What's Wrong with My Love Rival Becoming My Wife? - Chapter 1

“Are you saying that for the past three years, I’ve been fawning over this Lu Xu like a dog, showering him with money in every way imaginable, trying to please him, his entire family, and even his green tea-flavored childhood sweetheart?”

Jiang Ning gasped, staring in disbelief at the pile of secretly taken photos on her computer screen.

More precisely, she was staring at the man in the photos—the one wearing a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, the epitome of a pretentious guy.

This was Lu Xu.

The man with the “poor but resilient white lotus” persona, as pure as a chrysanthemum.

His only two assets were his face—and don’t misunderstand, not because he was genuinely handsome, but because he had the audacity to be shameless.

For three years, thanks to the Jiang family’s financial support and the pocket money Jiang Ning secretly slipped him, he had thrived at school, even being rumored to be the son of a wealthy family. He had also built a lavish three-story villa in his remote hometown.

Yet he had never publicly expressed gratitude to the Jiang family or Jiang Ning personally, often deliberately avoiding them.

His second notable achievement was his academic record—though let’s be clear, this wasn’t entirely his own doing.

Without Jiang Ning pulling strings, pushing him into competitions, and paying for exorbitantly expensive tutoring sessions, his resume would be a blank slate right now. How could it possibly be so dazzling and impressive?

Slap!

Furious, Jiang Ning slammed her hand against the computer screen, knocking it over.

“Holy sh1t!”

“Even if I were a girl in this world, I wouldn’t have such terrible taste in men, would I?”

“Damn System, I seriously suspect you’re lying to me.”

“This is beyond ridiculous! Aaaaaah!”

“I want to go home! Send me back right now! Immediately!”

Host, you’ve already been turned into dumpling filling by a dump truck. How can this System possibly send you back?

The System was deliberately trying to act cute, hoping to quell Jiang Ning’s rage.

But it was clearly ineffective.

Jiang Ning, who had been dealt a catastrophic starting hand from the very beginning, wore an expression of utter despair.

From the massive influx of information the System had implanted in her mind, she now knew she was in a world of childhood sweetheart romance novels.

The true female lead wasn’t her, but the male lead’s childhood sweetheart, Bai Zhenyu—a girl who, like him, outwardly scorned but inwardly craved, always wanting to have her cake and eat it too.

For three years, these two had been leeching off the Jiang Family, their wings now fully fledged.

Bai Zhenyu, thanks to Lu Xu’s connections, had gained admission to Kyoto’s most prestigious art academy, becoming a disciple of the renowned national painting master, Old Master Tao.

Meanwhile, Lu Xu had leveraged the Jiang Family’s influence to cozy up to other wealthy second-generation heirs at the academy, planning to pull off a “get rich quick” scheme by convincing them to invest in his startup.

Before long, they would become the campus’s most envied couple.

As for Jiang Ning herself…

She would conveniently develop cancer at just the right moment, leaving this beautiful world with regret and blessings for the couple.

This, of course, was the power of the plot.

After all, the male and female leads were both virtuous “white lotuses”—how could they possibly confront the villainous female supporting character, let alone speak harsh words to her?

To ensure their love story reached its happy ending, they inevitably had to eliminate Jiang Ning, the villainous female supporting character.

Well, then the only option left was to Plot Kill Jiang Ning.

“Wait a minute! If I calculate the time, my body should already be deteriorating, right?”

Jiang Ning suddenly realized this.

She quickly felt her body, carefully checking for any pain.

“If I go to the hospital now, will I make it in time?”

Host, you already know it’s a Plot Kill. Even if you had foresight and managed to cure yourself, you’d still be killed by some ridiculous reason like a car accident, flood, or earthquake.

“Damn it!”

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but curse.

No wonder her heart had been aching earlier—it was probably from sheer frustration.

“So what am I supposed to do? You didn’t bring me here just to witness the Male and Female Leads rise to glory by stepping on my grave, did you?!”

Of course not. Besides waiting to die, Host, you have better options.

Jiang Ning pressed a hand to her chest and exhaled a stale breath.

