Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 4

At the dining table, Chi Yuan stirred the fish porridge in her bowl while watching the two people across from her.

Chi Shuangzhi sat beside Jiang Ci with a kindly expression, showering her with thoughtful attention. Jiang Ci’s side of the table was laden with an array of dishes—steamed buns, cheese bread, red bean soup, and more.

“Xiao Ci, just tell Aunt Wu whatever you’d like to eat, and she’ll make it for you.”

“Since you’re here, why not stay for a few months? No need to rush back. If you have work, Chi Yuan can drive you. I know you’re busy, but you must take care of your health.”

Jiang Ci remained humble and polite throughout, thanking Chi’s mother and even complimenting her, “That pearl necklace suits you so well. I spotted it at the auction and immediately thought it would match your elegance. Pearls truly shine brightest when worn by someone with grace.”

Chi Yuan couldn’t help but snort. Anyone watching this heartwarming mother-daughter scene would think Jiang Ci was the golden child of the Chi family.

Chi Shuangzhi shot her a glare. “What’s with the attitude? You’ve stirred that porridge into mush. Did all the table manners I taught you go to the dogs?”

Is this really my mother? Talk about two-faced.

Chi Yuan silently lit a candle in her heart for the original owner of this body.

In the novel, Chi Shuangzhi was probably the only one who genuinely celebrated Chi Yuan and Jiang Ci’s marriage. Thanks to her “efforts,” Chi Yuan had no choice but to grit her teeth and marry Jiang Ci, no matter how unwilling she was.

The engagement between the Jiang and Chi families began as a half-joking promise when both mothers were pregnant. Later, when the two children presented—one as an alpha, the other as an omega—with an 80% compatibility rate, the families thought it was perfect and made the arrangement official.

On the wedding day, Chi Shuangzhi had dragged Chi Yuan by the ear all the way down the aisle. It was also then that she declared Jiang Ci would never set foot in the Chi household again.

“System, if I successfully save the villain and complete the mission, can I get a divorce?”

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my unpredictable life with this smiling tiger. What if she remembers how the original owner humiliated and bullied her? I’d be doomed!”

The system replied, “Jiang Ci doesn’t actually like you. Once she makes her comeback, you can just go your separate ways.”

Divorce and escape—that’s the way to go.

In the original story, Chi Yuan’s plan to drug Jiang Ci and take compromising photos succeeded. Jiang Ci was ruined, losing everything and becoming a pariah in the entertainment industry. No matter how much she explained, labels like “party girl” and “promiscuous” stuck to her like glue.

Her hospitalized mother, doxxed by anti-fans, couldn’t take the relentless harassment and jumped out of a window.

Jiang Ci then fully embraced her dark path of revenge. She eliminated Chi Yuan, threw the mastermind Jiang Wan into the wilderness, and forced the novel’s female lead to carve out her own heart to save someone—utterly deranged.

The system chimed in with a friendly reminder: “Host, please note that guiding the villain toward goodness is also part of saving her.”

Chi Yuan: “…Do you want me to recite the Eight Honors and Eight Shames or the Penal Code to her on the spot?!”

System: “You could try.”

After breakfast, Chi Shuangzhi left for work, but not before warning Chi Yuan to take good care of Jiang Ci.

“Since you brought her home, don’t even think about kicking her out! If you don’t treat Jiang Ci well, I’ll freeze all your accounts!”

Firmly grasping Chi Yuan’s weak spot, Jiang Ci left her no room for resistance.

Chi Yuan looked at Jiang Ci, who was smiling and reaching out to her from the chair, and felt like the path ahead had narrowed considerably.

“What?”

Jiang Ci acted as if she didn’t notice Chi Yuan’s sour expression, lifting her hand slightly. “Carry me upstairs.”

Chi Yuan frowned, her gaze sliding over Jiang Ci’s slender, pale calves. “Don’t you have legs?”

Jiang Ci: “My legs are sore. I don’t want to walk. You carry me.”

Chi Yuan puffed up and met her gaze defiantly, but in the end, she lost to those autumn-water-like eyes. Beauty was truly a curse—why did she have to run into such a stunning woman who ticked every single one of her aesthetic boxes yet was covered in thorns?

