Chapter 18: No Turning Back

"Where am I supposed to find Wen Miaohan now? I used to be able to reach her through her agent, but now? Where am I supposed to go?" Wang He snapped, his tone sharp with irritation.

"I told you to keep a low profile before. If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. If you want to make a living in this industry, you have to accept these constraints. Did you listen?"

"These fans have no brains either. It’s obvious Wen Miaohan isn't in a normal state right now. What good can come from crowding her at a time like this?"

After grumbling and venting his frustrations, Wang He went to call Xiao Hai, the team member responsible for fan relations, ordering him to contact the heads of all the fan clubs immediately and tell them to be careful with their words and actions.

"Knock, knock..."

A knock echoed at the door.

Wen Miaohan called out a "come in" and went back to staring at the live stream's public chat. Some of the comments were actually quite amusing; she could jot them down as inspiration for her writing.

"Hanhan, are you still streaming?"

"Yes, Sister. Is something the matter?"

Wen Miaohan muted her microphone as she replied.

[Who just walked in? The real heiress?]
[Isn't it said that the relationship between the real and fake heiresses of the Wen family is like fire and water?]
[Damn it, I got fooled by the gossip blogs again!]
[They just know she's streaming and are putting on an act. If your life had been stolen, would you be friendly to the other person? Only you idiots would believe they actually get along.]
[People with dirty minds see dirt everywhere. What do you mean by 'stolen life'? Did Wen Miaohan steal it? Wasn't it the medical staff's negligence?]

While the viewers in the chat were debating whether the relationship between the real and fake heiresses was genuine, Wen Miaoting stood there with her delicate mouth slightly agape, staring at Wen Miaohan in shock.

"What did you just call me?"

Although they were born on the same day, Wen Miaoting had arrived ten minutes earlier, making her the older sister by time.

Wen Miaohan smiled. "I called you Sister! What? You don't want to be my sister?"

"I do, I do! I was just afraid you wouldn't be happy about it!" Wen Miaoting nodded hurriedly.

Wen Miaohan gave a helpless laugh. "I knew you were overthinking things. Only a fool wouldn't want an extra sister to dote on her. Did you come looking for me for something?"

Wen Miaoting offered a soft smile. "Mom saw you’d been streaming for a while and was worried you’d get tired. But she was afraid if she came to urge you to sign off, you’d get angry, so I volunteered to be the villain."

Before coming up, Wen Miaoting had thought that since Wen Miaohan already disliked her, being the villain would, at worst, just make her dislike her a little more. But now that Wen Miaohan had called her "sister," she didn't want to carry the blame anymore.

Wen Miaoting thought to herself: I'm sorry, Mom, but I have to throw you under the bus first!

Mother Wen: Fine, fine! Both of you are throwing me under the bus, aren't you!

Wen Miaohan could understand her family's concern. She smiled and said, "Sister, wait for me a moment. I'm going to end the stream."

Wen Miaohan turned her gaze back to the computer screen. Seeing the chat still discussing her and Wen Miaoting, she unmuted the mic to fire back a few words.

"Alright, that’s enough. You’re really going to keep picking at my life like it’s the only drama on earth? Tell me, instead of obsessing over people who have nothing to do with you, why don't you worry about how much money you're making, what you're going to eat for dinner after work, whether your kids are studying hard at school, or how your parents' health is? Is it really that interesting to stare at someone who has no connection to your life?"

"If you enjoy doing meaningless things, that's your business, but I’m not willing to waste my precious time on people who aren't relevant to me—except for my fans, of course. You truly like me, and I naturally keep you in my heart."

"However, no matter how much you like me, remember to take care of your own lives first. Focus on the family around you. If you have extra energy after living your life, then you can spend it on me."

"Alright, I've said enough. I won't keep you any longer. I'm logging off to spend time with my dear family."

With that, Wen Miaohan didn't wait for them to respond and decisively cut the stream.

After logging off, she looked at Wen Miaoting and asked, "Are Mom and the others on the first floor?"

"Yes, Third Brother is back. He’s currently explaining the treatment plan he designed for you to Mom and the others," Wen Miaoting replied softly.

Wen Miaohan, who had already stepped toward the door, froze. She had forgotten about that guy Wen Haoran; she had foolishly thought she could avoid treatment just by leaving the hospital.

No, she had to hurry and ask the system if the special medicine it provided would conflict with the medication from this world.

"Sister, you go down first. I need to use the restroom, and then I'll come down."

As she spoke, Wen Miaohan turned and headed into the bathroom.

From behind her came Wen Miaoting's voice, "No rush, I'll wait for you so we can go down together."

Inside the bathroom, Wen Miaohan called out to the system in her mind, her voice anxious. "System, System! Will the special medicine you gave me cause side effects if I take it with the medicine from this world?"

[No. The special medicine provided by the system isn't actual medicine; strictly speaking, it's just a set of corrective data. After all, this illness is merely a programmed setting for you. Once the setting is modified, the illness will vanish.]

[However, the medicine in this world is real medicine. Every medicine has its poisons; you'll have to decide for yourself whether to take it or not.]

Understood. In other words, it's better not to take the medicine here.

Cancer medication seemed to have intense reactions, and then there was chemotherapy—the side effects like hair loss sounded severe.

No, no, no. She absolutely could not endure that kind of suffering.

But now everyone knew she was seriously ill, and they didn't know about her "golden finger"—the system. If she dared to say she wouldn't undergo treatment or take medication, the Wen family would definitely not let it slide.

It seemed she would have to negotiate with them properly later. She had to reject the infusions and surgeries completely. She could agree to take some pills, but she could secretly throw those away or spit them out—that was much more manageable.

"System, there's another very important question. Can I return to the real world?"

[Well... according to the original plot, this body dies in six months, and then you would be able to return to the real world.]

[However... this system sent you here to correct the plot. Before the plot is corrected, you cannot return. Once the plot is corrected, you won't be able to die in this world, and you still won't be able to return.]

"You've been talking for ages, and the point is I can't go back! If I can't go back, then what the hell am I correcting the plot for!" Wen Miaohan fumed.

Even though she had everything she wanted in this world, it was just a world from a book, and she was just a paper character. She felt that even though she was alive here, it didn't feel real.

[Correcting the plot earns you rewards that allow you to live better in this world, at least without the torment of illness. Besides, if you don't correct the plot, you'll die in six months and won't even be able to survive in this world.]

Wen Miaohan: Damn it! I really want to curse!

"Hanhan, why are you taking so long in the restroom?"

Wen Miaoting had waited in the room for quite a while without seeing Wen Miaohan come out. Remembering how Wen Miaohan looked in the bathroom this morning, she rushed toward the door and began pounding on it with her palms. "Bang, bang, bang!"

"Hanhan, are you okay?" Wen Miaoting called out anxiously.