Qin Yuan was woken up by a series of rings. Fumbling for the phone by her pillow, she groggily made out the caller ID: “Zhu Yunle.”
Although she couldn’t remember who this person was, considering he had a full name in her contacts, Qin Yuan answered the call. Her voice was thick with sleep. “Hello?”
The person on the other end sounded like a young boy, laughing cheerfully with a hint of intimacy in his tone. “Qin Yuan, you’re still not awake? Didn’t we agree to come find Li Yue for some fun? Where are you?”
What? Who and who? Already annoyed at being woken up, Qin Yuan closed her eyes and muttered, “You’re nuts,” before immediately hanging up.
She was about to pull a corner of the thin blanket over herself and go back to sleep when, in the next instant, a sharp pain shot through her head, and memories that didn’t belong to her flooded her mind.
A cold sweat instantly drenched Qin Yuan. She let go of the blanket, clutched her head, and curled into a ball.
The pain radiated from her forehead to the back of her skull, as if a chainsaw were splitting it open. She almost wanted to bash her head against the ground. Fortunately, the pain only lasted for about ten seconds. Like a drowning person breaking the surface, Qin Yuan’s eyes flew open. She gasped for air, her heart pounding as if she had just been chased by zombies for two kilometers.
The forcibly implanted memories and the unfamiliar surroundings were all telling her one thing: she had transmigrated!
To be precise, she had transmigrated into a book. Qin Yuan had read this story a long time ago. The character who shared her name, the eldest daughter of the Qin family, was the cannon fodder villain of the book. She was an incredibly one-dimensional character, a beautiful but utterly foolish tool used to create obstacles for the protagonist whenever the plot demanded it—arrogant and malicious.
And the protagonist of the story was the “Li Yue” mentioned by Zhu Yunle on the phone just now.
The original book was called The Path of Legends. The sole male lead, Li Yue, was a classic case of “beautiful, strong, and miserable” in the early stages. A gambling father, a remarried mother, an elderly grandmother, and his pitiful self.
After squandering the family’s already meager savings, his father died in a sudden accident. The already struggling family lost its only adult laborer, leaving Li Yue and his grandmother to depend on each other.
A family with nothing to its name at least still had a house, but Li Yue’s family didn’t even have that. He and his grandmother could only rent a small, dilapidated apartment in the old city district and continue to rely on each other.
Poverty is a private matter, but it’s impossible to hide. Li Yue spent his middle school years amidst the disdain, disgust, and contempt of others.
However, his grades were too good. Several high schools, vying for this top-scorer prodigy, offered him scholarship and financial aid plans. Li Yue chose the high school with the best offer and, relying on the school’s aid and his own part-time work, finally completed his studies and even got into T University.
From then on, he defied fate and changed his destiny, building his own business empire from scratch with wisdom far beyond that of an ordinary person and extraordinary executive ability. He became an unrivaled and meteoric success.
Naturally, various troublemakers appeared along the way, but every single one of them was suppressed by the god-like CEO Li with thunderous force. The counterattacks and face-slapping scenes were incredibly satisfying.
Qin Yuan was one of those “troublemakers.”
The consequences of daring to oppose the male lead were naturally not good. Qin Yuan recalled the original character’s ending in the book: she was sent by the protagonist to some compound in Southeast Asia, went insane not long after, and died a miserable death.
An involuntary chill ran down her spine. She had never even won 5 yuan in the lottery; did such a precious transmigration slot really have to be reserved for her?!
This was too terrifying!
Before she had time to panic or break down, an even more shocking plot point struck her like a bolt of lightning. Qin Yuan scrambled to grab her phone and looked at the calendar.
The “fun” Zhu Yunle had mentioned on the phone wasn’t about genuinely catching up with a classmate.
Today was August 29th, the third to last day before the start of freshman year of high school.
It was also on this day that the small villainous group, led by Zhu Yunle and Qin Yuan, brought people to surround and beat up Li Yue, then broke one of his legs.
All because Zhu Yunle couldn’t stand the sight of this poor kid.
Compared to a broken leg, all their previous annoyances and ostracism could be considered mere child’s play. From this point on, the hatred between them could never be resolved.