“Spit it out already. Stop dragging this out.”

Our motto is: “Better for me to dominate the world than for the world to dominate me!”

Hearing such a resounding slogan, Jiang Ning froze for a moment.

Th-th-this…

Is this really a good idea?

What exactly are you planning to make her do?

Before the Male Lead, Lu Xu, confesses to the Female Lead, Bai Zhenyu, why don’t you deliver a confession that will shake her soul, defy societal norms, and stun the entire world?

Hearing the System’s wildly enthusiastic and shameless suggestion, Jiang Ning gasped.

This… this…?!

That sounds a bit extreme, doesn’t it?

The original plot, though morally bankrupt, at least maintained the facade of a pure romance. But with the System’s proposal, Jiang Ning felt the story was veering into territory no reputable website would ever host.

Still, Bai Zhenyu’s delicate face was undeniably pitiful.

Like a fragile, first-love-faced white flower, her skin was fair and beautiful, her demeanor frail and helpless, as if her tender flesh could be squeezed to yield water—tears, of course.

Hmm, this girl…

She actually aligned with Jiang Ning’s aesthetic as a man at heart.

Having secretly benefited so much from the Jiang Family’s influence, she couldn’t possibly expect to get away without paying anything in return, could she?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

It was time to demand some interest from the Female Lead.

“Then, after the confession, what do I need to do?”

Jiang Ning had already swiftly pulled out her phone, opened a shopping app, and begun searching for items needed for the confession.

Whether your confession succeeds or fails, you will receive a life-extending, vitality-boosting elixir. Consuming it will instantly grant you a super-healthy body.

Jiang Ning’s fingers, which had been scrolling through her phone, paused slightly.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze dark and thoughtful.

“You said yourself that even with a healthy body, I’ll still die because of the Plot Kill.”

That’s why your next task is to get close to the Female Lead, Bai Zhenyu, and leech off her Female Lead Aura!

Whether it’s holding hands, linking arms, or even just patting her shoulder, any physical contact will effectively leech off her aura. Once you’ve leeched enough, your luck stat will rise to a normal person’s level, and you won’t have to worry about the Plot Kill anymore!

Jiang Ning drew out the word, “Oh.”

“So, what’s my current luck stat?”

The System fell conspicuously silent.

Only after Jiang Ning’s persistent questioning did it reveal that her luck stat was -100!

Far below the normal human level.

She was so unlucky that she could choke on cold water.

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead.

“I was planning to confess in three days, but it seems I can’t wait. I need to get this done tonight.”

She immediately closed the shopping app.

Just as she was about to turn off her screen, a call came through from a contact labeled “Senior Sister Shishi.”

She quickly searched her memory for the name, the person it referred to, and any relevant events.

She pressed the answer button.

Wang Shishi’s voice immediately burst through the line: “What are you doing?! Don’t you know your boyfriend, Lu Xu, has been drinking with clients at Bluebird KTV all night for that startup funding? He’s practically passed out drunk! As his girlfriend, aren’t you worried?”

Jiang Ning scoffed. “So?”

Her cold “So?” stunned Wang Shishi into silence.

Wang Shishi quickly raised her voice again: “Look, it’s already 2 a.m.! Hurry over, settle the bill for your boyfriend, and take him home to take care of him!”

Ah, the real point is to get me, the sucker, to pay the bill.

How hilarious.

Everyone assumed Lu Xu was her boyfriend, including the original Jiang Ning.

But did Lu Xu ever acknowledge it? He’d only frown and casually say, “Don’t spread rumors,” neither confirming nor denying, playing the ambiguity game.

Jiang Ning sighed and clicked her tongue twice.

She’d wanted to say, “Not my problem,” and hang up immediately.

But then the System reminded her that Bai Zhenyu was also in a private room at that KTV!

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Sigh, back to reality.

When her own life was at stake, she couldn’t afford to be stubborn.

Whether her confession succeeded or not, she had to confess. Her health came first.

Jiang Ning quickly got up, put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and rushed out to hail a taxi straight to Bluebird KTV!