The Villainous Sister-in-law Mistakenly Marked as the Heroine (Transmigration) - Chapter 4

Ding!

Her phone chimed. Lin Qile opened it to see a message from Rong Jing.

[“You have three days to call off the engagement. The consequences are on you if you miss the deadline.”]

Lin Qile gave a bitter laugh. “Threatening me again? Such a spoiled princess!”

But the moment she recalled the look in Rong Jing’s eyes when she woke up last night, a shiver ran down her spine. Fine, she knew when to back down, no point provoking the villain.

“Time to go home and break off this engagement!”

She took a taxi back.

Though the system had shown her glimpses of the original owner’s life last night, standing before the massive villa still left her stunned by the sheer luxury.

This was the kind of extravagant lifestyle you only saw in TV dramas.

Passing through the front gate, she entered the villa’s courtyard manicured gardens to the left, a koi pond and gazebo to the right.

“Young Miss, you’re back.”

A maid approached with a smile. Just as Lin Qile was about to respond, the woman suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her wrist in alarm. “Young Miss?!”

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Why the sudden panic?

“You’re injured!”

The maid pulled her toward the glass door. “If Madam sees this, she’ll be heartbroken!”

In the reflection, Lin Qile finally noticed it, a scratch less than two centimeters long.

This counted as an injury?

“It’s nothing, barely a scratch.”

“Has my baby come home?”

Her mother, Lin Xinrou’s voice floated out from inside the villa.

Footsteps drew closer.

The maid looked frantic. “Madam will blame us if she sees your wound!”

Lin Qile quickly brushed her bangs over the mark and grinned. “Now it’s hidden, right?”

“Darling!”

The voice reached the doorway. Lin Qile turned.

She blinked three times before believing her eyes.

What was she seeing? A bombshell!

No exaggeration soft brown curls, delicate features, clear eyes, dressed in a camellia-colored dress.

How was this the mother of a twenty-five-year-old?

“Darling!”

Lin Xinrou rushed over and hugged her. “I missed you so much! Why didn’t you come home last night?”

“I, uh!”

“Never mind! I’ve been waiting to discuss your wedding plans. Come!”

Inside the living room, a maid promptly served delicate pastries and tea. Lin Xinrou poured a cup for her.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Oh my, getting married really has changed you! So polite now.”

Mention of the wedding made Lin Qile hesitate over how to bring up calling it off until Lin Xinrou continued, “I’ve talked with the Rong family. I couldn’t bear being apart from you, so I bought the villa next door! Once it’s renovated, you can move in. Until then, why not stay here after the wedding?”

“Mom, actually.”

“I swear I won’t interfere in your married life with Wanning! I’ll be very discreet, no barging into your room unannounced, no eavesdropping outside your door, no pressuring you for grandchildren!”

“Uh!”

“Where do you want the ceremony? I think a seaside wedding would be dreamy! We could buy an island, even have guests go snorkeling. But your mother said it’s too dangerous.”

Lin Qile’s head spun. How was she supposed to cancel the wedding now?

“Mom, Mom, Mom!”

Lin Xinrou paused. “Yes, darling?”

She opened her mouth to speak only to yawn instead.

“Pfft, tired from playing all night? Go take a nap. I’ll wake you for lunch.”

Pushed back into the room, she collapsed onto the soft bed.

Lin Qile was still thinking being a buzzkill was such an unpleasant thing. How could she bear to ruin a beauty’s mood?

Her biological clock from her past life remained precise, so she woke up naturally at eleven.

Sitting up, her mind felt unusually clear.

After a few seconds of contemplation, she dialed Rong Jing’s number.

The call took a long time to connect.

Rong Jing’s voice was as cold as ever. “Did the engagement get called off?”

“Uh! Miss Rong, I was wondering could you have Rong Wanning propose breaking off the engagement instead? I’ll just agree to it.”

After all, before yesterday, Rong Wanning had already been clamoring to dissolve their engagement. She’d simply comply.

“Heh.”

Rong Jing let out a mocking laugh.

