Transmigrated as a White Lotus Heroine, but I’m Pursuing the Cold Villain - Chapter 26

Rao Jinqing chuckled softly. “Then I’d like to ask the young lady beside me: did you hear anyone say, ‘Remember my instructions’ just now?”

Lin Qinglian sat up straight, turning her innocent gaze. “No, I didn’t hear anything. Did you?”

Because Rao Jinqing had leaned forward and grabbed Lin Qinglian by the collar the moment she slipped, the two were now pressed close together.

As Lin Qinglian turned her head, Rao Jinqing’s face, with its crimson lips, loomed before her, magnified several times.

Lin Qinglian’s gaze instinctively dropped to those lips. Warm and soft to the touch, their heat transferred through the brief contact.

In this intimate proximity, their warm breaths mingled, like gentle flower petals brushing against their cheeks before intertwining in the air.

Her face flushed suddenly, and she quickly looked up, meeting a pair of eyes brimming with amusement.

Rao Jinqing raised an eyebrow. “What were you looking at?”

Help me!

Lin Qinglian’s mind went blank, the only thought screaming and twisting through her head: crawling.

As Rao Jinqing’s face drew closer, only one thought remained:

She’s so close, so close.

The moment Rao Jinqing was inches away, Lin Qinglian felt something strike her heart, causing it to lurch inexplicably.

This was beyond the social distance between even intimate acquaintances. She could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Rao Jinqing’s neck.

Lin Qinglian tilted her head back, her hands instinctively bracing against the seat beneath her, her fingertips curling involuntarily.

Rao Jinqing lowered her head slightly, her eyelashes brushing against Lin Qinglian’s cheek.

Ticklish. Lin Qinglian unconsciously softened her breathing.

A silent tension filled the small space. Lin Qinglian glanced forward involuntarily.

The partition between the front and back seats had risen unnoticed. She suddenly felt a strange illusion, as if they were the only two people left in the world.

Rao Jinqing slowly lowered her head…

“President Rao, we’ve arrived.”

At that moment, the driver’s voice pierced through from the front seat. Rao Jinqing straightened up.

She raised her hand, and between her slender, pale fingers was a single strand of black hair.

For some inexplicable reason, Lin Qinglian felt a pang of disappointment.

Why am I disappointed? she wondered, puzzled. How strange.

She looked at Rao Jinqing, who was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and Lin Qinglian hastily lowered her long, delicate lashes.

“I… I’ll be going now,” Lin Qinglian stammered.

“I haven’t forgiven you yet,” Rao Jinqing replied.

Lin Qinglian looked bewildered.

Not forgiven? Then what would it take to be forgiven?

“Figure it out yourself,” Rao Jinqing said.

Lin Qinglian’s eyes widened in horror. She realized she had unconsciously spoken her thoughts aloud.

Meeting Rao Jinqing’s amused gaze, Lin Qinglian’s face flushed crimson. She fumbled with the car door, scrambling out in a flurry of panic.

As soon as Lin Qinglian was out of the car, Rao Jinqing’s smile vanished. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat.

The exhaustion from her sleepless night was evident on her face. She had spent the entire night working on Robotech’s proposal, and then spent the whole day with Lin Qinglian.

After working non-stop for over thirty hours, even iron would be burning hot by now.

Seeing the situation, the driver immediately raised the partition he had just lowered and eased his foot off the accelerator, maintaining a smooth, steady pace on the wide road.

Lin Qinglian had barely stepped out of the car when she wanted to get back in.

Staring at the three-story villa looming before her, she quickly pulled out her phone.

Good, no signal issues.

She started walking toward the villa.

This wasn’t just any location; it was one of the villa districts under the Male Lead’s name. Rao Jinqing, mistaking it for the Male Lead’s residence, had dropped her off at the address he had publicly announced.

The developer of this villa complex had marketed it as a secluded retreat far from the crowds. With her phone working and no other cars in sight, the best course of action was to go inside and wait for the Male Lead to arrive.

The Male Lead… he might feel awkward when he sees me, since it’ll be three pairs of eyes meeting.

After all, he’d be with another woman.

Even though Lin Qinglian wasn’t particularly sensitive to emotions, a chill ran down her spine at the thought.

Maybe I should just leave.

