After Backstabbing The Villain, The System Allowed Me To Enter The Book Again - Chapter 17

As his turn approached, Qi Yi’s phone vibrated. He picked it up and heard Shen Huaixin’s anxious voice: “Qi Yi, get a few guys to the library. I’m in the alley behind it, near the Wishing Wall. Shen Chumo is in danger!”

In her panic, her words were a bit jumbled, but Qi Yi managed to grasp her meaning. His expression darkened as he glanced at the host announcing on stage.

“Shen Huaixin, are you serious?”

“Serious! I can’t handle them alone!” The girl’s breathing on the line grew more frantic. “Shen Chumo is badly hurt—hurry! And Su Zihan… she has to come at this moment!”

…Su Zihan? What does she need Su Zihan for in a fight?

The last, awkwardly phrased sentence made Qi Yi suspicious. She seemed too flustered, perhaps accidentally revealing something. Before he could make a judgment, Su Zihan walked over, tilting her body slightly, blinking her eyes in a coquettish manner.

“Qi Yi, what’s wrong? You look upset.”

Qi Yi hung up, his expression serious. “Shen Huaixin called. She says that the transfer student is in danger and needs our help.”

“…Shen Huaixin really is,” Su Zihan thought for a moment, searching for words, “very scheming.”

Qi Yi was still pondering when she continued, not waiting for him to finish his thought, saying, “Maybe I should get a few guys…”

For a moment, their sentences overlapped. They looked at each other, eyes reflecting disbelief, as if facing such a major conflict for the first time. Qi Yi wanted to speak, but backstage staff quickly hurried over, reminding them they had five minutes until their performance.

Su Zihan watched him intently. Seeing the upcoming performance, she remembered the hard rehearsal and spoke urgently: “Qi Yi, don’t you think the timing is too coincidental? Don’t forget that day when she stole the classroom, she left a warning so we couldn’t get on stage!”

Qi Yi recalled the scene and pressed his lips together. Although Shen Huaixin later gave assurances, what if…

“She said you must be present. Do you know why?” he asked uncertainly.

Su Zihan shook her head vigorously, seizing his hesitation, pressing on: “Think about it. If I went and couldn’t get on stage, who benefits the most? She gets the spotlight while I step back without a fight. Have you considered… what I would look like to others?”

Her words sobered him. He had indeed been thrown off by Shen Huaixin’s emotions, losing basic judgment. A single unverifiable phone call, and he believed it—perhaps blinded by her recent innocence, his mind rushed, forgetting past annoyances.

They weren’t a professional team; without the lead actress, it would be him performing to empty air. And why did Su Zihan have to come? Even for a fight, shouldn’t he have gathered some guys?

The backstage staff urged them again to line up according to order for the upcoming performance.

Seizing the moment, Su Zihan said, “Qi Yi, I know you’re kind-hearted, but even if you don’t think of me, think of the classmates who worked hard to rehearse.”

“You’re right,” Qi Yi nodded, no longer hesitating. “Right now, the performance is most important. We can’t let her… trick succeed.”

Shen Huaixin spun in place, anxious. Any longer and Shen Chumo would take another blow.

The stage was set. The lead female, gentle and healing, would make the antagonist remember her with just a pack of tissues—not this cruel supporting role.

Shen Huaixin remembered what the book described:

(Shen Chumo leaned against the wall, hair falling into his eyes, unaware of anything except the pain coursing through him. He reached out to wipe the bl00d from his mouth, only to find his finger severed, hanging limply. He had endured bullying before, but knowing he could heal himself only made the bullies more vicious, far beyond ordinary school bullying. Monsters, cripples, fools… negative emotions layered upon him, yet he felt strangely familiar, as if this were meant to be. Black mist slowly spread, and through the haze, a pack of tissues was extended toward him.)

Although the timing and scene were slightly different, the story’s self-correcting power was undeniable. The book’s world always drifted back to the original plotline, like a rotating celestial body on its axis.

This was the perfect moment to intervene—but when would Qi Yi’s people arrive?

Impatient, she checked her call logs. A few minutes should have passed, but no one had arrived.

Should she stop them first, then wait for the lead actress? Shen Huaixin’s fingers itched.

The system predicted her thought and repeatedly issued ooc warnings, making her even more irritated. Seeing Shen Chumo pinned by several tall, muscular boys, beaten one-sidedly while she could do nothing, her anger swelled.

Shen Chumo’s face, pressed to the ground, dirt smeared across his pale features mixed with some bl00d, looked pitiful. He curled up, bruised all over, but stubbornly remained silent.

He had accidentally hit one boy’s nose, causing a nosebleed, and knocked out another’s tooth—maybe even saving the boy a step in his dental development. Why should he be beaten for that?

Shen Huaixin noticed faint, nearly invisible black energy beginning to emanate from Shen Chumo, spider-webbing around the bodies of those attacking him, spreading slowly but surely. The attackers, caught in the one-sided fight, noticed nothing.

…At this rate, she suspected the real danger was these boys.

She bent down, picked up a few stones, weighing them.

[System: ooc warning!]

[Shen Huaixin: Don’t worry. Watch me perform!]

