“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 36

The person she’d bumped into frowned slightly but still reached out to steady her.

“Master Baili no, Fourth Miss, should I help this lady instead?” the housekeeper beside her spoke softly, tactful as ever. For some reason, though, the word Master seemed almost taboo.

The woman who had caught Ning’s fall was none other than Baili Ruobing, who had rushed over upon hearing that her sister-in-law and niece had been in a car accident. Hearing her housekeeper’s words, Ruobing immediately passed Ning to her and was about to wipe her hands when she caught sight of her disheveled sister-in-law and the small figure beside her.

“Sister-in-law, Yutu are you both all right?” The mask of her usual icy composure cracked for the first time, revealing a rare trace of panic. To outsiders, this sight would have been startling Baili Ruobing, known far and wide as the untouchable Ice Beauty, actually looked flustered.

Her sister-in-law hesitated, clearly in disbelief, but little Baili Yutu was calm. She patted her aunt’s hand and said with a tone far beyond her ten years, “Auntie, I’m fine. Mom’s hurt worse. You need to calm down, don’t let others see you panic.”

The words of the child pulled Ruobing back to herself. With that single reminder, she quickly regained her composure, once again wearing that flawless, frosted expression. Looking around, she began issuing orders to her security team.

The scene soon fell into an orderly rhythm under her direction, but even so, the damage was immense. Out of over a hundred people involved in the crash, only thirty survived; twenty were seriously or critically injured, many likely to be disabled for life. The lightest injuries of all belonged to little Yutu.

Cold fury radiated from Ruobing as she listened to her assistant’s report.

“So it was drunk driving?”

“Yes, ma’am. The truck driver died on the spot. Background check shows he was an orphan, single, and had no connections to any rival factions. No clear motive was found.”

The assistant trembled slightly but continued her report carefully, eliminating the possibility of foul play.

Like every great family, the Bailis were not free from internal chaos. Ruobing was the fourth child: her eldest sister Baili Lingkong’s death remained a mystery and had led to a “real and fake heiress” scandal; her second brother Baili Chuanhe had died in a car crash, leaving behind his daughter Yutu; and her third brother Baili Lieyang was ever eager to seize control of the family.

On top of that, the Zhen family and other powerful clans watched them like wolves circling prey. The Bailis, unlike the shady Zhens, prided themselves on their ancient heritage and clean business dealings from real estate to entertainment. It was precisely this transparency that made others covet them.

“What about her? Don’t tell me it’s just a coincidence.” Ruobing’s tone was cutting as she pointed at the unconscious Ning, lying nearby. There was a trace of venom in her voice. How could it possibly be pure coincidence that this fake heiress was here, right where her family met disaster?

“That’s… difficult to explain,” the assistant admitted. “According to records, Miss Zhen Ning somehow appeared at the Zhen family estate, then was sent back by Pei Fuliu. This road is the only route to her villa, nothing unusual there. But according to traffic footage, her car slowed down noticeably before the intersection, and two minutes before the crash, she called emergency services. During that call, another vehicle hit hers; her driver died on the spot.”

The assistant laid out everything clearly, even showing a tablet with video footage. The analysis left little room for coincidence her behavior was far too suspicious.

“What do you make of it?” Ruobing flipped through the files, her eyes cold.

The assistant hesitated, then said, “It seems Miss Zhen Ning might have wanted to curry favor with you, Fourth Miss, while she still had her Zhen family identity.”

Ruobing nodded, satisfied with that logic. Everyone knew she doted on her niece. Saving Yutu would be a sure way to win her favor.

“But… there’s something I still can’t understand.” The assistant played another video, this one taken by a bystander.

In it, Ning pushed through the crowd, braced herself, and with nothing but sheer force, ripped open a crushed car door to pull a child free.

“All Baili vehicles are custom-built,” the assistant explained. “We had experts examine the wreckage. The components are authentic and undamaged. The marks match the footage perfectly. In other words, Miss Zhen Ning really did tear through military-grade steel with her bare hands.”

