Raindrops, driven by gusts of wind, swept away the last remaining autumn leaves on their path. They fell to the ground, bending grass and shrubs under their weight, sowing chaos and turmoil in the once calm forest.
The day was gloomy. The gray sky was covered with dense clouds. From time to time, they roared like lions and hurled bolts of lightning at the earth. This day promised to be a farewell to the warm summer and cool autumn.
Yang Yulan shuffled through muddy puddles, making her way through the thick forest. Her cheeks were flushed and chapped from the cold. Her mask had come off some time ago, caught on a branch, so nothing shielded her face from the biting wind anymore. The girl had no chance to retrieve the treacherous mask. She just muttered, «to hell with it,» and trudged on in a direction unknown to her.
Yang Yulan kept muttering something to herself. Her indignation, however, was interrupted by the sounds of inconsolable nature.
In Yang Yulan's arms lay a pretty girl, bleeding. She was unconscious but retained her indescribable beauty and charm. The heroine's amazing ability to remain beautiful, even at death's door, both amazed and frightened Yang Yulan.
She carried Mei Baijie in search of shelter, constantly stumbling over stones and lamenting to herself about it. Her mood couldn't be worse. And no wonder. Things were going as badly as they could. And the problem was this:
Just that morning, Yang Yulin had returned to the White Lotus Pavilion using the system and felt wonderful, reveling in the success of her mission. She rejoiced and celebrated her small victory, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was going too smoothly. She tried to push these thoughts away, but to her dismay, she realized they weren't unfounded. When Yang Yulan used the system to return to the event site to report to the villainess about the completed mission, she suddenly found herself at the spot where the unconscious heroine lay.
Yang Yulan assumed this place was the event's action point, so she was transported here instead of the forest clearing. However, at the moment of the transfer, the girl didn't yet realize a mistake had occurred. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. She decided not to rush and waited for the main hero to save his girl before going to find Shin Zuzhou. But an hour passed, then two, and before Yang Yulan knew it, half a day had gone by. Yang Jinlong never appeared. The girl logically began to panic.
Where could that idiot have disappeared to for so long while his beloved was lying on bare, wet ground, coughing up blood? He should have shown up long ago.
At that moment, Yang Yulan began to understand something was wrong. Perhaps she had made another mistake, and the heroine had fallen in the wrong place. Maybe that was it. After all, the horse had run some distance before throwing off the heroine. Could this be the famous butterfly effect? Would Yang Jinlong appear soon? These questions tormented the girl. She glanced again at the wounded heroine.
The sight was unpleasant. Especially for Yang Yulan's weak heart. The girl was going crazy and had almost chewed off all her fingernails when Mei Baijie, breathing heavily, opened her eyes and noticed her in the bushes.
Yang Yulan held her breath. Tears welled up in Mei Baijie's eyes from unbearable pain. She gathered all her strength and barely lifted her right hand, stretching it towards the stranger, asking for help.
Yang Yulan paled in horror and jumped out of her hiding spot.
«To hell with the plot,» she thought to herself, running towards the heroine. «To hell with canon. Let it all go to hell! Who cares about Mei Baijie's happy married life! What good is it if the girl doesn't live to see it safe and sound. To hell with that useless main hero who can't even save his girl. What's he good for? Exactly! How can anyone care about romance when a person is lying there dying before your eyes.»
Yang Yulan wiped raindrops from her eyes and, seeing nothing in front of her, crouched next to Mei Baijie. She began quickly bandaging her wounds with shreds of her own wet clothing. The girl ran her hand over Mei Baijie's forehead, wiping blood from her face. The wounded girl, in turn, moved Yang Yulan's palm to her cheek with trembling fingers.
«Warm,» Mei Baijie rasped.
«Wait a bit, everything will be fine. Just stay conscious, okay?» Yang Yulan pleaded.
After these words, ironically enough, Mei Baijie immediately passed out. Yang Yulan had no choice but to pick the girl up and set off to find the coveted cave where they could wait out the bad weather.
Thus, Yang Yulan wandered unsuccessfully through the forest in search of help and temporary shelter. As luck would have it, she didn't encounter a single guard the entire time. If Yang Yulan had been avoiding guards, at least three would have emerged from the forest by now. Those sent to search for the heroine were clearly charlatans who didn't know their job.
«System.»
A pink window lit up.
«Don't you see the situation I'm in? Be so kind as to help your client.»
