Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 5
5
The allergic reaction came on swiftly and fiercely. Soon, fine red rashes spread across Cheng Xing’s neck, and her body began to heat up.
Zheng Shuqing, worried something serious might happen, quickly pressed the emergency call button in the ward.
As she cautiously approached Cheng Xing, she muttered with a mix of concern and disdain, “You better not die or anything. If you kick the bucket in this ward, the two of us will be the prime suspects.”
After all, who would believe that Cheng Xing had willingly eaten food she was allergic to?
Cheng Xing’s symptoms worsened, but she managed a weak smile to reassure Zheng Shuqing. “Don’t worry, there’s surveillance.”
Her words eased Zheng Shuqing’s tension, but the latter couldn’t help but grumble, “Seriously, what’s wrong with you? Who doesn’t know what they’re allergic to? Those rashes are giving me the creeps.”
Cheng Xing glanced at her before her gaze shifted to Jiang Ciyi.
Jiang Ciyi met her eyes calmly, her narrow, fox-like eyes seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words. Her cherry lips, however, remained tightly closed, not uttering a sound.
Cheng Xing gave a bitter smile. “It’s been so long since I ate it, I forgot.”
After all, the system had only given her the general plot, not every character’s dietary preferences.
As luck would have it, Cheng Xing’s favorite savory porridge was century egg porridge, especially century egg and lean pork porridge. But today, the shop had run out of lean pork, so she’d opted for century egg and vegetable porridge instead.
…Just her luck.
Her offhand lie convinced Zheng Shuqing.
But after a moment’s thought, Zheng Shuqing’s expression sharpened. “Fine, you forgot your own allergies, but did you forget Jiangjiang’s too? She’s already frail, and you went and got her yam to eat. Are you trying to finish her off while she’s weak?”
The more Zheng Shuqing thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. She declared firmly, “No way. You two need to get divorced.”
“Jiangjiang’s hanging on by a thread, and I thought you’d take care of her. Turns out, you’re the one who wants to hurt her the most.” Zheng Shuqing was indignant. “You’re going to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow!”
Cheng Xing, hearing those familiar words again, pressed her temples. Thankfully, Dr. Lan rushed in with nurses in tow.
Seeing that the patient in distress wasn’t Jiang Ciyi, Dr. Lan let out a sigh of relief.
The ward became a flurry of activity.
Noticing how diligently Cheng Xing had been visiting Jiang Ciyi’s ward, Dr. Lan simply had her transferred to the same room. Medical equipment was set up, an IV was administered, and she was told to rest calmly.
Cheng Xing’s eyes followed the white coats moving about the room, avoiding Jiang Ciyi’s gaze.
Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling of a searing stare fixed on her.
Once the doctors left and Zheng Shuqing was called away for work, she gave Jiang Ciyi a flurry of concerned instructions, promising to return soon and urging her to press the call button if anything happened. She even gave extra instructions to the nurse in charge of Jiang Ciyi.
Jiang Ciyi patted the back of her hand, reassuring her. Only then did Zheng Shuqing leave, reluctantly glancing back every few steps.
The ward finally fell silent. Cheng Xing closed her eyes to rest.
Her interest in Jiang Ciyi wasn’t as strong as her curiosity about the system.
There were questions only the system could answer, but sharing a room with Jiang Ciyi made it tricky to communicate.
The system probably wouldn’t show up—just like when Guan Linmin had interrupted her conversation with it before.
As she pondered, that cute mechanical voice suddenly chirped in her mind: [Roar! Someone’s thinking of Jinjin, huh? Here I am!]
Cheng Xing jolted, about to speak but quickly pursed her lips. In her mind, she asked, [You can come out?]
[Roar! Of course! The Fate Navigator Officer exists only in the host’s consciousness and captures the host’s thoughts.]
Cheng Xing’s mind buzzed with confusion. “Then why did you vanish before?”
The system replied matter-of-factly: [Roar! To prevent some inexperienced hosts from blurting things out in public, of course. They’d be labeled lunatics otherwise. It’s for your own good.]
Cheng Xing: “…”
Pretty straightforward, huh?
Now wasn’t the time to argue. Cutting to the chase, she asked, “You said my survival in this world depends on Jiang Ciyi. Why? And what do I need to do?”
A crackling static filled her mind, like the sound of an old TV switching channels, giving her a headache.
After a while, it stopped.
The system explained: [Roar! Beyond the main divine world where the host originates, all derivative plane worlds have protagonists. If the protagonist dies or deviates from the main storyline, the plane world collapses, and the associated NPCs are annihilated.]
