Jiang Fei felt like she was about to die.
It was as if a heavy stone were pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.
One moment, she was driving while listening to an audiobook, and the next, two cars collided, trapping her beneath the wreckage.
Jiang Fei tried to push against the weight on her body when suddenly, a man’s voice whispered in her ear.
“Feifei, once we’ve cooked the rice, no one can force you to marry that Wei Sanlang anymore.”
Feifei? What the hell?
Jiang Fei’s eyes snapped open. Above her was a man panting heavily, eagerly tugging at her clothes.
Instinctively, she threw a punch. As the man clutched his face and howled in pain, rolling off the bed, she scrambled to the corner, finally taking a moment to survey her surroundings.
It was an antique-style room, and both the man before her and she herself were dressed in ancient attire.
“Who are you?” Jiang Fei demanded.
The man, stunned, lowered his hand from his eye and stared at her strangely. “I’m Xingbang, Zhao Xingbang. Feifei, what’s wrong with you?”
Zhao Xingbang—Jiang Fei actually recognized the name. He was the cannon fodder male supporting character from the book she’d been listening to just before the car crash.
Could it really be this coincidental?
Jiang Fei pointed at herself. “Do you know who I am?”
Zhao Xingbang looked bewildered. “Jiang Rufei, what’s gotten into you?”
Jiang Fei squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Damn it, she’d transmigrated into a book.
She’d ended up in the novel she’d been listening to before the crash—not as the protagonist, but as the cannon fodder female supporting character whose name differed from hers by just one character: Jiang Rufei.
What kind of person was this supporting character?
A fool with nothing but a pretty face and an empty head, the type who loved scheming but was terrible at it.
Her family had originally arranged a good marriage for her, but she didn’t want to marry the Dingyuan Marquis’s son, Wei Sanlang, insisting instead on marrying the prime minister’s good-for-nothing son, Zhao Xingbang.
Encouraged by her younger sister, she had written a letter inviting Zhao Xingbang to this secret rendezvous.
After the cooked rice, she had assumed the Zhao family would come to propose marriage. Instead, Zhao Xingbang delayed, and she was eventually carried into his home in a small sedan chair as a concubine, with promises of being elevated to wife status if she bore a son.
Zhao Xingbang, fickle and easily bored, soon forgot about Jiang Rufei. Unable to bear the loneliness, she began an affair with the steward’s son… Later, she contracted a venereal disease and, after her death, was wrapped in a straw mat and discarded in a mass grave.
At this thought, Jiang Rufei suddenly realized.
At this very moment, she was alone with Zhao Xingbang, exactly as described in the scene she’d heard before the crash.
She had read that book long ago and only pulled it out to listen to out of boredom while driving. If she remembered correctly, the next part of the plot involved Jiang Rufei and Zhao Xingbang being caught in the act when someone kicked the door open.
What should she do?
As she pondered, Zhao Xingbang was already undressing and moving toward her.
“Wait!” Jiang Fei shouted.
Zhao Xingbang froze, startled. “Wh-what’s wrong?”
Jiang Fei’s mind raced. If she followed the plot, her life would be ruined, and she couldn’t bear the humiliation.
In the book, the Wei family’s third son, to whom she was engaged, came from a background similar to Zhao Xingbang’s. Whenever Wei Sanlang was mentioned, people inevitably compared him to Zhao Xingbang, which secretly fueled Zhao Xingbang’s rivalry with Wei Sanlang.
Zhao Xingbang wasn’t truly fond of Jiang Rufei either. Firstly, he was drawn by novelty—though Jiang Rufei was an empty-headed fool, she ranked among the capital’s renowned beauties. Secondly, Zhao Xingbang had long disliked Wei Sanlang and deliberately sought to cuckold him, aiming to crush his arrogance.
As Zhao Xingbang drew nearer, arms outstretched to pull her into an embrace, Jiang Fei swiftly bent and sidestepped, evading him. She took a deep breath and feigned reluctance, saying, “Young master, your devotion moves me, but upon reflection, I cannot bear to bring harm upon you.”
