I Don’t Want to Be the Heroine Anymore - Chapter 21

Mang Ke had returned.

This realization left her frozen in place.

Outside the window of her rented apartment, she could still hear the familiar yet strange sounds from below—the hum of passing cars, the occasional honk, the loud voice of the neighbor’s grandmother calling for her grandson.

Distant and unfamiliar.

Mang Ke looked around, double-checking that this was indeed her home and not some other place. She rose from the bed in a daze, shuffling around in her slippers to confirm that this was truly her apartment.

Just moments ago, she had been with Xun Fangyun. How had she ended up back here in an instant?

How strange…

Just as Mang Ke was puzzling over this, her phone on the side table suddenly rang.

‘Ring, ring, ring—’

The shrill electronic tone was jarring in the quiet room, startling her.

She walked over to the desk and swiped to answer the call.

“Congratulations on successfully completing the storyline of a book. As per the contract, your payment will be transferred to your account shortly,” said an unfamiliar voice on the other end, though Mang Ke understood exactly what it meant.

“How… did I get out?” Mang Ke sat in her chair, cradling the phone in confusion. “I remember clearly, I was just talking with Xun Fangyun…”

“Because it was the grand finale, so we arranged for you to exit,” the voice replied calmly and cheerfully. “Both protagonists confessed their feelings for each other—isn’t that the best ending?”

“But…”

“The emotions were clear, the side characters bowed out—both conditions were fully met. What happens after they get together is irrelevant.”

Mang Ke lowered her head.

“You’ve worked hard this past month. The payment has already been transferred to your account. The client is very satisfied with this collaboration, so now you can enjoy your vacation.”

Mang Ke was taken aback. Did the caller just mention a ‘client’?

And ‘a month’?

Had she really been lying in bed for a whole month?!

She quickly checked the date on her phone. Though she had spent three or four months in the book, only a month had passed here.

“A month?!” Mang Ke couldn’t help exclaiming in shock. “I was out for that long?!”

How had she not starved to death after lying around for a month?!

Instinctively, she checked her body for signs of malnutrition, only to hear a light chuckle from the other end of the line.

“Your body is fine. We made sure someone took care of you properly this entire month.”

“What?”

“…Continuing this conversation would be pointless. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

Before Mang Ke could respond, the call ended.

Staring at the phone as the screen returned to the home screen, Mang Ke felt lost.

It was like waking from a dream—the kind where everything feels so real, only to open your eyes and realize none of it was true.

She pressed a hand to her chest.

For some reason, she felt an overwhelming sadness.

It was as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, leaving her aching with the urge to cry, yet unable to shed a tear.

Because she didn’t know who she could cry for.

The days she had spent with Xun Fangyun… had all been fake.

The thought made Mango’s heart feel even emptier, a void that nothing could fill…

————

Meanwhile.

In a villa just two blocks away from Mango’s rented apartment.

A group of people stepped out of their car—five in total, all dressed in clean, white coats: two doctors and three nurses.

After getting out of the car, Sinan cautiously glanced around. The villa was eerily quiet, with only a housekeeper there to greet them.

“Hello,” the kind-faced middle-aged woman said to Sinan and the others. “I’ll take you inside.”

Sinan looked around in confusion, only to be quietly scolded by the older doctor walking ahead of her. “What are you staring at? Keep up.”

One of the nurses behind her couldn’t help but giggle and tugged at Sinan’s coat. “Little Nan, why are you so distracted today? You’re making the director angry.”

Sinan’s face flushed slightly as she whispered back, “My friend lives nearby. She hasn’t contacted me in almost a month, and I’m a little worried…”

The nurse motioned for Sinan to follow her and murmured, “Is it that Mango you’re always talking about?”

“Yeah,” Sinan nodded. “She usually doesn’t ignore me for this long. I’m really concerned.”

“Then go check on her after work. This patient has been asleep for seven or eight years—just a routine checkup, and we can leave.”

“Okay, I’ll stop by her place on the way back. I’m really worried since she hasn’t reached out.”

Just as Sinan and the nurse were chatting, the director turned around with a frown. “Are you done? If you are, hurry up. We’re here to examine a patient, not to stroll around.”

Sinan ducked her head, quickly tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before jogging to catch up.

The group reached the innermost room, where the housekeeper opened the door. Peering over the director’s shoulder, Sinan saw a dimly lit space with only a bed and numerous medical devices.

Some of the equipment Sinan recognized, but others were completely unfamiliar—yet all of it was clearly top-tier medical technology. It seemed the villa’s owner had turned this room into a private ICU.

On the large, plush double bed lay a person, motionless except for the steady rise and fall of her chest, as if she were merely asleep.

Sinan paused to glance at the girl. Before arriving, she’d heard about this patient—someone who had suffered severe injuries in an accident. Though her life had been saved, she had slipped into a permanent slumber, becoming comatose.

The team quickly got to work, expertly examining the girl on the bed. Sinan was assigned simple tasks like checking bl00d pressure under the director’s supervision.

Noticing the patient’s unnaturally pale skin, Sinan couldn’t help but ask, “Does she never get sunlight? She’s so pale.”

“Sometimes she does,” the housekeeper replied. “But the weather’s been bad lately, so we haven’t taken her outside.”

Sinan turned to advise, “She really needs sunlight. Lying here for so long without it could cause problems.”

“Understood, Doctor. We’ll take her out once the weather improves.”

“Good.”

The nurse sisters couldn’t help but curl their lips into smiles, saying, “Xiao Nan is looking more and more like a doctor now.”

Si Nan’s face flushed slightly as she shyly replied, “I’m still just an intern, sisters. Please don’t tease me.”

The five of them worked busily for over an hour before finally completing the full-body examination for the patient.

“You know the location now,” the middle-aged man said to Si Nan as he watched her pack up the equipment. “Starting next week, you’ll be responsible for Miss Xun’s physical examinations—twice a week, and you must arrive on time.”

Si Nan paused briefly before nodding, “Understood, Master.”

The middle-aged man looked at the young woman before him and couldn’t help but soften his tone. “Aren’t you supposed to meet your friend? No need to return to the hospital with us. You can clock out now.”

Si Nan’s eyes lit up with joy as she exclaimed, “Thank you, Master!”

The middle-aged man waved his hand, signaling for her to hurry along.

Handing her white coat and medical tools to the nurses, Si Nan smiled and said, “I’ll be off then. Thanks for your hard work.”

The nurse sister chuckled, “Go on, you’re practically glowing with happiness.”

With a playful grin, Si Nan left the villa, simultaneously pulling out her phone to call Mang Ke while hailing a taxi.

“Hey, Mang Ke.”

The call connected quickly, just as an empty cab pulled up in front of her. In high spirits, she asked, “You haven’t contacted me for a whole month—what’s going on? I happen to be near your place right now. Wait for me; let’s have dinner together tonight.”