Failed to Run Away After Transmigrating as the Scummy Alpha's Wife of the Villain - Chapter 8

At first, Chi Yuan thought she was dreaming. The owner of those hands trailed along her bare abdomen, fingers gliding over the well-defined lines of her toned muscles until they reached the edge of her jeans at her waist.

The fingertips were slightly cool, and every place they touched made Chi Yuan shiver involuntarily, her senses heightened to an almost unbearable degree. The touch seemed unintentional yet undeniably teasing.

Unable to hold back any longer, Chi Yuan grabbed Jiang Ci’s wandering hand, her voice hoarse as she asked, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Ci gave her a cool glance and pulled her hand back.

Bending down, she picked up a green bottle of ointment from a pile of miscellaneous items. “Earlier in the kitchen, I noticed you seemed to have bumped your waist. You should probably apply some ointment.”

“Now that you’re awake, do it yourself.” Jiang Ci casually tossed the ointment at Chi Yuan, hitting her squarely in the stomach.

Chi Yuan winced, clutching her abdomen as she picked up the bottle. “Could you be a little gentler? If you’re going to care about me, at least be a bit nicer.”

Jiang Ci scoffed. “Nicer? The fact that I’m giving you ointment at all is already going above and beyond. Don’t push your luck.”

She grabbed her pajamas and toiletries, ready to head to the bathroom, but paused at the door to glance back at Chi Yuan with a raised brow. “Though… I have to say, you’ve got a nice figure. Didn’t expect you to work out.”

Chi Yuan sat up abruptly, looking down before hurriedly pulling her clothes back into place, her face burning with embarrassment. “Who told you to grope me like that? The injury isn’t even there—it’s on my lower back!”

“Fine, fine, my bad. President Chi, I shouldn’t have sullied your virtue.”

Jiang Ci chuckled as she tied her smooth, long hair into a simple bun, revealing the elegant curve of her neck and her delicate collarbones.

Chi Yuan was momentarily dazzled by the glimpse of fair skin and quickly averted her gaze.

Only when she heard the bathroom door close did she finally relax, clutching the ointment bottle tightly, her lips curling into a grin that nearly reached her ears.

Did this mean… Jiang Ci didn’t actually hate her that much?

That night, Chi Yuan drifted into a sweet dream, wrapped in a soft, sugary haze, enveloped by the fresh scent of lemons as she sank into a sea of pink.

Strange, shifting scenes and blurred faces floated around her, indistinct as if veiled—except for a pair of bright, glistening eyes that etched themselves deeply into her mind.

The morning light was gentle, slipping through the gap in the curtains to spill into the room, illuminating delicate, refined features.

The woman’s profile was striking yet soft, her long, curled lashes casting a chestnut glow in the soft light, her smooth, dark hair spilling over her ears. As if sensing the light, she furrowed her brows slightly and burrowed deeper into the blankets—only to brush against another warm body.

Two narrow single beds, which had been meticulously kept apart before sleep, now lost all boundaries thanks to the tangled mess of sheets and pillows.

Chi Yuan was a restless sleeper, constantly shifting to the left in her sleep, leaving her own bed empty while Jiang Ci’s bed was now uncomfortably cramped with two people.

Jiang Ci lay perfectly still on her back, unbothered even as Chi Yuan clung to half of her body, sleeping soundly without a care.

A silent click echoed in Chi Yuan’s mind—unheard by anyone else—as the hidden system quietly recorded this tender moment.

The wall clock ticked forward with the shifting light, its hands pointing to 7:30. With a mechanical clack-clack of gears, a tiny figurine wielding a gong popped out.

“Bang-bang-bang—bang-bang-bang—!”

The deafening clamor of gongs and drums erupted simultaneously in every room.

Chi Yuan was jolted awake by the noise, blinking groggily as she looked around. Reaching out to feel her surroundings, she noticed the warm body that had been leaning against her was suddenly gone, taking the blanket with it in the process.

A dull thud sounded in the room—

Jiang Ci had fallen off the bed.

Realizing this, Chi Yuan immediately sat up, brushing the hair from her face as she moved to the edge of the bed to check on Jiang Ci.

“Hey, are you okay, Jiang Ci?”

But the person on the floor showed no signs of movement.

