4

The estate was built on a mountainside, a remote and sparsely populated area. Within the vast estate, there was only one elderly mute maid. Cen Lingqiu, along with the maid, brought Yu Mingjiao back to her room and then instructed the maid to prepare some burn ointment.

Both Yu Mingjiao and Cen Lingqiu were soaked through. After changing into dry clothes, Cen Lingqiu began helping Yu Mingjiao change her clothes.

As the clothes came off, Cen Lingqiu had only one thought: the female lead was incredibly thin.

Her skin was pale to the point of being almost translucent, her collarbones sharply protruding. What was even more shocking were the numerous bruises scattered across her body. Some were old, leaving dull marks, while others were fresh, glaring against her snow-white skin, giving her a somewhat eerie appearance.

Cen Lingqiu couldn't help but wonder how many of these injuries were inflicted by "Lin Qiu."

But internally, Cen Lingqiu didn't feel much. She had played many roles over the years, witnessed the tragic lives of many protagonists, and had grown numb to it all.

She went about her task of caring for Yu Mingjiao with a sense of duty. Just then, the maid brought up the medicine. Cen Lingqiu, skilled in treating wounds, personally applied the ointment to Yu Mingjiao's injuries.

The skin on Yu Mingjiao's palm had peeled away, leaving her entire hand red, swollen, and festering. The edges of the burn were waterlogged from the rain, making the sight difficult to bear.

As Cen Lingqiu applied the ointment, Yu Mingjiao, still unconscious, whimpered softly in pain, her brow furrowing slightly.

Cen Lingqiu slowed her movements.

After treating the wounds, Yu Mingjiao still hadn't woken up. Cen Lingqiu tucked her in and left the room.

As she opened the door, she noticed the mute maid standing just outside. The maid nodded respectfully, and Cen Lingqiu gave a polite acknowledgment before heading towards the room assigned to the original "Lin Qiu."

She had only taken a few steps when she turned back to see the maid still watching Yu Mingjiao's room, typing something on her phone.

Cen Lingqiu recalled that this maid was one of the male lead's people. After "Lin Qiu" would torment the female lead, the maid would send pictures of the female lead's pitiful state to the male lead, who would then arrive at the estate, pretending to be a savior.

Sometimes, this maid would even assist "Lin Qiu" in bullying the female lead, refusing to cook for her, and taking away her wheelchair, leaving her to shiver in the cold courtyard.

The male lead was fully aware of this but chose to ignore it. He was a cold, selfish, and volatile individual, who saw the female lead as nothing more than a substitute for his lost love. He cared little for her well-being, only for her obedience.

Cen Lingqiu recalled that the next plot point involved the male lead arriving at the estate, acting like a gentleman while secretly enjoying the female lead's dependence on him. But when the female lead, using the excuse of her burned hand, tried to leave the estate to go to the hospital, the male lead, sensing her desire to escape his control, would lock her in the dark, damp storage room for three days. Terrified of the dark, the female lead would emerge a shattered shell of herself, not speaking for nearly a month.

When Cen Lingqiu first took on this mission, even with her extensive experience in romance novel worlds, she couldn't help but be shocked by the twisted nature of the relationships in this story.

"Love really is a painful torment," she had muttered to the system when she received the assignment.

Given the female lead's fragile mental state, she couldn't endure the male lead's upcoming cruelty without spiraling into self-destruction.

Cen Lingqiu turned back, quickly approaching the maid, and took her phone. In the maid's bewildered gaze, she deleted the message the maid had been typing.

"No need to inform my brother about her anymore," Cen Lingqiu said calmly. "You've served long enough. It's time to retire and enjoy your life. Go home and spend time with your family tomorrow."

The maid's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe she was being dismissed.

Cen Lingqiu gave her a polite but distant smile and walked away.

The maid stared after her, utterly baffled.

The young mistress had not only lost her usual domineering aura but had also, to the maid's shock, personally taken care of Yu Mingjiao—the very girl she had seemed to wish dead.

The elderly maid simply couldn't understand the whims of the younger generation.

* * * *

Yu Mingjiao remained unconscious for nearly two days. If it weren't for the system's assurance that she was only asleep due to extreme exhaustion, Cen Lingqiu might have feared she was seriously ill.

When she finally woke up, the rain outside was still pouring heavily, the sound of it beating against the window loud and relentless.

Yu Mingjiao opened her eyes to stare blankly at the ceiling, her gaze fixed on a void. It took her a long while to return to her senses.

The harsh light and the constant noise of the rain served as reminders that she was still alive, still breathing slowly.

She had thought she was dead.

How strange it was that she was still alive.

But what awaited her when she opened her eyes? Only more inexplicable violence and verbal abuse. No freedom. Every day she was like a crippled wild dog, caged with no way out.

No love, just endless loneliness.

Only damnable, seemingly unending pain.

How infuriating.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway, followed by the door opening and Cen Lingqiu entering the room.

"Awake?" Cen Lingqiu said with a bit of surprise. "You've been asleep for three days."

Yu Mingjiao showed no reaction to her arrival. Her dark eyes were heavy with gloom, like deep, damp holes filled with cold, lifeless air.

"…What new way have you come up with to torment me?" Yu Mingjiao didn't even look at her, her tone eerily calm. Having been unconscious for so long, her voice was low and weak.

