Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 2

Outside, the clinking of glasses and the lively banquet continued, with the hum of conversation and whispered laughter amidst the toasts.

Jiang Wan, dressed in a pristine white slit cheongsam, nodded gracefully to those around her, though her subtle gaze flickered toward the second-floor room as she anxiously awaited news.

Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci had been inside for over half an hour, yet Chi Yuan still hadn’t sent her a message. Was she hesitating to act?

Jiang Wan bit her lip, forcing herself to stay composed. Chi Yuan adored her—she would go through with it.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Jiang Wan?”

The sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Turning, she effortlessly resumed her poised smile.

A group of glamorous socialites eyed her with keen interest.

“I saw earlier—Chi Yuan brought you in, didn’t she?” one remarked. “Didn’t expect you to have such skills.”

Jiang Wan feigned innocence. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

A woman in a red dress toyed with the oversized diamond earring dangling from her ear and deliberately arched her ample chest. “Oh, stop pretending. You’ve been cozy with Chi Yuan for a while, haven’t you? She’s notorious for being fickle—always eyeing the next dish while still eating. She already has a stunning wife at home, yet she’s still sniffing around outside.”

Jiang Wan maintained her polite facade. “I’m just a friend of Miss Chi Yuan. There’s nothing more to it, so please don’t spread rumors.”

The women burst into laughter.

The red-dressed woman waved a hand. “We’re not mocking you. Everyone in high society knows how much Chi Yuan loathes Jiang Ci.”

Another in purple chimed in, “The Jiang family has fallen from grace, yet Jiang Ci still clings to that outdated marriage contract to latch onto the Chi family. Remember how arrogantly she used to carry herself? It’s almost laughable now.”

“Rumor has it that after they married, Chi Yuan immediately separated from her and even forbade her from setting foot in the Chi residence. Can’t stand the sight of her. Tsk, tsk—I almost feel sorry for Jiang Ci.”

“Sasha, you’re too kind. Honestly, without the Jiang family, Jiang Ci is nothing. She should just divorce Chi Yuan and slink out of high society already.”

Caught off guard by the gossip about Jiang Ci, Jiang Wan eagerly joined in. “No wonder Chi Yuan often complains to me about her wife being cold and wanting a divorce. So it’s about Jiang Ci? That makes sense—given her personality…”

“Exactly, they’re a terrible match. The marriage fulfilled the old agreement, but now it’s time to part ways.”

Listening, Jiang Wan inwardly reveled. Once Jiang Ci’s scandalous photos were exposed, her reputation would be ruined. Forget acting—the Chi family would force her to divorce Chi Yuan immediately.

Golden liquor swirled in the crystal glass before sliding smoothly down her throat. Jiang Wan could already picture herself replacing Jiang Ci as the entertainment industry’s hottest star.

Seizing the moment, she decided to drop a bombshell.

“Actually… I think Jiang Ci is here tonight too.” She frowned as if troubled. “When I came down from the second floor earlier, I saw her heading into a back room with two men.”

She deliberately raised her voice, ensuring nearby ears perked up at the juicy gossip.

The woman in the red dress looked surprised, then curled her lips into a malicious smile. “Jiang Ci with two men? Are you sure you saw correctly?”

Jiang Wan quickly shook her head. “There’s no way I could be mistaken—it was definitely Sister Jiang Ci. Though I didn’t recognize the men with her. Probably just her friends.”

The red-dressed woman burst into laughter. “Just friends? Or… boyfriends? Who would’ve thought the supposedly refined Jiang Ci could be so wanton. Do you remember which room? Girls, we simply must go take a look.”

The group exchanged knowing glances, their every gesture dripping with malice.

Jiang Wan: “I think it was—”

But before she could finish, she was interrupted by sudden gasps from the crowd.

The socialites no longer had time to listen to Jiang Wan, their shocked and disbelieving stares fixed on the spiral staircase on the second floor.

A trace of irritation flickered across Jiang Wan’s face as she turned to follow their gaze, her eyes slowly traveling upward.

On the second-floor spiral staircase, Chi Yuan was steadily descending step by step, carrying a seemingly asleep Jiang Ci in her arms like a princess.

The tall, imposing woman had a sleek shoulder-length cut, the obsidian earring on her lobe refracting dazzling light under the golden chandelier’s glow. Her delicate collarbones were temptingly smooth, the asymmetrical hem of her lake-blue strapless gown reaching her right knee.

Utterly oblivious to the stares around her, Chi Yuan gazed tenderly at Jiang Ci sleeping against her chest, as if holding the entire world.

After Chi Yuan effortlessly took down two men, Jiang Ci—fighting against overwhelming drowsiness—stared at her with undisguised astonishment.

Was this really the same Chi Yuan known for being a dissipated, useless playboy? When had she become so formidable?

Yet Chi Yuan was now shaking her hand and complaining, “Damn, this body’s so weak! Just a few punches and my hand hurts like hell—ow—”

Rubbing her reddened knuckles, she angrily kicked the two prone men for good measure. “Making my hand hurt!”

