Chapter 73

Yan Nanjue stepped out of the patient room and handed the signed documents to Lin Furuo.

The latter looked up, glancing briefly at Yan Nanjue’s expression before shifting her gaze to the tightly closed door and the fact that Bai Wan had yet to emerge. Her fingertips paused for a fraction of a second, but she said nothing, merely lowering her eyes and following her boss.

Bai Qingzhi’s surgery was already being arranged.

Back at the villa, as soon as the door was locked, Yan Nanjue’s legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the thick carpet. “System! What is going on with the Blackening Value!!!”

Why did it spike so much so suddenly! This wasn’t just an increase; it was a total doubling!

【System: It didn’t happen all at once; it was added in increments of five and ten.】

“Who asked about that…” Yan Nanjue was fuming. “Is there a difference? It still added up to this much! Every time it drops, it’s like squeezing toothpaste, but one spike and it jumps this high??”

【System: The world is unpredictable.】

Hearing those four nonchalant words made Yan Nanjue feel lightheaded. She threw herself onto the sofa, lying there in utter despair.

“Why is this happening?”

She just wanted to stabilize the OOC value! Her attitude toward the heroine was always like that! Why did she… suddenly blacken this time, and by so much?

If she had known, she wouldn’t have cared about the OOC value. This was the definition of “gaining a little only to lose a lot.”

【System: If it can be brought down once, it can be brought down twice. Let’s start from the beginning.】

Yan Nanjue: “…”

Start from the beginning? Easy for you to say!

Compared to her breakdown, the System was quite calm. After a moment of silence, it accepted the fact—it had dealt with too many hosts and seen it all before. However, there was one thing it was curious about.

【What happened at the hospital just now?】 the System asked.

Yan Nanjue repeated blankly, “What?”

【I was blocked by the mosaic. I couldn’t see the visuals, I could only hear the audio. You did something to the heroine…】

“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t mention it!!”

Yan Nanjue wanted to scream. For a moment, she didn’t even know which was more devastating: Bai Wan’s blackening or the fact that Bai Wan had completely misunderstood her intentions. She didn’t want to recall a single second of what happened in that room.

【System: So, what was it?】

Yan Nanjue closed her eyes and buried her head in a pile of pillows, playing dead. The System called her name several times. Seeing her acting like a turtle hiding in its shell, it went back through the dialogue logs. Guessing the truth, it said: 【Oh—the heroine took off her clothes.】

Yan Nanjue: “…”

I told you not to mention it.

【System: You look so devastated. Isn’t your sexual orientation toward women? Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?】

Yan Nanjue looked up, her face flushed red, her wavy hair a mess. Angry, she threw the pillow in her hand, rubbed her aching temples, and suspected the System was torturing her on purpose.

“…I am a normal woman. Bai Wan fits my orientation, and she fits human aesthetics—she’s beautiful.”

【System: And?】

The tips of Yan Nanjue’s ears, hidden in her black hair, were burning. She felt as though she [stolen content]had a fever. She helplessly covered her face with both hands, her hair veiling her expression. Her voice sounded faint.

“That’s why I can’t look…”

She would have a reaction…

After a long while, Yan Nanjue got up to take a bath. She submerged her head in the tub until she nearly couldn’t breathe. When she finally surfaced, the temperature in her face and ears had dropped, returning to her jade-white complexion.

After the soak, her anxiety subsided slightly. She opened the System panel and stared at the Blackening Value with a heavy heart.

Why did it go up again…

At this point, all she could do was lower it again. She felt like she had worked incredibly hard only to find out she owed the System money.

【System: There, there. Your progress has been fast—much faster than other hosts.】

Yan Nanjue was still annoyed and ignored it. Remembering the “mosaic” mentioned earlier, she asked sheepishly, “System, what is this mosaic you mentioned at the hospital?”

【System: It’s a literal mosaic. It’s implemented by the Main System to ensure the mental health of the system isn’t ‘polluted’ by certain hosts, and to protect the privacy of hosts and NPCs. Any scene involving relevant private visuals is automatically censored.】

Yan Nanjue was intrigued.

【System: Hosts changing clothes or bathing are automatically mosaic-ed; we can’t see anything. Intimate scenes between a host and others are also censored. After several upgrades, the rules are very strict now. It used to just be a mosaic, but now, if there are two or more people in a ‘sensitive’ scene, it goes straight to a black screen. I can only hear you speaking to me; I can’t see a thing.】

“Can I use that mosaic?” Yan Nanjue asked. “I want it too.”

【System: Only system workers have it.】

Yan Nanjue didn’t give up. “Are there no other preventative measures?”

【System: There are, but only for underage hosts under eighteen.】

Yan Nanjue was surprised. “You have hosts under eighteen?”

【System: Death does not discriminate by age.】

Yan Nanjue paused. True.

