Chapter 94-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
[Ding, your manga spoiler has been updated!]
Ye Zheng's eyes flickered. It seemed the protagonist team's new adventure was about to begin.
She could no longer operate under the identity of Zhao Mei, but as a member of the Royal Team, she would have plenty of opportunities to interact with the protagonist team.
Inside the room, Zoya clutched her head in frustration, desperately trying to recall any other clues she might have missed that could give the Saintess a more precise direction.
"Saintess, I also remember that there were a few others who came from the lower district like me, responsible for some cleaning work. I'll write down their names and information for you. Maybe the Pope tampered with them too."
Zoya picked up a pen and paper, but struggled after writing a few characters. Seeing this, Wen Xin thoughtfully took the paper and pen, letting Zoya dictate while she wrote.
After receiving the information, Ye Zheng's eyes curved into a smile. "Thank you. Without you two, I wouldn't even know where to start investigating."
Zoya lowered her head in some shame. If she had cooperated with the Saintess earlier, perhaps the Saintess would have already freed the people controlled by the Pope. Her tone was inevitably filled with regret and self-blame. "It is we who should be thanking you. Without you, Saintess, I would still be living in a muddle..."
"But without you, I could not have successfully made it to this day."
Zoya raised her slightly red eyes, looking up at the Saintess.
Ye Zheng interrupted Zoya's self-deprecating words. She looked at her with a serious expression and said, "I am just luckier than you, born into a higher position, possessing a broader perspective."
"Because of this, I should bear a heavier responsibility. By standing before you, I have a reason to lead you to higher places."
Both young women were stunned. They were speechless for a moment as they watched Ye Zheng leave.
The world was full of upper-class people who took their status and wealth for granted and looked down on the incompetence of ordinary people. Wen Xin had seen many such people, but it was the first time she had heard words like Ye Zheng's.
Zoya couldn't quite understand Ye Zheng's words, only feeling that as Ye Zheng stood there, she was like an unquenchable lighthouse.
Just before leaving, the black-haired, black-eyed girl turned and smiled at them. "Take care. Next time we meet, I want to see the latest chapter of The Sword-Wielding Maiden."
It wasn't until Ye Zheng's figure completely disappeared from sight that Wen Xin finally snapped out of her daze. She tightened her grip on her pen. The Saintess had her great cause. Even if she couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with her, she could contribute her part to the future of the Saintess and more of their companions.
Ye Zheng had gained a lot today. After her confrontation with the Pope, she made another trip to the lower district and pieced together crucial information. By the time she returned home again, the lights were dim, and even the maids had gone to rest.
As Ye Zheng was quietly passing through the living room alone, her mother's voice suddenly stopped her.
"Zhengzheng, I have something to talk to you about..."
Ye Zheng followed her mother to a remote guest room. Shu Wan suddenly grabbed her hand, her usually soft voice becoming urgent. "Did your father tell you? The Royal Family seems to be interested in you becoming the Crown Prince's..."
"He didn't tell me, but I know, Mother."
After receiving her daughter's definite reply, Shu Wan was at a loss for words. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? The recent events had become increasingly incomprehensible to her.
"Is this what you want? Although His Highness the Crown Prince is of noble status, he is difficult to get along with. And Mother knows you really like this job as the Saintess..."
Ye Zheng's gaze traced her mother's anxious expression. Listening to her mother's fragmented words, she suddenly spoke up, "If I say I don't want to, Mother, can you help me?"
Shu Wan's pupils trembled. It had been a long, long time since she heard her daughter ask for her help, so much so that she lost the ability to react, her throat feeling as if it were blocked, unable to speak.
Perhaps the more important reason was that she couldn't give her daughter a definite answer. Ye Zheng had grown up. What she needed was no longer exquisite desserts, beautiful clothes, or pocket money to give to beggars, but something that she, a puppet-like mother, simply couldn't provide.
Ye Zheng lowered her eyes, deciding to end this spur-of-the-moment difficulty she was creating.
She knew perfectly well that asking this would embarrass Shu Wan. She had just been able to comfort Zoya with ease, yet towards the person most closely connected to her in this world, she couldn't help but adopt a harsher attitude.
This was wrong, Ye Zheng thought. This kind of willful and unreasonable question would only plunge both of them into a more awkward situation.
"You should go rest first. I can handle those—"
"Mother can help you!"
Shu Wan forcefully gripped her daughter's hand as she was about to leave, a flash of excitement in her eyes that was unfamiliar to Ye Zheng.
"Nothing you don't like will happen at your coming-of-age ceremony, Mother promises. Our Zhengzheng will have a very, very good eighteenth birthday..."
Ye Zheng was suddenly embraced by her mother. She had already grown taller than her mother. From her perspective, it looked more like her mother was burrowing into her embrace, that slightly frail body trembling in her arms.
So Ye Zheng wrapped her arms around her mother, just like when she was very young and her mother held her as she cried.
As for Shu Wan's words, they just swirled in her mind for a moment before flowing away. Perhaps it was because she had expected too much in the past, and now Ye Zheng had long since learned to avoid the natural expectations that came with this blood tie.
Ye Zheng just gently patted Shu Wan's back, her expression unusually peaceful.
