Wish to Get Rich But Wear a Scumbag A - Chapter 1

“May I have a balanced meal of meat and vegetables, a vegetarian set meal, and milk tea with half the sugar? I pray for sudden wealth!”

May my lunch be as delicious as this, and my dinner even more satisfying.

Yan He was sent flying by a collision, but within a split second, she was already agonizing over what to eat for dinner. As she landed, only one thought remained in her mind:

I must stay pure and not eat meat tonight!

On the verge of death, she stubbornly clung to consciousness, forcing herself to swallow her last breath only after formally completing her mental vows.

According to the original plot, she should have been in the Yonghe Palace, listening to a lecture on Buddhist scriptures.

Yan He, wake up! You’ve been transported to a novel!

The voice that jolted Yan He awake belonged to a System, a cheerful entity claiming to be the Yonghe Palace’s adjustment mechanism, designated as System No. 666.

It eagerly introduced her to the current situation.

In short, she had become the villainess of a surveillance novel.

In this role, Yan He was supposed to be a ruthless antagonist. At a celebration banquet for a film she starred in, she had been drugged and forced into marriage by a lecherous old man she refused to marry.

Having desperately sought a wife, the old man showed her no respect. He relentlessly cursed, humiliated, and abused her without restraint, forcing her to abandon her career and live under his thumb like a caged bird. He even gifted her ceremonial robes to his debauched friends for their amusement.

Yan He’s relentless pursuit of wealth had driven her to bankruptcy. Her vicious schemes landed her in prison, where she was sentenced to death.

According to the established plan, Yan He was to be charged with intentional harm, illegal confinement, and the use of prohibited aphrodisiacs and illegal pathways. In prison, she would be purchased as an official consort and subjected to the gruesome punishment of lingchi—a thousand cuts.

Yan He shook her head vehemently. “What good is your so-called ‘adjustment’ system?!”

You lack foresight. Your current situation offers no path to financial gain. Instead of wasting time and energy on futile efforts, you should focus on finding a reliable source of income.

“…Your violent methods are excessive!” *What a waste of resources!*

Your methods are efficient. You’re worth a hundred times more than a common dog, perfectly aligning with my requirements.

“Why are you treating me like a dog?”

####

The System responded with a jumbled mess of code.

“Are you mocking me? Have you forgotten the rules?!”

Yan He’s fragile consciousness, stirred by the System’s harsh rebuke, slowly resurfaced. Her mind felt heavy, as if she were recovering from a hangover.

She found herself in a room resembling a combined living room and laboratory. Uniformed servants bustled about, pretending to work while secretly slacking off, their eyes darting toward the second-floor bedrooms.

“What’s happening upstairs?”

“Last night, he deliberately ruined Miss’s wedding night. Aunt Wu gave her a severe scolding.”

“Hmph… How could a bride dance with the crowd at her own wedding?”

“What was he thinking? He should have known better. Marrying into a wealthy family only to be despised—what a disgrace!”

“Sigh, he’s always causing trouble. It’s just embarrassing…”

“And to think, on her wedding night, he made Miss bleed! The bl00d even seeped through the sheets!”

“What… What was he doing on their wedding night?”

“I heard Miss woke up screaming.”

The hushed gossip buzzed around Yan He like annoying flies, and she wanted nothing more than to swat them away.

She leaned against the sofa back and stood up, groggily making her way upstairs.

The System panicked. It had been busy smearing Yan He’s reputation, so it hadn’t bothered to learn the layout of the mansion, not even where the bathrooms were.

Still, she was undeniably rich now.

The detached curiosity she had felt earlier vanished the moment she pushed open the bedroom door.

Inside, clothes—dresses, skirts, lingerie—lay scattered in disarray. A figure knelt face-down on the floor, hair disheveled, the scene too blurry to make out clearly.

Yan He’s trembling hands braced against the floor, her back arching beneath the pale blue dress, the fabric clinging to her skin in darker patches.

The silhouette of the maid, whip in hand, loomed against the endless glow of the setting sun, as if the twilight itself were devouring the delicate figure before her.

Yan He’s heart pounded wildly. She lunged forward, snatched the whip, and hurled it away with the force of a shot put.

Aunt Wu, who had been standing with her hands on her hips barking orders, instantly shifted her demeanor, her face now a mask of fawning obsequiousness. “Young Miss, you’re so obedient! You’ll be such a good girl tonight!”

“Get away from me—”

Yan He reached out to help Qi Xingwan up. But before her hand could touch Qi Xingwan’s arm, Qi Xingwan slapped her across the face.

The blow was sudden and sharp. Yan He staggered sideways, her hand instinctively reaching out to steady herself and prevent a fall.

“Young Miss!”

“You dare strike Young Miss?!”

The other maids swarmed around Yan He, their curses and insults raining down like blows.

Yan He’s cheek burned with pain. The cacophony around her mingled with fragmented memories of past misfortunes, blurring the line between reality and illusion.

“Young Miss, I’ll protect you—”

“Do I have to say it twice?” Yan He rubbed her temples, her face hardening as she glared at Aunt Wu. “Once should be enough.”

The maid, burning with anger, fled the room as if escaping a fire.

Qi Xingwan collapsed onto the floor, her pale face streaked with cold sweat that dampened her hair. She braced herself on her wrists to stand, but her knees buckled after kneeling for so long without food or water. The slap she’d just delivered to Yan He had drained her remaining strength, leaving her weak and trembling.

Yan He’s swollen knees were red and raw. She reached out a hand. “Xingwan, I—”

Qi Xingwan’s amber eyes blazed with fury as she glared warily at the approaching figure. “Get lost,” she snarled.

Yan He hesitated, her expression conflicted, before hardening with resolve.

“Alright,” she relented, flopping onto the floor like a beached fish and rolling away.

Watching this scene unfold, Qi Xingwan pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes churning with emotion before slowly settling into confusion.

Is she playing some kind of game?

As Yan He rolled away, a *ding* echoed in her mind—the System’s notification chimed brightly:

Yan He, you’ve received a new message! To show our gratitude for your invaluable feedback, we’ve decided to upgrade your service package! [Sprinkling confetti]

Yan He paused, then muttered, “So, you’ve decided I’m not anyone’s dog?”

No more dog! After completing this task, you’ll be free from your contract with me.

Complete the following scene performance:

Setting: Bathroom

Dialogue:

Yan He:Qi Xingwan, may I put on my clothes?

Qi Xingwan: You can stay there. I’ll drink the water you brought.

Yan He: Really? Please, I’m begging you.