My Villainous Persona Collapses as My Family Reads My Mind - Chapter 40

In the hospital room, Meng Zhiyi woke up with a startled cry, her chest gently heaving.

Shen Que got up and came over, looking at her with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Meng Zhiyi stared blankly at the person in front of her, then looked around at her surroundings.

Confused, she asked, “Why am I in the hospital?”

“You had a fever last night.” As Shen Que spoke, he reached out to touch Meng Zhiyi’s forehead and found that her temperature had already gone down.

Meng Zhiyi was dazed for a moment, her halted mind starting up again, and she quickly recalled everything she had seen in her dream.

[So, was all that just a dream?]

[That can’t be right. The feeling of that heat was so real, and the man who called to me in the fire-I feel like I know him. Who is he?]

Meng Zhiyi fell into her own thoughts, not noticing the subtle flicker in Shen Que’s dark eyes when he heard her mention the man.

He silently got up, poured Meng Zhiyi a glass of water, and returned to the bedside.

“Have some water. If you feel unwell anywhere else, I’ll call the doctor.”

Meng Zhiyi had already composed herself. After taking a sip from the cup, she sneaked a glance at Shen Que.

Seeing that he was still wearing last night’s clothes, her thoughts started to run wild again.

[So, Shen Que stayed here with me all night?]

[This is hard evidence-he definitely likes me.]

[Maybe I should just grudgingly accept a fated-but-doomed romance with him?]

[Anyway, it won’t delay the mission, I might as well enjoy it for now.]

“…”

Sometimes, Shen Que really wanted to pry open Meng Zhiyi’s head and see if its structure was different from a normal person’s.

What did she mean by a fated-but-doomed romance?

If he really wanted to be in a relationship, it would have to last a lifetime.

Thinking of this, Shen Que shot a cold glance at Meng Zhiyi, who was still lost in her wild thoughts.

Let alone giving Meng Zhiyi a chance-even if there was one, he would never let himself become her plaything.

At this moment, Meng Yanchuan, who had just returned with breakfast, interrupted their thoughts.

Seeing that Meng Zhiyi was already awake, Meng Yanchuan, for once, showed a bit of brotherly concern. “Are you still feeling unwell? Do you want to get checked again?”

Meng Zhiyi shook her head. “I’m fine.”

To be precise, she didn’t even know what had happened to her.

“Then eat some breakfast and go home to rest for a few days first.” Meng Yanchuan placed the breakfast on the table and signaled for Meng Zhiyi to get up and wash up.

“No need to go home, I’ll just go back to school,” Meng Zhiyi said, heading to the bathroom first.

Once she was in the washroom, Meng Yanchuan exchanged a look with Shen Que.

Shen Que shook his head, not telling Meng Yanchuan what he’d just heard.

During breakfast, Meng Yanchuan received a phone call informing him that the missing girl had been found; she had indeed been imprisoned by the tutor in the basement at home.

Fortunately, the police arrived in time, and the girl was not harmed, just frightened, and had been sent to the hospital to recover.

Meng Zhiyi sipped her porridge while eavesdropping.

[Huh? How did the police know?]

[In the original plot, this girl died.]

[What’s going on?]

Meng Yanchuan and Shen Que exchanged a furtive glance.

After leaving the hospital, Meng Yanchuan offered to take Meng Zhiyi back to school, while Shen Que had the family driver pick him up.

After dropping Meng Zhiyi off at school, Meng Yanchuan went straight to the cemetery.

Soon, the car entered the largest cemetery in the outskirts of Capital City.

At this moment, several police cars were already parked outside the cemetery. As soon as Meng Yanchuan got out of the car, a man in uniform walked out from the cemetery.

Seeing Meng Yanchuan, he walked over with a grave expression. “You’re finally here, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“How’s the situation?” Meng Yanchuan asked.

“The person who found the body parts was a cemetery worker. The victim is also a young woman, decapitated, the body bound in a kneeling position to one of the tombstones.”

Hearing this, Meng Yanchuan’s eyes darkened, his expression becoming complicated.

It seemed he needed to hurry and get some useful clues from Meng Zhiyi, or else more women would become victims if this continued.