[Roar! When that happens, the plane world is permanently shut down. Key main and supporting characters are thrown into the Interstellar Five Elements Prison, locked away for a century until a suitable opportunity arises to be sent to other plane worlds to complete tasks.]
This information completely upended Cheng Xing’s understanding.
It felt like something out of a sci-fi novel.
She’d never imagined it could be real.
Though her heart surged with shock, she remained outwardly calm, pretending to be asleep while continuing her mental chess game with the system.
After a pause, she asked in her mind, “You still haven’t told me what I need to do with Jiang Ciyi.”
[Roar! It’s simple.]
[First, help Jiang Ciyi reunite with her family.]
[Second, heal Jiang Ciyi’s leg.]
[Third, atone for the original host’s sins and earn Jiang Ciyi’s forgiveness.]
[Fourth, make Jiang Ciyi happy, helping her return to being the brilliant forensic doctor Jiang and get back on the main storyline.]
Cheng Xing: “…”
Simple?
Each task felt like hell-level difficulty to her.
The system clearly had a skewed definition of “simple.”
Her mental complaints were overheard by the system, which sighed with its cute mechanical voice: [Roar! You think these tasks are hard? Look at the host next door, or the one next to that, or—]
“Stop.” Cheng Xing, eyes still closed, mentally rolled her eyes. “I’m not comparing myself to others.”
[Roar! Fine, your tasks are still simple. After all, Plane 7531’s protagonist is gentle and kind—you’ve hit the jackpot!]
Cheng Xing: “…”
Gentle and kind? Was it talking about the same Jiang Ciyi who held a knife to her throat the day she arrived?
This system definitely had a filter for Jiang Ciyi.
But she didn’t have time to argue. More pressing was, “How do I get back? I want revenge.”
The system went silent.
Just as Cheng Xing thought it wouldn’t answer, the mechanical voice said, [Complete the tasks, and you’ll see.]
Her mind grew heavy, her fingers weak, and she drifted off to sleep.
When Cheng Xing woke, it was evening, the sky darkening.
The hospital’s spotless windows revealed a vibrant sunset, with fiery clouds spreading across the sky, hinting at good weather tomorrow.
Streetlights flickered on, and Jianggang’s iconic buildings lit up, their dazzling lights piercing the clouds.
The city slipped into a dazzling, indulgent night.
The IV needle had been removed from Cheng Xing’s hand, replaced with a fresh bandage over the puncture site, faintly aching.
In this strange world, she felt no sense of belonging.
No matter how beautiful the streetlights or nightscape, they couldn’t lift her spirits.
Another steady breathing sound filled the ward. Jiang Ciyi, frail and weak, was sleeping peacefully.
Cheng Xing touched her neck, where faint red rashes lingered.
Frowning, she reached for the original host’s phone by her pillow but couldn’t find it.
A modern person’s phone is their greatest privacy. She needed to comb through it for information.
Returning home wasn’t an option for now, so she had to focus on surviving by completing the tasks.
As she’d told Jiang Ciyi, to seek revenge, she had to stay alive.
If she died, all her grudges would turn to dust.
Meaningless.
If the system was right, Jiang Ciyi was this plane’s absolute protagonist, with everyone else as NPCs revolving around her. Cheng Xing just needed to complete the four tasks.
Reunite Jiang Ciyi with her family, heal her leg, earn her forgiveness, and help her fall in love with her childhood sweetheart—while playing the perfect villain and playing matchmaker.
Cheng Xing: “…”
These tasks were tailor-made to torment a villain.
Accepting her reality, she glanced at the sleeping Jiang Ciyi.
Her face was still bloodlessly pale, her body so frail a breeze could knock her over. They’d need to address her organ deficiencies and bl00d loss before tackling her leg.
What kind of torment could reduce a favored daughter of heaven to such a state?
The original host was truly despicable.
Cheng Xing cursed inwardly again.
Sighing softly, she rubbed her hungry stomach. In the dim room, a screen suddenly lit up. She remembered handing her phone to Jiang Ciyi that morning to order food.
Tiptoeing over, she carefully reached for the phone. Halfway there, a sharp gust grazed her wrist. The next second, the person on the bed opened her eyes, grabbing Cheng Xing’s wrist tightly, immobilizing her.
Cheng Xing met Jiang Ciyi’s gaze.
Those narrow, fox-like eyes were full of wariness and suspicion, not at all like someone who’d just woken up.
She’d been awake for a while.
Cheng Xing’s wrist ached, unable to break free. Frowning, she said, “I’m just grabbing my phone. Why are you holding me?”
“Really?” Jiang Ciyi’s expression was cold, her tone skeptical. “Not trying to strangle me while I’m asleep?”
