She's Crazy, I Love Her - Chapter 5

Miss Chi plans to go home and rest. Her temperature is slightly elevated, but within a manageable range. Bl00d test results will be available by noon.

A waiter placed the drinks on the table with a warm smile: “Two cocoa lattes and an iced Americano. Please enjoy.”

Qi You’s gaze remained fixed on her phone screen as she typed a quick “Okay” with one hand and sent it. With her other hand, she picked up her cup and took a sip, the rich, sweet chocolate flavor filling her mouth with a cool sensation.

The person across from her called out, “President Qi.”

Qi You looked up.

Liu Yifang clearly hadn’t slept all night. Her makeup was mostly gone, dark circles ringed her eyes, and she looked several years older at first glance. She placed her hands on the table, trying to appear relaxed, but her stiff posture betrayed her nervousness.

“Zhao Ming told me last night that Chi Yue injured him and ran away. Fearing something might happen, I paid to access the hotel’s surveillance footage…” Liu Yifang paused, her voice hesitant. “The footage shows you taking her away?”

Qi You neither confirmed nor denied the accusation. Her gaze returned to her phone screen. After a moment, she suddenly asked, “Was the camera removed?”

“I took it apart,” Liu Yifang nodded eagerly. “I took it apart.”

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a digital luminous watch. After unscrewing the back cover, a black wire dangled out, and a pinhole camera smaller than a fingertip was taped to the upper left corner.

“I only went in to retrieve it after Zhao Ming left, so no one saw me,” Liu Yifang said carefully as she pulled the camera out and placed it on the table. “But Chi Yue ran so fast, it probably didn’t capture anything useful—”

She suddenly fell silent.

Qi You tossed the camera into her iced Americano with a plunk, sending brown droplets splashing onto Liu Yifang.

Ignoring the woman’s frantic attempts to wipe herself off, Qi You said, “Give me Chi Yue’s things.”

Liu Yifang, still dabbing at the coffee stains with a napkin, didn’t immediately understand. “Her… what things?”

“Her phone, bag, shoes,” Qi You said. “And the hairpin.”

Liu Yifang made a couple of “oh” sounds but didn’t bother wiping the coffee stains from her suit jacket. Instead, she handed over a silver-gray handbag and a paper bag.

“Zhao Ming wanted to take the hairpin, but I didn’t dare let him. I put it in the bag.”

Qi You didn’t bother to check the contents. She merely lifted her chin, gesturing for Liu Yifang to place the items on the chair beside her.

It was still early morning, and the café was nearly empty, the air conditioner emitting a faint, cool breeze.

Liu Yifang, uncertain of Qi You’s intentions, lowered her posture and said, “This was my oversight, President Qi. Would you give me another chance? I’ll arrange another meeting with her by the end of the month.”

“The end of the month?” Qi You’s voice was flat. “You two seem quite close.”

Liu Yifang detected the subtle sarcasm. After such a blunder, anyone with half a brain would realize she was complicit in the scheme, if not the mastermind. How could Chi Yue ever trust her again?

“Well, not really… Chi Yue needs money. If I’m honest with her, she might still agree…” Liu Yifang’s words trailed off, then she quickly added, “President Qi, let’s forget this attempt. I’ll definitely find a way to get her to meet me before the end of the month. I’ll get the job done for you.”

“No need,” Qi You said.

“Is it the timing that’s the issue?” Liu Yifang asked.

Qi You met her gaze. “This ends here.”

Liu Yifang froze, but still tried to salvage the situation. “If it’s a matter of time, I can find a solution. What about next week? We could arrange another meeting for her then…”

Qi You picked up her phone and tapped the screen a few times before looking up.

Following her cue, Liu Yifang checked her own phone. Her expression visibly relaxed, and a smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you, President Qi.”

“I was worried I wouldn’t get the final payment if I didn’t handle this properly,” she said with genuine amusement. “I was being petty. You’re very generous, President Qi.”

Qi You asked, “When are you resigning?”

The smile froze on Liu Yifang’s face.

Qi You continued, “Weren’t you planning to cash out one last time before leaving, Manager Liu?”

“Yes, I… I was planning to,” Liu Yifang stammered, caught off guard. After a pause, she asked, “How did you know I was resigning?”

Qi You tapped the condensation on the outside of her glass, her gaze unwavering.

Liu Yifang took a breath and abandoned her probing. “Next month, then. Either early or mid-month. I still need to hand over my current projects.”

Qi You nodded. “Now,” she said.

It wasn’t a suggestion, but an order.

Liu Yifang gazed at her in silence for a long moment before finally replying, “Alright.”

Qi You had only taken a few sips of her cocoa milk, so she ordered a glass of water.

Liu Yifang promptly submitted her resignation on her phone and asked the waiter to bring her a fresh iced Americano.

After the waiter left, she leaned back in her chair for the first time, the forced smile vanishing from her face. Her lips drooped naturally, revealing a clear weariness.

Qi You knew that the woman across from her had even less time left than she did. In ten months, Liu Yifang would die in a hospital bed.

Death.

It had rained the night before, leaving the morning clear and bright. The early sunlight streamed through the window, falling in warm, vivid beams on the wooden floor nearby. The light seemed so close, yet it hesitated, as if reluctant to touch them.

Qi You stared at the light for a moment, then suddenly reached out and tried to grasp it.

Of course, she couldn’t catch it.

Liu Yifang glanced at her, her surprise barely concealed.

All told, she had only met Qi You face-to-face four times. Last night’s drinking session was their third encounter, and today marked their fourth.

