The Supporting Female Character's Strategy Manual - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Substitute (Part 1)

“Sign this contract.”

“Here are the keys and access card for the East Garden Mansion. If you have anything to pack, I can have the driver move it for you… I will notify you in advance before I come to see you.”

Sitting opposite Jian Tongyao was a woman with a beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor. Her features were exquisite, her lips a sexy fiery red, yet her gaze was utterly cold, like a sliver of silver light spilling from the moonlight, adding an air of detachment. Her red lips parted, but what she said was entirely incomprehensible to Jian Tongyao: “And most importantly, you must keep our relationship a secret.”

—Ding! —Data loading! —Loading complete, Host please receive!

Just as Jian Tongyao was wondering, a mechanical voice suddenly appeared in her mind. The tone was cold, without any fluctuation, completely business-like, and this matter seemed to be deeply related to her.

Soon, her mind gained some information about this world. It was quite similar to her original world, and coincidentally, the owner of this body was also named Jian Tongyao. She was a university student from a poor mountain area. However, she was also a greedy scoundrel and a scumbag. Because she had a face too similar to the “white moonlight” in the eyes of the woman before her, she was bought by an interested party. Under the guise of a stand-in, she infiltrated the side of this infatuated CEO, stealing company secrets to cause her bankruptcy and ultimately leading to her tragic death—a complete bastard.

System: “Hello Host, I am System 5438.”

“…” My name is B1tch. (A play on the numbers 5438 sounding similar to the insult in Chinese.)

The system’s designation was truly unforgettable. Before she could finish complaining, the system coldly reminded her again: System: “Host, please strive to capture the target and help the target person walk onto the happy, broad path of life.”

Jian Tongyao, “…”

A “Happiness Progress Bar” for the target suddenly appeared before her, with values from zero to one hundred. Currently, the Happiness Value was only a mere fifteen percent.

Jian Tongyao was wondering which person she needed to find as her target when the 5438 System seemed to detect a bug and immediately added a blindingly large name in front of the progress bar—Qian Wanyu, glistening like it was made of titanium alloy.

The exact same name as the overbearing yet infatuated CEO in front of her.

If the Happiness Value represented a person’s happiness index, it was clear that, if the data was correct, the CEO in front of her was not living happily at all.

Jian Tongyao’s expression froze slightly, but the other party seemed a little impatient, gently tapping her fingers on the table. Dong, dong, dong, dong. The rhythmic tapping felt like a stimulating piece of music, causing her heart to race and her bl00d to rush—a very strange feeling.

“Are you dissatisfied with the contract I drafted, or do you think the money is too little?”

“N-no, not at all.”

Jian Tongyao finally pulled her soul back from the beautiful face of the other party, where it was nearly lost in her stunning looks. To be honest, Qian Wanyu was extremely feminine. Her wine-red, seaweed-like curly hair draped around her shoulders. Her narrow eyes would slightly lift when she was impatient, like little hooks, snagging you over and over again.

Her heart was thumping so loud she suspected the person opposite could hear it. “I was just thinking—” about it.

The last two words seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Jian Tongyao felt like she was run over by a 200,000-volt electric current. A tingling sensation spread from her chest throughout her body. She felt that her previous demeanor must have looked completely insane. In reality, to outsiders, she had only hesitated for a moment.

Holy crap.

System: “Host violated contract rule. Level Five penalty.”

“…”

Jian Tongyao hadn’t even had time to settle scores with the System for inexplicably arriving in this world, inexplicably gaining a slow-witted System, and inexplicably being electrocuted.

Who did I ever offend?

Qian Wanyu crossed her arms, watching her with near indifference. “What do you want?”

If she were offered a million dollars right now, she wouldn’t dare take it. System 5438 was absolutely toxic.

Jian Tongyao’s right hand trembled as she scribbled her tadpole-like name onto the financial transaction contract on the table. Fortunately, the other party only raised her delicate eyebrows at her scrawling handwriting. She then put on her sunglasses, leaving only a command: “Move in today.”

As soon as the person left, she collapsed onto the chair. It took a long time for the shuddering sensation to leave her body. For her, capturing the target was one thing, but dealing with, ahem, communicating the rules properly with this System was another.

“What rule did I violate just now? Explain it to me.”

System: “Rule… rule… rule…”

The System sounded like a broken record, and not only was it stuck, but it looped endlessly in her ear before completely crashing.

Jian Tongyao, “…”

Aside from accepting her bad luck, she really couldn’t think of a good way to deal with the System for the moment. Picking up the access card and keys from the table, she headed straight to the original host’s school—a mediocre university. After returning to the dorm, she packed a few clothes and left.

The three people in the dorm looked at each other, and not a single one came forward to ask questions.