«The system bears no responsibility for the user's actions. At this moment, we cannot help except by providing the original book and the store with additional options.»
«What good is your store to me if I can't buy anything in it?! The person who invented your point system deserves execution.»
«Insults towards the company and its employees are prohibited and may result in fines.»
«Argh!»
Yang Yulan threw lightning bolts fiercer than the storm clouds. She was ready to explode with anger.
But it was no time to lose her head. The person in Yang Yulan's arms was getting worse by the second.
«Can you at least tell me where the cave from the book is? Please,» the girl gritted her teeth. «Do you have a compass or something? There must be something for such a case.»
«The list of functions available to the user includes the original book and the ability to return to the spawn point.»
«Alright, alright. Suppose. That'll do. Then can I move another person with me to the spawn point?»
«The system does not provide such a capability.»
«Then reconsider, you stupid machine!»
«We remind you that insults towards the company and its employees...»
«Drop dead! Get out of my sight!»
The system disappeared. Yang Yulan, in turn, didn't stop her attempts to save Mei Baijie. It was already too late to take the girl back to the fall site. Now everything depended on her.
Fortunately, luck smiled upon Yang Yulan after hours of aimless wandering. Perhaps Yang Yulan had used up all her luck for the year.
A cave was found on a small stone ledge. Not very cozy, but at least sheltered from rain and wind. Yang Yulan wasn't sure if it was the same cave where the main characters waited out the rain, but she didn't care anymore.
Yang Yulan carried the wounded girl into the cave, then removed the remains of her outer clothing, laid the fabric on the floor, and placed Mei Baijie on it. It was cold in the cave. So, making sure the girl was breathing calmly, Yang Yulan returned to the rainy forest to look for dry branches. Finding them was a real trial. During a downpour, finding a dry branch for a fire is harder than finding one in the same stone cave. But Yang Yulan still managed to find a couple of dry branches suitable for a fire. They were thick and should last for a while. It was already getting dark.
The wind grew stronger, and Yang Yulan, now without outer clothing and carrying semi-dry branches in the inner pocket of her undergarments, began to shiver from the cold. Her ears and nose turned red, and her hands grew stiff and refused to move.
The girl returned to the cave, coughing and sneezing. Steam came from her mouth, and her lips turned blue.
Yang Yulan tried to remember school camping trips when she and her class lit fires in the forest. She had had varying success even back then. And now, with her hands as stiff as the branches themselves, it was twice as hard. The first spark appeared after half an hour of unsuccessful attempts. When Yang Yulan saw the little flame, she was ready to squeal with happiness, despite the extreme fatigue.
The fire was weak. The flame threatened to go out any second but still inspired hope for some warmth. It was already completely dark when Yang Yulan went out for firewood again. The rain didn't stop.
«Who are you?» a thin, weak voice sounded when the girl returned to the cave. There, by the small fire, sat Mei Baijie, looking fearfully at the unexpected newcomer. She was surprised that the person who had come was a young girl.
Yang Yulan, without a word, approached the fire and carefully added more wood, trying not to disturb the weak flame.
«You're awake already. How do you feel? Seems you're badly hurt.»
«Do you know me?»
«No,» Yang Yulan answered dryly and fell silent again.
Mei Baijie also didn't ask more. Noticing Mei Baijie's discomfort, Yang Yulan clarified:
«Don't worry. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you and certainly wouldn't have brought you here.»
Mei Baijie looked carefully at the stranger's face. The girl didn't look her best. A very sickly face and dark circles under her eyes created an aura of death around her. The girl before her was in very thin undergarments, almost soaked through. When Mei Baijie woke up, she noticed she was lying on a warm piece of fabric. It was made of fur and had partially dried in the time that passed. Apparently, this kind girl had given her her outer clothing so she wouldn't lie on the bare ground.
«Sorry for the trouble. Thank you so much. For saving me and...»
«It's nothing,» Yang Yulan felt a pang of guilt. After all, she was the one responsible for the girl's condition. She was the one who pushed her off the cliff. And on purpose.
«You're completely soaked. Your hands are all blue. Better take off the rest of your clothes and warm up.»
«Take off my clothes...? No, no, I'm not that wet, it's fine,» Yang Yulan panicked. She really didn't want to undress.
«What's the matter? We're both girls. Don't worry about me. If you're shy, I'll just turn away. But you can't stay in wet clothes. See, I'll take mine off too now.»
«How can you say such a thing to a stranger? Aren't you scared at all?»