Her tone held disbelief, no matter how desperate one was, that kind of strength was beyond human.

“You’re suggesting she’s not just a fake heiress, but also some sort of Zhen family experiment? Are they testing human enhancement drugs now?” Ruobing’s gaze turned glacial. When her second sister had died, she’d been too young to uncover the truth. If the Zhens were truly conducting human trials, it explained too much.

The assistant shivered at the cold in her voice. “I’m not sure, Miss. But I’ll keep digging.”

Ruobing’s eyes dimmed with disappointment. She’d spent years trying to find evidence against the Zhens, but with Pei Fuliu shielding them, she’d never gotten close. She had planned to use this fake heiress as an insider to reward her, win her loyalty, and bring down the Zhens from within.

Clearly, Ning was not the obedient pawn she’d expected. Perhaps it was time to let her taste some hardship.

“Where should we send her now?” the assistant asked, glancing at Ning, who was beginning to stir.

Ruobing let out a cold laugh. “Throw her out. Let her fend for herself.”

Her words carried a hint of spite, as though she were annoyed at having cared at all. The assistant blinked, shocked that the famously composed Ruobing would speak so harshly but Ruobing quickly covered her lapse.

“Besides,” she continued smoothly, “the Zhens surely know I picked her up. No matter what really happened, she’ll be implicated. So let’s force her hand, make her choose a side.”

The assistant’s eyes lit with understanding. Praising Ruobing’s cunning, she immediately carried out the order. A woman like Zhen Ning might be stubborn and sharp, but no one, no matter how tough, was invincible.

When Ning awoke, she was disoriented at first, realizing only after a moment that she was back home. Her wounds were gone again, completely healed, just like the night before. If not for the vivid memories still seared in her mind, she might have thought it had all been a dream.

But when she opened her system panel, her stats had changed.

Name: Zhen Ning
Stamina: 50 (base) + 20 (bonus) = 70
Intelligence: 70
Charm: 80
Overall Rating: E-class Cannon Fodder
Faction: None
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Disguise Technique
Items: 10 Memory Shards

“Basic Disguise Technique, huh?” Ning muttered, opening the skill description.

Basic Disguise Technique: Temporarily alter appearance into anyone desired. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 24 hours.
(Note: Skill does not copy target’s attributes, aura, or abilities.)

At first glance, it seemed useless, but the more Ning thought about it, the more potential she saw. If this evolved into the kind of illusion magic she’d had in her cultivation world, she could potentially replicate her true form even if just for five minutes. Still, a “conscience reward” that came in the form of such a dubious skill felt like another one of the system’s traps.

Just then, the door opened. Ning assumed it was Aunt Zhu and didn’t look up until she noticed the silence. Puzzled, she turned and nearly blinded herself on a flash of black silk.

“You… why are you dressed like that?”

The woman standing there was her new tenant, Xu Yixin. She was already dangerously beautiful, but in that black silk nightdress, her presence was overwhelming, a sensuality that filled the air like perfume. Ning had only ever seen her dressed modestly before; this was… something else entirely.

“I always sleep like this,” Yixin replied smoothly.

The lie rolled off her tongue as gracefully as her smile. She stepped closer, letting the lamplight caress flawless skin that seemed to glow with warmth. Her eyes shimmered with a teasing allure that sent a strange heat through Ning’s head. For a dizzy second, she felt her reason slipping away, caught in the web of Yixin’s beauty.

But she quickly forced herself to murmur a few Clear Mind Incantations, snapping back to herself.

“Ah, I see. Nice taste,” Ning said lightly.

Yixin tilted her head, amused. “You think so?”

There was mischief in her gaze, a cat playing with curiosity. She sat down right in front of Ning, deliberately relaxed, not attempting to hide her allure.

Trying not to get distracted again, Ning kept her eyes on Yixin’s face, not her curves. She reminded herself sternly of the woman’s conservative attire at the Zhen family estate. If not for that figure, no one would’ve given those dull nightclothes a second glance.

But this Xu Yixin was different and the faint, dangerous charm in her eyes made Ning’s heart skip a beat.