In the original book, the leg injury from today directly caused Li Yue to miss the entire first semester of his freshman year, and that was his bottom line.
Li Yue was keenly aware of the chasm between his family and these people. Only studying could change his future, yet they wanted to sever his last path, just for their own “amusement.”
Hatred was like a spider’s web, its threads firmly attached to every perpetrator. Ten years later, Li Yue still remembered every face that had appeared before him that day. Of all those who participated in the beating, the lightest consequence was complete financial ruin.
Qin Yuan remained dazed for a full minute before finally accepting reality and climbing out of bed.
Looking around, her bedroom suite was exquisitely and luxuriously decorated, complete with a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a small study.
Qin Yuan figured she knew a thing or two about the transmigration process. She hurried into the bathroom, locked the door from the inside, and tentatively called out, “System? Do I have a system?”
No one answered.
She tried various other names like “System-y,” “001,” and “Dear Transmigration Bureau Leader.” She shouted every random name she could think of, even reciting her ID number, but there was no response, neither in the air nor in her mind.
Damn it! How was she supposed to play this game?!
Qin Yuan stomped her foot in frustration. Resigned to the fact that she had no system to assist her, she began to think about how to handle the current situation.
The most urgent task was to save Li Yue’s leg.
For a person like Li Yue to achieve what he did later, even if not ruthless, he could certainly be described as someone who repaid every grievance. Although she hadn’t gone to meet Zhu Yunle today and wasn’t directly responsible for Li Yue’s broken leg, considering the original character had indeed bullied him before and was deeply tied to Zhu Yunle’s clique, she would likely be held jointly responsible.
To escape the Southeast Asian compound ten years from now, Qin Yuan didn’t have time to fix her appearance. She grabbed her phone and rushed downstairs.
It was three-thirty in the afternoon. As a typical wealthy wife, the original character’s mother, Min Qiu, was enjoying her afternoon tea and admiring the flowers she had just arranged. Seeing her daughter rush down the stairs in a panic, she asked in confusion, “Yuanyuan, where are you going?”
“Out,” Qin Yuan replied perfunctorily, too rushed to explain.
Min Qiu was used to her daughter’s attitude. Teenagers, after all, few of them spoke properly. “It’s too hot outside. Have the driver take you,” she instructed.
Qin Yuan stopped in her tracks. Haha, I forgot I’m a rich young lady now.
She wasted no time calling Zhu Yunle. Every ring of the phone while she waited felt like a death knell, terrified that he would pick up and say, “You’re too late! Li Yue’s leg is already broken!”
After what felt like an eternity, her palm slick with sweat, Zhu Yunle finally answered.
“Where are you guys now?” Qin Yuan asked urgently.
Zhu Yunle’s tone was as lazy as ever. “The old district near Hongyang South Street. It’s filthy, stinks to high heaven. Li Yue actually lives here, hahaha!”
His words were laced with undisguised mockery and ridicule. Qin Yuan interrupted him impatiently, “Have you found Li Yue?”
“Of course we have. When your big bro Yunle makes a move, catching a little bug like him is a piece of cake.”
This arrogant and childish statement almost made Qin Yuan laugh in anger. She wanted to say, If you want to court death, don’t drag me down with you. Suppressing her anger, she yelled into the phone, “Don’t do anything yet! Wait for me to get there!”
The Bentley stopped on Hongyang South Street, but the alley was too narrow for the car to enter, so Qin Yuan had to get out and walk.
She jogged all the way, following Zhu Yunle’s directions on the phone, and found them at the end of an alley.
It was a narrow dead end, the walls on both sides as high as a cage, blocking the sunlight and leaving only gloom and decay. Zhu Yunle had somehow found eight or nine burly thugs who all had their backs to Qin Yuan, blocking the exit completely.
From behind the human wall came Zhu Yunle’s voice, spouting taunts and insults. The others chimed in with jeers, creating a cacophony of voices.
Qin Yuan couldn’t see what was happening inside, nor did she know if Zhu Yunle had listened to her and held off. Frantic with worry, she shouted, “Zhu Yunle!”
She had overestimated her stamina. The run over had already left her breathless, her voice a little hoarse and lacking in strength. Just then, a few people laughed loudly, drowning out her voice.