The sound sent chills down her spine. “N-no good?”

“Lin Qile, I could just as easily release footage of you drugging and assaulting me online. Let public opinion force your family to cancel the engagement. How does that sound?”

“Absolutely not!”

She still had some dignity to maintain!

“Then quit being so naive. You’ve got three days. If the engagement isn’t called off by then, I’ll settle our accounts with interest!”

Rong Jing tossed the phone aside, leaning back fully into the bathtub.

Certain parts of her body still felt uncomfortably strange.

Remembering last night and that wretched woman’s actions, she pressed her lips together in anger yet the tips of her ears burned red against her will.

On the other end, Lin Qile stared at the ended call and sighed.

She got up, washed her hands, and left the bedroom.

“Sweetheart, lunch is ready.”

“Okay.”

After lunch, noticing her mother watching TV, Lin Qile hesitated before approaching. “Mom, I need to talk to you.”

Lin Xinrou didn’t turn around, but her voice remained gentle. “Go ahead.”

“I want to break off the engagement.”

On screen played the fantasy film starring Rong Wanning as a beautiful celestial maiden.

After watching for a few minutes, Lin Xinrou suddenly turned off the TV and looked at her daughter. “Sorry, sweetheart, I must be hearing things. What did you say?”

“Mom, I want to break off the engagement. You’re not hearing things.”

Lin Xinrou froze for several seconds.

Lin Qile took a deep breath and explained, “Mom, I don’t like Rong Wanning. I don’t want to marry her anymore. Could you help me bring up ending the engagement with the Rong family?”

Then she waited for her mother’s reaction.

Lin Xinrou’s expression suddenly shifted. She leaned closer, brushing aside her daughter’s bangs to reveal the wound beneath. Her face instantly changed. “Sweetheart, who hurt you?”

“I did this by accident.”

“I don’t believe it. You went out with Rong Wanning yesterday, didn’t you? The staff mentioned hearing you say you were going on a date with her and wouldn’t be back last night. Now you return injured and talking about breaking the engagement did Rong Wanning hurt you? Is she forcing you to call it off?”

Lin Xinrou grew more distressed as she spoke, tears welling up.

“No, no! Mom, I’m the one who wants to end it. Rong Wanning has nothing to do with this, and my injury isn’t her fault either.”

Lin Qile reassured her while grabbing tissues to wipe her tears.

No wonder the staff panicked over minor injuries the original owner’s mother was clearly highly sensitive.

“Don’t cry, Mom. It doesn’t hurt at all, just a little scratch, barely even counts as an injury.”

Having grown up in an orphanage, fought her way into a top medical university, and worked her way through eight years of school, she’d suffered more injuries than she could count. This scratch truly meant nothing to her.

“Waaah! The Rong family is bullying my baby! Don’t worry, sweetheart, Mom will definitely get justice for you!”

With that, she stood up and left.

Leaving Lin Qile standing there dumbfounded.

Snapping out of it, she hurried after her mother, only to find her in the bedroom, phone in hand, roaring: “Bai Jiao, you must give my daughter an explanation! Lele is the apple of my eye, I won’t allow anyone in this world to hurt my daughter. What the hell is Rong Wanning? If she dares to break my daughter’s heart, I won’t let any of the Rong family off!”

Lin Qile stood at the door, listening to the furious pacing and shouting inside.

“My Lele is the best alpha in the world!”

“My daughter is worthy of anyone! If she’s set her heart on Rong Wanning, I could even get her a princess for a wife!”

Hearing Lin Xinrou’s fierce defense, Lin Qile felt an unexpected tightness in her chest.

She was an orphan, raised in a welfare home. Though she’d never suffered much Mother Director and the other aunties had been kind nothing could replace the role of parents.

So, this was what it felt like to be wholeheartedly protected by a mother.

Placing a hand over her heart.

It felt really nice.

After hanging up, Lin Xinrou rushed over. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Bai Jiao promised to talk sense into Rong Wanning and make her marry you properly. No need to fret.”

Lin Qile’s smile froze.

