I Don’t Want to Be the Heroine Anymore - Chapter 3

The man who claimed to be Yue Yin’s assistant led Mang Ke out of the banquet hall. They walked down the corridor for a while before taking the elevator up to a quiet floor.

“This is the hotel’s guest room area,” the man said to Mang Ke. “My name is Chen Xiaochen, Yue Yin’s assistant. We came here today to discuss some matters, but Yue Yin wasn’t feeling well, so I booked a room for her.”

Chen Xiaochen turned to Mang Ke, who was following behind him, and said, “If the paparazzi find out she’s resting in a hotel, they’ll make a big fuss about it, and that would be troublesome.”

Mang Ke knew that Yue Yin’s main profession was as an entertainer, and she had gained some fame in the industry, becoming a well-known female artist.

“I see,” Mang Ke nodded. “What can I do to help?”

Chen Xiaochen blushed slightly and whispered to Mang Ke, “Yue Yin needs to change clothes, and it’s not appropriate for me to assist her, so I need someone else to help…”

Mang Ke understood immediately.

Noticing Chen Xiaochen’s flushed cheeks, Mang Ke couldn’t help but ask curiously, “How long have you been Yue Yin’s assistant?”

“About six months,” Chen Xiaochen replied. “I originally applied to be someone else’s assistant but got rejected. Yue Yin picked me up afterward, and I’ve been following her ever since.”

“That’s quite impressive~”

“Hehe.”

As they chatted, they soon arrived at a guest room. Chen Xiaochen swiped the key card and invited Mang Ke inside.

The suite was exquisitely decorated, with a plush woven carpet that felt soft underfoot, giving a light, airy sensation.

“This is the living room. Yue Yin is in the bedroom,” Chen Xiaochen pointed to the room and said. “The change of clothes is here.”

Mang Ke took a bag containing jeans, a hoodie, and a jacket, nodded, and walked in.

————

Meanwhile, Xun Fangyun, who had just returned to the banquet hall, scanned the room but didn’t see the familiar figure.

Strange?

Xun Fangyun frowned slightly. She had just stepped away for a couple of minutes to discuss a potential collaboration with a wealthy businessman—after all, it was easier to talk business on such a festive occasion. She had thought it would only take a moment to exchange a few words, leaving Mang Ke alone in the hall briefly. But now, Mang Ke was nowhere to be found.

After circling the banquet hall twice and even checking the restrooms, Xun Fangyun confirmed that Mang Ke was indeed missing and began to worry.

She stopped a waiter and asked, “Have you seen a woman with chestnut-colored long hair, wearing a silver strapless gown, leave the banquet hall?”

The waiter thought for a moment and said, “Did she leave with a man?”

Xun Fangyun’s frown deepened. A man???

Noticing Xun Fangyun’s dark expression, the waiter added, “She left with a gentleman earlier. I don’t know what they were doing.”

Xun Fangyun’s heart sank.

Mang Ke was naive, and the identity of the man was unknown. It was impossible not to worry about her being taken away.

Damn this fictional character!

Why was everyone else sticking to their roles, while the female lead just wandered off with some random person?

Xun Fangyun rubbed her temples in frustration and pulled out her phone to call Mang Ke, but the call went unanswered.

Seeing her distress, the waiter asked, “Is that person very important to you?”

Xun Fangyun hung up the phone and said, “It’s not important, but I need her.”

The attendant didn’t quite understand but maintained professional courtesy. “Please come with me to the front desk. We’ll check the surveillance footage for you.”

After a moment’s thought, Xun Fangyun found the back-and-forth too troublesome. She told the attendant, “You go ahead and check the footage first. Here’s my number—call me if you find anything. I’ll look around in the meantime.”

“Understood.”

Watching the attendant leave, Xun Fangyun took out her phone again to call Mang Ke, but there was still no answer.

It was impossible not to feel anxious.

With a disdainful glance at her phone, Xun Fangyun turned and left the banquet hall. Pausing briefly at the entrance, she headed in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile.

Inside the hotel room, Mang Ke was struggling to change Yue Yin’s clothes, flustered and sweating profusely.

Yue Yin seemed drunk, sprawled on the bed with disheveled clothes, her face flushed an alarming shade of red.

Was this really just drunkenness?

Mang Ke stood worriedly by the bed. She had seen this woman just yesterday—albeit from a distance—but even then, it was clear she was strikingly beautiful.

Her dyed long hair was now a tangled mess, her dress askew, and faint scratches marred the pale skin of her chest. It was unclear whether they were self-inflicted or from someone else.

“Um…” Mang Ke tentatively spoke to Yue Yin. “Are you okay?”

The woman lying on the bed with tightly shut eyes seemed to hear something, letting out a soft, sweet moan.

Mang Ke: “!!!!”

Do drunk people act like this???

After another thorough look, Mang Ke concluded this couldn’t just be drunkenness—at least, not the usual kind.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mang Ke reached out to feel Yue Yin’s forehead.