Seeing that no one had heard her, Qin Yuan leaned against the wall to catch her breath, then hurried forward and pushed aside two of the burly men in the outer layer. “Move, move!”
Someone recognized her and automatically cleared a small path.
The path was too narrow, and the people Zhu Yunle had brought were packed together in a long line. Qin Yuan’s ears were filled with the henchmen’s jeering laughter.
Holding her breath, she pushed through the crowd and finally reached a small open space at the end of the dead end. The sight before her nearly made her heart stop.
Qin Yuan’s fingers trembled slightly, unable to take another step forward.
A young man sat in a filthy corner, his head lolling to the side against the wall. His breathing was shallow; it was hard to tell if he was unconscious or simply unable to move. If one didn’t look closely, one might mistake him for a corpse.
He was wearing a very ordinary T-shirt and long pants, now covered in dust and blood. A long gash ran from his elbow to his wrist on the outside of his exposed arm, dripping with fresh blood—a shocking sight.
As for his two long legs, one rested limply against the wall, while the other was bent on the ground, seemingly no longer under his body’s control. Even the angle of his lower leg looked slightly twisted.
Qin Yuan’s mind went blank. Was she too late?
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Qin Yuan’s mind. Should she call 120 for an ambulance first, or should she leave immediately and pretend she was never here today? Or maybe she should find a wall, smash her head against it, and see if she could return to her original world?
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
Only then did Qin Yuan’s eyes shift to the smiling Zhu Yunle. He stood about two steps away from Li Yue, one hand casually stuck in his pocket, a baseball bat slung over his shoulder.
The moment Qin Yuan saw the bat, her face turned pale.
If nothing went wrong, this was the “murder weapon” that broke Li Yue’s leg in the original book.
Zhu Yunle didn’t notice her emotional state. He was quite happy that Qin Yuan had finally shown up. He waved for a nearby lackey to bring over a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and handed it to Qin Yuan. Then, with a flick of his head that he thought was cool, he said, “Have a drink, then stand aside and enjoy the show.”
Qin Yuan’s emotions were at their breaking point.
Transmigrating into a strange world was frightening enough. If she could never go back, and Li Yue’s leg was broken today, her fate would be sealed.
And Zhu Yunle was telling her to “enjoy the show”! Fury surged through Qin Yuan. She slapped away the hand offering her water and yelled at Zhu Yunle, “Didn’t I tell you not to do anything?!”
The water bottle fell to the ground, its contents spilling out and mixing with the blood on the ground.
Zhu Yunle was stunned by her outburst. He was aware of Qin Yuan’s “young miss” temper, but why was she throwing a fit for no reason today? Just because he had laid a hand on Li Yue?
Young Master Zhu wasn’t one to take things lying down either. He couldn’t yell back at Qin Yuan, but there was someone else here he could vent his anger on.
“Why do you care about him?” Zhu Yunle suddenly sneered, immediately turning and striding toward Li Yue in the corner. He roared, “Not only am I going to hit him today, I’m going to break his leg too!”
What? His leg wasn’t broken yet? Before Qin Yuan could feel relieved, she saw Zhu Yunle had already reached Li Yue’s side and raised the baseball bat at him.
Heaven and hell were a moment apart. Qin Yuan was so scared her soul nearly flew out of her body. The blood in her veins seemed to freeze as she blurted out, “Stop!”
Her extreme tension was palpable in those two short words. Zhu Yunle had never seen her so agitated. Distracted by her shout, his hand faltered, and the bat slammed into the ground next to Li Yue’s leg with a loud thud.
From the sound alone, it was clear that if that bat had truly landed on a person’s leg, a fracture would have been the least of it.
Qin Yuan rushed forward, snatched the baseball bat from Zhu Yunle’s hand, and tossed it aside, as if afraid he would try to strike again.
Zhu Yunle was also struggling to contain his anger. He asked through gritted teeth, “What is your problem?”
The thought of her future being implicated by this kind of person made Qin Yuan want to avenge Li Yue herself by taking care of this idiot who had nothing but an ornament on his neck. But she couldn’t act too differently from the original character; she had to calm the person in front of her first.
