Shuang?
Dr. Li replied: “The patient’s situation is quite special. Her main symptoms are dual personality, schizophrenia, delusions, and mania, along with some other complications, but basically, all have been controlled.”
Song Muxue walked to Kou Shuang’s side and said: “Have you set a time?”
Dr. Li smiled and said: “Anytime is fine.”
Kou Shuang nodded and said: “Then this…”
“This weekend, then,” Song Muxue suddenly interjected: “I have a holiday this weekend; I can accompany you. What do you think?”
Song Muxue looked at Kou Shuang, as if it were only natural.
Kou Shuang was a little confused. She hadn’t expected Song Muxue to proactively offer to visit together. She thought Song Muxue would be very reluctant to see Sun Jiawen. But as long as Song Muxue looked at her, she couldn’t voice any objections, so she nodded and said: “Okay.”
“Then it’s settled. Miss Kou, Miss Song, goodbye.”
Dr. Li accompanied Sun Jiawen out of the courthouse and into the mental hospital vehicle.
Kou Shuang’s gaze followed Sun Jiawen until she got into the car, until the window rolled up.
Kou Shuang saw that gesture again, that “shhh” with the index finger held before the lips.
Had the Sun Jiawen I was looking for come out again?
“Why are you so concerned about Sun Jiawen?” Song Muxue asked, “The car has already driven far away; you can’t see anyone now.”
Kou Shuang snapped back to reality, looked at Song Muxue, and said: “Don’t you think she’s very pitiful?”
Song Muxue paused, then shook her head.