Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 17

Jiang Wan wiped her face as she cried, her damp cheeks indistinguishable between water and tears. With every step she took, a wet footprint was left behind. Her hair clung in clumps to her neck and face, leaving her utterly disheveled.

 

 

All traces of her usual gentle grace and elegant demeanor had vanished.

 

 

Fortunately, nothing serious had happened. The staff helped Jiang Wan back to the cottage and reported the incident to the director.

 

 

The game had to continue. To maintain the show’s filming schedule, the next target for the werewolf was switched to Jiang Wan.

 

 

By the river, Chi Yuan crouched in front of Jiang Ci and carefully removed her white flat sandals, placing them on a sunlit rock to dry. She then took a few tissues from her bag and laid them on the ground for Jiang Ci to step on.

 

 

“Wait here for me.”

 

 

After saying this, Chi Yuan walked toward the production team with a stern expression, her sharp aura making the staff break into a cold sweat. They exchanged nervous glances, too intimidated to utter a word of protest.

 

 

A friendly-looking woman with a ponytail quickly tried to mediate. “We didn’t anticipate the safety risks in the game, but the main reason for the incident was the conflict between the two guests, so…”

 

 

Chi Yuan raised an eyebrow. “I know you didn’t want this to happen, but it did—right in front of you. When Jiang Ci was pulled into the water by Jiang Wan, no one intervened in time. If something worse had happened…”

 

 

“Then I’d say this show has no reason to continue.”

 

 

Many of the staff had some idea of Chi Yuan’s background. The controversy over the misleading editing in the preview episode had blown up online, even reaching the ears of their company’s CEO.

 

 

As a result, the director had been “lucky” enough to be singled out for a reprimand.

 

 

Initially, the crew had assumed Chi Yuan was just another pretty face—someone who had been shoved into the show through connections, likely a kept woman of some wealthy investor. After all, she had been introduced as a “close friend” of the CEO, who had personally instructed the team to take special care of her.

 

 

But they soon realized that “close friend” meant exactly that. If Chi Yuan’s self-introduction was to be believed, she wasn’t just rich or influential—she was likely a high-society heiress dabbling in the entertainment industry for fun.

 

 

So when Chi Yuan spoke now, no one doubted she meant every word.

 

 

The ponytailed woman had no choice but to placate her. “The show will cover any compensation Miss Jiang requires. If there are other demands, we’ll fulfill them as well.”

 

 

Chi Yuan: That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.

 

 

“Good.” She glanced at Jiang Ci, who stood by the river blinking at her, then leaned in to whisper something to the staff.

 

 

Jiang Ci held her sandals in one hand, squinting slightly at the group huddled in discussion. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

 

 

Letting out a slow breath, she tried to calm the lingering panic from earlier. Yet, unbidden, her mind drifted back to the strange, ambiguous, and uncontrollable flutter in her chest when Chi Yuan had held her.

 

 

She knew exactly what that meant.

 

 

 

Having remained single for years without a single scandal, Jiang Ci, who had always kept her distance from matters of the heart, had to admit she felt just a tiny bit… smitten with Chi Yuan.

 

 

But just a tiny bit!

 

 

Jiang Ci lightly bit her lip and slapped her cheeks hard to snap herself out of her ridiculous romantic fantasies.

 

 

That was Chi Yuan, after all—the notorious playboy (or rather, playgirl) who charmed both men and women alike!

 

 

When it came to being a heartbreaker, she was second to none in high society. How could Jiang Ci possibly be attracted to someone like that?

 

 

Out of all people, why fall for a scoundrel? Was she out of her mind?

 

 

Taking a few deep breaths, Jiang Ci resolved to put that momentary “lapse in judgment” behind her.

 

 

What a joke—there was absolutely no way she, Jiang Ci, could ever fall for that idiot Chi Yuan!

 

 

Unaware of Jiang Ci’s inner turmoil, Chi Yuan returned in high spirits, holding a slip of paper.

 

 

Jiang Ci: “What did you talk to them about?”

 

 

Chi Yuan waved the slip. “A clue from the fishing game. After nearly getting into trouble, shouldn’t we at least squeeze some benefits out of the production team?”

 

 

Jiang Ci: “Just this?”

 

 

“Yep.”

 

 

“You were talking for quite a while.”

 

 

Chi Yuan scratched her cheek, feigning nonchalance. “Really? Didn’t feel like it. They weren’t happy, said it was unfair and against the rules. I had to persuade them for ages to get this clue.”

 

 

“Really?” Jiang Ci was skeptical. From a distance, Chi Yuan had seemed far more assertive during the conversation.

 

 

Chi Yuan planted her hands on her hips, putting on her most earnest expression. “Of course! You didn’t see how unreasonable they were. I had to fight tooth and nail to get this.”

 

 

She lied without a hint of shame.

 

 

Jiang Ci let it go and took the slip, unfolding it.

 

 

Inside was just a number: “32.”

