Chapter 19

Back at the hotel, Zhu Xinyue placed the bouquet in a vase and gently touched the white petals.
Apart from mentioning matters related to the original owner, the system, which rarely appeared, suddenly spoke up: "Host."
"What’s wrong?"
"It seems you’ve misunderstood something." The system paused. "It’s not that you chose to become the novel’s female supporting character Zhu Xinyue, but rather 'Zhu Xinyue' chose you."
Zhu Xinyue frowned, not understanding what the system meant.
If it was referring to the very beginning, when it made her choose between death and becoming the novel’s female supporting character, no matter what the option besides death was, she would have chosen it. After all, who would want to die if they could live?
"You are the first host who pressed the pause button just as she was about to reach the death ending." The system's electronic voice seemed to carry emotion, a very gentle tone. "So, in that world, Zhu Xinyue hasn't truly died because of you."
The floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony flickered for a moment, transforming into a portal connecting two worlds. The scenery outside shifted to a hospital room in another world.
Zhu Xinyue approached the window and peered through it, seeing a woman who looked exactly like herself lying quietly on the hospital bed.
It was a strange and surreal feeling.
Zhu Xinyue pressed her hand against the glass, trying to see more clearly.
Their appearances seemed identical at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences.
Zhu Xinyue’s features were softer, especially her eyebrows, they were lighter in color and would appear somewhat pale without the help of an eyebrow pencil. In contrast, the young woman on the hospital bed had darker, more defined eyebrows with a sharp arch and tapered ends, giving her a bold and fierce demeanor.
Zhu Xinyue could imagine what kind of girl she would be if she woke up.
Like a little warrior cloaked in a cape, wielding a sword.
In her original world, Zhu Xinyue had no sisters, only brothers. But she felt that if she did have a sister, she would be just like this.
If she had a sister… she hoped she wouldn’t be like herself, too rational to the point of coldness, too sensitive to the point of self-doubt, too skilled at enduring until she became numb and restrained.
Zhu Xinyue drifted into a daze, recalling Ji Linyu’s words: "As long as you like yourself, that’s enough."
It turned out she didn’t like herself.
"How can we wake her up?" Zhu Xinyue asked.
The system replied, "Fulfill her wish."
That was why the system didn’t care whether Zhu Xinyue’s actions would disrupt the novel’s romantic plotline between the male and female leads. Its only concern was whether Zhu Xinyue could fulfill the original host’s wish and help her wake up smoothly.
Zhu Xinyue clenched her fist, she understood.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and the hospital scene in the floor-to-ceiling window reverted to the original view.
Steadying herself, Zhu Xinyue walked to the door and opened it.
Ji Qingyuan stood outside holding her phone and charger, waiting for her.
"You weren’t here when I knocked earlier. Where did you go?" Ji Qingyuan asked casually.
Zhu Xinyue took her phone and answered honestly, "I went to the mall with Linyu to buy clothes."
Ji Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, watching her walk back into the room with her phone. As he lifted his foot to step inside, Zhu Xinyue shot him a glare. He silently retracted his foot, stood firmly by the door, and leaned against the doorframe with one hand, watching her.
"A-Yue, let’s not drag my brother into our matters, okay?" Ji Qingyuan hinted meaningfully.
Zhu Xinyue plugged in her charger, sat cross-legged on the carpet, and scrolled through her phone to check for messages that needed replies. Without looking up, she said, "I don’t understand what you’re talking about."
Ji Qingyuan glanced left and right. Seeing no one else in the hallway, he asked Zhu Xinyue in the room, “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about. May I come in?”
If it were before, he would have just walked right in, after all, what was their relationship? Did they need to be so polite?
Zhu Xinyue looked up at him and gave her permission.
“Come in.”
Ji Qingyuan actually breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her consent. He stepped into her room, gently closed the door behind him, as if afraid she might change her mind and kick him out.
Seeing him act like a thief, Zhu Xinyue couldn’t help but chuckle. She pointed to the sofa nearby. “Sit over there.”
Ji Qingyuan felt strange. He followed her instructions and sat on the sofa, placing his hands on his knees, sitting as stiffly as a schoolboy. Watching her sit on the floor playing with her phone, her profile view made him feel uneasy all over.
“I know you confessed to my brother before just to provoke me, not because you actually liked him.” Ji Qingyuan had actually wanted to talk to Zhu Xinyue for a long time but never found the right opportunity.