As a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, Qin Yuan decided to bring up the one person who could control Zhu Yunle. Adopting a persuasive tone, she said, “A fight is a fight, but school is about to start. The top student in our grade having a broken leg will attract too much attention. If your dad finds out why, he won’t let you off easy.”
The threat of parents was always effective. No matter how arrogant a rich brat was, he was still a high school student who needed to get his allowance from his dad. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over Zhu Yunle’s head. He snorted to maintain his bravado but said nothing more.
With the argument between the two leaders finally over, others could finally speak. A sweet female voice cut in between them, acting as a timely mood regulator. “Alright, don’t be angry, you two. Qin Yuan, come over here and admire our top student Li’s expression right now.”
Only then did Qin Yuan notice another person nearby. Her figure had been blocked by two of the thugs. She was exquisitely dressed and stood in the only relatively clean spot in the dead-end alley.
She was also a member of Zhu Yunle and Qin Yuan’s clique, from an equally prominent family, and equally malicious and black-hearted.
Unlike the explosive Zhu Yunle and the simply brainless original character, Guan Youyi was more cunning. Many of the ideas for bullying Li Yue had initially been proposed by her as jokes, but they were ultimately carried out by Zhu Yunle and the others, making them the primary culprits.
Seeing Qin Yuan not moving, Guan Youyi enthusiastically came over to pull her, pointing a pampered finger at Li Yue in the corner and giggling. “You’re late. You missed the good show just now.”
Her tone was very relaxed. Clearly, she didn’t care whether Li Yue’s leg was broken or not; she just wanted to see him humiliated.
Although he didn’t have the severe injury of a broken leg, Li Yue’s current state was by no means good.
Qin Yuan didn’t respond to Guan Youyi, instead carefully observing Li Yue’s injuries, which seemed to be mostly on his upper body.
He must have put up a fight before she arrived, but unfortunately, he hadn’t succeeded. There were wounds on his face and hands, and he was covered in dark grime, looking utterly wretched. This one-sided, many-against-one gang-up was probably the “good show” Guan Youyi said she had missed.
From this angle, she could indeed see half of Li Yue’s face and even the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead from the pain of his wounds, but he still didn’t move.
Logically, with all the commotion they had just made, Li Yue should have been woken up even if he had passed out. Yet he didn’t even lift his head, as if unwilling to spare a single glance for the group of villains surrounding him.
They just wanted to see him humiliated, to see him beg for mercy. Li Yue would absolutely not grant them their wish.
The hair on the boy’s forehead fell, obscuring his brows and eyes. Qin Yuan looked down at him from a moderate distance, unable to make out the expression in his eyes.
She frowned at the terrifying wound on Li Yue’s arm.
Even after looking for so long, she still couldn’t believe that the blood-soaked boy before her would become the favored son of heaven, the aloof and icy CEO Li from the original book.
Li Yue’s looks were too good. Even in such a wretched state, he wasn’t just slumped there without a care for his image. Although he was leaning against the wall, his shoulders and back remained tense in a defensive posture. Paired with that face, the sense of broken beauty and a boy’s unique stubbornness was off the charts. Qin Yuan almost wanted to provide a voiceover for him: “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.”
Given his family’s circumstances, although he was at an age of growth, his frame was still very thin. From a distance, he looked like a skeleton draped in clothes, his whole person like a slender bamboo shoot still growing amidst a storm.
Qin Yuan looked at him, then back at the row of burly thugs behind Zhu Yunle. The contrast in their builds was simply tragic.
Unless a divine thunderbolt struck this group dead, let alone one Li Yue, even ten of him standing here today would not have been able to escape unscathed.
Guan Youyi’s last words lingered in Qin Yuan’s ears. Although Li Yue was clearly in a position of weakness right now, Qin Yuan found his lowered head terrifying.
Only she knew that Li Yue remembered everyone present today, including herself.
This was the world of a power-fantasy novel. Humiliating the male lead was no different from a death sentence.
Beside her, Guan Youyi’s hand gripping hers became shackles, a branding iron, her own dark and lightless end.
Qin Yuan subconsciously took a step back, bumping right into Zhu Yunle, who had walked up beside her.
