novelraw Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Chapter 61: He’s Hurt So Badly, Just Replace the Male Lead!
“Hello, I’m Su Qingyan …”
In a daze, Ye Bai weakly opened his eyes upon hearing the name Su Qingyan. She was the girl of his dreams. They had been betrothed since childhood, and the first time he saw little Su Qingyan, he fell for her. In his eyes, she was breathtakingly beautiful as a child and unforgettable as an adult.
After all these years, a large part of his motivation for returning to China alive was his engagement to Su Qingyan. In Ye Bai’s heart, while Xia Shihan and Xiao Yuxuan could offer him significant support, their status still fell short of Su Qingyan’s. Moreover, her identity was far from ordinary—even if she were just a trophy wife, marrying her would secure the Su family’s backing.
That’s why he devised a plan to have Lin Tai set fire to the set, all to get closer to Su Qingyan. Now, hearing her name, he summoned his willpower to stay conscious, opening his weary eyes. He believed Su Qingyan would surely remember him.
“Qingyan …” Ye Bai’s voice was faint, barely audible. He tried to get her attention, but the pain in his body made it impossible to speak louder.
“Did you hear something?” Lu Ziyan glanced around, feeling like she heard a faint call for Qingyan, but it was so soft, like a mosquito’s buzz.
“No,” Su Qingyan shook her head, briefly glancing at Ye Bai behind her.
“Who’s he?” Of course, Su Qingyan recognized Ye Bai, but in this second life, she wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, they were enemies.
She vividly remembered the fire on the set in her past life. She, Ye Bai, and Lu Ziyan were inside the studio preparing for a scene when Zhao Gang, lurking outside, set the fire. He had planned it meticulously, dousing the studio with gasoline. The flames spread instantly, engulfing the entire set.
At first, under Ye Bai’s protection, the three of them nearly escaped the studio. But just before reaching the exit, a burning wooden frame fell from above, striking her and Lu Ziyan on the back. Lu Ziyan passed out immediately, while Su Qingyan clung to a sliver of consciousness.
She clearly recalled that Ye Bai, seeing them unconscious with their clothes catching fire, hesitated. After a moment, he tried to push the burning frame aside, but the gasoline-soaked wood was impossible to move. As the flames grew fiercer and thick smoke filled the studio, Ye Bai choked, staggered back, and, with the fire closing in, turned and bolted for the exit.
As he fled, the studio became a sea of flames, and Su Qingyan thought she was done for. But in her blurry vision, a man’s figure swiftly rushed into the fire. He moved quickly, found them, kicked the burning frame off their bodies, and carried her and Lu Ziyan—one in each arm—rushing toward the exit.
They made it out just before the studio collapsed. After that, she heard the sound of ambulances and police sirens before losing consciousness.
When she woke up in the hospital, her clothes were slightly singed, but thanks to the timely rescue, she hadn’t inhaled too much smoke. There was no life-threatening danger, and her skin was unburned. Lu Ziyan’s condition was even less severe.
Before she could even get out of bed, she saw news reports on TV about the fire, naming the culprit: Lin Tai, the young master of the Lin family, who was now a fugitive.
The news claimed Ye Bai had saved them from the fire.
Lying in bed, Su Qingyan recalled the scene in the blaze, trying to remember who had saved her. Was it Ye Bai? Would the man who turned and ran without hesitation come back to save them?
She cursed herself for being too weak to open her eyes and see clearly, but she remembered a distinct scent on the man who saved her. Later, when Ye Bai visited her, she immediately knew it wasn’t him.
The mystery haunted her. It wasn’t until after Lin Tai’s death, when her sister Su Yanfei brought back some of his belongings from the Lin household, that Su Qingyan caught that familiar scent again.
She couldn’t believe it—the arsonist had saved her? And he never even mentioned it.
Without hesitation, Su Qingyan rushed to the Lin family estate, only to find it deserted. In Lin Tai’s room, that distinct scent lingered in her nose.
That day, she accepted the truth: the person she least expected had saved her.
Later, when Xia Shihan, Xiao Yuxuan, and others exposed Ye Bai’s hypocrisy, Su Qingyan learned that Lin Tai wasn’t the arsonist.
Thinking back to how the Su and Lu families had crushed Lin Tai, forcing him to flee, Su Qingyan was overwhelmed with guilt. But she could only bury that guilt in her heart, carrying it for a lifetime.
In that lifetime, she never loved anyone again.
As for Ye Bai, she later learned he was her childhood betrothed. She was grateful the engagement had been called off early, sparing her the pain of being tied to someone like him.
In this second life, carrying her past guilt and a lifetime of longing, Su Qingyan hurried to the set. Upon arriving, she saw the chaotic scene and feared the tragedy of her past life would repeat itself. She rushed over in a panic.
But the scene wasn’t as tense as she remembered. In fact, her best friend Lu Ziyan seemed quite friendly with Lin Tai.
This left Su Qingyan confused—she couldn’t make sense of what was happening!
“Ye Bai, the male lead of our film,” Lu Ziyan said, feeling a bit uneasy. She almost forgot that Lin Tai was kind-hearted, and so was her best friend. Seeing Ye Bai in such a pitiful state, Su Qingyan would probably feel sorry for him.
“Yeah, he looks pretty badly hurt,” Su Qingyan said, stepping toward Ye Bai. Looking at him lying there like a dead dog, her heart remained unmoved.
She was kind, but that kindness was reserved for those who deserved it. Someone like Ye Bai didn’t.
“Qingyan …” Ye Bai, seeing her so close, was overjoyed. He knew it—Su Qingyan definitely recognized him. In that moment, the pain in his body seemed to fade.
“Why not replace the male lead?” Su Qingyan’s words were shocking.
“… Actually, I …” Lu Ziyan had been about to explain to Su Qingyan, not wanting her friend to think Lin Tai was a violent maniac.
“What did you say, Qingyan?” Lu Ziyan was stunned. Was this something the kind and gentle Su Qingyan would say?
Ye Bai, lying on the ground, was equally shocked. Su Qingyan wasn’t here to care for him—she wanted to … replace him?!
No, impossible!
Su Qingyan would never say something so cruel to him! She must not know who he was!
Ye Bai’s eyes were filled with disbelief. He refused to accept that Su Qingyan could be so ruthless toward him!
“I said, since he’s so badly injured, we should replace the male lead. Don’t worry about the film—my dad will invest when I get home,” Su Qingyan repeated.
Hearing her say it again, Ye Bai’s anger surged, and his barely regained consciousness faded as he passed out again.
“Qingyan, are you … okay?” Lu Ziyan wasn’t sympathizing with Ye Bai—she was just worried about her friend’s sudden change in behavior.
“What’s so strange about it? We can’t delay the film’s schedule—it’s already been announced,” Su Qingyan said lightly, masking her intent for revenge.
She didn’t want to show her scheming side in front of Lin Tai.
“What, you don’t agree?” Su Qingyan smiled. She knew her friend well. In her past life, Lu Ziyan didn’t mind Ye Bai, but in this life, she had heard Ye Bai used his influence to pressure Lu Ziyan into agreeing to something. Knowing Lu Ziyan’s temperament, she must despise Ye Bai even more now.
Before, Su Qingyan hadn’t stepped in because her friend hadn’t asked for help, and she didn’t want to overstep.
“Of course I agree! With Ye Bai like this, he’ll definitely delay the shooting schedule,” Lu Ziyan couldn’t help but laugh.
With Su Qingyan’s support, the restless folks back home would finally shut up.