Her body was burning up, yet her forehead was cool. It didn’t seem like a fever or similar illness, which left only one possibility…

Mang Ke cracked the door open slightly. Now she finally understood why Chen Xiaochen had insisted she help Yue Yin change clothes.

“Could you get me a towel and some ice?”

Chen Xiaochen, who had been waiting outside, replied, “We don’t have ice, but there’s some cold cola. Will that work?”

After a moment’s thought, Mang Ke nodded. The items were quickly brought over.

Chen Xiaochen added, “Your phone’s been ringing nonstop just now…”

“Oh,” Mang Ke said dismissively. “Probably just telemarketers. No one usually calls me, so don’t worry about it.”

“R-really?”

Closing the door again, Mang Ke wrapped the towel around the cola can and sat back on the bed to cool Yue Yin down.

Starting from her arms, she worked her way up.

Mang Ke was meticulous, repeatedly cooling Yue Yin’s neck and the inner sides of her arms until her expression finally seemed to ease slightly.

By then, Yue Yin was beginning to stir groggily, her dazed eyes taking in the unfamiliar ceiling before finally settling on Mang Ke sitting beside the bed.

“Who… are you?”

Yue Yin didn’t recognize Mang Ke. Though they’d briefly crossed paths the day before, Mang Ke had shielded her face with an umbrella, leaving her features unseen.

At this realization, Mang Ke couldn’t help muttering inwardly: I’m your love rival, you know~

When it came to speaking, she still said, “I’m here to help, called by Chen Xiaochen. Are you feeling better now?”

Yue Yin tried moving her body. Although she was still weak and exhausted, she felt much better compared to before.

Seeing the other nod, Mang Ke sighed in relief and said to her, “Hurry and change your clothes. It’s not convenient to stay at the hotel—you should go home as soon as possible.”

Yue Yin looked at the person before her, then shifted her gaze to the silver gown she was wearing. The dress was now slightly wrinkled, and the crystals adorning it seemed dull, no longer sparkling as brightly.

Yet Yue Yin could still tell—it was a designer gown from a famous international designer, embellished with expensive Swarovski crystals. The total price was over 700,000, but more importantly, only ten such gowns existed worldwide.

She really had no idea where Chen Xiaochen had found this person.

Mang Ke didn’t give Yue Yin time to think. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a hoodie from the bag, urging Yue Yin to change quickly, even helping to remove her dress.

Yue Yin, still weak, glared at Mang Ke in frustration.

This damn woman—taking advantage of her weakness to strip her dress off in broad daylight!

She cursed Mang Ke in her mind, but she still obediently changed into the clothes. By the time she finished, she felt dizzy and nauseous. If she ever found out who had drugged her, she’d chop them into pieces and feed them to the dogs—skin and all!

Once Yue Yin was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, Mang Ke went outside to call Chen Xiaochen in.

The moment Chen Xiaochen entered, he looked at Yue Yin with concern. Seeing her sitting safely on the bed, he let out a long sigh of relief. “Sister Yue Yin, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Yue Yin held her head and said, “I’m just still a bit dizzy.”

“Hold on a little longer. I’ve already sent for someone to pick us up—we’ll be able to leave soon.”

“Mm.”

Yue Yin turned to look at Mang Ke, hesitating before asking, “You… what’s your name?”

“My name is—”

Before she could finish, rapid knocking sounded at the door. Chen Xiaochen instinctively tensed and raised his voice. “Who is it?”

“I’m a hotel staff member,” the voice outside replied. “Is there a lady in a silver gown inside? We’re looking for her.”

Mang Ke blinked in surprise. Looking for me???

Chen Xiaochen was also taken aback. He walked over and opened the door. “Why are you looking for her?”

Xun Fangyun stood outside, her voice icy. “I should be the one asking—what are you doing with her?”

Chen Xiaochen froze when he saw the familiar face. Before he could speak, Mang Ke hurried out and immediately spotted Xun Fangyun standing outside with her arms crossed. Her heart leaped into her throat.

“You came looking for me…”

Mang Ke forced a strained smile.

Xun Fangyun glanced at her, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room. Mang Ke quickly snatched up her bag from the side before being dragged away by Xun Fangyun.

Her wrist ached from the tight grip. Mang Ke could tell the other was angry, but she didn’t understand why.

“You—”

“Do you have no sense of danger at all?”

Xun Fangyun pulled Mang Ke into the elevator, then turned and pressed her against the wall.

Mang Ke looked at her in confusion.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Why did you run off?” Xun Fangyun demanded, her expression dark.

Mang Ke instinctively replied, “Because someone called for my help.”

“Just because someone tells you to go, you go?” Xun Fangyun snapped at her. “Do you even know that man? What if he’s a scammer? You just followed him straight to a hotel room like that?”

Mang Ke: “I…”

“What if he drugged you and trapped you in the room? What would you do then?”

“…”

“You just left with him like that—do you even have a brain???”

“…”

For some reason, the little devil in Mang Ke’s heart suddenly popped up.

It poked at her heart with its tiny pitchfork, chanting over and over: She’s mad she’s mad she’s mad she’s mad she’s mad!