Scumbag A's Plan to Save the Heroine - Chapter 10

Li Te instinctively shielded the Jade Token. Suddenly, the sound of high heels clicking against the hospital floor echoed from the token, like a melodious symphony. But to Li Te, who knew this sound all too well, it was the death knell.

He vividly remembered the day President Zhi fell into a coma. The Boss had taken over the company.

Everyone, including Li Te himself, had initially thought she would be easy to manipulate. But those who underestimated her had all ended up with high-heel PTSD.

After ending the call, Li Te couldn’t help but marvel at Ruan Ning’s transformation. When the Boss was still around, she had only been slightly obsessive and clingy. Now that the Boss was gone, she had become a ruthless new owner, relentlessly exploiting them.

Though he didn’t know what had caused this change, Li Te had been deeply involved in the details of President Zhi and the Boss’s conflict, their reckless car chase, and President Zhi’s treatment.

He recalled the moment President Zhi’s vital signs had peaked: when the Boss, threatening suicide via the Light Brain, had jumped into the sea in a suicide pact.

At that moment, the data from the various wires and instruments connected to President Zhi had surged to their highest levels. Her body had even begun responding to external stimuli, leading nearly all medical staff to believe she was about to awaken.

Ultimately, the attempt failed. Instead, Ruan Ning, who had awakened from the game, suffered severe mental trauma and required months of hospitalization.

President Zhi’s near-awakening had invigorated many doctors, providing tangible evidence of the Light Brain’s therapeutic potential—except for the pessimistic Old Doctor Chen.

Upon learning that President Zhi desperately wanted to return to the game, the Boss, still recovering, climbed out of bed and told the doctors she agreed, insisting on immediately assuming the role of the game’s protagonist.

“Ah,” Li Te sighed, genuinely feeling sorry for both of them.

If only they had known this would happen, why did they argue so much? Both were exceptional talents, a match made in heaven. Their constant disagreements had made his job as their subordinate incredibly difficult.

At the hospital, a woman in high heels and a sleek black satin qipao rushed from her office to the hospital. The moment she pushed open the door, she was stunned by the scene before her.

It was 3 a.m. The only person who should have been in the ward was Dr. Chen, who was working overtime. Ruan Ning had rushed here precisely because she believed she could exploit Chen Ru’s guilt over her father to force him to help her enter the game.

At this hour, nearly all the attending physicians had rushed to Zhi Qiu’s room, bustling around her bedside.

The only quiet spot in the room was the bed at the center, where Zhi Qiu lay connected to countless wires, breathing evenly.

“You…” Ruan Ning stammered, stunned, unaware that this small butterfly effect had been triggered by her phone call to Li Te.

Before she could finish speaking, Teacher Chen, who was deeply engrossed in his work, gestured for silence.

Ruan Ning fell silent. Calming herself, she slipped off her high heels and quietly sat beside Zhi Qiu’s bed, joining Old Chen in watching the constantly updating data on the monitors.

An hour later, Zhi Qiu’s consciousness, which resided within the Light Brain, entered a sleep-like state, and the readings on the instruments stabilized.

Old Chen adjusted his reading glasses, which were slipping down his nose, and turned to Ruan Ning with unprecedented solemnity. “For at least a month,” he said, “I must insist that you refrain from entering the patient’s consciousness through the Light Brain.”

“Why?” Ruan Ning shot to her feet, instinctively protesting. This was the very reason she had come, and she was about to argue when she noticed her pale palm. Her fingernails had dug deeply into her flesh, leaving drops of crimson bl00d clinging to her pristine white manicure.

Dr. Chen remained silent, gently prying open Ruan Ning’s tightly clenched left hand. Her palm was already a bloody mess. The old doctor’s weathered eyes seemed to see through everything.

Instead of continuing the previous conversation, he shifted to a topic from three years ago.