Panicking, Chi Yuan knelt beside the cocoon-like bundle of blankets that was Jiang Ci and pulled back the covers obscuring her face.

What greeted her was Jiang Ci’s peaceful, sleeping face, completely undisturbed by the cacophony of noise. Amidst the thunderous drumming, Jiang Ci’s breathing remained steady, her expression serene.

Chi Yuan: “…”

She had to admit, that was some impressive sleep quality.

No wonder in the novel, Jiang Wan had succeeded so easily. Even if the apocalypse came, it probably wouldn’t interrupt Jiang Ci’s slumber.

Chi Yuan spread her arms and lifted Jiang Ci along with the tangled blankets.

She’s so light—that was Chi Yuan’s first thought. She’d noticed it before at the banquet—Jiang Ci stood at 167 cm but weighed only 45 kg.

There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on her body. The protruding bones along her spine felt sharp to the touch, and curled up in Chi Yuan’s arms, she resembled nothing so much as a sleepy kitten.

Chi Yuan carefully carried her back to bed, then walked over to the wall clock to turn off the alarm mechanism before shuffling out of the room in her slippers.

In the living room, Chi Yuan wasn’t the only one who’d been awakened. The twins sat on the sofa, bleary-eyed, watching Momo energetically bouncing around in front of the camera.

“Good morning, viewers! The weather outside is beautiful today. Let’s welcome this brand new day with the Bobo Peaches from Taoli Village!”

Dressed in an orange T-shirt and white denim shorts, Momo held up a fruit plate piled high with peaches, twirling to display them to the camera. Her pink pigtails swung back and forth with each movement.

It was a natural studio setup with perfect advertising choreography.

“Our Taoli Village peaches are freshly picked from the peach groves out back—completely natural with no additives. Just click the link below to visit Taoli Village’s official store for a chance to take home these crisp, sweet peaches. What are you waiting for?”

After rattling off the advertisement, Momo threw a heart sign at the camera with practiced ease that was almost heartbreaking to watch.

“Clap clap clap—” The twins gave her some half-hearted applause.

With this level of professionalism, more sponsors really ought to take notice.

Noticing Chi Yuan’s arrival, Momo excitedly offered the fruit plate. “Sister Chi, want a Bobo Peach?”

Bobo Peach?

Chi Yuan had heard about this before coming on the show—it was this season’s heavily promoted product, peaches grown and sold by Taoli Village. The investors had coined the name “Bobo Peach” for marketing purposes—red and sweet, evoking the romantic sweetness of a first kiss.

Though in Chi Yuan’s eyes, they looked no different from any other peach.

Chi Yuan waved her hand, declining the offer. “I’ll just have some lemon water. My mouth’s dry in the morning.”

Momo grinned. “But you and Sister Jiang kissed last night. Eating a Bobo Peach now would be so fitting!”

“Ahem—” Chi Yuan choked on her own saliva in fright. What the hell kind of perfect timing was this? Could this even be called perfect timing?

“Momo, how did you know about me and Teacher Jiang… um…”

Momo froze for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Meng on the sofa who was desperately shaking his head at her. “Gu Meng told us right after he came out from the kitchen. We were all shocked—who would’ve thought such a huge misunderstanding would happen right as the show started airing.”

Chi Yuan: “…All of you?”

Momo nodded. “Yeah, everyone knows now.”

Chi Yuan immediately shot a murderous glare at Gu Meng, who raised his hands with a pained expression. Didn’t you promise you wouldn’t tell anyone?!

This was an outright betrayal without even a minute’s hesitation.

Gu Ling punched his younger brother and apologized, “He’s got a big mouth with no filter. Any secret he learns is bound to come out immediately.”

Gu Meng pouted slightly, looking somewhat wronged. “Sister Chi, even if I hadn’t said anything, the cameras caught everything. The production team worked overnight editing the preview episode—it’ll probably be released by noon. That explosive misunderstanding between you two kissing is definitely not getting cut.”

Chi Yuan’s expression stiffened as she looked up at the infrared cameras in all four corners of the living room, asking weakly, “The cameras were on yesterday?”

All three nodded in unison.

“The preview episode is already edited?”

Again, three unanimous nods.

Chi Yuan: “…”

She suddenly felt that coming to participate in this variety show was a huge mistake.

