Chapter 19: The Bird in the Gilded Cage

Meng Yao woke up and found no sign of Zhao Xue. Her eyes instantly dimmed.

She remained silent for a moment, her fingers curling into tight fists as dark thoughts swirled. Was Zhao Xue so unwilling to stay that she couldn’t even bear to wait for a few minutes?

Suppressing her emotions, Meng Yao softened her gaze and walked back to the ward. She sat by the bed in silence until her grandmother finally woke. Outside, the azure sky was gradually stained by the hues of twilight as the sun began its slow retreat.

Meng Yao squeezed the elderly woman’s hand. “Grandmother, it’s over. We can be discharged in a few days.”

The old woman smiled kindly. “I told you it was nothing. Why go through all the trouble of surgery? It’s so expensive.”

“You must properly thank that friend of yours,” she added. Though Meng Yao hadn’t shared the details, the grandmother wasn’t blind. They were poor; no one would provide a private room and surgery unless they were an exceptionally good person. The old woman had been anxious, fearing her granddaughter had done something she might regret later to pay for her life, but seeing Meng Yao’s faint, genuine smile—the kind Zhao Xue had never been permitted to see—she felt slightly at ease.

“I will,” Meng Yao replied quietly.

The Zhao Family Estate

“Sir, the Fourth Young Lady has returned,” the butler whispered to Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing looked up from his documents and let out a cold sneer. “Finally. Tell her to come see me immediately.”

Zhao Xue had navigated her way to the ancestral home in City B using the original host’s memories. This was her first time on a plane, but she adapted well; as a former ghost, she was used to her feet not touching the ground. Still, she’d had to ask the System for guidance on the travel procedures every step of the way.

The estate had been renovated into a massive manor that dwarfed the original traditional courtyard, with servants numbered in the hundreds. Before Zhao Xue could even sit down, the stern old butler summoned her.

[System, can I crush this old man’s head later?]

System: [… No, Host. You cannot. I know you mean the father.]

Zhao Xue: [Just a joke. You’re so serious, Little System.]

Knock, knock.

“Enter.”

Zhao Xue followed the butler into the study and saw the original host’s father. He was just as the memories described: stern, with deep, permanent furrows between his brows. The butler bowed and retreated, leaving the father and daughter alone.

Zhao Jing stood up, his face a mask of fury. “Zhao Xue, you are becoming utterly lawless. Break off that disgusting relationship of yours immediately.”

Zhao Xue let out a short, sharp laugh. “Why?”

“Why? Because I am your father! I will not allow my daughter to be a homosexual!”

Zhao Xue’s eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. Her lips curled upward, and a mocking light danced in her dark eyes. “Is it not actually because your wife ran away with a woman? You hate all gay people because you were humiliated, and now that your daughter is doing the same, you find it shameful, don’t you?”

Her words were like daggers. Zhao Jing’s face turned an ashen color, speechless with rage.

Zhao Xue waved a hand dismissively. “Look, you’re getting old. Stop interfering. Stay away from that student. It’s best if you don’t disturb us.”

To her, he wasn’t her father; she was likely centuries older than him anyway. Her arrogant attitude was the final straw. Zhao Jing slammed his palm onto the desk.

“Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! So you won’t break it off? Fine. Then don’t dream of leaving this house!” He pressed a button on his chair. “Someone! Seize the Fourth Lady!”

Zhao Xue: [Is this guy’s temper always this explosive? One disagreement and he wants to lock me up?]

System: [It’s probably because you’re about to provoke him to death.]

The response was instantaneous. A group of burly men in black suits burst in, surrounding her. Zhao Xue scanned the room and realized she was stuck. Her current body was weak; she could handle a punk like Lin Hao, but against a dozen trained professionals, she had no winning hand.

She gave up resisting and looked at Zhao Jing. “Don’t touch her.”

Shackles and Silence

Zhao Xue was taken to a room, but to her surprise, Zhao Jing went as far as to have her shackled with ankle chains.

Zhao Xue: [Is Zhao Jing mentally ill?]

System: [… It seems your words drove him a bit mad.]

Zhao Jing stood at the door, looking coldly at his shackled daughter. “Stay here and reflect. I’ll handle the school. I won’t touch your ‘lover’ for the time being.”

Zhao Xue moved her foot, making the chains clink sharply. A small smile played on her lips. “Better keep it that way.”

Once the door slammed shut, Zhao Xue lay back on the bed and sighed. She pulled out her phone, only to find the signal blocked.

Zhao Xue: [System, can you get me a signal?]

System: [Sorry, Host. I used up all my energy on the surveillance interference last time. I can’t even get a bar. But I can keep an eye on the Female Lead for you!]

Zhao Xue: [Then I’ll leave her to you, baby. Tell me immediately if she’s in danger.]

The Departure

Meng Yao stayed at the hospital for one night. She had taken a week’s leave from school to settle everything. Now, it was time to pack.

She didn’t return to the villa until the evening of the next day. Usually, this was when they would be eating dinner. She bit her lip and opened the door. The house was pitch black.

Her belongings were few. After packing, she found the phone Zhao Xue had given her in a drawer. It was dead. She didn’t try to charge it, placing it on the desk and tidying the room one last time. Despite her movements, the house felt hollow.

Is she gone because she doesn’t want to see me?

Meng Yao gripped the handle of her suitcase and left without looking back. The System watched her go, deciding there was no need to tell the Host yet since there was no immediate danger.

The Engagement Rumor

Time passed. Meng Yao rented a small apartment and brought her grandmother home. Money continued to flow into her account—nearly a million yuan in total—enough for a comfortable life. With less than two weeks until the Gaokao, everything seemed to be improving.

Except for the absence of Zhao Xue.

“Meng Yao, did you hear? Zhao Xue is getting engaged,” Lin Shuang said cautiously one day.

Meng Yao looked confused. “What… what did you just say?”

Lin Shuang felt a sudden cold sweat. “I said… Zhao Xue is getting engaged.”

“Exactly,” someone else chimed in with a mocking sneer. “A rich missy like her was only playing with you like a dog.” They showed her a blurry video on a phone. It was unmistakable: Zhao Xue in a white gown, arm-in-arm with a handsome young man.

“The Gaokao isn’t even here yet, and she’s already rushing into a business marriage.”

Meng Yao felt her mind go blank. A sense of suffocation wrapped around her.

Zhao Xue… is engaged.

She felt pathetic. She shouldn’t have asked that question about feelings. Look how quickly Zhao Xue had proven that she felt nothing.

Meng Yao’s lips turned white. A sudden, dark malice surged within her. She remembered that after the Gaokao, the Zhao family was destined to collapse. Zhao Xue would no longer be the high-and-mighty princess.

When that happens, everyone can trample on her. Even I can.

But she wouldn’t do that. She would… what would she do? Meng Yao couldn’t say. Her head began to throb with a dizzying ache. She couldn’t imagine what she would eventually do to Zhao Xue.