“Knock, knock.”
The timid sound of knocking melted into the sharp chorus of cicadas on a summer day. Mu Jin rubbed her dizzy eyes, then looked down and saw that she was wearing a dark blue python embroidered robe with wide sleeves.
There was an uncomfortable heaviness in her chest. She reached up to feel it and touched a thick layer of cloth.
What on earth was this? It looked just like the chest binding used by women disguising themselves as men in television dramas.
“G… Manager Mu… Are you there?”
A shrill voice came from outside the door. Mu Jin had no time to think and instinctively replied, “Come in.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized something was wrong.
According to her character setting, she probably should not have spoken like that. Her face stiffened slightly, and she nervously tucked both hands into her wide sleeves, trying her best to adopt a stern expression.
In those few brief seconds, Mu Jin quickly surveyed her surroundings. The room was furnished with exquisite, antique furniture arranged neatly in their proper places. Everything was spotlessly clean. She understood that she had already entered the world described by the entity that had previously called itself a system.
She had been bound to something called the Qualified Supporting Character Development System. Their agreement was that she would transmigrate into the world of the novel she had just finished reading, Crossing Time and Falling in Love with You, and play the role of the villainous boss, the chief eunuch Mu Jinwen. As long as she completed the temporary missions issued at any time while following her original character’s storyline and protecting the main characters, she would be granted one wish.
For the sake of that wish, Mu Jin had chosen to accept the mission.
She had been obedient and well behaved since childhood. Even seeing an elderly woman crossing the road alone was enough to make her rush over to help.
Her original character, Mu Jinwen, however, was ruthless and vicious. His true identity was that of a prince of the Hu tribe of the neighboring Xiqiang kingdom, who had been ordered to infiltrate the Great Yan Kingdom from childhood. Yet when he was fourteen, Xiqiang was destroyed by the male lead, Emperor Yan, who personally led an army against it. From that moment on, hatred was all that remained in his heart.
Throughout the story, Mu Jinwen stirred up trouble everywhere. Relying on Emperor Yan Yuwen Rui’s trust and indulgence, he manipulated the ruler, corrupted the court, and threw the imperial government into chaos. Eventually, when his schemes were exposed, he became the sworn enemy of the male and female leads.
Mu Jin had no idea how far the plot had progressed, but since she was still standing safely in this room, she assumed that she had at least not yet fallen out with the male lead.
Just as she was thinking this, a little eunuch entered through the open door, his neck drawn into his shoulders.
The moment he stepped inside, the little eunuch dropped to his knees with a thud and knocked his forehead against the floor. He trembled as he stole a glance at Mu Jin’s strikingly beautiful face. Her eyes were as black as ink, their depths impossible to fathom. When she looked at someone, her gaze was cold and sinister, clinging to them like the icy skin of a snake crawling over their body.
“Chief Eunuch Mu, the palace maid you ordered us to teach a lesson, has been putting up quite a fight. She even dared to… to… speak disrespectfully about you. Eunuch Zhang sent me to ask what you would like us to do.”
The little eunuch seemed terrified that his words might provoke Mu Jin’s anger. As soon as he finished speaking, he began knocking his head against the floor again.
Mu Jin:
Was she really that frightening?
But the situation sounded strangely familiar. A young palace maid being punished, disrespectful remarks, Eunuch Zhang…
Holy crap!
Wasn’t this the scene where the male and female leads first met?
The female lead, Duan Rongrong, had transmigrated into the fictional Great Yan Kingdom and taken over the body of a palace maid who shared her name. She encountered the male lead, Yuwen Rui, the emperor of Great Yan, when a eunuch in charge deliberately made things difficult for her.
And that eunuch was her.
“Ding! Temporary mission: Save the female lead, who has already been beaten to the brink of death. Successful completion reward: One voice changing effect card, valid for three days. Failure penalty: Ten minutes of electric shocks.”
The system’s cheerful electronic voice rang out at just the right moment, issuing the first side mission since her arrival in this world.
Mu Jin’s pupils contracted slightly.