The day before the surgery, Bai Wan went into the ICU to see her sister.

Bai Qingzhi lay on the bed in a hospital gown. She was very weak; in just a few days, the fullness in her cheeks had vanished. Her eyes [bailiantales.com]were half-closed, showing none of her usual lively energy. Her complexion was greyish.

Bai Wan held her hand. It was light and lacked warmth, like holding the hand of a large stuffed toy—as if it were filled with light cotton rather than bone and flesh.

Bai Qingzhi smiled at her. The oxygen mask was thick with white mist. The machines surrounding the bed beeped rhythmically; the ICU was so quiet that the “beep-beep” was the only sound.

“Sister, smile for me,” she whispered.

The corners of Bai Wan’s lips curled slightly—a faint, fleeting curve. Seeing her smile, Bai Qingzhi smiled back. Bai Qingzhi was the one ill, but she wasn’t the only one suffering or growing thin.

Her sister’s voice was tiny as she talked about what she wanted to eat and see after the surgery. She said Sister promised to take her to the ocean; she wanted to go in the winter to see if the sea would freeze when it snowed.

Midway through, Bai Qingzhi suddenly asked, “Sister, did Sister Yan come? I want to see her.”

Bai Wan, her back to the door, lowered her eyes. “No.”

“Is Sister Yan busy with work? Why won’t she come? I saw her before,” Bai Qingzhi asked, her eyes widening slightly. Her expression was full of disappointment; at a time like this, besides her closest sister, the person she wanted to see was “Sister Yan.”

Bai Xinzhi knew the truth about the relationship between Bai Wan and Yan Nanjue, but she was in the dark, still believing she had two sisters.

“Mm,” Bai Wan nodded slightly. “She’s busy with work. She’ll come after your surgery.”

The disappointment on Bai Qingzhi’s face vanished. “Okay! Then when I open my eyes, I want you two to be the first people I see.”

Bai Wan’s gaze fell to her hands. Bai Qingzhi, likely sensing her low spirits, grabbed a few of her fingers and whispered, “Don’t be mad at Sister Yan. She’s busy. I have you here now, Sister. Didn’t you say so? After my surgery, she’ll be finished with work and come see me.”

Bai Wan raised her hand and covered her sister’s eyes. “Alright, go to sleep. I’m here… Sister is here.”

Outside the ICU, Yan Nanjue stood by the door, avoiding the glass so the person inside wouldn’t see her. Instead, she peered through the small circular viewing window on the door. She could guess what they were talking about.

After watching for a while, she walked away to the stairwell. Her heart felt heavy. “System, I feel like I’m a really bad person.”

【System: You are.】

Yan Nanjue couldn’t argue. Her persona was that of a thorough villainous cannon-fodder. She stood in the stairwell for five minutes, moping over her script, before heading back to the company for meetings. She left Lin Furuo at the hospital so any issues could be handled immediately.

By the time she finished her meetings and returned to the apartment, it was late at night. Yan Nanjue was too tired for dinner. As she changed into slippers, she noticed something.

Bai Wan’s slippers were missing. Why didn’t she go back to the villa today? Why did she come to the apartment?

Lin Furuo must have driven her back, Yan Nanjue thought. She glanced at the kitchen [unauthorized copy]and living room; no one was on the first floor, which meant she was resting in her room. She washed her hands, got a drink of water, and went to her room to lie down.

【System: No dinner?】

“Don’t want to move,” Yan Nanjue replied without opening her eyes. The apartment’s AC was kept at a constant temperature, but she preferred it cooler. She lay there for a bit before snuggling into the quilt, her eyelids feeling like they weighed a ton.

Elsewhere, Bai Wan was showering. Cascades of water slid down her sleek shoulders. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the water strike her face—a face so beautiful it inspired a sense of dread. She braced one hand against the glass.

The heat from her palm warmed the glass, creating a clear spot amidst the blur. When she withdrew her hand, the glass fogged over again. Mist filled the bathroom, the sound of water a constant pitter-patter.

Bai Wan stepped out wrapped in a towel. Lukewarm droplets slid down her straight calves, dripping onto the floor. She stood barefoot before the full-length mirror, her eyes lifting from beneath wet lashes.

The towel dropped. The heat in the bathroom had turned her skin a pale pink where the flesh was thin—ankles, knees, chest, collarbones. The blood rushing to the surface looked like sunset clouds, a layer of tender pink over snow-white skin.

The Omega in the mirror was perfect in every way. The only flaw was that she was a bit too thin, yet not so much that it was frightening. Bai Wan stared at the reflection; as she blinked, the reflection blinked back. She took a heated towel and slowly dried her hair.

A drop of water fell from her lashes like a tear.

