"J-Jiang Li, it will be okay. Listen to me. It will all be okay..." Cao Hua, who noticed Jiang Li waking up only to stare blankly at the pristine white walls of the school's clinic, frantically tried to say some words to comfort the aggrieved Jiang Li. The violet-wigged girl was not that good in advising though, and all she could say was the most used but useless phrase in the world - 'It will be okay.'
Jiang Li knew Cao Hua was trying to extend help by reassuring her. Sadly, even the most well-meant words are useless if said in a not-so-convincing tone. ... Perhaps, what she wanted to do was help Jiang Li get back on her feet. Jiang Li didn't know which is which, but Cao Hua's voice was shaking, getting smaller word after word. The girl's soft and pleasant voice helped lesser in contributing to Jiang Li's peace of mind, precisely because it was soft when her voice got lower and lower in volume.
The system heard its host inner thoughts. The scary laughter making it cower in some obscure corner of her mind.
It heard, how would it be okay? When? Was it possible to be okay? What do you know, stupid? Who created your ugly wigs? Do you know, it doesn't look okay? How would you even know what okay is? And you dare say, it will be okay?
As Jiang Li answered her own questions one by one without actually vocalizing what she was thinking, she only started crying. Her hands grabbed the sheets tightly. She shivered all over, and her tears streamed down endlessly while she let out sobbing noises that fully conveyed what she was truly feeling within.
Jiang Li couldn't fight back against the instinct of her body, or probably, she couldn't fight back against the strong loneliness and depression coming from this body's original soul. No, it didn't mean that a real piece of the previous Jiang Li was coexisting within her body. The soul was probably just a remnant, a mere residue, but Jiang Li, the host, couldn't bear not letting it express its sadness over this grave news. It was something engraved in the heart and memories because Jiang Li also went through that same hateful and despair-inducing experience of losing a father.
Jiang Li, the host, lost hers to an evil manipulator.
Jiang Li, the crazy business elite, lost hers to fate. Yes, this father suffering from bone cancer, would not recover, his situation even deteriorating rapidly. His death occurred a few couples of months after Mother Jiang phoned the situation over to Jiang Li.
One died to an orchestrated accident, the other due to a severe illness. There is no need to wonder which has been more hurtful. After all, in the end, the pain was there. The reason was the unfair, unexpected, heartless way of the world taking away one of the most important people in anyone's life, a father.
Cao Hua who somewhat read her friend's pain could only hug the poor girl and joined her in crying. In her heart, she prayed that her friend's family would be able to overcome every challenge that would come their way.
...
It took Jiang Li great efforts to suppress the negative emotions and calmed herself down. When she thought things out thoroughly, the first thing she did was not to call her mother in the province, nor rushed out to go back home. Instead, she drove Cao Hua away under the pretext that she needed some space for herself. She wanted to be alone. There are so many things she had to reflect upon.
Fortunately, Cao Hua was a real best friend and was also very thoughtful and understanding. Only, the girl repeatedly warned her not to fall victim to depression and think of committing something unforgivable just because of one moment of fear or stupidity.
About that unforgivable something, Jiang Li didn't know. Maybe Cao Hua was afraid that in order to raise money to fund the treatment, she would commit various crimes or even sell pleasure. Or worst, think that everything was hopeless and directly commit suicide. Who knows, Jiang Li didn't care and was just glad to see the weird violet hair out of her sight. She badly needed some peace. After arriving in a brand new world, there are many things to consider.
She sat on the edge of the bed and called out, "System."
"At your service, my Host." A child-like voice answered.
Jiang Li's face darkened. No longer putting up any nonsense, she directly tackled the point. "My mission is to make sure that the villainess, the current me, doesn't die out of stupid craziness, correct?"
The system replied, the crisp and childishness on it truly irritating the host, "Precisely."
Jiang Li fell silent for a moment and her expression was that of someone deep in thoughts. In her mind, she once again played some important scenes to comb out more information.
With a frown, she asked, "I have to resolve her past life's resentment, to prevent the things that made her crazy, correct?"
"Yes." The system answered. It started feeling weird again. Its host was once again laughing maniacally and it couldn't help but recall how Jiang Li laughed after learning that her mission was to save people who sunk deep into madness. It seemed the girl was once again with that in her mind. And she was laughing, thinking it was very ridiculous.
A while later, when the girl finally thought things out and stopped laughing, Jiang Li stood up and looked down at herself.
As expected, the word 'poor' was screaming all over her. She frowned seeing that what she was wearing were a very wrinkled white blouse and a very long skirt. Both appeared to have been washed numerous times. On her feet was a pair of worn out shoes, the kind that would make every appearance-conscious girl cry in embarrassment. The shoelaces which should have been white in color was presently closer to brown.
Jiang Li somehow shivered. As a girl who grew up in luxury and riches, she couldn't believe how low she had sunk now. Even though she died just when her family company declared bankruptcy, at least they were not yet to the point of totally not even affording a middle-tier brand of clothing and shoes. But this world's Jiang Li seemed to not even have the capability to afford a low-tier brand. She suspected that her current set of clothing wouldn't even total to a hundred credits... To the past her, to the still pampered young miss of the Jiang family, a hundred credits was only worth a cup of coffee brewed from low quality coffee beans.
"Just how poor is this body, huh? Damn you, system! Did you assign me to this kind of body to drive me crazier?"
A flustered reply came, "N-no! Definitely not! This is not the reason. Actually, all I did is choose one of the easiest missions in my list! But you see, even though the original is from a poor family, she still managed to become affluent and rich, and she didn't have to worry about infighting or internal crisis within her family, well that's after her father died."
