Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 24

At 8:30 on Monday morning, the breakfast table filled with the aroma of soy milk carried an oddly tense atmosphere.

 

 

Apart from Chi Yuan, who was stuffing her face with soup dumplings, and Jiang Ci beside her elegantly sipping congee, everyone else kept stealing glances at them.

 

 

The reason was simple—the bright red mark on Chi Yuan’s forehead, as if she had knocked into something hard, stood out starkly against her fair, delicate face, making her look pitifully bullied.

 

 

What exactly happened last night?

 

 

The others couldn’t quite put their fingers on it, but they vaguely sensed that asking outright might be inappropriate.

 

 

Zhao Zhenzhen, however, had no such reservations. Glancing at Chi Yuan’s conspicuous injury, she asked, “Chi Yuan, what happened to your forehead? Did you hit the bed frame?”

 

 

Chi Yuan looked up awkwardly. “Yeah, I don’t sleep very well. Just turned over and suddenly bumped into something.”

 

 

Jiang Wan: “Are you sure it was from bumping into something? Chi-jie, it doesn’t really look like that.”

 

 

Jiang Wan: “Hahaha, could it have been Teacher Jiang who hit you?”

 

 

Everyone: …

 

 

Their eyes turned into searchlights, zeroing in on Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci.

 

 

Normally, Jiang Wan barely spoke, let alone tried to liven up the mood—why was she suddenly so chatty now that Chi Yuan had a forehead injury?

 

 

Chi Yuan froze, cheeks puffed out as she chewed on a juicy pork dumpling. She glanced at Jiang Ci beside her, swallowed, and said, “You’re wronging Teacher Jiang here. This injury has absolutely nothing to do with her—I really just bumped into something while sleeping.”

 

 

Little did they know, last night, she had merely touched Jiang Ci’s earlobe—only to be smacked right off the bed with such force that she landed hard on her butt, the pain shooting straight to the heavens.

 

 

Conclusion: reckless flirting was a death wish.

 

 

Gu Meng slurped up a few noodles and sighed. “Gotta say, the production team is really stingy. Pushing two single beds together to make a double bed is way too cramped—you can barely turn over without falling off.”

 

 

Wang Wen peeled a glossy boiled egg and popped it into his mouth. “Heard today’s mission is an indoor card-drawing PK. This is gonna be fun.”

 

 

“We’re doing the card-drawing PK?” Momo exclaimed excitedly, the shiny logo on her chest gleaming. “Watching this segment in the last season of Peach and Plum Village was hilarious.”

 

 

For the indoor card-drawing PK, the nine guests would take turns drawing their mission cards from a box.

 

 

The tasks on the cards varied widely, each one unique to the individual. Guests had to strictly follow the instructions on their cards, with the time limit set from 9 AM to 9 PM.

 

 

If any guest revealed their task to another, they would be immediately disqualified on the spot.

 

 

Those who succeeded would split the production team’s sponsored funds, which could be used at any time during filming.

 

 

Since it was a split, the fewer people who completed their tasks, the more money each would get.

 

 

As a result, during the card-drawing PK, all kinds of chaotic showdowns erupted, with disqualified guests “suddenly snapping” and going on a rampage.

 

 

Twelve hours later, it often ended in the tragic outcome of zero survivors.

 

 

Wang Wen, as the senior, kindly offered some advice: “If you draw a mission card and feel like you can’t complete it, just give up right away. Otherwise, it’s just the beginning of suffering. Destroying is always easier than protecting.”

 

 

 

In the last episode, Wang Wen, who barely survived until the end only to fall at 8:40 AM—just before “dawn”—offered everyone a painful lesson learned through bl00d and tears.

 

 

Gu Meng swallowed hard, sensing another storm was about to hit.

 

 

Chi Yuan clutched her head in frustration. Aside from Werewolf, decoding missions like these were beyond her single-celled brain’s capabilities!

 

 

The card-drawing box made its rounds, and each person sneakily peeked at their task card, their expressions varying wildly.

 

 

Agony? Despair? Distortion?

 

 

Chi Yuan really couldn’t read micro-expressions and body language like Jiang Ci could.

 

 

But she thought this task was pretty straightforward.

 

 

“Mission: Have other guests call your name at least twenty times.”

 

 

Twelve hours—roughly once every half hour. No pressure. She just had to make herself more noticeable around the others.

 

 

Once the task cards were distributed, the cloaked man on the TV spoke again, “The mission cards have been issued. Now, an additional rule: Any guest who fails this card-drawing PK game will lose their voting rights tonight. Please take the game seriously.”

 

 

Hearing this, Wang Wen, who had been holding up his task card with a look of despair, slowly lowered his hand. “This is tied to tonight’s vote? Since when did they add this rule? The production team really knows how to play dirty.”

 

 

The cloaked man replied flatly, “Thank you for the compliment. I just want everyone to participate actively.”

 

 

Wang Wen: That wasn’t a compliment, okay?

 

 

By 9:10 AM, everyone remained in the living room, eyeing each other warily. Yet no one made a move or displayed any suspicious behavior.

 

 

Wang Wen scanned the room. “Anyone giving up?”

 

 

Silence. It seemed everyone intended to complete their tasks—or at least, the difficulty wasn’t insurmountable.

 

 

Someone had to take the first step. They couldn’t stay stuck like this forever.