Zhu Yunle naturally put his arm around Qin Yuan’s shoulder. “I was impulsive just now. I just don’t want to see this eyesore at school. Besides, you being so nervous about him really pisses me off.”
Without a second thought, Qin Yuan flung his hand off, but his last sentence reminded her of another important matter.
The original character seemed to be in a flirtationship with Zhu Yunle.
It was normal for middle school students to have their first crushes, but the original Qin Yuan was just following the trend of being in a relationship. The high and mighty Miss Qin had high standards, and only Zhu Yunle among her peers could barely catch her eye. Coupled with the encouragement and instigation of those around them, she and Zhu Yunle naturally began their ambiguous relationship.
Qin Yuan suddenly realized that her connection to this group was too deep. In the eyes of others, Zhu Yunle’s intentions were probably her intentions. This premeditated beating today was inextricably linked to her.
If she couldn’t clear things up in front of Li Yue, then whether she had shown up today or not, it wouldn’t change the outcome of being retaliated against together in the future.
She didn’t speak. Zhu Yunle, next to her, was used to Qin Yuan’s personality. When the young miss was unhappy, she needed to be coaxed. So he started telling jokes on his own. “Look at Li Yue now, doesn’t he look like a dead dog, hahahaha.”
The others chimed in with laughter, all with a nonchalant attitude, not taking Li Yue seriously at all.
Amidst the peals of laughter, Qin Yuan spoke coldly, “Let him go.”
Guan Youyi was the first to question her. “Why? We’re not done having fun yet.”
Qin Yuan glanced at her feigned innocent expression. Not wanting to waste more words on these two, she simply adopted the original character’s way of responding, stating her attitude directly. “I don’t want to play anymore.”
As her words fell, Li Yue, who had been leaning against the wall in the corner, finally turned his head and looked at her.
For the first time, Qin Yuan met the “male lead’s” gaze.
She saw a pair of eyes as deep as a frozen lake, without a trace of relief or glee at having escaped disaster. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with nothing but coldness and disgust.
Qin Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Author’s Note:
Here are two of my upcoming books. If you like them, you can head over to my profile page to add them to your collection [flowers]
Here are the synopses~
Her Eternal Life
Other people become gigolos out of self-degradation; I become a gigolo for a world-shaking romance.
The Duan Family of Jiangcheng encountered a severe business crisis a few years ago and was on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation, but they later managed to make a miraculous recovery.
It was said that a Big Boss, whom the family had long revered, had stepped in to help.
The Big Boss was recently preparing to return to the country. The Duan Family prepared lavish gifts to express their gratitude, but they were refused.
This debt of gratitude had to be repaid somehow. After much thought, CEO Duan turned his attention to his only son.
Let’s send him over for a look. If she doesn’t want him, she can just throw him back.
Mrs. Duan also agreed with tears in her eyes.
Only Young Master Duan was hopping mad, pointing at himself and asking his parents:
“You want me to be a gigolo?!”
CEO Duan coaxed him, “Don’t put it that way. If you can catch her eye and stay to serve her for a while, it would be a blessing.”
Young Master Duan continued to hop madly, “Isn’t that still being a gigolo!”
Duan Xuan had been the little tyrant of Jiangcheng for 20 years, and now his own parents were going to send him away to someone else?!
Young Master Duan made inquiries everywhere about who this mysterious Big Boss was.
Some said she was in her forties or fifties and had just taken her eighth partner.
Others said she was in her seventies or eighties, on the verge of death.
There were even three different versions of whether she was male or female!
Her surname, given name, and age were all unknown. All that was known was that she was the elder of the elders of all the prominent families in Jiangcheng.
Duan Xuan’s childhood friend told him, “It’s okay, bro. My great-grandfather is still super respectful when he talks about her. Just bear with it, and your seniority will skyrocket to my great-grandfather’s level!”
To hell with your great-grandfather.
This won’t do, Young Master Duan calculated. I have to run.
Duan Xuan endured the humiliation and waited for the day the Big Boss arrived. He saw his father respectfully step forward and open the car door.
He was burning with anxiety, afraid that if he was a step too late, he wouldn’t be able to leave the house.