The bruised men on the floor stayed silent, afraid to provoke the furious woman, though inwardly protesting: You’re the one who hit us, yet you’re complaining about pain first? Where’s the justice?!

Chi Yuan returned to Jiang Ci, bending slightly to scoop her up bridal-style.

Startled, Jiang Ci instinctively struggled, the needle in her hand ready to strike—until she unexpectedly heard Chi Yuan’s soothing voice.

“Sleep if you’re tired. I’ll take you home.”

As if enchanted, Jiang Ci’s grip on the silver needle gradually loosened. The drugs took full effect, her consciousness slipping away.

Fine… I’ll trust you just this once.

As Chi Yuan carried Jiang Ci past the crowd, they instantly became the center of attention.

The red-dressed woman’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit an ostrich egg. “Is that… Chi Yuan? And she’s carrying… Jiang Ci?”

The woman in purple was equally stunned. “Must be, unless I’m going blind.”

“Hey, wasn’t Chi Yuan supposed to hate Jiang Ci? What’s with this scene?!”

“Didn’t you say Chi Yuan kept complaining about divorce? What the hell is happening?!”

They all turned their accusations towards Jiang Wan, but at this moment, Jiang Wan couldn’t respond to them.

Her shock was no less than theirs. A thousand “grass mud horses” galloped through her mind, and she inexplicably felt a green hue forming above her head.

What the hell was Chi Yuan doing? Wasn’t she supposed to drug Jiang Ci? How did she end up carrying her out in such an intimate pose!

Frustration gnawed at her, and she itched to rush over and push Jiang Ci away from Chi Yuan right then and there.

But in such a public setting, she had to suppress her anger and calmly walk up to Chi Yuan.

“Sister Chi Yuan, is Sister Jiang Ci feeling unwell?”

Chi Yuan didn’t even look up at her, merely curling her lips into a faint smile. “Mhm, she fell asleep. I’m taking her home now.”

This statement stunned everyone present.

They wondered if their ears were playing tricks on them. The same Chi Yuan who had once screamed for Jiang Ci to get out of the Chi family and clamored for a divorce was now… carrying Jiang Ci home.

There wasn’t a trace of discomfort or disgust on her face—instead, they saw an eerie sense of happiness and contentment.

???

Jiang Wan’s expression twisted for a split second before she quickly composed herself, though the corner of her mouth twitched. “Sister Chi Yuan, what exactly—”

“You’re in the way. Please move aside.” Chi Yuan’s tone was lazy, but the sudden, overwhelming aura she exuded forced Jiang Wan to step back without another word.

Jiang Wan found this version of Chi Yuan so compelling that she couldn’t look away—completely different from the Chi Yuan she once knew.

Only after Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci disappeared through the banquet hall’s entrance did the crowd seem to snap out of their daze, erupting into murmurs. The center of discussion was, without a doubt, the two women who had just stolen the spotlight.

“What the hell is going on with those two? Was that really Chi Yuan? Did a ghost possess her or something?”

“They were arguing at the start of the banquet—how did they suddenly make up?”

“I thought they couldn’t stand each other and were on the verge of divorce? Were you lying to me?”

“Is this some kind of act? A performance? Do they even need to go that far?”

…

Rumors and speculations spread like wildfire across the venue, many of which reached Jiang Wan’s ears.

Her expression darkened as she called out to the system in her mind.

“System, what the hell is going on? Did Chi Yuan defect?”

The system was equally baffled. “Based on what just happened… it seems so.”

Jiang Wan: “Seems so my ass! Chi Yuan clearly likes me and was willing to be my pawn—why did she suddenly side with Jiang Ci? Is your ‘charisma’ attribute completely useless?”

System: “Everything was fine before. Chi Yuan was head over heels for you. Maybe you pushed too hard and triggered a rebellious reaction.”

Jiang Wan fumed. “Then what do we do now? The plan to drug her and take photos is ruined. Those two men I hired were completely useless. Where are they? How could they fail to handle a single woman? What a waste of 200 points.”

To ensure the plan’s success, she had accounted for Chi Yuan backing out—but she never expected things to fall apart like this.

System: “Chi Yuan still likes you deep down. Just reel her back in, and she’ll obey you again. If this plan failed, there’ll be another chance.”

“Don’t forget—the real reason we came to this banquet.”

Realizing there were more important matters at hand, Jiang Wan exhaled and put on her sweet, innocent smile once more. With confident strides, she walked toward her predetermined target, her eyes brimming with determination.

Meanwhile, completely unaware that she had been marked, Chi Yuan stood under a streetlight, looking around in confusion, her hair tousled by the wind.

Um, where was I supposed to go again?

The Chi family? Where was the Chi family? Though she had read the book, it hadn’t specified the exact address down to the house number. Without the original body’s memories, she had no idea where to go.

She glanced down at Jiang Ci, whose cheeks were flushed from sleep, and couldn’t bring herself to wake the beautiful girl.

Just then, a ding-dong sound echoed in her mind.

Chi Yuan had the strange sensation that something had been forcibly inserted into her brain.

The next second—

Greetings, Host. This is “Save the Villain System,” Serial No. 095, at your service. First-time activation—please confirm binding?