 

 

Chi Yuan stood up from the couch, hunched over, and turned on the previously switched-off TV—immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

 

 

Momo, gripping her pink ponytail, grinned and walked behind the TV to unplug the power cord.

 

 

Chi Yuan: “…”

 

 

“Uh, Momo, was that necessary? My task isn’t to turn on the TV.”

 

 

Momo: “Turning on the TV is too simple—it can’t be the mission. But maybe your task requires a specific program. I’m eliminating all possibilities at the root.”

 

 

Her test move had been met with fierce resistance. Now Chi Yuan knew how to make herself really stand out.

 

 

By 11:00 AM, Jiang Ci started preparing lunch. But the moment she rolled up her sleeves and turned around, several pairs of wide eyes were fixed on her.

 

 

Jiang Ci rubbed her temples, feeling like a kindergarten teacher trying to cook while keeping an eye on unruly kids.

 

 

She sighed. “My task has to be done publicly—in front of everyone. You don’t need to worry. I won’t be sneaking anything while cooking.”

 

 

Jiang Wan’s eyes screamed disbelief. Why pass up a chance to openly interfere?

 

 

She squeezed between Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci, volunteering to chop vegetables without waiting for permission. Grabbing a cabbage, she started slicing with exaggerated precision.

 

 

 

Chi Yuan rinsed the rice several times before putting it into the rice cooker, while Jiang Ci took a rock-hard frozen piece of beef from the fridge and soaked it in cold water.

 

 

“Braised beef will have to wait until evening—it won’t thaw properly anytime soon, it’s still icy inside. Let’s cook the chicken Zhenzhen brought first.”

 

 

Chi Yuan nodded, handing Jiang Ci the already marinated chicken from the bag. The two of them bustled around inside and out, giving off a rather domestic vibe.

 

 

Jiang Wan had been watching them the whole time, feeling increasingly displeased. Distracted, her grip on the knife slipped, and the blade lodged into the root of the vegetable. After a few failed attempts to chop through, the edge of the knife grazed her right ring finger, leaving a red mark.

 

 

Jiang Wan’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly set the knife down. With tears welling up, she walked over to Chi Yuan, turning her charm to the max. “A-Yuan, I cut my finger while chopping vegetables.”

 

 

Villain Rescue System: The female lead has activated a 3-second daze effect on you. Effect resisted.

 

 

Chi Yuan: ? What three-second daze? That charm ability?

 

 

System: Yes, Host.

 

 

Chi Yuan: Didn’t you say it wouldn’t work on me? How is there still a daze effect?

 

 

System: It’s likely her charm ability has been refined to perfection.

 

 

Chi Yuan found it even more bizarre. The female lead’s ability was practically overpowered—did it even auto-level up? She couldn’t shake the feeling Jiang Wan was hiding other secrets.

 

 

Chi Yuan: Didn’t you give me a blocker earlier? Can you turn it on now?

 

 

System: It can be activated, but Host, you—

 

 

Chi Yuan: I want to see just how far her “perfected” charm ability has gone.

 

 

The system counted down three seconds. A flash of light later, Chi Yuan saw Jiang Wan, now standing right in front of her, bathed in an exaggerated holy glow as she coquettishly pouted.

 

 

Chi Yuan could’ve sworn she even saw fluttering “angel wings” behind her.

 

 

But none of that was the most eye-catching buff from the upgrade.

 

 

She noticed that, in addition to the roses and stars floating around Jiang Wan’s face, there were now a pair of extra-sparkling, sticker-like Kardashian lashes framing her eyes.

 

 

Jiang Wan wore a beige dress, its white collar fluttering slightly in the breeze. A few loose strands of hair near her earlobes shimmered with a faint chestnut glow, giving her an overall aura of innocent purity.

 

 

Chi Yuan rubbed her eyes. Though Jiang Wan’s charm filter seemed utterly ridiculous at first glance, the longer she looked, the more she found herself appreciating its strange aesthetic.

 

 

Huh… Rococo? No.

 

 

Glittery anime explosion? Not quite.

 

 

After some thought, Chi Yuan still couldn’t define this bizarre sense of beauty. Silently, she had the system reactivate the blocker.

 

 

Once everything returned to normal, that inexplicable appreciation vanished completely. Had she really just thought she could get used to it? Insane.

 

 

Chi Yuan: This is bad, System. How is the female lead’s charm affecting me now? Can you weaken it?

 

 

System: That would require stacking buffs—adding another barrier layer under her charm aura. But it’ll only work within a 30-meter radius. Beyond that, it’s useless.

 

 

Chi Yuan: Should’ve said so earlier. Turn it on, now.

 

 

Jiang Wan, seeing Chi Yuan frozen in place, assumed her charm had taken effect and made her expression even more pitiful.

 

 

Meanwhile, Jiang Ci frowned from the other side, lips parting as if to say something before falling silent. She turned away, refusing to look.

 

 

 

Jiang Wan: “A-Yuan, you…”

 

 

Chi Yuan, having just finished her conversation with the system, shuddered at Jiang Wan’s words, the hairs on her arms standing on end. She deliberately ignored it, grabbing the apron hanging on the hook by the refrigerator and stepping away from Jiang Wan.

 

 

She slipped the apron over Jiang Ci, carefully tying the strings behind his back before leaning against his shoulder. “Professor Jiang, let me help you with the apron. We wouldn’t want your clothes to get dirty.”