I Snatched the Male Lead’s "Cool Novel" Script - Chapter 4

Yan Yu felt as if she had been in a very long dream.

She dreamed she had collapsed, pale-faced, on the floor of the breakroom, only to be found by passing colleagues and rushed into an operating theater. Various instruments beeped rhythmically as her colleagues called out to her in desperation, pleading for her to open her eyes.

These images were so vivid that Yan Yu even began to fantasize that she was merely in a temporary coma; that once this nightmare ended, she would return to the real world. She even remembered she had an important surgery to perform after her lunch break.

But suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound tore through her eardrums.

Beep—

The suppressed, sobbing voice of a colleague followed immediately. “Time of death: 4:53 PM.”

Yan Yu’s consciousness began to drift away. Her vision grew increasingly blurred and dark, yet her other senses started to revive. She heard her own heavy, rapid breathing and tasted the metallic, rust-like flavor of blood on the tip of her tongue.

Like a drowning person pulled from a frozen lake, Yan Yu suddenly snapped her eyes open on the bed. her chest heaved violently as she craved every ounce of oxygen in the air.

“Awake?”

Yan Yu laboriously rolled her eyes, meeting Yin Beiqing’s downward-facing gaze. She saw a polished black iron mask and a pair of beautifully shaped, crimson lips. A faint, cold fragrance—a mixture of various scents—clung to the woman, its composition as complex and inscrutable as her eyes.

She realized Yin Beiqing seemed to enjoy speaking to people from such a close distance.

It was something she found difficult to adjust to.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Yin Beiqing’s silver eyes were like high-quality natural crystals, possessing a mysterious depth that threatened to pull one in. Yan Yu stared, momentarily dazed.

She had been unconscious, not struck by amnesia. Forget the so-called “good deeds”—Yan Yu could have immediately sketched out the exact shape of the blood she had spat out onto Yin Beiqing’s carpet.

Thus, she understood perfectly well why Yin Beiqing looked like she wanted to kill her, yet was forced to endure her presence.

Though she didn’t know the exact reason, the current situation was that Yin Beiqing’s second Animal Spirit Pearl had somehow ended up inside her body.

Given Yin Beiqing’s usual style of doing things, she should have directly sliced open Yan Yu’s stomach to retrieve the pearl without hesitation. However, the precious box she used to store her Animal Spirit Pearl had been destroyed by Guo Lu, and she herself could not harbor two Animal Spirit Pearls within her body simultaneously for long. If Yin Beiqing actually did that, the Animal Spirit Pearl would be left in a vulnerable state, open to being snatched by anyone.

Moreover, it seemed that Yan Yu, with her unique constitution, might truly be the legendary Goddess. Yin Beiqing could not afford to act rashly.

Yan Yu mentally assigned herself a role—Yin Beiqing’s living vessel for the Animal Spirit Pearl.

After reflecting on this, she became calmer than before. At least she wouldn’t be dying anytime soon.

“Did you catch Guo Lu?”

Mentioning that man brought a foul expression to Yin Beiqing’s face. Originally, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to escape her grasp, but a beam of light had suddenly enveloped him from out of nowhere. By the time it faded, he had vanished into thin air. It wasn’t any Spiritual Technique she was familiar with; it was incredibly bizarre.

Yan Yu wasn’t too surprised to hear this. Guo Lu’s system allowed him to exchange points for various skills. An escape art capable of causing him to vanish instantly before Yin Beiqing must have been high-level, likely wiping out at least eighty percent of his points. For a short while, he would definitely remain low-key.

And during the time he was lying low, she could build up her strength and wait for the next opportunity to catch him off guard, avenging Lu Jia in the process.

Speaking of Lu Jia, Yan Yu hadn’t forgotten that its injuries were still untreated. In the original plot, it had exhausted its Spirit Power and was abandoned by the male lead, surviving for less than two days before dying of severe internal bleeding.

“Right, where is my beast pet?” Yan Yu propped herself up with her arms, the movement appearing extremely strained.

Everything hurt. Not a single muscle in her body worked right; even moving a finger caused a lingering ache throughout her entire arm.

Yin Beiqing said emotionlessly, “It might be dead already.”

Yan Yu didn’t panic or grieve immediately. Although she had only learned about Yin Beiqing through text, she knew the woman respected Animal Spirits and beast pets far more than humans. No matter how much she disliked Yan Yu, she wouldn’t go out of her way to torment a low-level beast pet.

