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

Yan Yu felt as though she had dreamed for a very long time.

She dreamed that she had collapsed on the floor of the break room, her face bloodless. A passing colleague found her and carried her into the operating room. All kinds of instruments worked around her, making beeping sounds, accompanied by her colleagues’ anxious cries as they begged her to open her eyes quickly.

The scene was far too real. Yan Yu even began to imagine that she had only fainted for a while, and that once this nightmare ended, she would return to the real world. She even remembered that she still had an important surgery to perform after her lunch break.

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

“Beep—”

Her colleague’s restrained, choked voice followed immediately after.

“Time of death, 4:53.”

Yan Yu’s consciousness gradually began to drift away. Her vision grew more and more blurry and dark, but her other senses began to revive. She heard her own heavy, rapid breathing, and the tip of her tongue tasted a rusty, bloody flavor.

Like someone who had just been dragged out of an icy lake, Yan Yu suddenly opened her eyes on the bed. Her chest rose and fell violently. At that moment, she greedily craved every breath of oxygen in the air.

“You’re awake?”

Yan Yu turned her eyes with difficulty and met Yin Beiqing’s face as she leaned over. A polished black iron mask, beautifully shaped red lips, and a faint cold fragrance on her body mixed with many different scents. Its composition was as complex and hard to distinguish as her gaze.

Yan Yu discovered that Yin Beiqing seemed to like leaning very close when she spoke to people.

But Yan Yu found it very hard to adapt.

“Do you know what wonderful things you’ve done?” Yin Beiqing’s silver eyes were like high-quality natural crystal, carrying a mysterious feeling that seemed capable of sucking a person in. Yan Yu looked at them and lost focus for a moment.

She had only fainted, not lost her memory. Forget the so-called “wonderful things”—Yan Yu could even immediately draw the shape of the second mouthful of blood she had sprayed onto Yin Beiqing’s carpet.

So she understood far too well why Yin Beiqing had a face full of wanting to kill her, yet had no choice but to endure and keep her alive.

Although she did not know the reason, the current situation was that Yin Beiqing’s second Beast Soul Pearl had run into her body.

According to Yin Beiqing’s usual way of doing things, she should have directly cut open Yan Yu’s stomach without any hesitation and taken the pearl out. But the treasure box she used to store the Beast Soul Pearl had been destroyed by Guo Lu, and Yin Beiqing herself could not keep two Beast Soul Pearls coexisting inside her body for a long time. If Yin Beiqing really did that, she would only place the Beast Soul Pearl in danger, where anyone could fight over it.

Besides, judging from the current situation, Yan Yu, whose constitution was special, really might be the legendary goddess. Yin Beiqing could not act rashly.

Yan Yu figured out a position for herself: Yin Beiqing’s living container for storing the Beast Soul Pearl.

After thinking it through, she instead became even calmer than before. At least, she would not die for the time being.

“Did you catch Guo Lu?”

At the mention of this person, Yin Beiqing’s expression turned ugly. Originally, it should have been absolutely impossible for him to escape from her grasp. But a beam of light from who knew where had suddenly enveloped him, and by the time she looked again, he had disappeared into thin air. It was not any spiritual art she was familiar with. It was extremely strange.

Yan Yu was not too surprised after hearing this. Guo Lu’s system could exchange points for all kinds of skills. An escape technique that allowed him to vanish instantly right in front of Yin Beiqing must have been very high-level. At the very least, it had probably cleared out eighty percent of his points. In that case, for a short period of time, he would definitely behave himself.

And during the time he behaved himself, she could conserve her strength and prepare. The next time, she could catch him off guard and kill him, just in time to avenge Lujia.

Speaking of Lujia, Yan Yu had not forgotten that its wounds had not been properly treated. In the original plot, after it exhausted its soul power, the male lead abandoned it. It lasted less than two days before dying from severe internal bleeding.

“Right, where is my beast pet?” Yan Yu propped herself up with her arms and sat up, looking as though it took great effort.

Right now, every part of her body hurt. There was not a single muscle on her whole body that worked properly. Even moving a finger made her entire arm ache for a long time.

Yin Beiqing said without much emotion, “It may already be dead.”

Yan Yu did not panic or feel sad immediately. Although she had only understood Yin Beiqing through words, she knew that Yin Beiqing respected Beast Souls and beast pets far more than she respected people. Even if she disliked Yan Yu, there was no need for her to make things difficult for a low-level beast pet.

