Chapter 7: Contacting a Friend

Xu Yueyao was enjoying her time at the hospital. Ever since Zhan Rongxuan left the last time, he hadn’t returned. She was eating well, sleeping well, and even had someone visiting daily to provide beauty treatments. The housekeeper, Aunt Wang, kept her entertained with all sorts of gossip about the upper-class elites. Xu Yueyao felt so comfortable that she didn’t even want to be discharged. Of course, except for that annoying Chen Shen, who always came to fight over food with her and threw in sarcastic remarks to irritate her.

Just as Xu Yueyao was leisurely munching on an apple, Chen Shen entered the room wearing a white coat for his rounds. After checking her wound, she chewed her apple and asked, “When can I be discharged?”

“Oh? You’re actually thinking about leaving? I thought you were planning to retire here,” Chen Shen teased.

Xu Yueyao rolled her eyes at him. Seeing that, Chen Shen asked defiantly, “What? Did I say something wrong? Whether you’re here or back home, you’re still just lazing around and living off others.”

“It’s not the same! I still have school to attend!” Xu Yueyao suddenly froze. She had completely forgotten that she was still a student and hadn’t been attending classes for days—without even taking leave.

Oh no, she thought, quickly searching around.

“What are you looking for?” Chen Shen, worried she might strain her wound, grabbed her arm and asked.

“My phone! My bag?”

Chen Shen glanced at Aunt Wang, who immediately went to the cabinet, took out a canvas bag, and handed it to her. “Miss Xu, here it is.”

Xu Yueyao opened the bag and rummaged through it until she found her phone—dead. She looked up at Chen Shen. “Do me a favor?”

Chen Shen extended his hand. “Give it to me.”

Without thinking, she handed him the phone, but when she saw him walking away with it, she quickly protested, “Hey! Just give me the charger!”

“If you’re borrowing something from me, I get to decide how you borrow it,” he said smugly.

Xu Yueyao clenched her fists at him. Chen Shen turned back just in time to see her mid-swing, so she swiftly retracted her hand. He smirked and said, “Tell Aunt Wang to pick it up in half an hour. If you’re late, tough luck.”

Fuming, Xu Yueyao crossed her arms and stared at the clock on the wall. Then, she couldn’t help but smack her own head and mutter, “Wake up, Xu Yueyao! You’ve transmigrated into a novel, your life is constantly at risk, have some sense of urgency!”

Aunt Wang, hearing her muttering, couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Xu, what are you saying?”

“Wang~ Ma, it’s all your fault! Making me all this delicious food and gossiping with me—I totally forgot I’m still a student,” Xu Yueyao said with an embarrassed smile.

“Come on! Even students need to recover when they’re injured,” Aunt Wang said dismissively.

Xu Yueyao checked the time. “Aunt Wang, hurry and get my phone from Dr. Chen.”

“Alright, Miss Xu, I’ll go now.” Aunt Wang quickly walked out.

A short while later, she returned with the phone. Xu Yueyao took it and saw that Zhang Beilu had called her multiple times. She immediately dialed back.

“Hello? Yaoyao? Where are you?” Zhang Beilu’s anxious voice came from the other end.

Xu Yueyao exhaled lightly. “Lulu, I’m in the hospital—”

“Yaoyao!”

Xu Yueyao looked up to see Zhang Beilu running inside, drenched in sweat. Honestly, she was quite touched. She had just hung up when Zhang Beilu arrived. Looking at her phone history, she realized that only Zhang Beilu had called her over the past few days. It seemed the original Xu Yueyao in this novel was just like her—without many friends and with distant family ties.

“Lulu,” Xu Yueyao spread her arms, wanting a hug.

“What happened? How did you get injured?” Zhang Beilu asked worriedly, eyeing her wounds.

“Don’t ask, it’s a long story. How has school been treating me these past few days?” Xu Yueyao asked.

“Don’t worry! When you didn’t return that day, I took leave for you. Just get a hospital note, and you can give it to that old witch,” Zhang Beilu said nonchalantly.

“That’s great,” Xu Yueyao sighed in relief. At least she hadn’t been expelled—her story hadn’t gone too off track yet.

Relaxing, she asked, “Has anything happened recently?”

Zhang Beilu hesitated, making Xu Yueyao instantly suspicious. “What happened?”

After some thought, Zhang Beilu said, “Well, since you haven’t been at school, some people are saying you’ve been kept as a mistress.”

Xu Yueyao silently nodded in her heart. That was true.

“They said you were being taken care of by some bald, pot-bellied old man.”

Xu Yueyao mentally shook her head. No, that part was wrong. Thinking of Zhan Rongxuan’s face, she found it completely absurd.

“Yaoyao, I’m sure that little b*tch An Zhiyi is behind this rumor,” Zhang Beilu whispered.

Xu Yueyao gasped inwardly. No, my dear friend, be careful with your words—An Zhiyi is the novel’s heroine!

“Lulu, don’t say that. An Zhiyi isn’t like that. She’s actually quite nice. Let’s try to get along with her, okay?” Xu Yueyao urged. Making an enemy of the heroine would only lead to disaster.

“Yaoyao, what’s up with you? You used to hate her! You always called her a fake white lotus and a scheming green tea b*tch!”

“I did? And I said it often?” Xu Yueyao asked in disbelief.

Zhang Beilu nodded. “Yeah, you always said she made you sick.”

Xu Yueyao felt hopeless. Great, just great. She had left herself no way out.

Zhang Beilu didn’t understand why Xu Yueyao wasn’t ranting with her. Normally, she’d be cursing An Zhiyi by now. Then, noticing the time, she said, “It’s late—I need to get to my part-time job. I’ll visit you tomorrow.” She grabbed her bag, ready to leave.

“Wait,” Xu Yueyao stopped her. She thought Zhang Beilu was a really good friend and couldn’t help but say, “Lulu, quit your nightclub job. Let’s work at a café or do tutoring like An Zhiyi. Okay?”

“Yaoyao, I’m making good money at the nightclub. Just two more months, and I’ll have enough for tuition and a better apartment. Alright, I’m running late—see you tomorrow!” Zhang Beilu waved and ran off before Xu Yueyao could protest.

Xu Yueyao slowly lowered her hand, recalling the novel’s plot. Zhang Beilu was just another disposable side character—a minor antagonist used to propel the main couple’s relationship.

Like when she bullied the heroine, only for the hero to dramatically declare, “How dare you touch my woman? You must have a death wish!”

Or when the main couple fought, Zhang Beilu would swoop in to seduce the hero, making the heroine jealous—only for the hero to say, “Silly girl, I only love you.”

…And countless other similar scenarios.

Near the finale, the hero and heroine had to break up due to a misunderstanding. Their reunion? Of course, through a steamy night together. How? Zhang Beilu would be the one to drug the hero, hoping to take advantage of him. But instead, he’d stumble into the heroine’s arms, whispering, “Help me, I’ve been drugged,” leading to their passionate reconciliation.

Once her role as a tool was complete, the hero would turn the tables on her—drugging her and throwing her to a bunch of men, effectively writing her out of the story.

Xu Yueyao ruffled her hair in frustration, trying to figure out how to change Zhang Beilu’s fate.

“What are you doing? Constipated?”

Xu Yueyao stared at Chen Shen in shock. Was this really the cold and aloof man he was supposed to be?