On the other side, Meng Zhiyi returned to her dormitory and found that the two roommates who hadn’t arrived before were there now.

And these two people were the Vampires always around the original host-Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian.
Seeing them, Meng Zhiyi’s lips curled into a playful smile.

The last time they’d contacted her was when they called late at night, asking her to go out and have fun. But after that night, the two of them seemed to vanish, taking a leave of absence for over a month.

Now, the two looked so haggard, it was as if they’d been dragged off to Africa for a month of hard labor.

When Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian saw Meng Zhiyi, a flash of resentment quickly passed through their eyes, only to disappear as they put on an act of closeness.

“Zhiyi, it’s been so long! We missed you so much.”

Zhang Xiaoxiao forced a smile, opening her arms and walking toward Meng Zhiyi.

Meng Zhiyi dodged nimbly, letting her miss.

“You?” Zhang Xiaoxiao looked at her in confusion.

Meng Zhiyi offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, my injured hand hasn’t fully healed yet. The doctor told me to avoid contact.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoxiao glanced at her left hand, noticing the cast was gone.

“The cast is off, and it’s still not healed?”

Meng Zhiyi replied, “Mm-hmm. It takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal. I still need to take care.”

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoxiao didn’t press further, but instead exchanged a glance with Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian understood, and stepped forward, just about to reach for Meng Zhiyi’s hand, when she dodged again.

“I just got back from the hospital and haven’t had time to change. There are germs on me, so it’s better if you don’t get too close.”

Though that’s what she said, in reality, Meng Zhiyi simply didn’t want to get close to them.

After all, judging by the marks still fading on their necks, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened to them recently.

That Young Master Jiang from the Jiang Family was only a year older than Jiang Yuhuan, and his reputation in the Jing Circle was far from good.

Looking at Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian’s current state, it was clear the past month hadn’t been easy.

But then, seeing the designer clothes and bags they wore, it seemed they’d made their own choices.

“You two must be tired after just getting back. Rest for now, I’m going to take a shower.”

Meng Zhiyi had broken out in a sweat from a fever last night, and now felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.

Once she entered the bathroom, the fake smiles on Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian’s faces vanished, replaced by malice.

Zheng Qian said, “She dodged us last time. We have to find another chance to trick her out, or Young Master Jiang will make us pay.”

“This whole month is thanks to her. If she’d come out that night, she would’ve been the one taken, not us!”

Zhang Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, then let out a light laugh, lifting her limited edition dress. “At least those fat, greasy men were generous. We didn’t come out too badly.”

At this, Zheng Qian’s face paled, unpleasant images flashing through her mind and making her stomach churn.

She fought the urge to retch, her voice cold and sinister. “Even so, I want Meng Zhiyi to go through what we did.”

“She was just a country girl at first-how did she suddenly become a more distinguished heiress than us overnight?”

Jealousy replaced the smile on Zhang Xiaoxiao’s face, her eyes glinting with malice. “It’s fine. She messed with the wrong people, so we can use her to make some pocket money.”

“Young Master Jiang is hosting another selection party this weekend. We’ll find a way to trick her out then.”

At that moment, Lin Luoluo, who had just returned, was so shocked by Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian’s conversation that she broke out in a cold sweat.

Her hand holding the key trembled uncontrollably as she tried hard to calm herself.

After composing herself, she finally opened the door and walked in.

Inside the dorm, Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zheng Qian looked at the plainly dressed Lin Luoluo with mocking smiles.

Zhang Xiaoxiao said, “You’re the new roommate, right? Perfect. Our beds aren’t made yet, so help us make them.”

Lin Luoluo didn’t know these two, but she could tell they weren’t good news. After a brief internal struggle, she showed her hands wrapped in gauze.

“My hands are injured. It’s not convenient.”

Zhang Xiaoxiao immediately looked displeased, just about to say something when Meng Zhiyi came out of the bathroom, freshly showered.

Seeing her, Zhang Xiaoxiao, as usual, arrogantly ordered Meng Zhiyi, “Then you do it. Make the beds for me and Qianqian.”