An ominous feeling

System: I &^%XX##$@*&^*&%$#!!!

[All right. After the abnormal data readings last time, this system returned to headquarters for recalibration.]

[The data shows that you did not return to the beginning of the story after dying. In that book's world, you really are dead.]

"What the hell? I'm already dead? Then where am I now? In some post-death dream?"

Jiang Yourning froze.

[Count yourself lucky. After dying, you arrived in the world of another companion novel by the same author.

The two books' timelines overlap and run concurrently. You are now a random extra in the other book who doesn't even merit a name.]

"..."

"A companion novel? Another book? You were even generous enough to give me a resurrection card, so why do I have this ominous feeling?"

[Yes. The female lead in this book transmigrated from an apocalyptic world, and she also has a system.

The person with the Cold Affliction you met a few days ago was poisoned with a system-produced poison.]

"Do you systems come wholesale now? Are you from the same world?"

[No. We belong to two different frameworks.

That one counts as a native. We transmigrated into this book's world and can leave once the mission is complete, so we are outsiders.]

Jiang Yourning nodded, only half understanding. Her scalp felt itchy, as if something were about to sprout out of it.

"Forget it. I don't really get it. Do you have that book? Let me read it."

[A link to the book is now available in the System Shop. Ten points will let you read the complete digital edition once.]

"Oh. You can go now."

Without hesitation, Jiang Yourning shut her mouth, bought the book, and began studying it, forgetting food and sleep.

That reading session lasted another entire night.

As dawn barely began to break, Jiang Yourning watched the words of the book vanish before her eyes one by one, then sprawled on her bed with nothing left to live for.

"This is so fucking ridiculous!!!

We're all human, so why the hell do we get treated differently???"

"We both have systems, so why does she get to be so rich and so crazy? Why does she get to keep all those male lovers on top of completing missions?"

"And me... I already have a hard enough time just staying alive, and now you're telling me this lousy Yu Kingdom is going to be conquered by a female lead who transmigrated here three years ago and is currently lying low and building up her strength in the neighboring kingdom???"

Jiang Yourning's feelings were complicated.

She swore she would never read another melodramatic angst novel in this lifetime.

This book by the author was even more melodramatic than the one she had read, and once again, by the end, the title was the only thing left alive.

Only, the male lead had been the lunatic in the previous book; in this one, it was the female lead.

As if her intelligence had been forcibly lowered, the female lead fell in love at first sight with her unattainable ideal, but he couldn't have cared less about her.

When she failed to win him over, she poisoned him and even tried to imprison him.

The forces backing her beloved paid a hefty price to send him here. Unable to find him, the female lead went mad and started playing substitute-lover games, then became entangled in a love-hate relationship with the male lead, a substitute with ulterior motives.

And the Yu Kingdom fell because the female lead received word that her beloved was there.

Later, her beloved was abducted and taken back, and the male lead schemed to kill him.

The female lead went mad and killed the male lead in turn.

After the male lead died, she remembered his good points and realized that her love for him had long since taken deep root. So she had his grave dug up and had herself buried alive with his corpse.

In short, another absolute lunatic.

Oh, right.

That unattainable beloved was Qing Qianxue, the poor guy who hadn't survived past fifty thousand words in the original novel. His mother had died young, his father didn't love him, and he was bullied and pushed aside.

In this book, he faked his death and returned to his homeland to rescue someone. He succeeded, but after he returned to the Yu Kingdom, his whereabouts were exposed.

That was what led to the female lead overturning the Yu Kingdom later on.

"Maybe... I should tie up that ice-faced guy and dump him back in the Flourishing Kingdom?"

The moment the idea surfaced, Jiang Yourning shook her head.

With the Invisibility Cloak, she was reasonably confident she could slip in and out of the National Preceptor's Residence herself, but getting someone else out was another matter.

The Instant Flash Express Delivery was pretty useful, but the damn thing only worked within the city. It couldn't cross national borders.

Besides, given the female lead's unreasonable nature, even dumping him back in the Flourishing Kingdom would be useless.

The Yu Kingdom had sheltered her precious beloved, forcing her and the man of her dreams to spend so long separated in different lands.

If she found out, barring any surprises, the Yu Kingdom's gates would be trampled down even sooner.

"Forget it. Let everything burn!"

Jiang Yourning collapsed onto the bed.

Jiang Yourning had no idea when she fell asleep.

But before long, Chun Tao was shaking her frantically.

"Miss! Miss, stop sleeping! Get up!"

After staying up all night, she was exhausted in body and mind.

Jiang Yourning's face was deathly pale and her breathing faint. She looked as though she were about to die.

Chun Tao's little face instantly went white with fright.

She scrambled outside, stumbling in her haste, and began shouting as soon as she reached the courtyard.

"The young miss seems to be sick and unconscious! Hurry and fetch a doctor!"

Hearing Chun Tao's shout, the young maids sweeping the courtyard also went pale and hurried off to spread the news.

In mere moments.

Every master and mistress in the residence had received the news and was rushing toward Jiang Yourning's courtyard.

Jiang Wanrong hurried over at the noise, examined Jiang Yourning carefully, then slipped a pill into her mouth.

Her pulse was somewhat irregular and her breathing labored. It appeared to be caused by excessive exhaustion.

Soon, the rest of the Jiang Family rushed over upon hearing the news. "How is Ningning? How much longer until the doctor arrives?"

"Master, someone has already gone to fetch him."

A young maid answered obediently.