"What?" Cen Lingqiu hadn't clearly heard her muttered words.

Yu Mingjiao blinked slowly and, with a tone of resignation, said, "If you're going to torment me, get it over with. I just want to sleep."

She was acutely aware that Lin Qiu had pulled her back from the rain and stopped her from committing suicide only to continue tormenting her.

Yu Mingjiao was very tired and very hungry. She just wanted to sleep.

Once she was asleep, neither hunger nor loathsome people would matter.

Cen Lingqiu responded with a simple "Okay."

The electronic voice in her head reappeared.

[Host, are you crazy? The female lead is at her most vulnerable right now, and you're not comforting her? What if she does something drastic again?]

The system was designed to accompany employees of the Book Transmigration Bureau on their missions, with each system's personality tailored to suit the employee's character. Cen Lingqiu was naturally reserved and didn't like noisy chatter, so her system rarely made an appearance.

Cen Lingqiu couldn't be bothered to respond.

The female lead's hatred and rejection of the original "Lin Qiu" had reached an extreme. In her mind, the original Lin Qiu existed solely to torment her, relishing in her suffering.

If Cen Lingqiu started acting kindly now, Yu Mingjiao would only believe that she was plotting some new, insidious way to humiliate her.

Cen Lingqiu had only just taken on this role. Being too hasty would backfire; she needed to take it slow.

"You're coming downstairs to eat with me," Cen Lingqiu said, leaning casually against the window.

Yu Mingjiao assumed this woman intended to use food to torment her again.

Like last time, when Lin Qiu had forced her to eat heavily spiced food, knowing she couldn't tolerate spicy food, which had resulted in a two-day bout of gastritis.

Yu Mingjiao's expression grew even darker. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, sending sharp pains through her injured hand.

She detested Lin Qiu to the core.

Every moment, every second, she wanted Lin Qiu dead.

Cen Lingqiu noticed the slight tremor in Yu Mingjiao's hand.

Frowning, she quickly stepped forward, grabbing Yu Mingjiao's hand and prying her fingers open. A faint red stain seeped through the bandages.

She then reached for her other hand, finding marks from where she had dug her nails into her palm, though no blood was drawn.

Cen Lingqiu hadn't anticipated that a simple comment could push the female lead to this state. "Lin Qiu" was indeed a troublesome character for Yu Mingjiao.

This mission wasn't going to be as easy as she'd hoped.

Yu Mingjiao pulled her hand away, coldly saying, "Don't touch me."

Her words were dripping with undisguised loathing.

Cen Lingqiu ignored her outburst, sighing with slight concern, "Your wound has probably reopened."

"So what?" Yu Mingjiao sneered. "Isn't that exactly what you want? Don't you want my wound to fester until I die?"

"Don't assume you know what others are thinking," Cen Lingqiu replied calmly, picking up the medicine box from the bedside and kneeling beside the bed, ready to change her bandages.

But Yu Mingjiao, stubborn as always, wouldn't let her.

"Stop pretending to be kind," Yu Mingjiao sneered, staring at her with a strange, twisted smile. "Lin Qiu, you're disgusting. Just the thought of you touching me makes me want to vomit."

Yu Mingjiao braced herself, expecting Cen Lingqiu to fly into a rage and resort to violence.

But Cen Lingqiu merely paused for a moment, softly muttering, "Is that so?"

It seemed that the female lead's revulsion towards the original Lin Qiu had reached its peak.

Cen Lingqiu stood up. "That's a fair point. I won't argue. Since you don't want me to touch you, you can handle your own wound care."

She carefully explained the order in which the medicines should be applied and gave detailed instructions on how to treat the wound.

Her voice was steady and patient, her demeanor calm, with no discernible emotion—a cool and detached presence.

Yu Mingjiao had never seen her behave this way or heard her speak to her in such a calm, instructive manner.

Lin Qiu was always arrogant and overbearing, her words sharp and selfish, with an air of superiority, as if she was the center of the world.

After explaining everything, Cen Lingqiu added, "Once you've finished, come downstairs to eat. I'll bring you down myself. Or, if you prefer, I can bring your meal up here. It's your choice. If you're not out in fifteen minutes, I'll bring the food up."

Yu Mingjiao's face remained dark, refusing to engage.

"You must eat," Cen Lingqiu said with a slight smile. "Being hungry is painful."

With that, Cen Lingqiu left the room.

Yu Mingjiao couldn't understand why this woman suddenly spoke to her like she was a child, nor could she comprehend why she hadn't gotten angry, instead respecting her wishes and leaving without incident.

She certainly didn't believe that this woman had turned over a new leaf. If anything, Yu Mingjiao only found her more hypocritical.

But the moment Cen Lingqiu left, Yu Mingjiao felt like she could finally breathe again.

Being in the same room as that woman made her feel suffocated.

Yu Mingjiao stared at the medicine on the nightstand, remembering Cen Lingqiu's instructions, and felt a wave of nausea.

Without hesitation, she threw all the medicine into the trash bin beside the bed.

Unwrapping the bandages from her palm, she saw that the wound had healed significantly since that day, with most of it already scabbed over. Only the edges had been torn slightly, oozing a small amount of blood.

She didn't believe for a second that this was Cen Lingqiu's doing. Lin Qiu would never do something so considerate.

It was probably the servants who, fearing for their jobs, had "kindly" taken care of her wound.