Zhu Xinyue paused her scrolling and looked up at Ji Qingyuan.
Her straightforward gaze made him a little uncomfortable, but he had already decided to be honest with her, so even if it was uncomfortable, he had to speak up.
“I’ve reflected on it. I can’t take advantage of your feelings for me and treat all your kindness as a given. Before… before, I was wrong.”
“Can we go back to how we used to be?”
He couldn’t help but feel nervous, his palms damp, his tone softening as he spoke.
Zhu Xinyue put down her phone, turned to face him directly, still sitting cross-legged on the carpet.
Their positions were one high and one low, but the one truly in control was Zhu Xinyue, sitting below.
“I don’t like you anymore.”
As she said this, Zhu Xinyue couldn’t help but smile, because she remembered saying the same thing to Ji Linyu before. But back then… she would stumble over her words. Now, saying it to Ji Qingyuan felt effortless.
Ji Qingyuan clenched his fists, his expression shifting slightly. It felt as if he had lost something very, very important, leaving a sudden void in his heart.
“If you’re asking whether we can go back to how we used to be, my answer is no. I’m not the same Zhu Xinyue who used to like you anymore.” A faint smile played on Zhu Xinyue’s lips. “But if you’re asking whether I’ll still support you like a fan, my answer is yes.
You’re a dedicated actor, talented and hardworking. I still believe you can achieve your dreams and go far on your acting journey.”
Ji Qingyuan’s emotions fluctuated wildly, as if he were on a roller coaster.
He wanted to force a professional smile, the kind he’d give a fan, but he couldn’t manage it.
“Zhu Xinyue, you’ve changed.” Only now did Ji Qingyuan clearly recognize this fact he had been unwilling to admit.
Even though he had been trying to convince himself otherwise, now he couldn’t deny it, she really had changed.
Zhu Xinyue tilted her head and smiled as she retorted, "You’re only realizing that now?"
Ji Qingyuan felt a chill run through his entire body. Staring at the unfamiliar woman before him, he swallowed nervously, not daring to move a muscle.
In the past, he had never cared about what Zhu Xinyue truly liked or disliked. He knew that because she loved him, she would follow him, emulate him, so his preferences became hers. Understanding himself was equivalent to understanding her.
The more he loved himself, the more she loved him.
But now, she had changed.
She had her own likes and dislikes.
His tactics of charming his fans no longer worked on her.
Ji Qingyuan didn’t know how he managed to leave Zhu Xinyue’s room and return to his own. Along the way, he encountered hotel staff providing guest services and even remembered to offer them a polite smile.
He felt like an empty shell, devoid of a soul.
Hadn’t it been promised that she would love him forever? Why had she changed her heart?
Ji Qingyuan took out his phone, opened his photo album, and posted a selfie on social media.
In less than a minute, the post had garnered over a thousand comments. Starting with "brother" and ending with "baby," countless sweet words, flowers, and hearts flooded in as fans expressed their adoration for him in every possible way.
See? So many people loved him.
What did it matter if he was missing just one?
Ji Qingyuan liked a comment praising his looks and casually replied to a fan. Instantly, that comment was pushed to the top of the comment section.
A flood of "ahhhs" and exclamation marks exaggeratedly expressed the joy of being noticed by him.
The emptiness in Ji Qingyuan’s heart seemed to be filled by his fans’ love.
But it wasn’t enough.
It still wasn’t enough.
Someone investigated the fan he had replied to and discovered she was a dual fan, not only a supporter of Ji Qingyuan but also a prominent fan of Liang Yuyu.
Ji Qingyuan clenched his phone tightly. Why? Why did she have to be a dual fan? Why couldn’t she focus only on him? Why couldn’t she love only him?
He wanted to receive a lot of love, whether it was the love of a lover, a friend, family, or fans, he wanted it all.
He wanted her to love him.
It didn’t matter who she was; he wanted her to love him.
And she could only love him.

That afternoon, Zhu Xinyue went to pick up the Zhu father and son at the airport.
This was the first time she had met the original host’s father, Zhu Hengnian, in person since transmigrating into this world.
Zhu Hengnian had graying hair and wore a pair of scholarly glasses. Even in the hottest season in Country Y, he was dressed in a soft vest and a short-sleeved shirt, a gentle smile on his face that gave no hint of his status as a billionaire entrepreneur.
