Courting death

Tong Yao had dozed off in the vehicle when a sudden jolt slammed her head into a wooden crossbeam. The pain left her feeling that something was very wrong.

Since when had the bus turned into a red sedan chair? If this were an ancient imperial palace, wouldn't I be living the life of a noble consort?

"What happened?" Tong Yao cried out.

"Miss, two foolish servants slipped just now and gave you a fright," a voice outside explained timidly.

Miss? Servants?

Something wasn't right here.

Utterly bewildered, Tong Yao gently lifted the sedan chair's gaudy red gauze curtains. Outside lay a lush expanse of green grass beneath a bright, sunny sky. Even the gentle breeze carried a faint floral fragrance.

There was also a girl of thirteen or fourteen with her hair tied in two buns. When she saw Tong Yao poke her head out, her face went pale and her hands clenched uneasily. "Miss, we'll be there soon," she said respectfully.

There?

Before long, the sedan chair stopped. The four household servants carrying it gently lowered Tong Yao to the ground, while the young maid reached out to help her.

Tong Yao glanced at them. What dedicated actors. How could their performances be so convincing?

"Ninth Sister, what took you so long?"

Tong Yao saw a beautiful woman approach through the grass. The moment she arrived, she affectionately linked arms with her, acting as though they really were close sisters.

Beautiful she might have been, but her acting left much to be desired. Her face practically screamed insincerity, yet she insisted on pretending they shared a deep sisterly bond.

Tong Yao blinked and made up a story. "On the way here—two servants held me up."

The beauty wore a green dress and heavy makeup that left her face as white as a ghost. If her features hadn't been reasonably attractive, Tong Yao would have given her a wide berth.

"Ninth Sister, have you arranged for the men I asked you to find?" The beauty pulled Tong Yao aside and whispered.

Tong Yao curved her lips into a slight smile and kept it there, blinking once, then again, while inwardly drawing a complete blank.

Seeing her reaction, the beauty's face fell. "Ninth Sister, weren't you the one who said you wanted to teach that bitch a lesson? I told you to find a few rough men outside and pay them a little money. Don't tell me you forgot?"

Tong Yao could barely keep her smile in place. Did teaching a bitch a lesson really require a few rough men these days? This chilling beauty was clearly a venomous woman.

And now she was conspiring with that venomous woman.

"Don't worry. How could I forget? Look, I brought four today." Tong Yao glanced back and smiled. Weren't there four ready-made candidates right over there?

The venomous beauty followed Tong Yao's sparkling gaze. Four household servants? Dongfang Minghui really was going all out. To punish that bitch, she hadn't even bothered to cover her tracks. What an idiot. If the truth came out later, it would have nothing to do with me.

One look at her malicious smirk told Tong Yao that nothing good was coming. She quickly excused herself to relieve herself and took the maid some distance away.

"Do you still consider me your mistress?" Tong Yao put on a stern face and widened her eyes, looking rather intimidating.

Besides, the mistress herself had always been mercurial, something the maids who served her knew well. One moment she might smile at you; the next, she might dream up countless ways to torment you until you wished you were dead.

The maid Cui'er's knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground with a thud. "Miss, I've always considered you my mistress! Have I done something wrong?"

Tong Yao stepped back, simply unused to actors performing this sort of servitude. To anyone else, however, it looked like utter disgust.

Terrified, Cui'er prostrated herself on the ground and trembled all over. Even her pleading voice shook. "Miss, I'll change. Please give me another chance."

It's not like I eat people. Did she really need to be this frightened? Tong Yao snapped, "Enough. Answer a few questions honestly, and I'll let you off."

"Ask away, Miss. I'll tell you everything I know."

So your name is Cui'er. Tong Yao nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me, what do you know about our plan, and do you have any better suggestions? Let me hear them. I want details. Do you know what details are? That means telling me every step."

At that, Cui'er nearly burst into tears.

"Speak, or else... heh. You'll regret it."

Cui'er gritted her teeth. "Miss, you and Fourth Miss agreed to find a few men to frighten Seventh Miss. Fourth Miss said that merely frightening her wouldn't be enough to satisfy your anger. You had to ruin her completely so she wouldn't fight you over a man. So you followed Fourth Miss's advice and hired five rough men, saying you wanted them to ruin Seventh Miss's chastity..."

This was a textbook crime. What brainless idiot had come up with such a rotten idea?

Before Tong Yao could digest this, Cui'er continued, "Miss, I don't know what I did wrong to deserve punishment. But I still want to advise you not to get too close to Fourth Miss."

Tong Yao glanced at the maid prostrate on the ground. "All right, get up."

Cui'er could hardly believe it. Her mistress was letting her off that easily?

"Quick, crouch down. That bitch Dongfang Wanyu will be here any moment." The venomous beauty pulled Tong Yao behind a large tree.

Dongfang Wanyu? Seventh Miss? Fourth Miss? Ninth Miss?

"Strange." Why did these names sound so familiar? Tong Yao pressed two fingers against her temple and tried hard to remember, racking her brains.

