Chapter 75 I Like You
Ye Zhaoxue?!
Pei Ci's eyes narrowed when she heard Ye Qingyu's words.
It's not Lin Yao, it's not Ji Wei.
It is Ye Zhaoxue.
Yet another completely unfamiliar name.
One trap leads to another, one link leads to another; a moment's carelessness and you'll fall into this person's snare.
The more Pei Ci interacted with this person, the more terrifying he became. But at the same time, it strengthened her resolve to find him. And now, she held the most crucial key—
Ye Qingyu loves her.
No, it was Ye Zhaoxue who loved her.
Because he loved her, he wouldn't hurt her, wouldn't betray her, and would even compromise time and again for her, suppressing the boiling hatred in his heart. Because of this certainty, she chose the most risky method. She gripped Ye Zhaoxue's clothes tighter and tighter, her eyes fixed on him—
Who is it?
"Ye Zhaoxue, tell me, who is it?"
Pei Ci's heart was pounding.
Unfortunately, even this step was anticipated by that person. Ye Zhaoxue's love for her, and Ye Qingyu's resistance, only amounted to revealing his real name. As for anything else, that person wouldn't give him the chance to say it.
Sure enough, as soon as Pei Ci finished speaking, Ye Zhaoxue began to convulse and breathe rapidly. He couldn't help but dig at the wounds on his neck with his hands, and then let out a painful howl like a wild beast.
Such wails alerted those lurking in the shadows. Soon, there was a knock on the door, and someone came in. They opened the door, first anxiously inquiring about Pei Ci's condition, and then taking Ye Zhaoxue away.
A day later, Ye Zhaoxue woke up after receiving treatment, but it was Ye Qingyu who woke up instead.
"Miss, I think you've had enough fun by now." Ye Zhaoxue, lying on the bed, had the same irritable and restrained expression as Ye Qingyu.
Pei Ci didn't speak. She found a chair and sat down by his bedside, her hand touching the wound on his chest. She could still recall the moment the light burst out when the cabinet was opened, revealing the huge hole that almost exposed the bone.
This is Ye Zhaoxue's resistance.
Thinking of this, Pei Ci gently pressed her face against his wound. She whispered in her heart:
"Ye Zhaoxue, leave the rest to me."
After obtaining Ye Zhaoxue's real name, Pei Ci instructed the system to search for information about Ye Zhaoxue. However, unlike Ye Qingyu, Ye Zhaoxue had countless other names.
After seeing tens of thousands of Ye Zhaoxue's names, Pei Ci calmly issued another instruction: "Find information about Ye Zhaoxue who has any connection with Lu Ran."
Thus, tens of thousands of Ye Zhaoxues were reduced to one.
*
"Why are you ignoring me?" After waiting for Pei Ci's response for a long time without getting one, Lu Ran couldn't wait any longer and went to her door. Compared to his previous smugness, he was now looking haggard, which even his careful makeup couldn't hide.
He was almost driven crazy by Aci's hot and cold attitude.
But even knowing this, standing in front of Aci and seeing her who only reached his chin, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"No," Pei Ci said calmly.
"No?"
"No."
"What did I do wrong?" Lu Ran's eyes reddened.
"without--"
"I was wrong," Lu Ran said directly. He lowered his head, his brows furrowed, and looked at Pei Ci with pleading eyes. "I was really wrong."
Pei Ci: "..."
Pei Ci was indeed angry, especially after learning about Ye Zhaoxue's experience. Because of Lu Ran's impulsive driving, three lives were lost, and one person's family was shattered. In the end, the matter was dropped. What punishment did Lu Ran receive? He was confined for a few days and kept in hiding for several months. Perhaps he would have some lingering trauma while driving, but with the passage of time, it wouldn't leave many traces.
Ye Zhaoxue's experience instantly reminded her of her past life, when she was just an ordinary person. An ordinary person easily crushed by illness, whose life was always filled with anxiety about money. And what she cared about was nothing more than lunch for the rich.
The rich can always easily obtain what the poor spend their entire lives pursuing.
Because they obtained it too easily, they never paid it any attention.
As a result, she actually felt a bit angry with Lu Ran.
But her anger, faced with Lu Ran's bewildered and anxious expression, and his frank apology, felt like a punch hitting cotton; she couldn't pull it out, nor could she exert any force.
He was always extremely innocent and kind in front of her.
“A-Ci…” Lu Ran’s fingers tried to touch her.
Pei Ci took a few steps back, avoiding his touch.
"Lu Ran," Pei Ci rubbed her temples, "I don't want to see you for the time being."
*
After obtaining Ye Zhaoxue's information, Pei Ci had a new idea for finding that person.
As the saying goes, cleverness can backfire.
To conceal Ye Zhaoxue's true identity, he created several false identities. However, no matter what you do, you will always leave traces.
A medicinal herb.
One Ji Wei.
Then there's Ye Zhaoxue.
Can't the anomalies in these three people really be linked to just one person?
In addition, Pei Ci discovered something else: in order to silence Ye Zhaoxue and make her truly become Ye Qingyu, undetected by the world's consciousness, the person behind the scenes must have used drugs.