At eight o’clock, all nine guests gathered around the long table.

The television facing the living room turned on precisely on time, revealing a figure wearing a cloak and black skull mask sitting on a white chair, holding a card to read out today’s mission.

“The Land of Peaches and Plums welcomes harvest season, but there aren’t enough farmers to pick the fruits. They’ve requested assistance from our guests. You’ll need to divide into two teams—one will go to the orchard to help with fruit picking, while the other leaves the island to purchase supplies at supermarkets and markets.”

Team assignments would be determined by drawing lots.

In the drawer beneath the TV was a lottery box prepared by the production team, containing slips of red and blue paper. Those who drew red would form the team responsible for off-island shopping, while those who drew blue would pick fruits.

After completing the day’s tasks, the nine would vote internally to select today’s best-performing guest as Village Chief.

“But what if everyone votes for themselves?” Momo asked.

The cloaked figure replied, “You can only vote for others, not yourself. To become a Village Chief supported by everyone, you must earn their trust.”

All eyes turned to the red lottery box, everyone eager to try their luck.

Jiang Wan scanned the room and called out to her system internally.

Jiang Wan: I need to be on the same team as Chi Yuan. Arrange it for me. Now that the Charisma attribute has leveled up, she’ll definitely fall for me again.

System: Your points have been depleted. Related services cannot be provided.

Jiang Wan: Just this once. When the show’s preview airs at noon, my popularity will rise, and so will my points.

System: But this is a violation of regulations. If the monitoring system discovers…

Jiang Wan: “It’s not like this is my first time breaking the rules, and I’ve never been caught before. Besides, I’m the female lead—what’s wrong with using my privileges a few times? Isn’t the Female Lead Ascension System here to help me?”

But having a system doesn’t mean it should be abused. Jiang Wan’s reckless reliance on it for everything would inevitably lead to her downfall one day.

Yet, having coasted through life effortlessly and reaped unearned rewards, Jiang Wan wouldn’t listen. She hurriedly urged the system to help her cheat.

System: “…As soon as you earn points, you must immediately make up for this.”

Jiang Wan: “Got it, got it. I’ll definitely follow the rules.”

Meanwhile, Chi Yuan was also communicating with her own system in her mind.

System: “According to the predicted arrangement, you and Jiang Wan will be grouped together.”

Chi Yuan: “…She’s like a haunting ghost. Is this kind of luck also part of the female lead’s halo?”

System: “Novel female leads are practically born lucky. Jiang Wan should be no exception.”

Chi Yuan: “Tch. Then we’ll have to pull some strings.”

…

The nine participants drew slips of paper one by one. Chi Yuan revealed a red slip.

Those with the same color as hers were Jiang Ci, Gu Meng, and Wang Wen.

Jiang Wan slowly unfolded her slip, then: “…”

Chi Yuan took secret delight in Jiang Wan’s crestfallen expression and the blue slip in her hand.

“Now that the teams are decided, let’s split up and get moving,” Chi Yuan said, standing up first. “Red Team, follow me closely—the boats won’t wait for us~~”

But when they reached the dock, the four were informed they had to answer a question before boarding.

“Among your first impressions of the other eight guests, who do you like the most and who do you dislike the most? State one of their strengths or weaknesses.”

Gu Meng clutched her head and groaned, “Is the production team deliberately messing with us?”

This was clearly a drama-stirring question designed for the show’s entertainment value.

To board the boat, everyone had no choice but to “sell out their teammates.”

Gu Meng: “My favorite—Sister Chi, tolerant and generous. My least favorite is my brother Gu Ning—always nagging me.”

This answer was practically dripping with self-preservation.

Wang Wen: “My favorite is probably Xiao Wan. She was the first to talk to me when I joined the show—gentle, gracious, always thinking of others and finding ways to help.”

“My least favorite is my roommate Gao Yaohui. His snoring sounds like a drill sergeant shouting commands, hahahaha. You guys have to record him at night—it’d be way more effective than that morning gong monkey.”

Even the cameraman nearby burst out laughing at this. As expected of a crosstalk performer—his comedic timing was impeccable.

When it was Jiang Ci’s turn, she had planned to give a standard, diplomatic answer, but then she caught sight of Chi Yuan nearby, ears perked up and expression deadly serious.

The urge to tease became irresistible.