«I don't think I have anything to fear. As you said—if you wanted to, you would have harmed me long ago.»
When the heroine reached out her hands towards Yang Yulan, the latter jumped. «I'm fine, I'm okay.»
«I don't need warmth. See, I'm healthy as an ox. I can even walk and...»
Before Yang Yulan could finish, she felt a slight dizziness. She tiredly sat down on the ground and rubbed her eyes. Mei Baijie moved closer and touched her hands.
«Oh my god! You're ice cold!»
«I'm fine,» Yang Yulan said again and passed out, falling right into the arms of the worried Mei Baijie.
---
The sounds of the fire echoed through the small stone cave. It had become much warmer than before. Yang Yulan opened her eyes, feeling surprisingly comfortable.
The first thing she saw upon waking was someone's soft chest. Yang Yulan fully woke up and hurried to sit up.
«Lie down a little longer, you're not fully warmed up yet,» the girl who spoke was completely naked. Yang Yulan and Mei Baijie lay on the fur blanket next to the fire. Before the former could be surprised by this fact, another, no less shocking one followed: Yang Yulan was also without clothes.
«What... What's going on?»
«You were out in the cold too long and lost consciousness. I undressed you and tried to warm you with my body.»
Yang Yulan's ears and face burned like parade lamps.
«Where are my clothes?»
«They were wet, so I put them near the fire to dry. Sorry if I embarrassed you. I didn't know what else to do to help.»
«It's nothing... It's fine.» Outwardly, Yang Yulan looked quite indifferent, but her mind was in complete chaos.
«I'm sorry. I just wanted to help.»
«No, no. Thank you. Really. I... don't even know how to react now. The clothes are probably a bit dry by now, I'll put something on.»
«No!» Mei Baijie unexpectedly exclaimed. «The clothes are still wet, you'll feel bad again.»
«So what, should I sit here naked?»
«Exactly! Come here, we can warm each other like before.»
«No way!»
«But why? We're both girls, what's wrong with that?»
«I can't... I don't know why, but I can't.»
Mei Baijie sighed, then grabbed her injured head.
«What's wrong? Does it hurt?»
Mei Baijie quickly smiled to herself. Actually, her wounds didn't hurt as much anymore. Her fall had been softened by bushes and tall grass, and she hadn't hit any sharp rocks during the fall. The girl still felt unwell, but not enough to lose consciousness.
«Yes, it hurts. Though the only thing you can do to help me is warm me up.»
«Are you embarrassed?»
«Very.»
«Then we can talk to distract ourselves. I love to chat, though honestly, people rarely listen to me.»
«I don't think that will help much.»
«Really?» Mei Baijie was upset. «Well, okay then.»
«I-I meant it won't help me calm down much, but it's better than nothing,» Yang Yulan hurried to correct herself. «And I'd like to know more about you.»
«Really?» Mei Baijie immediately perked up. «What exactly would you like to know about me?»
Yang Yulan thought for a second. In the book, the heroine was the most developed character, and a lot was known about her. For example, the fact that she loved animals. The reader also knew that Mei Baijie had been a slave and lived in poverty until she met her destined one at war. She had a decent understanding of medicine, though she wasn't a master. She was very cheerful and, despite all the hardships that befell her, she never lost heart and always hoped for the best.
Yang Yulan loved this heroine, and even though she was just a collection of boring and clichéd stereotypes, she still evoked sympathy from readers. That's probably why Yang Yulan had stayed up all night reading this novel back in the day and truly enjoyed it. It's hard not to love a story when you love the heroine.
«Hmm... I have one question,» Yang Yulan said. «But it's a bit... personal.»
Mei Baijie became interested and pricked up her ears.
«What question?»
«Are you happy?»
«What?»
«At this stage of your life, are you happy? Can you call your life acceptable?»
Mei Baijie frowned. She initially took this question seriously. However, seeing Yang Yulan's concerned face, she suddenly laughed.
«What? Why are you laughing?»
«You ask such strange questions. It's as if you wish for everything to be well with me. Though we don't even know each other.»
«I was just wondering...,» Yang Yulan grumbled.
«Alright, alright. Sorry. Yes, I'm very happy. Of course, there are still some imperfections in my life, but compared to how I lived before...» At these words, Mei Baijie abruptly stopped, as if remembering something. Her face darkened, and her eyes became glassy.
«Never mind...»
«What about you? I don't even know your name.»
«My name... Mm...»
