After backstabbing the villain, the system allowed me to enter the book again - Chapter 3

Early morning.

The phone alarm dragged Shen Huaixin out of her dreams. Still half-asleep, she groped for her phone at the bedside and swiped at the screen with practiced ease. A wave of gloom washed over her—

Another day at work.
Ugh, so annoying. The world should just end already.

The mere thought of the mountain of reports piling up on her desk made her want to die. She started calculating how many days of annual leave she had left—maybe enough to take half a day off? But after counting twice, something felt wrong.

She jerked awake, eyes flying open to an unfamiliar ceiling and a strange bedroom layout.

School. She was supposed to be going to school.

Dragging herself out of the warm covers, Shen Huaixin washed up and changed clothes. When she looked in the mirror, the face staring back was both strange and familiar—an undeniably pretty teenage girl’s face, yet shadowed with the dull dead look of an office drone.

She scrubbed her face hard, as though she could wash away the smell of overtime. Then came a knock at the door.

“Miss, breakfast is ready. Time to get up.”

Shen Huaixin mumbled an answer.

By the time she sat down at the dining table, Shen Chumo was already there waiting.

Shen Huaixin blinked.
“You’re up already?”

“Wanted to eat with Xin-jie.”
He carefully tied his scarf, looking every bit the obedient boy.

Shen Huaixin nearly laughed but forced herself to keep her face cold and disdainful. Her tone sharp:
“Then eat by yourself. I’ve lost my appetite. You can have my share too.”

She strode away quickly, not daring to look at him. Her conscience stung.

Shen Chumo’s eyes lit up instead. Watching her back retreat, he nodded vigorously.

Today’s breakfast was Hong Kong style: shrimp dumplings, abalone rice rolls, boat congee—delicacies he had never even seen before. He swallowed hard and reached for his chopsticks.

“Young master, the miss is just grumpy in the mornings,” one servant comforted as she laid out the dishes. “It’s Monday, after all. Easy to be in a bad mood.”

Shen Chumo buried himself in food, nodding absentmindedly.

At the school gate, a red convertible with a tiny golden mascot on its hood pulled up, kicking up a cloud of dust. The door opened, and under the rising morning sun, the first thing that appeared was an ivory-white leather boot.

Students rushing to class slowed down, whispering.

“Isn’t that Shen Huaixin? I’ve seen that car before.”

“What does she look like? Is she pretty?”

“…Kind of unique. You’ll see.”
The insider’s cryptic expression only whetted curiosity.

And then, out stepped a girl in a blue school uniform. Her long hair was tied neatly back, showing off a clean forehead and bright eyes. Even dressed simply, she looked as fresh and graceful as a lotus just out of water, naturally elegant and pleasing.

The curious classmate stared, dumbstruck. He nudged the so-called insider, only to find the latter looking equally dazed—caught somewhere between admiration and horror.

“Unique?”
“You mean… uniquely beautiful? I don’t get it.”

“…Neither do I.”

Not far away, the school belle paused mid-step. She looked to the boy beside her.
“Qi Yi? What is it?”

Qi Yi reined in his gaze and gave her a gentle smile.
“Nothing.”

“Xin-jie?”

A boy with a backpack—Fang Xiaozheng—waved at Shen Huaixin, scanning her up and down uncertainly.

Finally spotting a familiar face, Shen Huaixin felt as though she’d been thrown a lifeline. She hurried over, greeting him instinctively:
“Good morning, Xiao Zheng.”

System: Warning! Character profile deviation! Administering light electric shock.

A surge of current shot through Shen Huaixin’s body, nearly tearing a scream from her throat. She stomped hard on a stone to cover it, eyes brimming with tears.
“Ah… damn rock’s too hard! Think I broke my toe! Xiao Zheng, go buy me some bread, I didn’t eat breakfast.”

Fang Xiaozheng, curious about her sudden change in appearance, didn’t have time to ask.
“Okay!”
And he dashed toward the school store.

Shen Huaixin stayed put, gulping down air as she pretended the pain came from her toe. The electric jolt had been like trying to run on numb legs—every step excruciating.

[Shen Huaixin, tearfully to the system]: Thunder King, can we negotiate? Next time give me a yellow card first, okay? I’ll fix it right away. If I’m still OOC at the end, then zap me.
[System]: Agreed.

Relieved, she saw Fang Xiaozheng hurrying back with bread in his arms. She wanted to thank him, but the fear of another shock forced her into character. She sniffed and huffed coldly:
“As a runner, you’re passable.”

Even as she accepted the bread, she slipped him 20 yuan on WeChat for milk tea—her guilty little compensation.

Fang Xiaozheng happily accepted, beaming. Then, with uncontainable excitement, he struck a pose: pinky and thumb up, other fingers curled, left hand on his hip.

“Xin-Xin Girl Squad, forever united!”

Shen Huaixin: “…”

A wave of secondhand embarrassment hit her. She wanted to curl her toes into the ground and pretend she didn’t know this person.

“Xin-jie, why aren’t you saying the slogan?”

“…It’s good. Next time, though, don’t shout it.”

“What? But you made it up yourself! You said we needed a team name and slogan to look more imposing.”

System: OOC warning.

Shen Huaixin stiffened, sure now the system was messing with her. Gritting her teeth, she mimicked the pose, muttering so quietly it was like a mosquito’s buzz:
“Xin-Xin Girl Squad, forever united…”

The crowd of gawking students only grew thicker. Eyes dead, she rushed through the routine.

[Shen Huaixin]: It’s fine. The mission only lasts a few months… I’ll survive this.

Thanks to Fang Xiaozheng, she managed to bluff her way to class.