 

 

Jiang Ci immediately thought of the guests’ ages. “Out of the nine, Wang Wen and Gao Yaohui are both 32.”

 

 

Chi Yuan blinked in surprise. “How did you know that?”

 

 

Jiang Ci: “They mentioned it during the introductions on the first day, didn’t they?”

 

 

Chi Yuan scratched her head sheepishly—she had no recollection of it at all.

 

 

“Then we guessed right earlier by voting for Gao Yaohui,” Chi Yuan said. “He was way too serious during the game. When Sister Zhenzhen got eliminated by the werewolf, he was right next to her—he must’ve tricked her into revealing she was a civilian.”

 

 

Jiang Ci pondered for a moment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

 

 

“But if we consider Wang Wen as the werewolf, that also makes sense,” she analyzed cautiously. “Wang Wen was the one who said Gao Yaohui was near Sister Zhenzhen before she was eliminated.”

 

 

Chi Yuan paused—that did seem plausible.

 

 

Jiang Ci: “If he knew, that means he was there too. Gao Yaohui claimed he and Sister Zhenzhen happened to run into each other, exchanged a few words, checked each other’s roles, and confirmed they were on the same side—so they wanted to team up. But then the broadcast suddenly announced Sister Zhenzhen’s elimination.”

 

 

Chi Yuan: “Gao Yaohui said he didn’t see Wang Wen. If he wasn’t lying, then Wang Wen must’ve been hiding? If he were a civilian, there’d be no reason to hide. But if he were the werewolf, he might’ve seen two civilians about to team up, killed Sister Zhenzhen, and framed Gao Yaohui—killing two birds with one stone.”

 

 

 

Jiang Ci watched as Chi Yuan lowered her head in thought, a pleased curve forming at the corner of his lips. His gaze held a tenderness even he wasn’t aware of. “Moreover, right from the start, Wang Wen’s entire demeanor was off—completely unlike his usual self.”

 

 

“When we first left the cottage, he even followed me and tried to fish for information about my identity card. The fact that he wasn’t cracking jokes and looked so serious made me suspicious.”

 

 

“Now—”

 

 

Before Jiang Ci could finish, the island’s broadcast suddenly sounded.

 

 

“Ding dong—All four outdoor game points have been cleared, and all clues have been distributed.”

 

 

“Please return to the cottage, everyone. Next is the free discussion phase for the indoor werewolf game.”

 

 

The remaining guests gathered in the cottage’s living room. On the way back, Jiang Wan had been eliminated, leaving only five participants.

 

 

During the voting and discussion phase, Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci shared their suspicions about Wang Wen and laid out the clue notes they had found.

 

 

Wang Wen looked aggrieved. “I wasn’t hiding—I just saw the two of them talking from a distance.”

 

 

“Then why didn’t you share the clue you found?” Gu Meng interjected. “Didn’t you also clear a game and get a clue?”

 

 

Wang Wen’s expression turned startled. “What clue? I don’t know anything about that.”

 

 

Gu Meng wore a triumphant “gotcha” expression as she opened her phone’s photo album.

 

 

Displayed before everyone was a short video showing someone kicking a shuttlecock under a massive tree that would take three people to embrace. Though the footage was blurry due to the distance, the clothing and hairstyle unmistakably identified the person as Wang Wen.

 

 

With such glaring evidence, Wang Wen had no room to argue.

 

 

Chi Yuan said, “Then please hand over the clue, Teacher Wang.”

 

 

Wang Wen hung his head in silence, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

 

 

No doubt about it—he was the werewolf.

 

 

The group voted Wang Wen out, but with one less clue now, the deduction process hit another deadlock.

 

 

Gu Meng crossed her arms and looked at everyone hesitantly. “With four of us left and the game still ongoing, that means there are both wolves and villagers among us. Shouldn’t the Seer step forward now to clarify things?”

 

 

Chi Yuan nodded in agreement. The twenty-minute window would pass quickly, and the werewolf might have already chosen their next target. This was the perfect time for the Seer to reveal themselves.

 

 

However, as Chi Yuan glanced around, she thought to herself—she was the Witch, and there were at least one wolf and one villager remaining among the four. Was the Seer even still alive?

 

 

After a brief silence, Momo slowly raised her hand.

 

 

Her pink ponytail was tied high, with playful yellow clips securing her bangs—adorable and lively.

 

 

“I… I’m the Seer,” she stammered, seemingly unfamiliar with the werewolf game’s flow. “My first check was on Gu Meng—she’s a wolf. The second was on Gao Yaohui, who’s a good person. And the third…”

 

 

She hesitated before looking at Jiang Ci. “I checked Teacher Jiang—he’s a werewolf.”

 

 

Chi Yuan quickly glanced at Jiang Ci, only to find his expression calm and composed, as if he’d already been prepared for this the moment Momo raised her hand.

 

 

Jiang Ci spread his hands. “Looks like there are about five minutes left. Let me summarize then. Sorry, but I’m the real Seer.”