Moreover, what she had just said was “may be dead.” Based on her personality, if Lujia really were dead, she would definitely tell Yan Yu directly without hiding it. She might even be happy to watch Yan Yu cry a little.

“Where is it? I need to go save it.” Now that her own safety was somewhat guaranteed, Yan Yu began worrying about Lujia’s condition.

Medicine in this world was not advanced. Because the higher a Beast Arts Master’s soul power was, the stronger their own healing ability became, people’s first reaction when they got sick was not to treat the illness, but to think of ways to raise their soul power so that their healing ability would improve and their injuries would recover faster.

It was precisely because of this fierce and barbaric custom that a very large number of Beast Arts Masters died suddenly every year.

There were wandering doctors among the people who could treat minor illnesses and symptoms, but proud Beast Arts Masters disdained using them. If they truly encountered some acute illness, this group of brutes would usually just force down pills to increase their soul power and keep themselves alive.

If Lujia had simply lost too much soul power, that method might have worked. But earlier, while bandaging it, Yan Yu had observed multiple fractures on its body. Its breathing was heavy, its saliva was bloody, and both its heart and lungs had suffered serious damage. If the root problem was not solved, the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous it would become.

“You can barely protect yourself, yet you still have the leisure to worry about it.”

Yan Yu’s clear black-and-white eyes fixed on her, and her tone was direct. “Do you still want to kill me now?”

Yin Beiqing sneered, probably not expecting Yan Yu to say that.

Although she had already seen that this sickly weakling was good at disguising her emotions, she had not expected her to burn bridges so decisively. How long had it been? She had already stopped using the respectful “you” and switched to a more casual one.

“If you don’t answer me, I’ll take it as you not wanting to kill me.” When a life was involved, every minute was especially precious. Yan Yu endured the pain in her abdomen and put on her shoes. “Take me to see it.”

“Are you ordering me?”

With some confidence for negotiation, Yan Yu was not as afraid when speaking to her. “I am asking for your help.”

Yin Beiqing lowered her eyes, raised her hand, and pinched Yan Yu’s chin, forcefully lifting it so their gazes were level.

“Is that the tone of someone asking?” The force in her hand gradually tightened, and her tone turned sinister. “Or do you think that now my Beast Soul Pearl is inside your body, I have no way to deal with 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 full confidence that I can help you become the next empress, is that enough to exchange for one condition?”

“Do I look like I have a good temper, giving you the illusion that you can casually negotiate conditions with me?” Yin Beiqing remained unmoved, lifting her chin as she said darkly.

“Since you spent so much effort looking for me, the goddess, you must have something you want.” Yan Yu continued without blushing or her heart skipping. “There are still many things I can do for you.”

She was almost one step away from carving the words “I’m very useful, hurry and hire me” onto her face.

Yin Beiqing seemed to sense her urgent desire to be employed. She pinched Yan Yu’s face and looked her over from left to right. “Begging me to keep you?”

Yan Yu locked eyes with her in a stalemate. Her expression seemed calm, but cold sweat had already spread across her entire back.

She knew Yin Beiqing hated it when people used her weakness to negotiate with her. It was not as if no one had done that before. Hearing that Yin Beiqing was wealthy enough to rival a nation, someone had once rushed over with an A-rank treasure artifact to make a deal. In the end, this Living Yama directly waved her hand and placed a blade against his neck, returning a multiple-choice question to him.

Did he want to keep his life, or leave the item behind?

That person was so frightened he nearly pissed himself. He dropped the treasure artifact and ran away, ending in a complete loss.

Yin Beiqing’s rule was: I already granted you the great favor of sparing your life. Isn’t it only natural that you give me things?

So when the same question reached Yan Yu, Yin Beiqing used the same method.

“I spare your life, and you doing those things for me is only what you should do. Right now, you can only be considered useful. Apart from that, what else about you could attract me enough to keep you?” Yin Beiqing smiled carelessly, but that smile did not contain much kindness.

She let go of Yan Yu’s chin. But before Yan Yu could breathe in relief, Yin Beiqing raised her hand again. Her index and ring fingers pressed against her thumb, forming the gesture of snapping her fingers, and she brought it beside Yan Yu’s ear. “I am no Bodhisattva. I do not like doing good deeds. Put this way, do you understand?”

By comparison, Yin Beiqing was already rather patient with Yan Yu. At least she had even “explained” a few sentences.