Zhao Xingbang’s face flushed with excitement as he lunged toward her again. “Feifei, don’t be afraid. That Wei San wouldn’t dare touch me. Even if I were to marry you, he’d have to swallow the insult quietly.” Besides, he had no real intention of wedding her—she was merely a tool to humiliate Wei Mingzhen.
Jiang Fei’s temples throbbed. Suddenly, an idea struck her. “I only fear Pei Jing might vent his anger on you.”
Sure enough, Zhao Xingbang’s outstretched arms froze mid-air, his voice trembling. “Wh-who did you say?”
Gritting her teeth, Jiang Fei replied, “Zhaoning Wang, Pei Jing.”
Pei Jing, Zhaoning Wang, was the second male lead in the story—a figure universally feared. Orphaned at a young age, he was enfeoffed as Zhaoning Wang at eight. His uncle was the current emperor, who pitied his early loss and doted on him excessively, showering him with favor even the princes couldn’t rival.
Rumors swirled that Pei Jing was actually the emperor’s son, hence the extreme leniency. Wielding immense power, Pei Jing was capricious and unpredictable. Those who crossed him faced severed limbs at best or flaying and tendon-ripping at worst. He had once beheaded a minister during a palace banquet right before the emperor’s eyes.
Throughout the capital, people whispered that Pei Jing was a madman best avoided.
As expected, Zhao Xingbang’s face instantly paled. He had only intended to use Jiang Rufei to shame Wei Sanlang and seize an opportunity, never imagining it would involve Pei Jing, that lunatic Zhaoning Wang. He was a ruthless killer, a thorough madman whom even the emperor indulged—who would dare provoke him?
“H-how did you offend Zhaoning Wang?” Zhao Xingbang stammered, unconsciously stepping backward.
Jiang Fei lowered her head, pretending to be troubled. “I happened to meet him on the street a few days ago, and he… took a fancy to me.”
Zhao Xingbang studied her face—ethereally beautiful, like jade. It was said Pei Jing delighted in tormenting beauties; his interest in Jiang Rufei wasn’t impossible.
Seizing the moment, Jiang Fei pressed on, clutching her sleeve as if wiping tears. “If Pei Jing insists on taking me by force, I can’t resist. But he may have my body, never my heart. Young master Zhao, I… my heart belongs only to you…”
Zhao Xingbang’s heart raced with terror. He stumbled several steps back, all his vile intentions vanishing in fear. Waving his hands frantically, he said, “Feifei—no, Miss Jiang—this matter… we should deliberate carefully.”
“You’re afraid now?”
“No!” Zhao Xingbang denied hastily, worried she might turn love into hatred and spread rumors of his abandonment. If it reached Pei Jing’s ears, he’d be doomed. “I just can’t bear to see you dishonored without proper marriage rites,” he blurted, fabricating excuses.
Jiang Fei secretly rejoiced, knowing her tactic had worked—and it was a permanent solution at that. This would ensure Zhao Xingbang would never pester her again, not even daring to breathe a word about it to anyone.
Pei Jing’s name really came in handy.
“Then, will you come to my home to propose?” Jiang Fei blinked at him.
Zhao Xingbang swallowed hard. Propose? Hell no! If he dared show up with a proposal, that lunatic Pei Jing would probably chop his legs off and make him crawl there.
“I… I must discuss this matter carefully with my parents first.”
Jiang Fei gave a fake smile. “You’re so good to me, Young Master Zhao.”
With Zhao Xingbang dealt with, Jiang Fei didn’t dare relax in the slightest. According to the original plot, someone would soon arrive to catch them in a compromising situation—she had to leave this place immediately.
“Do you hear something?” Jiang Fei said deliberately. “It sounds like footsteps.”
Zhao Xingbang was as jumpy as a startled bird by now. If anyone saw them and word got back to Pei Jing, it would be a disaster!
He hurriedly said, “Let’s get out of here quickly.”
Jiang Fei had the same idea. She straightened her collar, walked to the door, and was just about to open it when suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.