Chapter 22: Unsettled Hearts

“No, it’s not like that! It’s not…”

A late-night murmur woke the person on the hospital bed.
Yi Lan looked over, illuminated by the dim bedside lamp, and saw Jiang Wenting curled up on the companion bed, arms wrapped around herself, her brows tightly furrowed, appearing to be in great pain.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then got out of bed, moved over, and touched her: “Jiang Wenting.”

The other party seemed trapped by a nightmare, unable to wake up.

Yi Lan recalled the words Xiao Ru had hurled at Jiang Wenting earlier in the day, as well as the scene of Jiang Wenting being surrounded by those people, watched and scrutinized like a monkey.
She didn’t know what consequences her reprimanding of those people would have for Jiang Wenting, but she couldn’t bear to see her so wronged.

“Jiang Wenting, wake up…”

The person in the dream curled even tighter.
Yi Lan kept touching her, calling her name again and again.

A familiar voice pierced through the dream, isolating the surrounding clamor.
Before Jiang Wenting, appeared a woman clad in armor.
She held a long spear horizontally in mid-air, rebuking the onlookers: “Anyone who dares to take another step forward, this general will immediately cut off their head!”

As she spoke, the long spear in her hand moved to that person’s neck.
The other party wanted to resist, but she skillfully twisted her fingers, scratching the person’s skin.
Crimson blood dripped onto the spear tip.
That person instinctively recoiled, and other onlookers followed suit.

The woman looked back, her heroic eyes fixed on her, her voice faint and elegant: “A-Ting, don’t be afraid!”

A-Ting…

The familiar address filled Jiang Wenting’s mind.
She watched her, steadily watching.

The woman put away her spear and moved closer to her.
She raised a hand and used her calloused thumb to caress Jiang Wenting’s cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness: “A-Ting, with me here, you need not fear!”

The next second, the scene abruptly changed.
Those who had been rebuked transformed into soldiers holding bows and arrows.
They drew their longbows, pulling them taut.
With a “whoosh,” tens of thousands of arrows flew towards them like shooting stars.

The woman didn’t even hesitate.
She moved forward, wrapping Jiang Wenting entirely with her body.
Crimson blood gushed from her mouth.
She smiled at Jiang Wenting, her eyes filled with an unprecedented tenderness: “A-Ting, live… live on…”

Jiang Wenting kicked her legs in fright and sat up abruptly from her dream, the desperate sounds of battle still echoing.

“Jiang Wenting.” Yi Lan had one hand on her shoulder.

It took Jiang Wenting a long time to clearly see the other party’s face.
The indifferent, distant voice overlapped with the voice in her dream that called her “A-Ting.”
She stared blankly at the person in front of her for a long while before a faint smile finally squeezed out from her dry lips: “Yi Lan, why are you awake?
Did I wake you up?”

“Jiang Wenting,” Yi Lan’s hand on her shoulder didn’t loosen.
After several seconds, she said: “You had a nightmare.
What did you dream about?”

Jiang Wenting curved her eyebrows, a gentle smile spreading from her lips, replacing the haziness in her eyes.
She shook her head: “Nothing.”

“Jiang Wenting,” Yi Lan was very stubborn.
If the other party didn’t explain, she would keep holding her shoulder like this, her cold phoenix eyes looking directly at her, as if trying to extract an answer from her eyes.

Jiang Wenting was pressed by her intensity, unable to escape.
She leaned her body, wrapping her arms around Yi Lan’s waist, her head resting mostly on Yi Lan’s lower chest, leaning against her.

Yi Lan’s body stiffened.

Jiang Wenting’s breath, through the clothes, fell upon her skin like feathers.
She didn’t push her away.
Jiang Wenting’s gentle voice carried a hint of coyness and vulnerability: “Yi Lan, let me lean on you for a while.”

Yi Lan’s fingertips paused slightly, and she endured the ticklish sensation, refraining from pushing the other person away from her.

The next morning, Jiang Wenting was woken by her phone alarm.
Yi Lan was still asleep.
She quietly turned off the alarm, unable to resist checking the trending topics.

The rumors were not as malicious as she had imagined.
Firstly, Shen Jinglan immediately helped her explain the whole story of the incident.
Secondly, Officer Xiao Liu from the police station also posted on their official account to corroborate Jiang Wenting’s story.

When the comments section learned that the person who sprayed others with a water gun yesterday was the mental patient Jiang Wenting had been caring for, they mostly found it interesting and cute.

—Ahhh, I’m going to die laughing.
Is she imitating that female general from Grass and Trees Deep?
Using a water gun is too hilarious, but that aura is quite general-like.

—Help, this patient is quite good-looking.
I’ll ship them a little [slips away].

—@Upstairs, don’t say it.
If she were mentally sound, she might actually be able to act alongside our Ting Ting.

—I can’t imagine what they’d be like acting together.
Although… I still prefer the Tinglan duo.
I still haven’t recovered from the disappointment of Shen Jinglan being married [sobbing profusely].

—I didn’t really like Jiang Wenting before.
I didn’t realize she was quite kind, willing to take care of a mental patient.

—@Upstairs, it’s just building a persona.
How else would she get better roles without hyping up a bit with the Grass and Trees Deep gimmick?

—Quoting upstairs, what kind of nonsense is that?
Jiang Wenting building a persona, would she build this kind of persona?

—Yeah, speak without thinking and you might get arrested.