But perhaps it was because Qi You was without makeup, she seemed like a completely different person today.

Liu Yifang first met Qi You at her 21st birthday party in the Xisha Islands. A yacht, celebrities, models, socialites, and hundreds of people partied all night, reveling until they were barely recognizable.

Back then, Qi You exuded a wild, unrestrained energy. She laughed, danced, and, in a drunken frenzy, tore off her top and threw it into the crowd.

As for why someone like that would target Chi Yue, Liu Yifang never asked and had no curiosity to find out. All she wanted was more money.

Liu Yifang unconsciously coughed.

Qi You snapped out of her reverie and withdrew her hand.

Fresh drinks were served, and Liu Yifang’s phone buzzed with a reply. She glanced down, scrolled through the message, and shook her head with a hint of self-mockery.

As Liu Yifang raised her glass, Qi You suddenly asked, “Isn’t it bitter?”

Liu Yifang paused, clearly unsure how to answer. After a moment, she replied, “I’m used to it.”

Qi You averted her gaze.

Liu Yifang opened her mouth to say something more, but her phone buzzed. She glanced down and saw it was her supervisor, who had just approved her resignation.

Still hesitant, she looked at Qi You, who gestured for her to answer.

Qi You watched her leave the café.

She knew this was the last time she would see Liu Yifang in this lifetime, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last time overall.

In the past, she had wondered if this woman, like her, was trapped in a cycle of rebirth, forced to taste death again and again. But now, she no longer dwelled on such questions. Instead, she felt a strange envy for Liu Yifang.

How fortunate, she thought, that Liu Yifang had forgotten everything, spared from enduring the torment more than once.

In this world, all villains who wronged the protagonist met a miserable end—it was the established rule. Liu Yifang was neither the first nor the last to suffer this fate.

The protagonist.

Chi Yue was the protagonist of this world.

Qi You had never even read the full novel, only a brief synopsis. A young female lead, driven by family circumstances, enters the entertainment industry, where she’s ensnared in a hidden power dynamic. By chance, the male lead rescues her, and because she resembles his long-lost love, they agree to a contract relationship, thus beginning their romance.

The ending is, of course, happy: the villains are punished, and the protagonists find happiness.

Qi You’s character was a villain—a truly despicable one, even worse than Liu Yifang.

Yet she hadn’t initially resigned herself to her fate, accepting her malicious role. The System’s punishments came swiftly.

In her first life, she lasted only two years before being deemed a failure and meeting a gruesome end on the streets.

After that, she tried countless approaches—whether following the plot or rebelling against it—but never achieved a favorable outcome.

As for the eerie electronic voice in her head, it was utterly useless. Aside from introducing the plot outline and System rules in her first life, it offered no further guidance, only emitting piercing warnings whenever the plot deviated significantly.

He Wen soon descended from upstairs. Qi You had remained in the hotel; the café she was in was part of the hotel itself, located on the seventeenth floor.

At this time, Qi You had been serving as Vice President at Wenhui Media for just over two months.

He Wen was three years older than Qi You. Like everyone else, his interactions with the Qi Family’s heiress lacked the professional boundaries expected in a workplace. When HR assigned him to her, they repeatedly emphasized the importance of obedience, discretion, and being available at a moment’s notice.

Everyone believed Miss Qi of the Qi Family was spoiled by her family, lacking both talent and ambition, which made her susceptible to the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry.

They held her in contempt, yet also showed remarkable tolerance. After all, she was only twenty-two years old. They figured she’d play around for a few years, and perhaps one day she’d wise up and start climbing the ladder.

Qi You had indeed come to the industry for a lark. Her true motive was singular: Chi Yue.

As He Wen sat down, Qi You immediately asked, “How much do you know about Chi Yue?”

He Wen paused, slightly surprised.

Although Qi You had been working at the company for two months, she had rarely appeared in person. Their interactions had been minimal; even last night’s semi-business dinner was He Wen’s first time accompanying her as her assistant.

“You mean Miss Chi from last night?” He Wen pondered briefly. “The Chi Yue I know debuted through a survival show. She dominated social media for a while at her peak, though she wasn’t the main center. Her performance skills ranked among the top three in the group. But domestic stage opportunities are scarce, and few idols escape the curse of peaking right after debut.”

“Her agency, Ji Mei Entertainment, doesn’t have a good reputation. Most of their artists have to find their own resources. Last night, Zhao Ming mentioned Hua Fangfei, which is a self-produced project by Lanshan Company. It hasn’t made any waves in the industry and has a low project tier—at most an A-grade web drama. This kind of small role is beneath—”

Qi You interrupted her. “Tell me about Chi Yue.”

“Chi, Chi Yue,” He Wen paused, racking his brain. “Miss Chi has a good personality and doesn’t cause much trouble. She’s a rare breath of fresh air in the idol group, and her online reputation is excellent. This isn’t her first acting role; her previous drama even had a minor viral moment online.”

Seeing Qi You’s lack of reaction, He Wen instinctively shifted back to work matters. “It’s a real shame. Her last drama was a revenue-sharing project with Cherry, but Ji Mei Entertainment forced in another actor midway through, causing friction with the platform. That likely affected her prospects.”

“Taking on Hua Fangfei is clearly a step down in resources. Even the director has to personally solicit investments—”

Qi You asked, “Is Chi Yue beautiful?”

“Huh?” He Wen looked bewildered.

Qi You stared at her.

He Wen stammered, “Of, of course.”

Qi You nodded.

A moment later, she declared, “I want to take her as my mistress.”

He Wen’s expression shifted dramatically, like a sudden change of masks.