How had the female lead already been beaten to the brink of death? Where was the male lead? If he was already so uncooperative with the plot from the very beginning, how were they supposed to work together in the future?
As a model student, Mu Jin was furious at her colleague’s unprofessional attitude. She swept her hand across the table, knocking a teacup to the floor. It shattered with a crisp crash, frightening the little eunuch into another fit of frantic kowtowing.
“It wasn’t my fault! Please spare my life, Chief Eunuch Mu! Please spare my life!”
“Move.” Mu Jin gritted her teeth and forced out a single word.
If he wasted any more time, the female lead really would die!
Mu Jin strode past the little eunuch with swift, purposeful steps. Her expression was dark and terrifying, and every palace maid and eunuch she passed hurriedly retreated out of her way, dropping to their knees to see her off.
Ever since his homeland had been destroyed, Mu Jinwen’s sole reason for continuing to live had been to avenge it. He had absolutely no empathy for other people.
Now that he had personally ordered the female lead to be punished and the male lead had failed to show up as expected, the female lead’s chances of survival looked grim.
Anxious, Mu Jin hurried to the rear of the eunuchs’ quarters. Before she even reached the place, she heard several hoarse screams mixed with curses. Recognizing the voice as that of a young woman, she quickened her pace.
As soon as she rounded the corner, she saw a girl in a pink dress lying facedown across a wooden bench, sobbing uncontrollably. Whip marks crisscrossed her body, and thick, sticky blood trickled from the hem of her skirt onto the ground.
The girl was barely breathing, yet her mouth refused to stop moving. Astonishingly vicious curses poured from her lips, all directed at people surnamed Mu.
Mu Jin had not even reacted when a young eunuch in a python embroidered robe standing nearby narrowed his eyes and snapped, “Insolent! Give her ten more lashes!”
The eunuch holding the whip wore a vicious grin. He raised the thick, long whip high, preparing to bring it down.
“Stop!”
A soft, urgent voice rang out. Before anyone else could react, Mu Jin had already rushed forward and positioned herself in front of the female lead.
Before the whip could strike the girl’s battered body, Mu Jin had no time to think. She simply reached out her slender, delicate hand and seized the whip tightly.
This was a whip specifically designed to punish criminals. Its coarse surface was covered in sharp, backward facing barbs. Mu Jin felt a violent stab of pain shoot through her palm. Her vivid red blood mingled with the female lead’s and slowly trickled down her fair arm, yet her expression did not change.
Her cold gaze swept across everyone present, including Duan Rongrong, the female lead, who weakly raised her head to look at her and froze in astonishment.
Mu Jin stood slender and straight. Her pale yet undeniably beautiful face was spattered with crimson droplets of blood, which contrasted with her gloomy, pitch black phoenix eyes. The sight was so hauntingly beautiful that it left everyone stunned.
Everyone stared at her in a daze. Apart from the faint sound of her blood and the female lead’s blood dripping onto the ground, the entire area fell into an eerie stillness.
The young eunuch who had ordered the extra lashes stepped forward. Meanwhile, the executioner who had lost his whip took one look at Mu Jin, immediately recognized her, and collapsed to the ground with trembling hands and legs.
Mu Jin slowly exhaled, suppressing the faint tremor in her body.
It was excruciatingly painful, and she could not even clutch her injured hand and hop around to relieve the pain. How cruel!
Before she could steady her breathing, however, she noticed everyone around her looking toward the space behind her. A sudden sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
“What is happening here?”
A deep, authoritative male voice rang out. From behind a tree in the corner emerged a figure dressed in bright yellow imperial robes. His handsome face bore a pair of sharp, penetrating eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through people’s hearts.
Just as the plot had described, the male lead, Yuwen Rui, had arrived. He was a little later than expected, but that did not matter. At least he had finally shown up.
The oppressive aura emanating from him made Mu Jin nervous. The sharp pain in her hand, where she still gripped the whip, helped bring her back to her senses. Relief that the plot had not gone completely off course showed faintly between her brows. Feeling somewhat drained, she knelt with everyone else.