Cheng Xing protested, “That’s absurd! Why would I? I gave you my phone to order food this morning, and now I just want it back.”
“Oh.” Jiang Ciyi released her.
Cheng Xing shook her wrist, grabbed the phone, and started back to her bed. After a moment’s thought, she didn’t leave. Instead, she sat on the edge of Jiang Ciyi’s bed.
…To win over the protagonist, she had to build a rapport, right?
Jiang Ciyi’s gaze turned colder, her hand subtly moving under the blanket.
Cheng Xing quickly pressed her hand through the blanket, feeling the slender handle of what was likely the same dissection knife from before.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” Cheng Xing said softly. “You don’t need to be so guarded. Look at me—I’m too weak to do anything to you. I just want to talk.”
Jiang Ciyi lowered her eyes, sizing her up discreetly, her voice still icy. “Talk about what?”
Cheng Xing thought for a moment. “A humble request. Everything I did to you before was because I was blinded by foolishness. I know I was wrong, and I’m ready to turn over a new leaf. I’ll treat you well from now on. So… can we not get divorced?”
Jiang Ciyi sneered. “Cheng Xing, you think I’d still believe you?”
Cheng Xing sighed inwardly, knowing her plea for forgiveness seemed shameless to Jiang Ciyi. But what could she do?
She was innocent in this.
Yet, asking Jiang Ciyi to forgive someone who’d done so much evil was cruel to her, too.
Her gaze toward Jiang Ciyi carried a hint of shared suffering. Thick-skinned, she said, “I know you don’t trust me now, but I’ll change. Judge me by my actions. We’re already married. I was a jerk before, out of my mind, but even the worst villain deserves a chance to atone, right?”
Jiang Ciyi gave a faint smile, her aloof face briefly lighting up the room.
But the warmth vanished instantly. Coldly, she said, “Cheng Xing, atonement is for judges to decide. I just want a divorce.”
“No divorce,” Cheng Xing said firmly. “I meant what I said. If you insist on divorcing me, I’d rather die—”
Before she could finish, a flash of light glinted. Jiang Ciyi, using only her core strength, sat up, pressing the sharp dissection knife against Cheng Xing’s chest.
Staring at her, Jiang Ciyi said, “Then die.”
Cheng Xing was shocked but kept her expression calm. “You want a murder charge?”
“So what?” A glint of killing intent flashed in Jiang Ciyi’s eyes. “Living people lie, but the dead don’t.”
The knife had already sliced through Cheng Xing’s clothes, its cold edge grazing her soft skin. Jiang Ciyi said with certainty, “You’re not Cheng Xing. Why are you here, impersonating her?”
Cheng Xing hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive but held her ground. “I am Cheng Xing. Even if you drag me for a DNA test, I’m still Cheng Xing. Living people might lie, but their DNA doesn’t. Why not trust science?”
Jiang Ciyi sneered. “The real Cheng Xing wouldn’t know what DNA is.”
Cheng Xing didn’t falter, her gaze sincere. “But I am Cheng Xing. I made mistakes before, but can’t I start doing better now?”
In their prolonged standoff, Cheng Xing’s eyes ached, but she didn’t give up.
“Watch my actions,” she said gently. “Being good to someone isn’t about words—it’s about deeds.”
Jiang Ciyi’s gaze wavered slightly. Cheng Xing seized the moment, grasping her wrist. “If I don’t treat you well, you can divorce me or kill me. The knife’s in your hands.”
Just then, a familiar, sharp female voice rang out as the door was pushed open. “Sister Xing, I heard you’re divorcing that cripple Jiang?!”
The tone was brimming with uncontainable joy.
Fearing the newcomer would see the knife at her chest and cause trouble for Jiang Ciyi, Cheng Xing acted quickly. She pressed Jiang Ciyi’s slender back forward, pulling her into an embrace.
In her haste, Jiang Ciyi relaxed her grip, her hand landing on Cheng Xing’s chest, feeling its warm softness.
The door swung open. A garishly dressed girl frowned at the scene and shouted, “Jiang the Cripple, let go of my Sister Xing!”
Jiang Ciyi’s cold eyes flickered. Lowering her gaze, she rested her chin on Cheng Xing’s shoulder and said deliberately, “What can I do? Your Sister Xing is the one clinging to me.”
Her tone was light but infuriating, and she withdrew her hand from Cheng Xing’s chest, placing it on her back to further provoke the girl.
“She just loves this cripple,” Jiang Ciyi said with a mocking smile. “Miss Xu, I don’t want her anymore. Why don’t you take her?”
Cheng Xing immediately protested, hugging her tighter. “I’m not leaving you.”