Jiang Li's face darkened. Her eyes closed for a minute and the system didn't dare peek at what she was imagining or thinking within. But it was still afraid so it continued, " H-host! It will be okay! This world seems difficult but in reality, it's not. All you have to do is to not get crazy. The original only went insane due to her baby dying without being officially born. S-so you just have to prevent that. It's okay if all you do is avoid being involved with the leads!"
The girl opened her eyes at this time and she said, "System, I have a few questions that I want you to answer."
"Go ahead, Host."
"First, and second to the most important. Can't I not be pregnant of that stupid man's baby?"
Silence came next for a minute or so before she heard the childish voice. "Ah." She made out some hesitation and uncertainty in the tone. "Host can judge whether that can help you not become a madwoman... I think." It safely answered.
Jiang Li's eyes lit up since that was one of the worries weighing her heart down. She was very ecstatic and relieved. Finally, she could stop worrying over having to do the deed with a trash that she wanted to be a thousand miles away from her.
Once done with her brief moment of jubilation, she asked next. "I'll be the one doing the mission. I'm clear about that. So what can you do to help me?"
"Many!" This time, the reply arrived instantly. "I can track the leads and inform you of their whereabouts. I also have a shop that you can access anytime. And I can always act as your guide and conversation partner!"
"Oh." She exclaimed with mild surprise. "What other information can you give?"
"I can provide you Cheng Yijun's whereabouts, as well as Bai Qing's. I can also investigate some other things in this world, like a person's whole history or scandals. Anything you find interesting! As long as it's not out of this world! But of course, I need points if the information is about the leads."
The girl in semi-rag clothing grinned and complimented. "That's quite nice. You're useful."
"Hehe." The system became very happy when it heard her host praising it and ignored how Jiang Li's brain was working furiously to plan what she had to do from now on. Standing next to the window, her lips suddenly curled up. A nice question crossed her mind which made her eyes shone in anticipation.
"System."
"Yes." It answered, the tone still jubilant due to the praise.
"You know," she began. "The real reason she became stupidly crazy is the male lead. If not for him doing unnecessary or probably planned love traps, she wouldn't end up like that. Everything is his fault. He's really very irritating, and I don't like him exist in this world while I'm here. You should be getting now what I like to ask, no?"
A cold and murderous glint shone in Jiang Li's eyes. The woman was staring at the school's beautiful garden outside, but her visage resembled that of a psychopath staring at the world with malice and twisted views.
When viewed from afar, she looked more like a sweet but slightly dazed pretty girl standing next to the open window. Nobody but the system knows, but she, word by word, stated.
"System... can I, kill... Cheng Yijun?"
.................
The first two problems that she has to solve as soon as possible are money, and her father's health. And actually, it's more about the first, since it is what she will need to fund her father's recovery. It was cancer, true. But she was hoping that by getting some treatment and full care from the best hospital there is in the country, her father would have a chance of survival.
"I have to get Dad admitted into the best hospital with the best facilities for treating bone cancer in the country," Jiang Li declared to Cao Hua when they got back to their dormitory. The two of them are living in the same unit together with two other girls that they were not that close with.
Cao Hua widened her eyes at her, the violet-wigged girl sat in front of the sole computer in their room. "Jiang Li, did you just say... the best hospital?" She asked in bewilderment.
Jiang Li at that time was busy scrolling her phone for information about Osteosarcoma, the exact name of the disease her father had contracted. She didn't raise her head to her friend while sitting next to her friend and only said, "The best place I found is the J City Oncology Center. But their services range from 300,000 credits to more than 5,000,000... and it still depends on the number of sessions and therapies. Prescriptions are another matter."
Cao Hua saw her friend madly biting her lips in frustration. Money is probably her main concern, but the thing that should have been making her very distressed is how to make her father healthy again.
It was cancer. The mere mention of this disease could make even the strongest-willed person break down. Not even the family members could be spared from despair.
Jiang Li tapped furiously on the table before her, like she wanted to vent some frustrations and sadness on it. It didn't help to lessen her helplessness, nervousness, and impatience though.
Then with a sigh, she stood up and fetched her only windbreaker from the dry rack of the room. Cao Hua was alarmed and asked, "Are you heading out? It's already seven pm!"
"Ah Hua, I won't be attending tomorrow's classes. Help me inform everyone that there's an emergency at home. I'll probably not go to classes for the rest of the week. Thanks. And sorry for the bother."
Then before Cao Hua could even react and questioned the girl where she planned to go, Jiang Li already left and slammed the door closed.
Hours later, she did not appear in the provincial hospital where her father was currently confined, but in front of a very tall and sophisticated building, a bustling road with passing cars and people in business attire, where many were on their way home since it was already quite late.
When she was brainstorming earlier, all she could think of to swiftly earn money was make use of her system. After all, it was her greatest asset at the moment. Jiang Li, the original, was really poor. She has nothing more to count on. The matter was urgent and she just wanted to immediately do something about Father Jiang's case. She deemed it necessary to solve this problem since she thought that if her father dies, it would become a heavy knot in her heart and mind. She must do her best to prevent that!
She swore that if she has to turn into a mental patient, it must not be due to anything related to her family!
Now, Jiang Li calmly stood a few meters away from the transparent sliding door serving as the entrance of the building, her long black hair dancing with the cold wind of January, her hands hidden on the front pockets of her windbreaker. After obtaining a visitor's pass, as she strode past the guard standing in the entrance, she whispered under her breath.
"System, you better pray that your information is accurate, or else..."
While watching the elevator buttons corresponding to the number of the floors lit up in ascending order, Jiang Li's face was devoid of any emotion. No one was with her, aside from the child-like system cringing in some corner of her mind. Due to the threatening tone it had perceived earlier, it made sure to triple check the information provided to Jiang Li a while ago.
On what she was planning to do? No one knew, but her system could guess that Jiang Li was about to do something crazy.
...........