This speculation stemmed from her unintentional visit to Ye Zhaoxue's home before the world restarted. It was a far cry from Ye Qingyu's usual living environment, filled with all sorts of medicine. At the time, she assumed this world was exaggerated and couldn't depict a normal living environment, and therefore didn't pay much attention to medicine. Now, perhaps that environment was merely a means to monitor Ye Zhaoxue, and the medicine was a means of controlling him.
So now there are two paths.
One approach is to start with the experiences of Lin Yaoji, Wei Ye, and Zhaoxue.
One path is to restore Ye Zhaoxue to normalcy.
Pei Ci needs to pursue two paths simultaneously to maximize her chances of finding this person.
Of course, there is one more crucial thing.
She has to catch this person in 45 days.
Because in 45 days, Ye Zhaoxue will jump off the building before the world restarts, and on that day, the real female lead will die completely.
*
After clearing her mind, Pei Ci began to act. She was always very efficient, and while investigating the experiences of Lin Yaojiwei and Ye Zhaoxue, not only was the system helping her, but what she found even more unbelievable was…
An Yinyou surprisingly offered to help.
Are you looking for someone?
On a sunny afternoon, An Yinyou took the initiative to visit. He was gentle and refined, with the demeanor of a noble young master. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Pei Ci, and just as Pei Ci was about to see him off, he turned to her, his beautiful, gentle eyes quietly looking at her, and asked her in a seemingly casual manner.
Pei Ci frowned.
An Eun-woo just smiled; he was happy for himself, for he finally existed in the girl's eyes at this moment.
“You know that,” An Yinyou said, “the An family has information files on everyone in Anta.”
Pei Ci: "..."
Pei Ci didn't reply; she was hesitating. Indeed, as An Yinyou said, because of the An family's mild-mannered approach, although they weren't the most respected representatives of both the nobility and the commoners, they were certainly the most trusted by both sides. Therefore, information from both sides was stored within the An family.
Anjia possesses the most comprehensive information database from Antar.
An Yinyou's help was merely icing on the cake.
But after careful consideration, Pei Ci declined.
"Young Master An, you should go back now," Pei Ci said tactfully.
Anyone would probably be disappointed here, but not An Eun-woo; he always wore the most perfect mask.
He took a few steps closer to Pei Ci, his eyes filled with a gentle light, yet unconsciously trusting her.
"Miss Pei, don't you trust me?"
That's a very straightforward question.
Pei Ci frowned. This wasn't quite like An Yinyou's style, but she didn't want to cause trouble. She repeated, "Young Master An, please leave."
However, An Yinyou showed no intention of leaving. He nodded to himself, "Yes, you really shouldn't have trusted me."
“In your eyes, I am a machine raised by a perfect political family, a puppet who only knows how to laugh. Everything I do has a purpose, and I profit from it. Now that I am showing you goodwill, you must think that I also have ulterior motives.”
“Okay.” He shrugged, looking helpless. “I do have ulterior motives.”
“But she’s definitely in your best interest.” An Eunwoo slowly approached, and what he said was indeed true. From a very young age, he was deprived of the right to speak freely, which then affected his behavior and his world, which constantly changed until it became a simple world filled only with calculation.
He was always planning, arranging, and acting in the name of results. But these past few days, he'd made a new discovery.
Opportunity is not just for those who are prepared.
It can also be given to those who recklessly rush in without considering anything else.
Lu Ran is a perfect example.
At that Pei family banquet, he was defeated by Lu Ran, who was inferior to him in every way. A few days ago, Lu Ran once again won Pei Ci's favor.
An Yinyou couldn't help but wonder, what was it about Pei Ci that she loved about him?
That face? Family background? Perhaps that's part of the reason. But he didn't think he was any less than that. And he had everything Lu Ran lacked, and he excelled at it all.
What is that?
After much contemplation, Ahn Eun-woo finally found the answer—
Lu Ran's unpredictability.
It's because of Lu Ran's intuition.
An Eun-woo didn't want to taste defeat again, nor did he want to be consumed by anger once more. He felt he had to make a change.
And that's how things came about.
Visiting Pei Ci without any hesitation, solely based on his own thoughts, was something he had never dared to imagine before. But now he did it. When Pei Ci clearly sensed his impatience, he didn't leave gracefully; instead, he went a step further.
I have to say, this feeling of freedom is pretty good.
He adjusted his glasses; when he wasn't deliberately trying to appear gentle, his eyes had a cool, phoenix-like quality.
"What do you want to say?" Pei Ci turned her face to the side and pursed her lips as An Yinyou stared at her.
Why is An Yinyou being so tactless today?
"Are you thinking I was being so tactless today?" An Yinyou lowered her head and asked softly, "You seem to dislike me, and even ignore me a bit. But..."
He bent down, his head lowered so that he looked Pei Ci in the eye. An Yinyou took off his glasses, revealing delicate eyebrows, beautiful eyes, and features that unfolded like a painting. At this moment, he showed a genuine smile.
"But, Miss Pei, I like you."
I've liked you for a long time.
“I want you to like me.” His smile widened. “That’s my most sinister purpose.”
-----------------------
Author's note: The last chapter was heavily revised, with significant changes to the plot.
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