Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 16

Jiang Ci followed Jiang Wan westward across the island, passing through lush green farmlands and stepping over babbling streams. The path grew increasingly remote, leaving the camera crew struggling to keep up, their equipment weighing heavily on their shoulders.

 

 

Watching Jiang Wan ahead—her legs trembling yet refusing to stop—Jiang Ci’s frown deepened, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

 

 

She halted beside a massive boulder. “Jiang Wan, how much farther to the game spot? This is way too remote. Soon we won’t even hear the island announcements.”

 

 

Sweat poured down Jiang Wan’s face, her cheeks flushed like ripe apples under the sun. “Almost there, just ahead.”

 

 

Jiang Ci: That’s what you said five minutes ago.

 

 

Fortunately, after another hundred meters, they spotted a blue canopy by the riverbank, topped with a bright red flag for visibility.

 

 

Beneath it stood two wooden benches side by side, each equipped with a fishing rod. The game’s premise was obvious.

 

 

A breeze rustled the flag, and the shaded riverside offered a surprisingly cool respite from the heat.

 

 

Gasping for breath, Jiang Wan pointed at the canopy. “See… see it? The game spot…” She slumped onto a smooth rock, waving weakly at Jiang Ci. “Go on, Sister Jiang. I believe you’ll win. I’m too exhausted to join.”

 

 

Jiang Ci paused, glancing back. “Since we’re here, let’s fish together. There are two spots, after all.”

 

 

Jiang Wan shook her head. “No, I already tried earlier—couldn’t catch anything.”

 

 

With a warm, persuasive smile, Jiang Ci half-dragged her up from the rock. “Don’t give up now, Wanwan. We’ve come this far—let’s settle this properly.”

 

 

The affectionate “Wanwan” sent shivers down Jiang Wan’s spine.

 

 

“It’d feel wrong to take the spot from you,” Jiang Ci said, feigning sisterly concern. “If you don’t go, neither will I.”

 

 

Unable to refuse, Jiang Wan forced a smile and trudged toward the fishing area, her confidence wavering.

 

 

Jiang Wan (internally): System, which bench has the weight attached?

 

 

System: The right one. Make sure Jiang Ci sits there.

 

 

Beneath the water’s surface, a heavy boulder hung mid-depth, tethered by a rope. The other end connected to the right bench, secured by a barely noticeable metal bracket beneath its leg—flimsy enough that uneven weight or slight movement could dislodge it.

 

 

Jiang Wan stole a discreet glance at Jiang Ci. If she timed it right—kicking the bench as Jiang Ci sat—her rival would plunge into the river, humiliated for all to see.

 

 

Nearing the canopy, Jiang Wan’s heart pounded so loudly she feared Jiang Ci might hear. To secure the safe seat, she hurried ahead and claimed the left bench, eagerly ushering Jiang Ci to the right.

 

 

The game setup was real, proving Jiang Wan hadn’t lied. But her true motive…?

 

 

 

Seeing Jiang Wan still refusing to sit down, Jiang Wan grew increasingly anxious. Just as she was about to speak again, the familiar broadcast announcement echoed through the air.

 

 

“Night falls, please close your eyes. Player Zhao Zhenzhen has been eliminated. No last words permitted. Please leave the area immediately.”

 

 

“Voting will now commence. All players must speak in the order of the numbers on the bottom right corner of their identity cards.”

 

 

Jiang Wan: “…Couldn’t this have happened one minute earlier or later? Of all times…”

 

 

She had no choice but to patiently wait for this round of speeches to conclude.

 

 

Compared to the previous round, there were even fewer clues this time—no one had cleared the game checkpoint, nor had anyone obtained directional hints.

 

 

But whether no one had truly cleared it or someone had but chose not to reveal it remained uncertain.

 

 

With a blank vote last round, they couldn’t afford to abstain again this time.

 

 

All eyes were on Gao Yaohui.

 

 

Because—

 

 

Wang Wen had said, “Gao Yaohui was near Zhao Zhenzhen right before she was killed by the werewolf.”

 

 

Gao Yaohui desperately wanted to explain that he was just a civilian and had no idea about Zhenzhen’s identity. Her death had left him completely baffled.

 

 

But no one believed him.

 

 

In the end, Gao Yaohui was voted out, and the game continued.

 

 

After the speeches concluded, Jiang Ci frowned and picked up the phone provided by the production team, flipping through it. Aside from the official number for mission updates, there was nothing inside.

 

 

When it had been Chi Yuan’s turn to speak earlier, she had hung up without saying a word, as if something urgent had come up.

 

 

Seeing Jiang Ci remain motionless for so long, Jiang Wan quickly said, “Sister Jiang, the speeches are over. Let’s start the game. Time waits for no one. If another twenty minutes pass, the werewolf might come for us next.”

 

 

Jiang Ci tightened her grip on the phone. “Chi Yuan didn’t speak earlier. I think something might have happened to her. I’m going to look for her.”

 

 

Jiang Wan: !!

 

 

At this critical moment, how could she let the duck that was already cooked fly away?!

 

 

Panicking, Jiang Wan grabbed Jiang Ci’s sleeve. “Sister Jiang, don’t go! Sister Chi must be fine.”

 

 

She pointed at the diligent cameraman following them. “There are people keeping an eye on us. If anything sudden happened, the director would announce it over the broadcast.”