Yan Yu, however, could not feel the slightest gratitude. Out of the corner of her eye, she observed Yin Beiqing’s movements, and her body temperature suddenly dropped. She was far too familiar with this gesture. This was the precise warning sign before this demon killed someone.

Ordinary Beast Arts Masters, before battle, would usually open their palms and place them in front of themselves to prepare a spiritual-art seal. Yin Beiqing did not like doing such flashy things. She was already skilled enough that she could use spiritual arts freely without the enhancement of hand seals. But under normal circumstances, she would still snap her fingers beforehand. Its purpose was not to make killing easier for herself, but to remind the other person that their death was near.

Yan Yu had to admit that she panicked.

But for a person like her, the more panicked she became, the faster her brain worked. However, fast thinking did not mean the final decision would be correct.

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

This hairpin was something she had just taken from Yin Beiqing’s hair at incredible speed. Her long hair had been held in place by this single item. After it was pulled out, her waterfall-like black hair instantly scattered down, and an even stronger cold fragrance rushed toward Yan Yu. But at this moment, Yan Yu was gripping the hairpin so tightly that blue veins stood out on her hand. She did not even have the courage to slow her breathing and avoid that soul-stirring scent.

Yin Beiqing’s neck was long and white. The blood vessels on the side of her neck were clearly visible, fragile like a willow branch that would break with a gentle pinch.

It was very strange. This demon from legend who could fight a hundred people alone seemed, on the surface, no different from an ordinary person.

But Yan Yu knew those were only appearances. No one would look down on this Living Yama in front of them because of that.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Yin Beiqing lowered her eyes to look at her. Even with her vital point placed in danger, there was not the slightest panic or fear.

“Of course I do.” Yan Yu did not dare relax the strength in her arm even a little. “This is the carotid artery. Once it is cut, your blood will immediately gush out in spurts. At this rate of blood loss, you will have no time to save yourself.”

That was what she said, but Yan Yu could not actually do it. Or rather, thirty seconds ago, she had already begun regretting her impulsive action. This was not a wise method at all. It was a shortcut to seeking death.

The other party had a hundred ways to twist her neck before she successfully stabbed the hairpin down.

Yin Beiqing’s expression was unexpectedly calm. She stared at Yan Yu. This beautiful face had been frightened pale, yet it carried a stubborn resilience that was barely holding on. Her clear eyes also held a light that made it hard to look away.

This version of Yan Yu made Yin Beiqing inexplicably develop a desire. She could not help wanting to test Yan Yu’s limits and see what she looked like when she broke down.

Because of Yin Beiqing’s silence, Yan Yu endured an even more torturous moment. She tried to read the other woman’s expression, only to find that she could not see through her thoughts at all.

Every profession had its specialties. She was not a psychiatrist, and the person opposite her was also a temperamental Living Yama. It would be strange if she could understand her.

“Is that so?”

Yin Beiqing did not understand the term “carotid artery,” but that did not stop her from understanding Yan Yu’s meaning. Strangely enough, she was not angry at all. She even felt a rush of pleasure that made her want to laugh loudly.

Before Yan Yu could understand what had happened, Yin Beiqing’s unrestrained laughter brushed against her ear, making her whole body go numb and robbing her of the ability to think.

What exactly did this person mean? Whether she wanted to kill her or keep her, could she not just decide cleanly?

“When you said that just now, your expression was especially beautiful.” Yin Beiqing did not hide her direct gaze at all. She looked like an executioner who had found the perfect prey, impatient to dissect it with a scalpel.

Yan Yu could not help frowning and muttered softly, “Madwoman.”

Who would get excited after being threatened with a pierced carotid artery?

Yin Beiqing did not care about this evaluation. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers crisply beside Yan Yu’s ear. After the sound rang out, Yan Yu’s chest suddenly began to hurt violently, as if someone were carving words into her skin with a dull knife.

After five seconds that felt far too long to her, the pain finally faded. She could not wait to hook her collar and lower her head to look. What entered her sight was a dark character glowing red. The light flashed once, then dimmed and merged into her skin until nothing could be seen.

The character’s strokes were complicated, somewhat like a combination of Daoist talisman script and Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was very distinctive, and it finally made Yan Yu remember what it was.

This was the contract mark possessed by everyone in Langdie Valley, 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.

Author’s Note:

Hehe, Yan-mei actually isn’t a good little obedient child either.