Bai Wan pushed open the bathroom door. A notification on her phone showed that the apartment door had been opened not long ago. Dressed in a nightgown, she walked up to the second floor.

This was a place she rarely set foot in. Yan Nanjue’s room was upstairs; to avoid her, Bai Wan [Read on BaiLianTales]had chosen the first floor. They were supposed to be parallel lines, but Yan Nanjue had broken that invisible tether when she barged in during Bai Wan’s heat.

After that, everything spiraled out of control.

She entered the room she had never visited before. The door was unlocked; Yan Nanjue rarely locked her doors, whether at the villa or the apartment. The room was dark, save for the faint light from the corridor.

She stepped into the darkness.

Yan Nanjue was nearly asleep. Half-awake, she felt someone lifting her quilt. She raised her hand, her wrist swaying in the air before being caught.

Wait, why is there someone in my room? The moment her hand was held, Yan Nanjue bolted awake, her eyes snapping open.

The moonlight was like a veil. By the silver glow from the window, she saw the person sitting by the bed. Dressed in a thin nightgown, she appeared to have just showered; her long hair was draped to one side, the ends still damp. The gown was slightly wet, and her skin carried the lingering scent of water vapor.

Yan Nanjue breathed a sigh of relief. Not a ghost. Wait—why was it the heroine?

【System: Did you sleep yourself stupid?】

It’s a nightmare. It must be a nightmare.

Yan Nanjue closed her eyes and opened them again. The heroine hadn’t left. Half of her siren-like profile was turned toward her; her long lashes were lowered, and her cherry-blossom ​read the original at bailiantales.com​pink lips were pressed white. In the moonlight, she looked like a spirit that had just taken human form, seeking out her benefactor to repay a debt.

Yan Nanjue was dazed. She was terrified she might actually faint. Why was the heroine in her room at midnight, half-dressed?

“You’re awake,” a clear voice entered her ears. Bai Wan lifted her eyes to look at her.

Yan Nanjue’s tired brain didn’t react immediately. She blinked instinctively, her lashes fluttering like butterfly wings. She propped herself up on the pillows and questioned her. “…Why are you here? Who gave you permission to enter my room?”

Bai Wan leaned over. A slender hand cupped her cheek, and a cool kiss landed on her lips—light, like a dragonfly touching water.

As their lips touched, Yan Nanjue’s pupils went round. She was like a toy with its “on” switch pressed; her mind went blank, and she froze in her propped-up position. When she finally reacted, she reached out in shock and pushed Bai Wan away. The latter didn’t resist, sliding from the edge of the bed to the floor.

“What are you doing?!!”

The sudden event broke Yan Nanjue’s composure. She was shocked and angry, showing total confusion at Bai Wan’s sudden move. She covered her lips with the back of her hand, rubbing them instinctively, unable to believe she had been kissed by the heroine. She was like a cat with its fur standing on end, having had its tail caught while half-asleep.

Any sleepiness Yan Nanjue had was gone.

Bai Wan, on the floor, watched Yan Nanjue’s hand. Her fingers curled, gripping the carpet fibers before loosening again. She said coldly: “Doing what you want me to do.”

She uttered the words she had held on the tip of her tongue for a long time.

Yan Nanjue’s ears burned at the bluntness. …What is the heroine saying?

“You haven’t seen me for days, yet you came to the hospital with me the day before the surgery. When you left, you left Lin Furuo to watch me and specifically had her send me back to the apartment. Wasn’t that a warning for me to be obedient?”

Bai Wan’s voice was icy. Her upper body was in shadow, and only her eyes shimmered. Yan Nanjue’s mind was a mess. She had left Lin Furuo there because she was worried! Assistant Lin was her confidant with high authority; she could handle more things in Yan Nanjue’s absence.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was the heroine was in her room, and she had come after a shower! Key point: she had showered!

Yan Nanjue threw off the quilt and stood up, looking down at the person on the floor. “This is you being ‘obedient’?” Her voice was laced with cold fury. “Who gave you permission to barge in and kiss me?”

Bai Wan lowered her gaze. So, she’s angry because I kissed her without permission. Of course—how could a substitute be worthy of kissing her?

She stood up and let the thin straps on her shoulders fall. The silk slid down her skin. The Omega stood before her with nothing on. Her expression was indifferent, her movements steady, without a trace of shame—as if she didn’t care at all.

Yan Nanjue’s breath stopped, her heart skipped a beat, and her brain felt like it was smoking. She closed her eyes without thinking.

【System: You’re going OOC.】

She couldn’t help but cough, biting her tongue to force her eyes open. The body before her was as beautiful as a jade carving, slender and curved, with a lingering pink glow on [stolen content]the skin. She was too fair, so even a light touch would leave a mark. Even the straps of the nightgown had left faint red lines.