 

 

“The game is still proceeding normally. Sister Chi must be okay,” Jiang Wan insisted, trying to persuade her. “Besides, the island is huge. We don’t even know which direction Chi Yuan went. Randomly searching won’t help.”

 

 

Jiang Ci’s rational side told her Chi Yuan was surely fine, but the memory of the busy tone during Chi Yuan’s speech left her with an unshakable sense of unease.

 

 

Jiang Wan stubbornly clung to Jiang Ci’s sleeve, pulling her toward the bench. “Sister Jiang, you need to calm down. Without a peaceful mindset, you won’t be able to catch any fish.”

 

 

“Seems like little sister Jiang is the one who’s too worked up,” Jiang Ci said with a forced smile, yanking her crumpled sleeve back. Since when did this become a hard sell?

 

 

But she had clearly underestimated Jiang Wan’s shameless persistence. With tears streaming down her face, Jiang Wan grabbed Jiang Ci’s other sleeve. “Waaah… Sister Jiang, I went through so much trouble to bring you here, all so we could clear this game checkpoint early and get clues about the werewolf.”

 

 

Jiang Ci sighed inwardly, rolling her eyes. Mimicking Jiang Wan’s tone, she said, “But little sister, aren’t you worried about Chi Yuan? Are the game and competition more important than a companion’s safety?”

 

 

Jiang Wan froze, stunned that Jiang Ci had turned the tables on her.

 

 

 

“I…I’m worried too, of course…but…”

 

 

Jiang Ci cut her off directly, “I believe my sister isn’t that kind of person. You must be just as anxious as I am.”

 

 

“Let’s put the game aside for now, okay? Let’s go find Chi Yuan together.”

 

 

Jiang Wan’s acting was truly clumsy—her obvious intentions and guilty behavior might as well have had “I’m suspicious” written all over her face.

 

 

As the two of them struggled in a tense back-and-forth, they unknowingly moved closer to the riverbank.

 

 

“Jiang Ci!”

 

 

A familiar voice called out. Jiang Ci stopped arguing and turned toward the sound, only to see Chi Yuan waving frantically as she ran toward her.

 

 

The distance between them wasn’t great. Chi Yuan had taken the shortest path, cutting across from the slope on the other side.

 

 

“Watch out for the water!”

 

 

Jiang Ci froze, suddenly feeling a chill on her feet. Only then did she realize that Jiang Wan had pulled her into the water.

 

 

Jiang Wan clearly hadn’t expected this either, staring blankly at the river now reaching her calves. It wasn’t until Jiang Ci slapped her arm that she snapped out of it and hurriedly tried to retreat.

 

 

But beneath their feet were loose stones piled at the shallow bottom. The moment they exerted force, the rocks shifted, causing their bodies to sink further.

 

 

Jiang Ci was close enough to the shore that one foot found solid ground. But just as she lifted her left foot, Jiang Wan—now off-balance—lunged forward and grabbed both of Jiang Ci’s ankles.

 

 

The heavy pull dragged her down.

 

 

In an instant, the suffocating sensation of falling, etched deep in her memory, flooded her mind.

 

 

It was the vast, soundless loneliness of being engulfed by water, the relentless pull dragging her deeper, followed by the unbearable choke of drowning and the instinctive struggle for survival—until the final, dazzling bubbles of air shimmered before her eyes.

 

 

Then, even her senses were swallowed whole.

 

 

Ever since that desperate leap into the sea, Jiang Ci had harbored complicated feelings toward water. She feared that suffocating sensation deeply, yet there was also an inexplicable longing buried within.

 

 

Whenever she was overwhelmed with sadness, she would drive to the shore and walk along the beach, gazing at the sea—but she never once thought of stepping into it again.

 

 

Her official profile listed her as a swimmer, but that was in the past. After developing aquaphobia, she could no longer swim.

 

 

Then, a hand tightly grasped her own as she weakly reached for the shore. In her blurred vision, Chi Yuan’s chestnut hair seemed to glow under the sunlight, so radiant that she couldn’t make out the expression on her face.

 

 

But Jiang Ci was certain—it must have been filled with nothing but worry and care.

 

 

This time was different.

 

 

She wasn’t alone, helplessly marching toward death. Instead, someone who cared about her had seized her firmly, pulling her back to the edge of life.

 

 

Chi Yuan held Jiang Ci tightly, her restless heart finally calming.

 

 

In her mind, the system’s alarm had ceased—the crisis was over.

 

 

She shot a cold glare at Jiang Wan, who was being helped up by staff but was now drenched and shivering violently. The urge to strangle the female lead surged within her.

 

 

To think Jiang Wan would rather drag Jiang Ci down with her than give up—her malice ran deeper than Chi Yuan had ever gathered from the novel.

 

 

Completely unaware that she had just been added to Chi Yuan’s lifelong enemy list, Jiang Wan coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of river water. Her throat burned with pain.

 

 

After Chi Yuan pulled Jiang Ci ashore, Jiang Wan, now without support, plunged headfirst into the water.

 

 

 

Her hair, face, neck, clothes—everything from head to toe was completely drenched.

 

 

The one who had embarrassingly fallen into the water and made a complete fool of herself was now her!

 

 

How on earth had things turned out this way? Jiang Wan couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard she thought.

 

 

Wuwuwu… Her plan had been flawless!

 

 

For the nth time, the Female Lead Ascendancy System rolled its eyes and cursed: “Host is too stupid—can she be sent back to the factory for a remake?!”