Walking beside Zhu Hengnian, Zhu Shilang spotted Zhu Xinyue at once. She was holding up her phone, its screen scrolling with the words: "Warmly Welcoming Dad Zhu Hengnian and Brother Zhu Shilang to Country Y."
Earlier, Zhu Shilang had told Zhu Xinyue that he and their father would be coming to Country Y to attend the Ji family couple’s wedding, and Zhu Xinyue had proactively offered to pick them up at the airport.
Zhu Shilang found it hard to refuse Zhu Xinyue, especially since this was the first time she had shown any closeness toward them. So, he communicated with the general manager of the Zhu Chang Group’s branch in Country Y, telling them not to come to the airport to pick him and his father up.
“What kind of strange antics are you up to again, girl?” Zhu Shilang curled his index finger and lightly tapped Zhu Xinyue’s head, telling her to put her phone away and not draw attention here.
Zhu Xinyue put away her phone, put on her sunglasses, and then pulled out a small flag, waving it at the two of them. “Follow me. I’ve arranged a private car for you both, straight from the airport to the hotel.”
Zhu Hengnian looked at his son in confusion, as if asking, “Did you know your sister was like this?”
Zhu Shilang scratched his cheek, he hadn’t seen his sister much more than his father had.
Considering Zhu Xinyue’s past behavior, running away from home and chasing love all the way to Tianze City, Zhu Hengnian didn’t think her arrangements would be very reliable. He suspected that her so-called “private car” might just be a local three-wheeler.
“Later, no matter what kind of car or hotel she’s arranged, we have to praise her. After all, she made the effort to come pick us up,” Zhu Hengnian told his son in advance, not wanting to dampen his sister’s enthusiasm.
Zhu Shilang understood his father, he felt a sense of guilt toward this daughter who had been absent from their lives for so long.
“Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t say anything to criticize her.” Even if he had to sit in a wheelchair and manually wheel himself all the way to the hotel, he’d accept it.
The two followed Zhu Xinyue out of the airport entrance, mentally prepared for the worst.
However, what they encountered was completely different from the unreliability they had imagined.
Parked in front of them was a luxury car worth millions. Its body lines were sleek, the interior was fully customized with branded materials, featuring iconic diamond quilting, a starry sky roof costing over a hundred thousand, and a mini-fridge in the middle stocked with whiskey and champagne.
The driver, wearing white gloves and a black suit, stepped forward with a polite smile and handled their luggage.
Zhu Xinyue opened the car door and gestured to the father and son with a “please” motion.
“Please get in.”
Her movements were practiced, as if she had rehearsed them countless times.
Zhu Hengnian suddenly felt the kind of pride one gets from hiring an intern on a meager salary who delivers work worth ten times that. As he approached Zhu Xinyue, he patted her shoulder.
“Not bad, not bad.”
Zhu Xinyue smiled and accepted the leader’s praise.
Zhu Shilang followed behind his father, hesitating to speak, then hesitating again, and finally said with a choked voice, “Little sister, you’ve really grown up!”
She must have had a tough time in the entertainment industry, she’s even learned the ways of the world!
He needed to earn more money, save up a bigger dowry for her. A strong maternal family would mean a strong her!
Zhu Xinyue blinked.
Grown up? This was just the basic skill set of a working professional.
She knew all too well: when making arrangements for the leaders, don’t aim for the best, aim for the most luxurious and impressive!
The hotel they were staying at was the same one as Zhu Xinyue’s. The Ji family had already made the reservations in advance, so they just needed to check in at the front desk upon arrival.
The Zhu father and son were staying in a suite, each with their own room. Upon entering, there was a small living room, much larger than Zhu Xinyue's room.
After Zhu Xinyue brought them to their room, it was almost dinnertime. She planned to go back to her room to freshen up before heading out to eat with them.
"I'll walk you back," Zhu Shilang said, standing up and walking out with Zhu Xinyue.
Zhu Xinyue thought to herself that it was just a short distance upstairs and downstairs, no need for an escort.
But it seemed Zhu Shilang had something to say to her.
This time, Zhu Xinyue had learned her lesson. She decided not to speak until the elevator arrived.
Zhu Shilang, however, couldn't stand the silence and broke it.
He said, "Mom sent your things back to Qingyang. There's a group photo in your graduation album."
"You mentioned before that you went to Tianze City for someone you liked."
"Is that guy Ji Linyu's younger brother?"