“Long live Your Majesty.”
The figure in yellow silently approached at an unhurried pace. Under the emperor’s overwhelming authority, everyone held their breath and shrank back in fear. Mu Jin remained motionless, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed the young eunuch who had ordered the extra lashes kneeling beside her. His head was bowed very low, yet there was little genuine respect on his face.
When she shifted her gaze back, she saw a pair of heavy wooden platform boots with black soles and golden embroidery stop right in front of her.
A passage from the novel surfaced in Mu Jin’s mind.
Although the girl had suffered terrible injuries, her eyes remained bright and defiant. Her vibrant spirit, so rare in the suffocating depths of the imperial palace, stirred something in Yuwen Rui’s heart. Before he knew it, he had walked over to intervene in a punishment of lowly servants that he would ordinarily never have bothered to notice.
Duan Rongrong met his gaze without the slightest fear. Her body trembled from the pain, but once she realized who stood before her, she struggled to rise and pay her respects. Instead, she collapsed straight toward the Emperor of Yan.
This was the original first meeting between the male and female leads. Mu Jin was never supposed to be there.
Her expression remained unchanged, but her heart grew even more uneasy.
Mu Jinwen had begun serving Yuwen Rui back when the latter was still a prince. Although Yuwen Rui trusted him deeply and even indulged him to an almost bizarre degree, allowing him to manipulate the imperial court as he pleased, at this stage of the story, he still regarded Mu Jinwen primarily as a useful tool.
Only later, when Mu Jinwen risked his life to save him, did the two truly open their hearts to each other. That was also why the eventual betrayal would hurt Yuwen Rui so much more deeply.
Now that she had intervened to save the female lead, Mu Jin had no idea whether her actions would arouse suspicion in the already distrustful emperor.
As she pondered this, she felt a shadow fall over her head. Someone took hold of her elbow to support her, and she rose to her feet with the help of that person’s strength.
Then the hand still gripping the whip was lifted.
Yuwen Rui had appeared too suddenly. In her nervousness, Mu Jin had forgotten to release the whip she had intercepted. The sharp barbs remained deeply embedded in her flesh, and the slightest movement now sent a piercing pain through her hand. She could not help frowning.
“Jinwen, you were rather impulsive,” Emperor Yan said in a calm, gentle voice. “She is only a maid. Why injure yourself over someone like her?”
Mu Jin: Wait… This wasn’t how the plot was supposed to go!
Wasn’t he supposed to be captivated by the female lead’s clean, defiant eyes? Wasn’t he supposed to feel so heartbroken that he would carry her straight back to the quarters beside his own residence? Weren’t they supposed to have their first meaningful conversation?
From the corner of her eye, Mu Jin glanced at the female lead, who had been able to raise her head just moments ago but was now sprawled across the wooden bench like a dead fish. Anxiety gnawed at her, and she even forgot to answer Yuwen Rui.
Yuwen Rui followed her gaze toward the girl. His expression showed none of the sparks or thunderbolts that should have accompanied this fateful encounter. Instead, he coldly ordered, “Have you all gone blind? A servant commits an offense, and you cannot deal with it yourselves? Do you have to bring the matter before me?”
“Please forgive us, Your Majesty! Please forgive us! We will take care of it immediately!”
The little eunuchs began kowtowing frantically. Then they shakily scrambled to their feet. One picked up the female lead by the head while another grabbed her feet, looking as though they intended to carry her straight to the mass grave and be done with it.
Mu Jin was stunned.
You scumbag! That’s your female lead!
“Your Majesty, please wait!”
Under the emperor’s oppressive gaze, she forced herself to put on a stiff smile.
“Please forgive this servant, Your Majesty. The servants misunderstood the situation today. This girl’s offense does not warrant death, and I could not bear to see a life as beautiful as a flower wither away just like that. I never intended to offend Your Majesty.”
Everyone around them lowered their heads even further. Not a single person dared to mention that Mu Jin herself had originally given the order to punish the girl.