The original host came from the countryside, which should have been a reason for celebration, but her extreme poverty led to constant exclusion and cold shoulders at this private university. Therefore, when Bei Nana approached her and offered a large sum of money to get close to Qian Wanyu, she agreed without hesitation and went further and further down that road of no return.

She didn’t have much to pack: a broken-legged suitcase stuffed with a few pieces of clothing and a few books. That was all her possessions. The clothes were the kind of washed-out, generic T-shirts sold for cheap. She dragged the suitcase, which clattered loudly all the way.

So, when she found the high-end residential community of East Garden Mansion, she was stopped by the security guard and only allowed entry after thirty minutes of verification.

Jian Tongyao was furious. As she left, she pointed to her somewhat delicate face: “Be sure to remember this face of mine. Remember it well! I will definitely buy a house here with my own abilities, do you hear me clearly?”

The security guard apologized repeatedly after her outburst.

Qian Wanyu was very generous. The apartment she found for her “little lover” wasn’t particularly large, but it was finely decorated—two bedrooms, one living room, a balcony, and fully equipped. It was ready for immediate occupancy.

When Jian Tongyao opened the door and stood in the entryway, she clearly felt like an intruder, completely out of place with the style of the house. She sighed. A model citizen like me actually accepted a CEO’s patronage. This is just too… decadent.

She successfully found two pairs of new slippers in the shoe cabinet, choosing the pair with marshmallow patterns, and then tossed her luggage into the smaller room.

Next came cleaning. Even though the place looked clean, she felt her occupational disease kicking in. During this time, her cheap smartphone rang again and again until its owner finished cleaning the entire house and finally spared it some attention.

The caller ID showed an unknown number.

“Who is it?”

“You’ve become Qian Wanyu’s lover, and now you’re putting on airs for me? Don’t forget what you are. You dare not even answer my call? Do you not want the rest of the money?”

It took her a moment to realize who was on the other end of the line: Bei Nana, the culprit who caused Qian Wanyu’s bankruptcy, accident, and tragic death. This person was definitely an obstacle to her mission. “Yes, you should keep the money to buy yourself a grave instead!”

Knowing that this person was the cause of both her and Qian Wanyu’s tragic fate, Jian Tongyao very assertively hung up the phone and blocked the number—a complete one-stop service.

Before she could enjoy the relief for two minutes, the 200,000-volt electric current swept through her soul again.

This time, System 5438 died very swiftly. It didn’t even notify her, much less make a sound. She slumped onto the sofa like a discarded fish, carefully considering the events of both electric shocks. Not ruling out the possibility that this sadistic System was doing it on purpose, she seemed to have grasped a little pattern.

She trembling pulled the number out of the block list again. Ding-a-ling-a-ling. The soul-calling sound startled her, and the call was immediately connected. The person on the opposite end seemed to have run out of patience, and a sharp, roaring voice came through the receiver: “I can lift you to the sky, and I can drag you to hell. Jian Tongyao, if you dare double-cross me, you just wait.”

Clack.

Jian Tongyao could tell from the other party’s voice that she was furious and might make some rash move at any second. However, she absolutely did not want to apologize to such a person.

After struggling back and forth for a long time, a ding sound introduced an unread text message into her vision.

“Coax Qian Wanyu into taking you to the company and find a document labeled ‘An Tai.’ That is your next task. You have ten days.”

This document was the confidential file that caused Qian Wanyu’s downfall. It seemed that to lead Qian Wanyu onto the happy, broad path, she first had to get rid of Bei Nana.

Jian Tongyao fell asleep right there on the sofa until she heard the door click open. A harsh light instantly illuminated the entire room. The warm tone indeed gave a sense of home warmth.

Qian Wanyu put down her handbag and changed into the only other pair of slippers in the shoe cabinet. Seeing the other person looking disoriented from sleep, with even the cushion’s floral imprint on her face, looking somewhat cute in her dazed state, she instinctively checked her watch. “I texted you at eight o’clock, telling you to prepare properly today.”

Prepare?

Prepare for what?

Please don’t tell me it’s the kind of preparation I’m thinking of?

Jian Tongyao’s drowsy eyes instantly straightened. She instinctively reached for her phone, pressing it several times but getting no response. It had shut down because the battery died. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat. “I—I didn’t see it.”

Qian Wanyu nodded knowingly and casually removed the watch from her wrist. “Now you know.”

Jian Tongyao, “…”

Yes, she did, in fact, seem to know what was coming next. The original host’s previous “drunken encounter” with Qian Wanyu was entirely staged: they just took off each other’s clothes, left a few bruises on their bodies, wrapped up in a blanket, and pretended the host was severely taken advantage of.

But now, Qian Wanyu was fully sober.

What should I do? I’m panicking.