—The crime of slander.
If you don’t like someone, you don’t have to deliberately defame them.
If doing good deeds is called building a persona by you dogs, then that’s just righteous.

The comment section was different from many years ago.
Facing malicious attacks, some netizens even brought up the local government portal, the government services website, and the Yacheng Public Security, changing the topic.

—Don’t blindly idolize.
Everyone, go search for Jiang Wenting’s rotten affairs before she got famous.
Anyway, I’m completely turned off by this person.

Jiang Wenting’s heart sank when she saw the reply.
She turned off the screen and lay down, her peach blossom eyes…

Still couldn’t escape it?
Couldn’t escape fate, couldn’t escape the torment and constraints of those words.
But what did she do wrong?
What did her deceased mother do wrong?

“Jiang Wenting.” The person on the hospital bed spoke, her indifferent tone pulling Jiang Wenting’s thoughts back.

Jiang Wenting turned, her face pale, and smiled at Yi Lan: “You’re awake?”

The other party slowly raised her arm and said in an even tone: “I need to use the restroom.”

Jiang Wenting swung her legs off the adjacent bed.
The wheelchair borrowed yesterday was still there.
She didn’t directly help Yi Lan, but instead lifted her from the covers, carried her to the chair, leaned down, and whispered close to her ear: “Just a moment, I’ll change into some gear and take you!”

Her current situation made it very inconvenient to go out, but Xiao Ru had been taken by Beiye last night, there was no one else in the ward, and Yi Lan wasn’t used to using the restroom in the room.
She could only risk taking her out.

Yi Lan’s ear tingled from Jiang Wenting’s breath.
She raised her gaze and looked towards the bathroom: “Go there.”

Jiang Wenting hesitated: “Is that alright?”

Yi Lan nodded: “It’s alright.”

She actually didn’t need to use the restroom.
She merely saw Jiang Wenting’s dazed expression and deliberately tried to distract her.
But she would not put her in a situation like last night, being gawked at.
Even if she still had some fighting capability at the moment, she would abide by the rules of this world and not make things difficult for Jiang Wenting.

Not make things difficult for Jiang Wenting…

Yi Lan realized that, unconsciously, when facing that person, the deep-seated hatred in her heart had already begun to waver.
No, not only waver, but it had even given way to much, much pity and protection.

It shouldn’t be like this!

She constantly reminded herself that seventy thousand soldiers had died.
She shouldn’t be soft-hearted towards Jiang Wenting.
She needed to give them an explanation, give herself an explanation…

[It’s okay, Host.You’ve done very well these past few days.This System has detected that the Mission Target’s strong career ambition has already somewhat loosened due to your appearance.Please continue to maintain this, and try everything to prevent her from accepting the script from Zhou Jing.]

Yi Lan’s struggle was interrupted by the cold mechanical voice.
Her piercing phoenix eyes flickered, and she asked in confusion: “Why prevent it?
Is there any danger?”

System: [… ]

Look, look, this is the Host it painstakingly sought.
Just a moment ago, she looked guilty, as if she owed seventy thousand soldiers.
Now, she’s worried if the next itinerary will pose any danger to the Mission Target.
But the other party is overly persistent, so it can’t outright say that preventing her from taking Zhou Jing’s script is to sabotage Jiang Wenting’s career.

The System buffered for a few seconds, then subserviently and emotionlessly replied: [Yes, Host.
The conditions at the Northwest film studio are harsh.
If the Mission Target goes there, she might not eat or sleep well, so you must cling to her and not let her leave your side for half a step.]

Yi Lan’s long lashes fluttered as she pondered the mechanical voice’s words.
Regardless of whether the Northwest conditions were truly harsh, as long as the blood feud of her soldiers remained unavenged, she could not relax for a single day.
She had to watch her personally.
She had to wait for her to regain her memories.
She had to press her to atone for those fallen souls.

[That’s right, Host.As the ancients said, ‘return unto others what they have done unto you.’Jiang Wenting has hidden by your side for so long, using your affection to kill your soldiers.Now you are in her world and have successfully gained her trust.In the coming days, you can exact all forms of revenge upon her…]

“Shut up!” The mechanical voice was cut off mid-sentence by Yi Lan.
She had never thought of doing such a thing.
She only wanted revenge, only wanted an explanation from Jiang Wenting.
Even if, once Jiang Wenting regained her consciousness, she put a gun to her head and gave her a swift end, she had never considered revenge.

Yi Lan, throughout two lifetimes, had been upright and honorable.
Such underhanded acts of revenge, she could not commit.

System: [… ]

Slow!
Pedantic!
It had never seen such an un-enlightened Host!

The System didn’t mention the severe punishment that would follow if she didn’t comply.
Outside, Jiang Wenting, having waited for a long time without Yi Lan emerging, began to knock on the door: “Yi Lan, are you almost ready?”

There was no response from inside.
Yi Lan’s emotions were complicated: because of her concern for Jiang Wenting, because of what the System said, because of those self-deceptive excuses about waiting for her to regain her memories.
To this day, she still couldn’t let go of that person, even loved her deeply.
She hated herself for being so weak, and at the same time, felt so much guilt…

“Yi Lan, are you okay?” Jiang Wenting, getting no answer, knocked on the door, her voice a little urgent.
She worried that Yi Lan being inside for too long might lead to something.

After a few seconds, the person inside opened the door.
Their eyes met.
Yi Lan’s indifferent eyes were veiled with a chilling coldness.

Jiang Wenting: ???