"Ninth Sister, what's strange?" Hearing Dongfang Minghui's remark, the venomous beauty thought something had gone wrong with her plan.

"Fourth Sister, does our father have nine daughters and three sons?" Tong Yao suddenly asked.

"Yes. Ninth Sister, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking that?"

Tong Yao stood up and grabbed the maid's hand. "Cui'er, is my name Dongfang Minghui, and is Fourth Sister called Dongfang Lizhu?" she asked solemnly.

"Yes, Miss. What's wrong?"

Cui'er's confirmation proved Tong Yao's suspicions beyond doubt. The news struck her like a thunderbolt.

"Ninth Sister, crouch down. That bitch is here." The venomous beauty pushed Tong Yao's head lower, completely oblivious to her expression, as though the sky were about to collapse.

Tong Yao felt that heaven wanted her dead. Yes, even a bus ride could send her into another world. Fine, so she'd transmigrated. At least she'd become a young lady who would never have to worry about food or clothing.

But why did it have to be Ninth Miss, Dongfang Minghui?

Back in college, she had read a fantasy romance novel about a heroine growing stronger. The author's writing had been exhilarating, and above all, the plot was so intricate and gripping that once she started, she couldn't stop. The Female Lead rose from a useless failure to a peerless prodigy, enduring setbacks and hardships beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

She still remembered the book's title—"Rise of the Trash: A Peerless Prodigy"—because the author had eventually abandoned it unfinished.

Of course, it was really a wish-fulfillment novel, full of one humiliating smackdown after another. Everyone who had bullied or oppressed The Female Lead early on ended up as cannon fodder, leaving readers pounding their desks in delight.

The cannon fodder who courted death most aggressively was named Dongfang Minghui, and her fate had been too horrific to bear.

At that thought, Tong Yao's face turned ashen.

"Heh heh, little lady, such soft, delicate skin. How about letting me touch you?"

"Boss, can I have a taste afterward too?"

"You little brat, get lost."

Dongfang Wanyu regarded the men coldly, as though they were already dead.

Like master, like servant. After the venomous beauty disguised the four sedan bearers as thugs, they actually looked the part.

Tong Yao remembered that The Female Lead was no longer someone who could only endure abuse without fighting back. She had already encountered an opportunity that transformed her useless constitution and was quietly waiting for the day she would come into her own.

Today's incident was precisely where all of Dongfang Minghui's tragedies began.

Tong Yao drew Cui'er farther away and whispered to her. Cui'er promptly began edging away, while Dongfang Lizhu noticed nothing amiss. Her gaze remained fixed on the unfolding scene, tense and eager.

Just as the four men surrounded Dongfang Wanyu and moved in to tear at her clothes.

"What are you doing!" Tong Yao charged out, swinging a stick and forcing the four men back.

Dongfang Lizhu ground her teeth, seething with hatred. Her scheme had been on the verge of succeeding. What was that brainless Dongfang Minghui doing now?

The four thugs exchanged looks. Though they didn't understand what was happening, they were already thinking of retreating.

Seeing that the four men still had the nerve to stay, Tong Yao barked, "Get lost! Do you know who I am?"

Lust might have made them bold, but they had worked under Dongfang Minghui and knew something of Ninth Miss's temperament. If they truly offended her and she settled the score later, they would be finished. They exchanged glances, then promptly fled.

Sweat had soaked Tong Yao's back from nerves. She had been terrified that these oblivious fools wouldn't get her meaning.

"Finished with your little performance?" Dongfang Wanyu asked with a mocking smile.

Tong Yao bristled, but remembering that her life mattered more, she immediately deflated. Even so, she gave Dongfang Wanyu a rare glare. "What do you mean, my performance? Would I need to put on an act to deal with you?"

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at her coldly. "Then tell me, why did you suddenly appear here?"

Tong Yao pursed her lips and looked at the sky. "The weather was so nice today that I came out for a stroll. Are you the only one allowed to be here? Can't I come too?"

Tong Yao didn't seem to be lying. Dongfang Wanyu even felt that the person before her seemed somewhat different from before.

"In that case, enjoy your stroll. I'll be going."

Watching Dongfang Wanyu leave, Tong Yao wanted to slap herself twice. Wasn't I supposed to latch onto her? The Female Lead was my golden ticket!

Perhaps clinging to her would keep Tong Yao from dying.

"Hey, um, Seventh Sister."

Dongfang Wanyu snorted, looking as though her suspicions had been confirmed. "What trick are you trying to pull now?"

Tong Yao waved her hands guiltily, even stumbling over her words. "No, I... I just wanted to go back with you."

Dongfang Wanyu neither agreed nor refused. In any case, one walked ahead while the other followed behind.

Just as Tong Yao was racking her brains for a hundred different ways to win The Female Lead's favor, five furtive men suddenly emerged from the woods.

"Heh heh, an unexpected bonus."

"Two beauties at once! Boss, we've hit the jackpot."

Tong Yao's heart sank. She seemed to have forgotten something earlier. Right—Cui'er had said she had already paid five men to deal with Dongfang Wanyu.

She really was courting death.