Emperor Yan lowered his gaze, studying her with a probing expression. When his eyes fell upon her smile, he paused slightly. Then, to Mu Jin’s astonishment, he raised his thumb and wiped away a dried droplet of blood from her cheek.
He was tall and handsome, a capable emperor in the prime of his life. At that moment, one hand was still holding Mu Jin’s injured hand, while his broad sleeve half concealed her delicate face. From the perspective of an onlooker, the two almost appeared to be embracing, lending the scene an intimate, ambiguous quality.
Mu Jin was startled. Yuwen Rui’s hand was very warm, yet when it touched her skin, it somehow felt chillingly cold, sending a subtle shiver down her spine.
His gesture seemed tender, but the sensation it evoked in her was anything but comforting.
What did it mean for him to behave this way toward a eunuch? Was she going to have to sacrifice her body just to complete a mission?
Chi Xin was timid and cowardly. After being persuaded by her roommate to watch a newly released apocalypse movie, she fell in love at first sight with the male lead’s handsome, rugged face, full of determination and masculine charm.
When a zombie horde overwhelmed the city walls, the male lead stood atop the wall, laughing bitterly as he raised his gun at the approaching zombies. A gaping, blood red mouth suddenly swallowed the entire computer screen, and Chi Xin screamed so loudly that she fainted on the spot.
When she opened her eyes again, the city wall beneath her feet was crumbling. Countless zombies were scrambling to bite her neck. She was holding a Desert Eagle, trembling so badly that she nearly stumbled straight into the horde.
She turned her head and saw the same face that had just captivated her on the screen. The man smiled at her coldly.
“Chi Xin, use your life to pay for this mistake.”
Chi Xin was so terrified that she became completely expressionless.
She remembered the voice of the entity that had called itself the Trouble Making System just before she closed her eyes.
“The apocalypse world is a high difficulty world. The host may choose to increase defense, attack, foresight, and other abilities.”
What had she answered?
“Attack! Max out my attack!”
Chi Xin fell silent. She was just about to grab the male lead’s leg and beg for forgiveness when a zombie lunged at her. Instinctively, she swung the gun and smashed the zombie’s skull with its butt, right before the male lead’s astonished eyes.
Chi Xin: There’s blood! Aaaaaah!
Her gaze filled with sorrow and anguish, though in reality she was simply terrified. Without saying a word, she coldly shot the remaining zombies in the head, one after another.
Everyone else: What a masterful performance! You’re pretending to be such a weakling!
Second synopsis:
The Trouble Making System could only improve its host’s abilities if the host kept causing trouble.
The supporting character who shared Chi Xin’s name was perfectly suited to the system’s abilities. In the original story, she was exceptionally skilled at courting death, yet she also had a weak personality and was a natural white lotus.
Chi Xin desperately wanted to act according to her own nature, complete the missions with tears in her eyes, and then leave this cursed world. But she had never expected the system to be so generous with its rewards, granting her an extraordinarily high attack stat.
And so…
Chi Xin sneaked out of the base at midnight to provoke the dormant zombies. Originally, she was supposed to cry for help and cause the second male lead to be injured while rescuing her.
Instead, she fought through the horde and brought her blade down in a single slash. The second male lead, who had been surrounded by zombies, watched her appear like a heavenly savior.
Chi Xin smashed the life saving medicine intended for the female lead. Originally, she was supposed to argue stubbornly and make excuses, leaving the female lead on the brink of death.
Instead, she swept her cold gaze across the crowd without looking anyone directly in the eye. The subordinate who had tampered with the medicine was so intimidated that his face changed dramatically. Before he could even escape through the door, he was caught.
Chi Xin marched to the zombie king’s lair, fully prepared to die. Originally, she was supposed to perish on the spot, completing the perfect life of a supporting character who excelled at courting death.
Instead, when the male lead heard that she had ventured alone into the zombie territory, he rushed in after her without a second thought, determined to protect her with his life. He looked at her with a heartbroken and complicated expression.