He cut his bedsheets, tied them into a rope, and lowered it from his bedroom balcony, preparing to sneak out through the garden’s back gate.
While he was still hanging from the long rope of bedsheets, his father’s voice came from the direction of the garden.
He looked down and saw an exceedingly cold and stunning woman walking in front of his father. She looked to be in her twenties, wearing a long dress with her hair down, casually crossing her arms as she watched him suspended in mid-air.
Beside her, clusters of night-blooming cereus were in full bloom.
Duan Xuan was so stunned that his hands loosened, and he fell onto the lawn, his face still turned directly toward Yun.
His father, exasperated by his failure to live up to expectations, yelled at him, “Come over and greet Yun!”
But Yun didn’t seem angry. She watched the farce with great interest and said casually, “Your family has a Rapunzel?”
Young Master Duan finally found out that Yun was the Big Boss who had helped his family.
He immediately found Mr. Duan and declared, “Dad, I’m willing to go through hell and high water for our family. What’s a mere body?”
Mr. Duan, however, regretted it at the last minute and had already prepared another lavish gift.
This time, it was Duan Xuan who refused to agree. He clung to his father’s leg on the floor and wailed:
“I’m willing! I’m even willing to be a gigolo!”
《She and the Sword Servant》
Cen Qingmiao was the only daughter of the Qingyu Sect’s master, making her the young mistress of the entire sect.
Although she was a young mistress, the Qingyu Sect was just a minor sect among the Myriad Immortal Mountains, not even worth mentioning in front of the truly large and powerful sects.
With the sect in decline, her father wanted to send her off in a marriage alliance.
Her father coaxed her, saying that she had met the Young Master of Yun Tian Sect a couple of times when she was eight, so they could be considered childhood sweethearts. Marrying him wouldn’t be a loss.
She scoffed inwardly. How could meeting twice be called childhood sweethearts? Her Sword Servant had been with her for eighteen years; no matter how she looked at it, he fit the description better than some Young Master of Yun Tian Sect whose height and build she didn’t even know.
The night before the wedding procession was to arrive, Cen Qingmiao sat on the steps of the sect gate, watching the moon.
The mountain was draped in red silk, and all was silent. Suddenly, her blockheaded Sword Servant said, “Miss, let’s leave.”
“Where to?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll go down the mountain. I’ll follow you,” Li Lai replied.
He had always been like this—following her, guarding her, silent and stiff, but completely obedient.
Qingmiao laughed heartily and said, “Alright! Let’s go roam the martial world!”
They later met some friends, saved many people, and killed many people.
At first, Cen Qingmiao only wanted to punish evil, promote good, and slay demons to defend the righteous path. But as she went on, she suddenly discovered, how could the world be so wicked?
But none of that mattered. She was with Li Lai, and with their friends. Shouting about friendship, bonds, and what-not, they would charge forward with their swords.
When Cen Qingmiao left the mountain, she said, “I want to become the number one sword immortal in the world. Who would dare force me to marry then?”
Li Lai said, “Alright.”
When Cen Qingmiao saved people in a village, she said, “I want to become the leader of the righteous path. Then I will surely not let these villains cause trouble.”
Li Lai said, “Alright.”
When Cen Qingmiao finally reached the foot of the Ascension Steps, she said, “Why is there no end to the wicked people in this world? I’m tired of killing.”
Li Lai didn’t speak. He silently drew his sword. With a cold, sharp glint, he severed the long flight of Ascension Steps used by the false pretenders in high positions.
I will become your sword, helping you exterminate all evil demons and slay all your enemies.
Because, since we were young, I have held your sword, and you.
A Glazed Immortal Bone and a Heavenly Spirit Sword Body—two world-shaking talents that appear once in a hundred thousand years—had both emerged from the Cultivation World, and from the same obscure, minor sect at that.
One was said to be the daughter of this minor sect’s master. She possessed both unparalleled beauty and a chivalrous, benevolent heart, praised by both immortals and mortals.
The other was the most silent attendant in this minor sect, and the Sword Servant of the sect master’s daughter.
The Sword Servant had been unknown for eighteen years. The first outrageous thing he ever did was to elope with the young mistress on the eve of her wedding.