Furthermore, she had said “might be dead.” Given her personality, if Lu Jia were truly dead, she would have told Yan Yu directly without concealment—perhaps even enjoying the sight of Yan Yu crying.

“Where is it? I have to save it.” Now that her own safety was guaranteed, Yan Yu began to worry about Lu Jia.

The medical skills of this world were not advanced. Because the higher an Animal Art Master’s Spirit Power, the stronger their self-healing ability, everyone’s first reaction to falling ill was not to seek treatment but to find ways to increase their Spirit Power so they would heal faster.

It was precisely because of this hardy culture that a massive number of Animal Art Masters died abruptly every year.

There were itinerant doctors among the common folk who could treat minor ailments, but the arrogant Animal Art Masters disdained using them. If they encountered a truly acute illness, these barbarians generally just gulped down pills to boost their Spirit Power and cling to life.

If Lu Jia were merely suffering from excessive Spirit Power leakage, that method might work. However, while bandaging it earlier, Yan Yu had observed multiple fractures, heavy breathing, and blood-streaked saliva. Its heart and lungs were severely damaged. Without addressing the root of the problem, the longer it was delayed, the more dangerous it would become.

“You can barely save yourself, yet you have the spare mind to worry about it.”

Yan Yu fixed her clear eyes on her and spoke bluntly, “Do you still want to kill me right now?”

Yin Beiqing let out a cold laugh, likely not expecting Yan Yu to say that.

Although she had seen earlier that this sickly girl was skilled at feigning emotions, she hadn’t expected her to “burn the bridge after crossing” so efficiently. It hadn’t been long at all, yet she had already switched from “you” (honorific) to the casual “you.”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a no.” When life was on the line, every minute was precious. Yan Yu endured the pain in her abdomen and put on her shoes. “Take me to see it.”

“Are you commanding me?”

Having the leverage to negotiate, Yan Yu wasn’t as afraid to speak to her anymore. “I am requesting your help.”

Yin Beiqing lowered her gaze and reached out to pinch Yan Yu’s chin, forcing it up so their eyes met.

“Is that the tone one uses for a request?” The strength in her hand gradually tightened, her voice turning grim. “Or do you think that because my Animal Spirit Pearl is inside you, I can’t do anything to you?”

“I know what you want.” Yan Yu endured the pain in her jaw, which felt as if the bone were being crushed, and looked back at her. “If I have total certainty that I can help you become the next Empress, is that enough to trade for one condition?”

“Do I look like I have a good temper? Giving you the delusion that you can negotiate with me at will?” Yin Beiqing remained unmoved, holding her chin up as she spoke eerily.

“Since you went to such lengths to find me, the Goddess, you must have something to gain,” Yan Yu continued, her heart steady and her face calm. “There are many more things I can do for you.”

She might as well have carved the words “I’m a great deal, hire me quickly” onto her face.

Yin Beiqing seemed to sense her desperate desire for employment. She pinched Yan Yu’s face, looking her over from side to side. “Begging me to keep you?”

Yan Yu stared back at her in a deadlock. Her expression seemed calm, but cold sweat had already soaked the back of her shirt.

She knew Yin Beiqing hated being negotiated with via her weaknesses. It wasn’t that no one had tried it before; it was rumored that once, someone with wealth rivaling a nation brought an A-grade spiritual weapon to make a deal. In response, this “Living Yama” had simply waved her hand, put a blade to the man’s neck, and given him a choice.

Keep your life, or leave the item behind.

The man had been scared witless, dropping the weapon and running for his life, ending up losing both his treasure and his dignity.

Yin Beiqing’s rule was: Me sparing your life is already a massive blessing; shouldn’t you be giving me things anyway?

So, when the question came to Yan Yu, she used the same approach.

“I spare your life, so doing those things for me is only right. Currently, you can only be considered to have utility value. Aside from that, what else is there to attract me to keep you?” Yin Beiqing smiled nonchalantly, but there was little kindness in that smile.

She released her grip on Yan Yu’s chin. Before the other could breathe a sigh of relief, she raised her hand, pressing her index and ring fingers against her thumb in a gesture meant for snapping her fingers, bringing it close to Yan Yu’s ear. “I am no Bodhisattva; I don’t care for acts of charity. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

By comparison, Yin Beiqing was actually being quite patient with Yan Yu, having at least “explained” herself.