«Wait!» Mei Baijie suddenly jumped up and pointed at Yang Yulan as if she remembered something.
«You seemed familiar to me from the start.»
Yang Yulan swallowed nervously.
«Yes. I couldn't remember because you were wearing makeup then. You're His Highness's younger sister, right? I saw you at the feast. Oh, or should I address you formally?»
«No, it's better to address me as before. That's more comfortable for me.»
«As you wish. But you're really unrecognizable. Like two different people. You know, when I saw you, I even thought you were too beautiful to be called a crazy ugly monster.»
«Oh, I said the wrong thing again.» Mei Baijie lightly hit her head a couple of times. «Sorry. I meant I completely disagree with them. I always speak first and think later.»
Yang Yulan gently moved Mei Baijie's fists away from her head so she wouldn't accidentally hurt herself.
«It's nothing. Don't worry.»
«Okay.» Mei Baijie lowered her eyes to the floor and after a couple of minutes quietly said, «Then can I ask you some more?»
Yang Yulan sighed heavily. Things couldn't possibly get worse.
«Go ahead. Looks like we're here for a while.»
«Great.»
«So, what were you doing in this forest all alone? Isn't that dangerous for a girl?»
«No. I like to hunt here from time to time. Others should be afraid of meeting me here.»
«I see. But is a princess allowed to do that?»
«I can do anything. I'm crazy. But it's still a secret.»
«I understand. Of course!»
«So, it turns out you went hunting today and came across me?»
«Well... Sort of.» A lump rose in Yang Yulan's throat, but she tried to distract herself from the oppressive thoughts.
«I'm so glad you found me. If it weren't for you, I could have died right there.»
«Yeah.» Yang Yulan's mood was getting worse and worse.
The rain continued to pour. It was already deep into the night, but Mei Baijie refused to go to sleep, so Yang Yulan had no choice but to keep her company.
«His Highness is probably looking for me out there, in the cold, all wet. Ah, if only I could somehow show him I'm okay.»
«I think if he were worried about you, he would have come much sooner,» Yang Yulan quipped.
Mei Baijie laughed merrily in response.
«He's your brother. Shouldn't you be kinder to him?»
«We don't have a very close relationship.»
«But why?»
«It just so happens that he doesn't really want to talk to me. And it's mutual, really.»
«I see... Maybe there was a misunderstanding between you? I think he'd be happy to have another close person on his side. You should talk about it.»
«I will,» Yang Yulan replied indifferently, then, noticing Mei Baijie's sad expression, hurried to change the subject.
«Why do you even like my brother? I think you love him too much.»
«That's right!» Mei Baijie cheered up. She began to tell about her meeting with His Highness, about his habits, his interests. She said that behind his cold aloofness, the prince hid a very caring nature. However, the girl hadn't seen this soft side since their mutual good friend died in the war.
«What friend?» Yang Yulan asked with interest. She hadn't read about this in the book.
Mei Baijie's face darkened again.
«A friend His Highness valued very much. He died saving his life on the battlefield.»
«I see.» Yang Yulan wanted to know more about this person but didn't ask further, noticing Mei Baijie's mood.
By midnight, the weather began to improve slightly. The rain hadn't completely stopped, but the wind had noticeably weakened.
«In the morning, we'll go look for help,» Yang Yulan said.
Mei Baijie looked sadly at her bandaged, bloody leg.
«I doubt I'll be able to walk.»
«It's okay. I'll carry you.»
«No, no. That will be too hard.»
«Don't worry. I'm strong enough. I train a lot, by the way. Have you seen my muscles?» Yang Yulan winked slyly at the girl to cheer her up. Mei Baijie's mood did lift.
«Listen, Your Highness—»
«Address me informally. You've already revealed my identity, so call me by name.»
«Then... Yang Yulan?»
The girl nodded approvingly.
«Yang Yulan, I have another request for you.»
«What is it?»
«Could we become friends?»
«?»
Mei Baijie blushed like a tomato, as if confessing her feelings to someone.
«I've been living in this world for so long, but I've never had a single good girlfriend in my entire life. When we return to the palace... Can we be friends and see each other from time to time? I won't bother you, really. I'll even talk less if you want.»
Yang Yulan was flattered by Mei Baijie's words, but she still thought their communication would be burdensome. However, she couldn't outright refuse the wounded girl, so she decided to answer as vaguely as possible.
«We'll see. We need to get back to the palace first.»