“But Mom, I really don’t want to—”

Suddenly pulled into a warm embrace, Lin Xinrou cooed, “Whatever my baby wants, Mom will make it happen.”

She forced a bitter smile. “But I don’t like her anymore.”

“Silly girl!” Lin Xinrou tapped her head. “Don’t give up at the first hurdle! My baby is amazing, I’m sure she’ll fall head over heels for you!”

“Mom.”

Humming cheerfully, Lin Xinrou headed to the dressing room.

Ding!

Counterattack Value: Zero.

Zero?!

What the hell?

Stunned, she turned and walked out into the hallway.

“System!”

[Here!]

“What do you mean ‘zero’? I sacrificed my innocence for those five points! What did I do to lose them? Give them back!”

[I don’t know.]

“You. Don’t. KNOW?!” Lin Qile howled in despair.

[I really don’t! I’m just an intern system.]

Lin Qile wanted to die.

[But we can analyze it! Points don’t just vanish you must’ve done something.]

Done what?

Leaning against the wall, she replayed events. Everything was fine until Lin Xinrou made that call,

Because of me, Mom pressured them to solidify my marriage with Rong Wanning. Why would that lose points?

[Got it.]

“Spit it out!”

[Host, I simulated the ending based on you marrying Rong Wanning. You die. Rong Jing becomes twice as unhinged as the original plot, accelerating this world’s collapse.]

“So not only do I have to become the protagonist, but I also have to prevent the villain from turning evil?”

[Exactly. Otherwise, even as protagonist, you might get iced by a blackened villain!]

Goddammit—that’s two missions!

[Hehe, ganbatte! Ganbatte!]

Dragging her exhausted body, Lin Qile returned to her room.

Rong Residence.

Bai Jiao angrily hung up the phone, “No one listens to me anymore!”

After fuming for a while, she dialed another number, her anger visibly melting into coyness, “Lin Xinrou called me today. It seems Wannning insists on breaking off the engagement.”

After hearing the response, she smiled and nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make Wannning marry him. I’ll bring it up tonight!”

That evening, with Rong Yihua working overtime, Bai Jiao dined with her son Rong Hui, daughter Rong Jing, and granddaughter Rong Wannning.

At the dinner table.

Bai Jiao glanced at the three before fixing her gaze on Rong Wannning, “Wannning.”

Rong Wannning immediately set down her utensils, “Grandmother.”

“Though I’m not your biological grandmother, I’ve treated you well, haven’t I?”

Rong Wannning forced a bright smile, “Of course you have, Grandmother.”

“Then why make things difficult for me? When we arranged your engagement to Lin Qile, we asked for your consent. Why are you making a scene about breaking it off now? Do you think becoming a celebrity means you can change anything on a whim?”

Bai Jiao’s voice grew increasingly stern and icy.

Rong Wannning trembled, tears streaming down her face.

Rong Jing stopped eating and looked at Rong Hui, who continued eating as if his daughter wasn’t being scolded.

“Grandmother, I don’t want to marry Lin Qile. I know I shouldn’t have agreed to the engagement impulsively, but I truly don’t like her!”

“What makes you think you’re too good for her? Prepare for the wedding properly, and don’t let me hear any more nonsense.”

Rong Wannning suddenly stood up, “Grandmother, I won’t marry her! I’d rather die than marry her!”

With that, she ran out in tears.

Bai Jiao gasped in fury, “Rong Hui!”

“Mother.”

Only then did Rong Hui slowly look up.

“I may not be her real grandmother, but you’re her father. Control your daughter properly!”

“Yes, Mother.”

Bai Jiao then turned to Rong Jing, surprised she hadn’t interrupted, “Rong Jing, don’t you have anything to say?”

Rong Jing gripped the edge of the table, her hidden hands clenched tightly. She kept her head down to hide her strange reaction.

Why?

Why was she feeling this way?

Her body was growing inexplicably hot.

“I… I don’t feel well. I’m going to my room.”

She hurriedly stood up and retreated to her room, fighting against her discomfort.