Yan Yu, however, couldn’t feel even a shred of gratitude. She watched Yin Beiqing’s movement out of the corner of her eye, her body temperature plummeting. She knew this gesture all too well—it was the demoness’s precise warning before a kill.

While ordinary Animal Art Masters were accustomed to opening their palms before a fight to prepare for Spiritual Technique seals, Yin Beiqing didn’t care for such flashy displays. she was skilled enough to use spiritual arts at will without the boost of hand seals. However, she would usually snap her fingers in advance. This wasn’t to make the killing easier for herself, but to remind the other person that their death was imminent.

Yan Yu had to admit, she was panicking. But for someone like her, the more she panicked, the faster her brain worked. However, a fast brain didn’t necessarily mean the final decision would be the right one.

By the time she realized what she had done, her right hand was already holding a sharp-tipped hairpin against Yin Beiqing’s throat.

The hairpin was something she had snatched from Yin Beiqing’s head with lightning speed just moments ago. It had been the only thing holding that long hair in place; once removed, the waterfall of black hair cascaded down instantly. A more intense cold fragrance washed over her, but Yan Yu’s hand was gripping the pin so tightly that her veins bulged. She didn’t even dare to slow her breathing to avoid that intoxicating scent.

Yin Beiqing’s neck was long and white, the blood vessels on the side clearly visible. It looked as fragile as a willow branch that could be snapped with a gentle squeeze.

It was strange; this legendary demoness who could take on a hundred men at once looked no different from an ordinary person.

But Yan Yu knew that was all a facade. No one would dare show the slightest contempt for the Living Yama before her.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Yin Beiqing looked down at her, showing no hint of panic or fear despite her life being in danger.

“Of course I do.” Yan Yu didn’t dare relax the strength in her arm for a second. “This is the carotid artery. If it’s cut, your blood will immediately spray out. At that rate of blood loss, you won’t have any time to save yourself.”

She said the words, but Yan Yu couldn’t actually go through with it. Or rather, thirty seconds ago, she had already begun to regret her impulsive behavior. This wasn’t a wise move at all; it was a shortcut to her own death.

The other woman had a hundred ways to snap her neck before she could successfully plunge the hairpin in.

Yin Beiqing’s expression was unexpectedly calm. She stared at Yan Yu. That beautiful face was pale with fright yet radiated a forced resilience. Those clear eyes also held a light that made it impossible to look away.

A Yan Yu like this stirred a strange desire within Yin Beiqing, making her want to test the girl’s limits and see her collapse.

Yin Beiqing’s silence brought an even more agonizing period of endurance for Yan Yu. She tried to decipher the other’s expression, only to find she couldn’t see through this person’s mind at all.

Every profession had its specialty. Firstly, she wasn’t a psychiatrist, and secondly, the person across from her was a capricious Living Yama. It would be a miracle if she could see through her.

“Is that so?”

Yin Beiqing didn’t understand the meaning of the term “carotid artery,” but it didn’t hinder her understanding of Yan Yu’s intent. Strangely, she wasn’t angry at all; she even felt a sense of exhilaration that made her want to laugh out loud.

Before Yan Yu could understand what was happening, Yin Beiqing’s wanton laughter sounded right by her ear, making her whole body go numb and her ability to think vanish.

What did this person mean? If she was going to kill her or keep her, she should just get it over with.

“When you said those words just now, your expression was particularly beautiful.” Yin Beiqing didn’t hide her blunt gaze, looking like an executioner who had found the perfect prey and couldn’t wait to use a scalpel to dissect and analyze it.

Yan Yu couldn’t help but frown, whispering, “Lunatic.”

Who gets excited when threatened with a punctured artery?

Yin Beiqing didn’t care about the evaluation. She raised her hand and gave a crisp snap of her fingers near Yan Yu’s ear. After the sound, a sudden, violent pain erupted in Yan Yu’s chest, as if someone were using a blunt knife to carve characters into her skin.

Five seconds—which felt agonizingly long to her—passed before the pain finally subsided. She couldn’t wait to pull at her collar and look down. A dark character glowing with a red light met her eyes. The light flashed once before dimming, merging into her skin until it was invisible.

The strokes of the character were complex, resembling a combination of Taoist talismans and Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was very distinctive, and it finally made Yan Yu remember what it was.

This was the contract mark that everyone in Langdie Valley possessed, symbolizing belonging.

In other words, this was Yin Beiqing’s promise. From now on, Yan Yu was a person of Langdie Valley.

Under her protection.