A little scene:
Chi Xin wore a sports bra and extremely short shorts, with a white shirt draped over her shoulders. She carried an assault rifle over one shoulder and stood atop a mountain of zombies, a cigarette burning between her fingers in the misty rain. Her aura was aloof, beautiful, and utterly commanding.
Everyone: Big sister, kill me!
Chi Xin: I wonder if we’ve run out of laundry detergent.
The male lead walked over, casually took the cigarette from her fingers, and replaced it with his own hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.
“I found the laundry detergent. Can we go home now?”
Chi Xin: What is wrong with your character setting, male lead? Don’t you know you’ve gone off script?
Ren Tingxiao was a female war god of the interstellar era. She had fought countless battles and conquered vast territories for the empire, yet she had always been criticized for her rough appearance and unkempt manner.
Ren Tingxiao remained cold and indifferent. Even when she saw graceful, beautiful women, a faint, private doubt would occasionally rise in her heart.
Those skirts were so short that the wind blew right underneath them. Wouldn’t it be freezing? Could anyone really pilot a mecha wearing something like that?
Ling Zhuo, her closest friend and adjutant, was the most handsome man in the interstellar empire. He smiled gently and said, “Tingxiao, you’re beautiful even without wearing a skirt.”
Ren Tingxiao: Thank you. I’m handsome.
Yet every time she looked at her friend’s devastatingly beautiful face, Ren Tingxiao couldn’t help wondering what good deed he must have done in a previous life to be blessed with such looks.
Later, during the decisive battle that would determine the fate of all humanity, the emperor proved incompetent and corrupt, and the army was driven into a desperate situation. Ren Tingxiao piloted her personal mecha and resolutely charged into the monsters’ heavily guarded encirclement, dying together with their king.
The only thing she heard as she died was her closest friend’s heartbroken cry.
“Tingxiao!”
When she opened her eyes again, Ren Tingxiao wanted to die all over again just to escape the incessant voice in her head, which claimed to be a system.
She had entered the world of a novel. She was the deceased white moonlight of the male lead, Ling Zhuo, who had died ten years earlier. After her death, Ling Zhuo had quickly won the war, overthrown the corrupt regime, and become a powerful, ruthless emperor. Yet even after all those years, he had never forgotten her.
Ren Tingxiao: What a loyal friend!
And now she had transmigrated into the body of a spoiled female supporting character. As long as she played the role of a qualified seductive vixen and followed the original storyline to its conclusion, she would be able to learn any knowledge available in the system’s space.
Ren Tingxiao: This is a nightmare. Why me?
System: Because you saved the world.
She looked at the face in the mirror, which was no less beautiful than her former friend’s, and fell into deep thought.
Second synopsis:
“Eyeliner is unacceptable. Redo it using the makeup style of Cleopatra from ancient history.”
“Outfit unacceptable. Change into this wine red lace camisole dress and ten centimeter platform heels.”
“Behavior is unacceptable. Do not put your fist in the face of someone trying to flirt with you. Warning! Warning!”
After enduring endless torment, Ren Tingxiao awkwardly followed the system’s instructions, forcing herself into graceful poses as she made her way to the emperor’s palace. She was preparing to endure the failed selection process described in the original story, where the emperor, who was said to care only about state affairs and have no interest in women, would reject her.
But the moment her former friend, now seated high upon the throne, saw her, he froze as though struck by lightning.
Ren Tingxiao: Once this plot is over, I need to find a way to join the army.
Ling Zhuo: Grant her the title of Noble Consort.
Ren Tingxiao: What?
Ren Tingxiao: A few deviations from the original plot shouldn’t matter. Come on, good buddy, get your act together and hurry up and get together with the female lead.
However, the harder she tried to push Ling Zhuo toward the female lead, the more dangerous his gaze became.
Finally, one day, Ling Zhuo narrowed his eyes. Using his imperial robes to conceal his actions, he gripped her chin and forcibly kissed her.
“I’ve been holding myself back for ten years. Who are you trying to push me toward?”