Lin Qinglian had a clear understanding of her position. Until the Crematorium arc concluded, she would remain nothing more than a disposable plaything in the Male Lead’s eyes. Only after the Crematorium, perhaps due to her sacrifices, might she gain a sliver of importance in his heart.

She silently calculated the distance again.

The estate was vast, covering an expansive area. It would take at least half an hour to walk out of the villa district. Given its remote, mountainous location far from civilization, reaching the city center on foot would require at least four hours.

Forget it.

Lin Qinglian immediately turned back toward the villa.

Since this was a villa Chi Jiheng rarely used, he had hired seven or eight staff to maintain it. Lin Qinglian had visited before, and these factors convinced her to wait inside.

She walked to the gate and pressed the doorbell. After a long wait, there was no response from within.

As twilight deepened, the massive shadows of trees slowly stretched out behind her, sprawling in all directions.

Lin Qinglian blinked and glanced at the ground.

Forget it. I should just leave.

Just as she turned to go, a strong gust of wind blew, pushing the slightly ajar door open a crack wider.

Should I go in?

After all, I’m his nominal girlfriend. It wouldn’t exactly be trespassing, would it?

Lin Qinglian slowly edged closer. Just as she reached the door and raised her hand to knock, the partially closed door swung open a crack wider on its own.

These password doors aren’t very secure, she thought absently. Even when closed, they pop open automatically. I should avoid installing one at home in the future.

But where was her home?

She pulled the door open silently, revealing a pitch-black interior.

Lin Qinglian instinctively reached for the light switch by the entrance. Fortunately, it was close to the door, and her hand found it immediately. Just as she pressed the switch, a sudden groan echoed through the room.

Like a thunderclap in the stillness, Lin Qinglian reacted swiftly, gently pressing the half-pressed switch back down. But it was too late.

With a whoosh, the living room flooded with light. The groan, like a chicken being strangled, abruptly cut off at its peak.

A furious shout erupted from the balcony connecting the first floor to the garden: “Who’s there!”

The voice could only belong to Chi Jiheng.

“It’s me,” Lin Qinglian replied coldly.

She had always known this day would come, but she hadn’t expected it so soon. According to the plot, this pivotal moment shouldn’t have occurred until a year later.

Caught completely off guard, she had stumbled upon Chi Jiheng’s infidelity.

Rustling sounds came from the other side, likely someone getting dressed.

At that moment, the System chimed in:

Host has discovered the Target’s scumbag behavior. Initiate the Crematorium? Please make your selection within three seconds.

Lin Qinglian coldly replied to the System, “No.”

Emmm, the Crematorium has been successfully activated. Host, please bind with a Target within ten days, or the mission will be deemed a failure.

Lin Qinglian took a deep breath. “Good System, if you’re not going to let me choose, don’t ask. You’re just asking for trouble.”

Lin Qinglian calmly pulled out her phone amidst the System’s stammering expression and connected to WiFi.

Then she opened a ride-hailing app.

She acted swiftly, completing the order in under a minute. Immediately after, she turned and walked away.

The System, puzzled, asked, “Host, where are you going?”

Lin Qinglian replied, “To beg for forgiveness. I’m going to say…”

“What?” the System exclaimed, its mind racing with a single thought: Could my Host actually be planning to target the Female Supporting Character?

Lin Qinglian: “How do I get a woman to forgive me?”

It’s over! The plot’s gone completely off track!

The System took a deep breath and burst into tears. “Noooo!”

Before it could finish crying, Lin Qinglian had already pressed the power button. She smiled warmly, her expression gentle. “Give me a chance.”

The System, ever pragmatic, quickly suppressed its tears and launched a full-network search.

Now, it was grateful for having the most powerful search engine on the internet.

According to search results, 80% of women feel delighted when their partner waits for them after work, 40% feel delighted when holding hands with their partner after leaving a movie theater in winter, and 80% feel delighted when eating a meal cooked by their partner.

Lin Qinglian interrupted the System before it could finish displaying the text: “I get it.”

Staring at the passage, she felt a headache coming on.

This System seems… completely unreliable.

The System immediately stopped its relentless stream of text.

Truthfully, it was somewhat afraid of its Host. She always gave it the unsettling impression that she might twist off its mechanical head at any moment.