“I knew your father long ago. After we lost contact, I received an invitation to the wedding of Zhi Qiu, the heir to the Zhi Family, and Ruan Ning. At the time, I was determined to distance myself from the wealthy elite, so I didn’t attend. It wasn’t until after Zhi Qiu’s accident, when you came to find me, that I learned you had changed your name to Ruan Ning.”

Chen Ru’s face, etched with the marks of time, softened as he recalled his days fighting alongside his comrade. Seeing the young woman before him, who had inherited her father’s striking features and spirited demeanor, he choked up. “Xiao Ye… why did you suddenly change your name?”

The mention of “father” told Ruan Ning exactly where this conversation was headed.

She pulled out a peachwood hairpin and neatly arranged her disheveled hair into a low bun. Her pale gray eyes were devoid of emotion, her tone matter-of-fact. “The character ‘Ye’ is too light, too insignificant. ‘Ning’ is better.”

Autumn leaves are meant to be trampled underfoot. She craved tranquility.

She wanted the autumn leaves, destined to fall, to find peace under her care.

The hospital room had gradually quieted, making their conversation sound particularly jarring. Medical staff strained their ears to listen.

Chen Ru wiped away tears from the corner of his eye, avoiding direct eye contact with Ruan Ning, who had changed so much over the years. He shook his head. “Enough. I owe you and your father, after all. Now isn’t the right time to enter the game. Zhi Qiu believes she’s been reborn, causing extreme emotional instability. Your presence would only worsen her condition. Once she stabilizes, I’ll arrange for you to go in and awaken her immediately.”

“What constitutes ‘stable’?” Ruan Ning frowned deeply. She didn’t want Zhi Qiu spending too much time with her in-game persona.

She and Zhi Qiu had fallen in love during their most glorious years. Terrified, she had never mentioned her past self to Zhi Qiu.

It was an untouchable scar, a shameful memory.

Chen Ru’s eyes were filled with the weariness of age. The youthful vigor of his past had long been ground to ashes by the passage of time. He stood up, attempting to straighten his stooped back, but even then, he couldn’t match the height of the vibrant woman before him.

Through her sophisticated attire and detached demeanor, he could still glimpse the shadow of the little girl who had once lost everything and wept in despair.

He chuckled bitterly, humming a song his comrades often sang. He gently patted the girl’s shoulder and said softly, “I don’t know what ‘stability’ means to your partner. Maybe it’s settling down with a family, reaching the pinnacle of her career, or perhaps… finding someone she truly loves.”

“Everyone defines stability differently, but data doesn’t lie. You can stay here with me and monitor it; I promise I won’t deceive you. Your whirlwind marriage meant you barely knew each other. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined—perhaps this accident will help you understand Zhi Qiu better, and allow her… to understand you better as well.”

Ruan Ye fell silent, tacitly agreeing to the doctor’s plan. She sat by the bedside, gazing at her lover’s relaxed features.

Suddenly, she realized it had been a long time since she’d seen Zhi Qiu so at peace.

Arguments.

Endless arguments.

Arguments about work, about outsiders, about family.

The initial infatuation had been replaced by the mundane realities of daily life. Even though they could afford the best servants to handle household chores, they couldn’t escape the banality of it all.

When she fell in love with Zhi Qiu, she knew her lover was inherently a reserved person.

So reserved that she carried all her burdens alone, so reserved that she suppressed all her affection.

The thought struck Ruan Ning like a blow. She gasped, covering her mouth, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Was she really asking for too much?

She hated the pain of her past, hated everyone who had ever hurt her.

Hated herself for not rising above the muck, like a lotus blooming pure and untainted. Her insecurity drove her to constantly seek reassurance of being cherished.

If she hadn’t been so stubborn, if she hadn’t argued with Zhi Qiu, the woman she loved wouldn’t have driven out late at night and ended up unconscious.

It was all her fault. When Zhi Qiu woke up, Ruan Ning would leave with nothing, returning everything she owned to the person she had harmed.