“Xin-jie, why no makeup today? You look really different,” Fang Xiaozheng whispered as they sat down.

Shen Huaixin had just taken a sip of water—she nearly spat it out.
“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m exactly the same!”

“Of course you’re prettier now,” he hurried to explain. “I mean, you were always pretty, but now it’s a different kind of pretty. Very Xin-jie.”

…So that’s what he meant.

Glancing around, she noticed more eyes on her than usual. In high school, where even dyed hair wasn’t allowed, her transformation stood out.

Fang Xiaozheng followed her gaze, then giggled.
“Everyone’s just stunned by your beauty. At this rate, the school flower title’s yours.”

“School flower?”

“Suu Zihan, of course. But honestly, she’s nowhere near as good-looking as you.”

That jogged Shen Huaixin’s memory. Right—the female lead was the school flower. She always forgot the name.

“You’re right,” she said, smiling faintly. “I should meet this school belle.”

The bell rang. Chatter ceased as the teacher walked in to arrange morning reading.

The clean windows, the earnest recitations, rows of uniformed students—it all felt surreal to Shen Huaixin. After years of being ground down as office cattle, she realized what a luxury school really was.

She read her new textbook with rare seriousness, savoring each line. The book was so pristine, she suspected the original owner had never cracked it open. From what she recalled, the girl had always been at the bottom of the class. Not that it mattered—her wealthy parents had already arranged for her to study abroad after graduation, to return gilded with a foreign degree.

Behind her, some boys whispered.

“Isn’t she usually asleep during morning reading?”
“Totally an act.”
“Still… she looks good like this. Maybe she’s turning over a new leaf.”
“Which do you believe more: the school’s worst student reforming, or me being Qin Shi Huang?”

They snickered, ending the topic.

After morning reading came morning run.

“You’re actually going?” Fang Xiaozheng asked in surprise.

Shen Huaixin nodded, then froze mid-step. Luckily, the system didn’t flag this, and she exhaled in relief.

This was like being a rebellious kid in boot camp—step out of line, get shocked back.

But her new body was clearly out of shape. After one lap, she collapsed at the track’s edge, gasping.

Another class jogged by, and her eyes happened to fall on a delicate girl among them. She had wispy bangs, worn sneakers, and sweat-damp hair stuck to her forehead. Sunlight scattered across her face, softening her into pure, sweet youth.

The girl’s features weren’t striking, but her gentle, slightly drooping brows gave her a fragile, pitiful beauty that stirred protective instincts.

Her shoelace came loose, so she dropped out of the line to tie it.

“Wow,” Shen Huaixin breathed. If she guessed right, this was the school belle, Su Zihan.

She really did look like the heroine of a campus drama—an adorable little white flower, the type you just wanted to cuddle like a small animal.

No wonder even the villain remembered her kindness. In the story, after being bullied, Shen Chumo received a tissue and a supporting arm from Su Zihan. That tiny gesture stuck with him, igniting the fuse of his fate.

Conveniently, the novel had set Su Zihan’s ability as Purification. She could ease mild corruption, usually through physical contact: holding hands, kissing, or deeper intimacy to let her pure energy flow.

No surprise that every male lead longed for her touch.

But for full-blown corruption or outright monsters, her purification wasn’t healing but release—like a priest’s exorcism.

It made sense. Shen Huaixin thought of pollution like cancer cells. Early treatment could kill them. But once it spread throughout the body, all that was left was palliative care.

Noticing Shen Huaixin staring, Su Zihan looked up. Their eyes met. She blinked, then offered a polite smile.

Shen Huaixin smiled back automatically—only to get a yellow card warning from the system. She quickly shifted to a cold sneer.

“I heard you’re the school flower?”

“…” Su Zihan sized her up. Pale skin, striking beauty, and even with a mocking tone, there was an innate aura of arrogance and grace. Born superior.

“I don’t know. Probably just a silly rumor,” Su Zihan replied.

“Mm. Deserved, though,” Shen Huaixin said with a nod.

Su Zihan’s brows creased. That yin-yang tone! Even if she admitted the girl outshone her, being so bluntly pointed out still stung. Since the newcomer clearly wasn’t friendly, Su Zihan saw no reason to linger. With her shoelaces tied, she ran back to her class, leaving Shen Huaixin her swift, athletic back view.

Back in the classroom, with a few minutes left before lessons, Shen Huaixin strolled over to the neighboring class and spotted a boy chatting with Su Zihan.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses, his expression naturally distant. But when he looked at Su Zihan, his gaze softened. Then he lifted his eyes and met Shen Huaixin’s through the window.

That must be Qi Yi—the aloof academic genius.

In the novel, he was one of the three male leads. Drawn by Su Zihan’s resilience, he silently protected her without asking for anything. To her, he was more like an older brother—until the apocalypse struck. When he was injured protecting her, her panic unlocked her purification power, and in healing him, their feelings broke through.

Shen Huaixin remembered those scenes clearly, having studied them line by line. Facing the real people now made her feel almost guilty, like a voyeur caught in the act. She looked away quickly, fist pressed to her lips to hide a cough.

The real kicker? The original Shen Huaixin had been infatuated with Qi Yi. She had tried everything to get close to him. Their families even approved, hinting at an eventual marriage.

But despite her efforts, she couldn’t even get his phone number—only his growing disgust. Her advances pushed him further and further away.

Until finally, after she crossed a line, Qi Yi had declared in front of everyone:

“I’d rather die—jump off the school roof—than ever like you! Give it up, Shen Huaixin!”

Now, staring at her from across the classroom, Qi Yi asked coolly:

“Shen Huaixin, what do you want?”