Especially when Lin Qinglian wore her expressionless face—it was terrifying, scaring the System half to death. >a<

The ride-hailing car arrived quickly, but due to the Villa’s security system, it had to wait for her outside the residential area.

This meant Lin Qinglian saw the car parked at the entrance as soon as she stepped out. She didn’t bother checking the license plate; it was the only car there. The other wealthy residents all had their own private vehicles, making ride-hailing rare in this area. She pulled open the car door and got in.

The driver’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked exhausted, but he held a cigarette between his lips with a spirited air. “Where to?” he asked.

“I provided the destination when I booked the ride,” Lin Qinglian replied. “Isn’t this vehicle with license plate XX?”

The driver flicked his finished cigarette out the window. “No, my license plate is XX. Where do you want to go? I’ll take you anywhere for the right price. The previous customer just canceled their order.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Qinglian gave him the name of her residential complex.

She needed to get there first. She had no idea what to say when she faced the Male Lead later.

Lin Qinglian didn’t know how to present herself before the Male Lead, whom she had caught cheating. So she decided not to appear at all. This left more room for imagination and saved her the trouble of putting on an act.

First, I need to focus on capturing Rao Jinqing’s heart.

But what did “forgiveness” truly mean? What exactly did she need to do?

She couldn’t figure it out. In Lin Qinglian’s limited understanding of human relationships, she had never encountered such a problem before. Now, this question was starting to give her a headache again.

Because she never knew what it would take to satisfy others, she had never attempted such things. Subconsciously, she believed it was pointless, so she figured it was better not to try at all. Now, when she needed to act, her mind was a complete blank.

The car sped down the road, covering the usual hour-and-a-half journey in less than an hour. The driver pulled up to Lin Qinglian’s dilapidated apartment complex and pointed to a QR code: “Just scan this.”

Lin Qinglian took out her phone to scan the code, but it kept displaying a large red exclamation mark. She suddenly remembered her phone had no SIM card.

She sighed inwardly. Her memory was truly a major problem for her.

“My phone has no SIM card,” Lin Qinglian explained. “And I didn’t bring any cash. Can I go upstairs to get it? I’ll be right back—I live in this complex.”

The driver suddenly leaned forward, gripping the sunroof handle tightly. He began squeezing into the back seat, his arm veins bulging as he spat saliva between his yellowed teeth: “No way! How do I know you won’t run off? Pay now!”

His eyes were bloodshot and ferocious, his expression one of intense agitation.

Lin Qinglian leaned back against the seat, glancing through the gap at the car window.

The situation was becoming dangerous. The driver seemed emotionally unstable, and the confined space of the car would make it difficult to defend herself if a fight broke out. As a woman, her physical strength was inherently less than a man’s, making it unlikely she could overpower him.

If we can talk this out, let’s try to talk this out properly.

It was the middle of the night, and the residential complex entrance was deserted. Even if someone were around, they wouldn’t intervene for a stranger.

The driver’s agitation intensified, especially when he saw Lin Qinglian’s calm demeanor. His eyes grew even more bloodshot and ferocious.

As she leaned back, Lin Qinglian subtly reached for the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

After a moment’s thought, she slipped off the silver ring from her finger.

She had worn this ring for a long time, its surface slightly oxidized and darkened from years of wear.

Lin Qinglian had crafted this ring herself while strategizing to earn Capture Value from the Male Lead. Now that she was no longer bound to him, there was no reason to keep it.

She placed the ring beneath the QR code, her other hand already on the car door handle. Her round eyes were filled with icy resolve. “This ring is silver, approximately twenty grams. It might be slightly less due to wear over the years. With silver currently priced at thirty-two yuan per gram, you can sell it for scrap and cover the fare.”

The driver gradually calmed under her cold gaze, his chest heaving from heavy breathing slowly settling.

After examining the ring to confirm its authenticity, he placed it in the glove compartment.

Lin Qinglian had already gripped the door handle, pushing the door open.

The driver’s snarling expression softened slightly, belated regret washing over him. “I’m truly sorry,” he said. “There’s been some trouble at home, and I got a bit agitated.”

Lin Qinglian didn’t turn back, merely shaking her head. “As long as everyone’s safe, that’s what matters. Everything else can wait.”

Watching her silhouette fade into the residential complex, the driver slowly picked up his phone.

“Sorry, Boss, I’m calling it quits on this job.”