She dashed forward, hurling stones like shot puts, striking the attackers’ shoulders. The boys winced, turning to locate the culprit.

Sunlight fell like a natural spotlight, and the girl ran toward them, like stepping onto a star-studded stage. Her outfit’s clean lines and design made her look otherworldly, like a fairy fallen into the mortal world.

The boys froze in shock until a stone hit one’s head, scraping the skin. He shook his ringing head, suddenly furious.

“Shen Huaixin! Are you crazy? What did we do to you?”

“Why are you interrupting the performance?” another yelled. “Aren’t you supposed to compete for the campus queen?”

Oh, they even knew her name. Well, the original girl was a famous figure, though not for good reasons.

[System: The host may remain silent, but everything you say will be submitted as evidence and used as a basis for ooc punishment.]

Shen Huaixin raised her chin, kicked Shen Chumo’s leg like kicking a trash bag by the roadside: “You beat my dog. Why can’t I fight back?”

A cold smile crossed her face: “You hurt my dog. I’m not letting it slide.”

“…”

“….”

The group was stunned. The air froze briefly. Shen Chumo lifted his head, catching her bright gaze through the pile of bodies.

[Story deviation value -25, current: 34. (Conclusion: The gradually stabilizing small world coexists with the demon.)]

“Why so quiet?”

Shen Huaixin tossed a stone vertically, tracing an arc, then caught it in her hand. She kicked Shen Chumo.

“Shame on you! You can’t beat ten at once? Don’t claim to be my dog outside!”

The boys were speechless, seeing their injuries, realizing they looked ridiculous.

“There aren’t ten!” someone muttered. “Only seven…” The voice faded, realizing seven against one wasn’t honorable.

A high-year boy with sharp features stood, sizing Shen Huaixin up, eyes provocative:

“So, you just want us to let Shen Chumo go?”

“Exactly,” Shen Huaixin admitted. “My dog, I punish myself, not others.”

He smirked, elbowing Shen Chumo, holding him firmly. “Fine. As long as Shen Chumo admits I’m right, we’ll let him go.”

So easy? In a classic TV trope, shouldn’t he be forced to act like a dog?

Shen Huaixin relaxed, desperately signaling Shen Chumo to verbally yield, letting this slide.

Shen Chumo remained silent.

Seeing him not respond, she spoke: “It’s simple. Shen Chumo, I’ll take your silence as agreement.”

“Hahaha…” The upperclassman laughed mockingly, the others joined.

“I don’t admit it.” A clear, firm voice.

The laughter died instantly.

Everyone looked at Shen Chumo, who remained calm, repeating: “You’re wrong.”

Tension thickened. Seeing the opportunity slip, Shen Huaixin squatted, finding a spot on Shen Chumo with no bruises, patting him hard. He groaned.

“You’re stupid!” she scolded. “If you die being beaten, I won’t bury you!”

Unexpectedly, the upperclassman didn’t get angry, just raised his eyebrows, glancing at them with a smirk, as if amused.

“Does Qi Yi know?” Shen Huaixin waved her phone. “I called him. He’ll bring the teacher soon. Keep going and you might get punished or expelled!”

Even the rowdiest teens would flinch at “expulsion.” The upperclassman remained unimpressed.

“Qi Yi, huh? Haven’t seen him in a while…”

He stood fully, and Shen Huaixin realized how tall he was. The shadow cast a powerful pressure, making her hold her breath. He leaned down, close to her ear, voice low, brushing her hair:

“Congratulations. You raised a loyal dog.”

Before she could respond, he strode away, beckoning his underlings with his back:

“Farewell, Shen Huaixin. Remember, my name is Fu Lingxuan.”

Shen Huaixin froze.

Fu Lingxuan, one of the male leads, followed the “forceful love” plotline. Polluted himself, he would coerce the heroine into contact once discovering her purification abilities. He and Qi Yi were a contrast, black and white, school genius versus school tyrant, always at odds.

Compared to Qi Yi’s gentle consideration, Fu Lingxuan fit Shen Huaixin’s ideal better—electric powers, playful and wild, especially seeing the heroine reluctant yet restrained, forced into purification, making him even more enticing.

Qi Yi looked at the sky, hand raised as if touching the shining stage lights. “Juliet, under this bright moonlight, its silver sheen paints the tips of these fruit trees. I swear—“

Su Zihan shook her head, gaze melancholic and gentle, just like the moon. “Ah! Don’t swear by the moon. It changes every month. If you swear by it, perhaps your love will be as changeable.”

Qi Yi paused, a few seconds, then responded: “Then what should I swear by?”

In his mind echoed “love is changeable.” Previously, he never thought true love could waver. He had always believed his feelings for someone he liked were sincere and consistent, just as fixed as his taste in food.

But… was it really so?

Unknowingly, he became distracted mid-performance, feeling uneasy, as if he had made a wrong choice. He thought it was funny, deciding to see the outcome after performing, then he could take the teacher to the library, check the scene—it wouldn’t let Shen Huaixin’s scheme go to waste.

Fortunately, the audience wasn’t harsh critics—just curious teenagers. Even an imperfect performance from Qi Yi was already a rare treat for students submerged in tedious exams and exercises.