She wanted a taste but couldn’t have it, and yet this woman kept teasing her!

With a familiar princess carry, Jiang Ci rested her chin on Chi Yuan’s shoulder, her eyes flickering over Chi Yuan’s flushed ears before the smile on her face faded, a shadow passing through her gaze.

The villa’s second floor had a spacious terrace garden. Chi Yuan carried her all the way to a wicker chair under the parasol before turning her face away as if burned.

Jiang Ci propped her chin on her hand, inexplicably amused. Rumor had it that Chi Yuan was quite the playboy, changing women like clothes, with a string of lovers long enough to fill several streets.

But now, she seemed almost… innocent.

And a little silly. Truly, the perfect tool to use.

Jiang Ci was tempted to tease her further, but her phone rang—her manager and assistant, Xiao Yu, was calling.

The sunlight today was just right, the garden bursting with all kinds of blooming flowers. The heavy, heated fragrance pressed down on them, thick and intoxicating. Amid the floral scents, Chi Yuan caught a whiff of something fresh and tart—lemons.

It felt familiar. She had smelled something similar before—no, something even crisper, juicier, more enticing, making her want to pluck it again and again.

By the time Jiang Ci hung up, she saw Chi Yuan standing in front of a small lemon plant, sniffing lightly. Her jade-like fingers traced the greenish-yellow fruit, her pale pink nails stained with a bit of tart juice, as if craving more…

“Chi Yuan.” Jiang Ci’s expression darkened as she interrupted.

Chi Yuan released the lemon she had been gripping and turned to look at her. The soft sunlight illuminated her high, elegant nose—her features were striking, the kind of beauty that could dominate the entertainment industry. Her lips were plump like tender cherries, tempting one to pinch them.

Unlike Jiang Ci’s naturally fair complexion, Chi Yuan’s skin had a healthy pink flush, her cheeks tinged with warmth from the sun, making her look even more charming and adorable.

Jiang Ci was momentarily dazed before snapping back to reality. She patted the spot beside her. “Come here. Let’s talk.”

Talk? “About what?”

Alarm bells rang in Chi Yuan’s head as she reluctantly walked over, unsure what Jiang Ci was scheming this time.

Jiang Ci felt like a child trafficker luring a naive victim. “About… how you met Jiang Wan.”

“Jiang Wan?” Chi Yuan thought Jiang Ci was bringing up last night’s incident again. Her eyes darted around, her legs stretched out, her toes tapping the ground nervously—she looked utterly guilty.

“I’m curious how you fell for a mad dog like her,” Jiang Ci waved her phone, sounding exasperated. “Really… no matter how hard you try to shake her off, she just clings tighter. A true mad dog.”

The call from Xiaoyu was to confirm the post-production program schedule with Jiang Ci. The lifestyle variety show “Hometown of Peaches and Plums” on Shanzhu TV had already scheduled filming for the day after tomorrow, but the originally planned guest list suddenly included an additional name—newcomer actress Jiang Wan.

“She’s done this more than once or twice. She crashes every variety show I’m on, auditions for every drama I’m in, and now she’s trying to steal my woman. As the original, don’t I have the right to know who this homewrecker is?”

Listening to Jiang Ci’s rant, Chi Yuan almost wanted to applaud on the spot. She couldn’t have said it better. Chi Yuan had suspected the female lead had a screw loose for quite some time now. With so many actors in the entertainment industry, why did she have to fixate on tormenting Jiang Ci alone, driving her straight into the role of a villain?

System: “Detected that the female lead is about to appear on the same variety show as the villain. Host, please take immediate action to save the villain.”

After being bombarded with reminders from the system, Chi Yuan rubbed her ears, feeling a headache coming on.

She briefly explained her past with Jiang Wan to Jiang Ci and repeatedly assured her that she had already blocked Jiang Wan and would never contact her again.

Jiang Ci listened with great interest and even sighed regretfully at the end. “What a shame to block her. Jiang Wan’s quite good-looking—she’d be perfect for you.”

Chi Yuan: “…I think you’re mocking me.”

Chi Yuan: “It’s just that her character isn’t great—not kind enough. I believe people should strive to be positive and bright. Things like staging car accidents or abandoning people in the wilderness? Absolutely illegal. Never do that.”