Yan Nanjue wanted to run. The urge to flee filled her mind. Her fingers, hidden by her loose sleeves, were trembling violently. Her ears were burning; she knew they must be bright red. Her mouth tasted of blood—she must have bitten her tongue—but the pain couldn’t suppress her other thoughts. Her eyes darted around in a panic until they caught the scar on the inside of Bai Wan’s arm. She paused.

Bai Wan had countless scars. Some were from her own delirium during her heat; others were accidents. Most had faded, leaving her skin as smooth as pearl, but some severe injuries left marks that wouldn’t go away.

The heat in Yan Nanjue’s body subsided slightly. She remembered something and swallowed. “…Turn around.”

Bai Wan was like a marionette, stepping over her nightgown to turn her back. Yan Nanjue saw her back for the first time, including the scar beneath her shoulder blade. The healed mark looked like a centipede.

Lacerated by glass shards, twenty-some stitches.

Almost all the scars on Bai Wan that could be seen by others had been repaired. Those hidden beneath her clothes, she hadn’t wanted to fix, so they remained—including the one on her arm.

By the time Yan Nanjue snapped back, her fingertips were already touching that centipede-like scar. The texture was rough. The touch was light.

So light that Bai Wan’s arm trembled—perhaps from an itch. She tilted her head slightly, her profile visible. She clenched her fists, her voice still cold, showing no emotion regardless of what Yan Nanjue did. “If you’re unsatisfied, you can arrange for me to have scar-revision surgery.”

A strand of long hair slid from her shoulder, landing on the back of Yan Nanjue’s hand. Yan Nanjue hadn’t thought of an explanation for her impulsive move, but Bai Wan had provided her with an excuse.

“No need,” she said. Yan Nanjue thought: In ​unauthorized copy​the future, there will be no need. Bai Wan won’t have any new scars.

She lifted her gaze to Bai Wan’s shoulder. From this angle, she could see collarbones so deep they could hold water. Accidentally glancing at something else, Yan Nanjue stiffened and looked away as if escaping, her brain working fast to find a new excuse.

“Take your clothes and go back,” she said coldly. “I’m not interested.”

Her warm palm pinched Bai Wan’s waist—her slender fingers could almost encircle it. Bai Wan’s cool body felt the heat; it felt like a burn, yet it also felt like an itch, making her fingertips tremble again.

“I like some meat on the bones,” Yan Nanjue’s cold voice came from behind, her hand on the waist signaling her meaning. “I’ve said it before: you’re too thin. I have no interest in an Omega like you. Come back to me when you’ve put on some weight here.”

The hand was withdrawn, and a blanket was thrown over Bai Wan’s shoulders, covering her. “Don’t enter my room without permission again, Mrs. Yan. That’s a warning.”

The blanket wrapped around Bai Wan. She stood there for two seconds, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the edge of the blanket. Too thin… likes meat on the bones… so that’s why she forced her to eat regularly… who has meat?

Yan Nanjue’s cold gaze swept over her. “Get out. Don’t disturb my rest.”

The door closed. Yan Nanjue collapsed into her bed like a puddle of dough. Lying prone, she covered her chest. Through her ribs, she felt her heart racing—the frequency was so fast it felt like it would leap out of her throat.

A tingle like an electric current ran through her body. Her throat felt blocked by wet cotton. Her heart was beating too fast; it must be fear. It couldn’t be anything else.

After a long time, Yan Nanjue let out a ragged sigh of relief. Thinking of Bai Wan’s attitude, her head began to throb. Bai Wan [Read on BaiLianTales]was convinced that what she wanted was… the worst part was, she couldn’t explain. According to her persona, that was exactly what she wanted.

But I don’t want to sleep with the heroine!

She could use that excuse to stall for now, but in the long run, she really didn’t know how to keep making things up…

Bai Qingzhi’s surgery was a success.

It wasn’t until the girl was wheeled into the ICU for observation that Yan Nanjue finally breathed a sigh of relief. The surgery had lasted over ten hours, and night had fallen outside the hospital. The doctor stood before them, looking relieved. “Next is observation in the ICU for a period to check for rejection. If all goes well, she can be moved to a regular ward. Congratulations to you, and to this little one.”

Yan Nanjue had rushed there straight from the office. She had waited in the car for two hours before coming up at the right time. The back of her neck was soaked with sweat.

Suddenly, her arm was grabbed. Bai Wan looked dazed, as if she hadn’t processed the news, and had instinctively caught Yan Nanjue’s forearm. After a long silence, she uttered a sentence, her voice dry and thick with emotion.

“Thank you. Thank you, doctor.”

The doctor left with a smile. Bai Wan spoke again, this time to Yan Nanjue. She lifted her eyes to meet those dark ones. Her lips moved, her voice so soft only the two of them could hear.

“…Thank you.”

Thank you for saving her.