Therefore, she missed the fierce, determined emotion that flashed in her mother's eyes within her embrace.
Shu Wan gradually calmed down in her daughter's arms. A crazy idea emerged in her mind. Since Zhengzheng didn't like Sykes, didn't like Ye Fanjing... and didn't like her as a mother either.
Since Ye Fanjing had entrusted Zhengzheng's coming-of-age ceremony to her, she would definitely prepare it very well...
After returning to her room, Ye Zheng didn't immediately take out her phone. She first washed up, taking a rare hot bath to relax.
After soaking until her head felt a little dizzy, she climbed out, changed into refreshing pajamas, and as she sat in front of the mirror combing her long hair, she suddenly had the urge to cut it again.
"System, has the popularity value stabilized?"
[Currently, Ye Zheng's popularity value is around eighty-five thousand.]
The System reported.
Ye Zheng's eyes widened slightly. This result was better than she had expected.
Before the new chapter was updated, Zhao Mei's popularity was fifty-five thousand, and Ye Zheng's was forty thousand, totaling ninety-five thousand.
Now, Zhao Mei's popularity value had disappeared, while Ye Zheng's had doubled, not far from the original combined total.
[Zhao Mei's popularity value hasn't completely disappeared, you know. A small portion of readers have accepted all this and are tentatively starting to like Ye Zheng.]
[Also, this plot has attracted quite a few new readers. They are an important part of why your popularity doubled. And the original readers who liked Ye Zheng are still very loyal!]
[For this round of badges—that is, merchandise badges—your sales are second only to Percy's. It's worth mentioning that the badges with Zhao Mei's print are third in sales, and surprisingly many people are still willing to buy them...]
The heartbroken Zhao Mei stans treated this round of merchandise as "Zhao Mei's mementos," "the final commemoration," while surprisingly many Ye Zheng stans also bought them together, including some who had previously cursed Zhao Mei.
The System had educated Ye Zheng, so she knew that "badge" referred to a pin with a character's image.
A hint of subtle confusion crossed the girl's face. In the eyes of those readers who thought Zhao Mei was "dead," were they treating the badges with Zhao Mei's image as a portrait for remembrance...
As Zhao Mei herself, still alive and kicking right here, Ye Zheng couldn't quite understand it, but she respected everyone's way of expressing their affection.
Ye Zheng shook her head slightly, remembering what she had originally intended to do. She took out a small pair of scissors from the drawer and gestured towards her hair.
The warning sound that had made her drop the scissors in pain two months ago did not ring out. The room was quiet and peaceful.
However, Ye Zheng stared at herself in the mirror and slowly put down the small scissors.
"No, I need to find a more appropriate time."
The image of Saintess Ye Zheng that people were currently celebrating was always accompanied by this long, black hair. During this sensitive promotional period, it wasn't appropriate to abruptly change her image.
Besides, she still needed this heavy, backward-pulling force to constantly remind her—
She could not relax. There were still countless shackles trying to drag her down.
"System, I'm a bit curious. Why doesn't the manga's law care about my hair anymore?"
[Because your positioning has changed. The law of this world no longer considers you the protagonist's partner, but rather—]
[The protagonist's enemy!]
The System's voice became solemn.
[Ye Zheng, in a shonen manga, villains usually don't have very good luck. Even if you have overwhelming strength, the law will create small accidents to let the protagonist achieve final victory.]
[A lucky villain might get away unscathed, or even reconcile with the protagonist, but the fate of most villains is not very pleasant.]
[Since the last chapter update, the law will no longer demand you to be the protagonist's exquisite spouse. However, it will target you as an enemy.]
Ye Zheng let out a soft "Ah."
"An enemy? I've never considered Percy an enemy."
The girl's finger tapped the soft quilt beneath her. Percy was blocking the road, and she had to push him aside, that's all.
Hearing the System's worried and solemn reminder, Ye Zheng's lips curved into a smile.
"In the original plot, I wasn't a villain and still met a dead end. What do I have to be afraid of now?"
The System finally laughed as well.
[You're right. At least in this world, you won't die as a sacrifice. No matter what, it's a better ending!]
An ending? Ye Zheng didn't like that word. She was still young. Even if she was tired for a moment, she was unwilling to stop her steps.
She tapped the red icon on her phone and entered the manga called King of the Demonic Domain.
The last chapter's update stopped at her holding the sword, walking past the devastated Percy towards the excited crowd without a glance.
"Looking at it this way, I really do look like a heartless villain from a play who betrayed true feelings."
Ye Zheng teased herself.
Her long fingers scrolled down. Ye Zheng patiently scrolled past a large blank space. Suddenly, her fingertip paused, and she scrolled back up a bit.
The vast white screen almost made her think it was a blank page. A closer look revealed that the white on this page was semi-transparent, like a dense fog.
And beneath the fog, a faint silhouette could be seen. The orange hair was like a sun hidden in the thick fog.
However, this sun had grown strange horns, and scattered black scales crawled up the side of her face. A pair of faint black wings fluttered behind her—
Lucy?
Ye Zheng's brows furrowed.
Author's Note:
I saw the fanart from my dear readers in the Super Topic! So cute, so cute, I'm eating it up!
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