Her words were layered with meaning, every syllable a pearl of wisdom.

But while the speaker had intent, the listener had none. Jiang Ci listened to Chi Yuan’s rambling lecture on criminal law with a forced smile. “Didn’t expect you to be such an upstanding (dumb) person.”

Today’s goal of persuading someone toward goodness achieved, Chi Yuan—who now felt personally responsible for protecting the nation’s future—was so pleased with herself that she happily accepted the “good person” label. “Of course! You just didn’t know me well enough before.”

Jiang Ci: Heh. It’s precisely because I knew you before that I’m amazed by your new level of idiocy. You’d charge headfirst at the slightest beckoning, believing anything, doing anything—even happily agreeing to being drugged and photographed.

How could someone as sharp as Chi Shuangzhi raise such a naive fool?

The Chi family… was doomed.

Unaware that she had already been classified as a certified dumbass, Chi Yuan still believed her righteous image in Jiang Ci’s eyes had grown even more impressive.

Don’t worry, dear villainess. Your beloved wife will definitely save you from this living hell.

After carrying the drowsy Jiang Ci back to the bedroom for a nap, Chi Yuan sneakily slipped into the bathroom to make a call.

“Hey, Chi-jie, another dinner party?”

“Not a dinner party. Qianqian, isn’t the variety show Hometown of Peaches and Plums produced by your company?”

“Hometown of Peaches and Plums… Hmm, yeah, I think we have that one. It’s about to start filming soon. What, Chi-jie interested in investing?”

Xiao Qianqian and Chi Yuan had been “partners in crime” for years, always dragging each other into fun and mischief. But unlike Chi Yuan—a genuine slacker and spoiled heiress—Xiao Qianqian was a bona fide business tycoon, managing several entertainment companies under her belt.

She was the future successor of the Xiao family empire.

In simpler terms? The golden child of high society, a prodigy destined to be a business superstar.

Chi Yuan: “I’m not looking to invest. I’ve just been pretty free lately and thought about joining a variety show for fun. Think you can squeeze me in?”

Xiao Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh. “Girl, you want to go on a variety show? Is money not spending well these days? You’re actually venturing into showbiz now?”

Chi Yuan: “No, just for fun, to relax a bit.”

Xiao Qianqian didn’t buy her excuse and sensed something fishy. After a moment’s thought, she suddenly said, “Isn’t ‘The Hometown of Peach and Plum’ the show Jiang Wan’s been clamoring to join? Jiang Ci is in it too.”

Wait— “What do you mean Jiang Wan’s been clamoring to join?”

Xiao Qianqian: “You didn’t know? Last night, Jiang Wan suddenly called me, making a fuss about joining ‘The Hometown of Peach and Plum,’ saying Jiang Ci was in it.”

Chi Yuan: “And you just agreed?!”

Xiao Qianqian: “Of course! Isn’t she your sweetheart? I had to give her that much face. Jiang Wan seems pretty hung up on you—she even sounded jealous when mentioning Jiang Ci. She’s definitely joining the show to get close to him.”

“Making trouble for Jiang Ci should suit you just fine, right?”

Damn, so the root of this mess was her. How could she have forgotten? It was Xiao Qianqian who introduced Jiang Wan to her in the first place.

Rubbing her temples, Chi Yuan struggled not to faint from frustration. Thanks a lot for that “face.”

“A grand showdown between the wife and the mistress, and you, the person involved, want to join the fun? Sure, no problem. Just say the word, and you can join the crew the day after tomorrow.”

Chi Yuan exhaled. “Thanks for this. But let me make one thing clear—Jiang Wan and I are done. She’s bad news. If you see her, steer clear. Don’t let her trap you.”

Hearing the dial tone on the other end, Xiao Qianqian was utterly confused.

What? They broke up again?

No worries, girl, I’ll introduce you to someone even sweeter next time!

Hanging up, Chi Yuan felt utterly drained—only to hear a series of alarms blaring in her head.

System: “Detecting unauthorized intrusion! Automatic defense system activated!”

“Data corruption detected. System forced to shut down.”

“Data corruption detected. System forced to shut down.”

With a crackle, the alarms and mechanical voice vanished simultaneously—