When Lu Xiaoxiao woke up, she found herself inside the wealthy-family novel she had read before bed, where everyone doted on the heroine.
Taking in the luxurious interior, she wept with joy. "It's finally my turn to be the adored heroine! Heaven really does have eyes!"
But the next second, the system's voice piped up. "Don't celebrate too soon, sweetie. You didn't transmigrate as the heroine~"
Lu Xiaoxiao's smile froze. "Then who am I?"
The system said, "The supporting character. The vicious, two-faced fake heiress who dies a horrible death at the end."
"..."
Lu Xiaoxiao's expression instantly turned cold. "I quit. I want to go home."
The system said, "Sorry, sweetie, but you can't go back until you push the story through to its ending~"
Lu Xiaoxiao asked, "What if I die in this world?"
The system answered, "Then you'll really die."
When people were rendered utterly speechless, sometimes all they could do was laugh.
That was exactly what happened to Lu Xiaoxiao now-the system's answer made her laugh in sheer fury.
"I take it back. Heaven, you're a real piece of work."
Just as Lu Xiaoxiao was preparing to unleash a comprehensive torrent of insults against the system and eighteen generations of its ancestors, someone kicked the bedroom door open.
The intruder was a teenage boy with a dazzling diamond stud in his ear, wearing a trendy black hoodie patterned with vivid splashes of paint.
His name was Lu Yubai. He was the Lu family's youngest son and Lu Xiaoxiao's younger brother, currently still in high school.
The original owner of Lu Xiaoxiao's identity had been adopted into the Lu family. In over a decade, Lu Yubai had never once called her his sister.
"Hey, Lu Xiaoxiao, this room won't be yours much longer. Hurry up, pack your stuff, and get the hell-Ah!"
His gloating words turned into a startled cry halfway through, because Lu Xiaoxiao hurled a pillow straight into his punchable face.
With nowhere else to vent her anger, Lu Xiaoxiao glared fiercely at Lu Yubai and snapped, "Get the hell out yourself! Go back outside and knock before you come in!"
Lu Yubai: "???"
The system: "???"
The system let out a piercing shriek inside her head. "Calm down, sweetie!!! You can't break character! You can't!!! You're supposed to be a two-faced sweetheart!!! Otherwise, you can't go home!!!"
Fine. Furious as she was, she still wanted to go home.
Lu Xiaoxiao froze at its words, then immediately covered her face with both hands and lowered her head, making soft, pitiful sobbing noises while her shoulders shook along.
"Boo-hoo, I'm sorry. That was my second personality just now. I was just so upset that I couldn't get my emotions under control. Please don't be angry, boo-hoo."
Her thoughts, however, were another matter entirely.
[You goddamn brat. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Sooner or later, I'm going to fucking wreck you!]
Lu Yubai flinched in fright, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Had he heard that right? Was that her... inner voice?
Seeing him still standing there in a daze, Lu Xiaoxiao assumed she hadn't put enough effort into her act. She lifted her head and looked at Lu Yubai with pitiful eyes. "Sorry, what did you just tell me to do? I didn't catch it."
[Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't anything good. I'll put it on his tab and settle up later.]
When that second thought rang out, Lu Yubai hadn't seen Lu Xiaoxiao's lips move at all.
That confirmed it. He was hearing Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts.
Something this unscientific overturned everything he knew. Lu Yubai even began to stammer. "I-it was Dad. He said they're bringing Jiaoyue home today, so you need to move into the room next door. It's got nothing to do with me."
Lu Jiaoyue was the novel's heroine, the adored true heiress. Today was the day she came home, and also the day Lu Xiaoxiao's character began stirring up trouble.
After saying that, Lu Yubai regretted it a little. He couldn't understand why he had gone out of his way to tack on that last explanation. It made him sound afraid of Lu Xiaoxiao.
"Hurry up. They'll be back soon." Hoping to salvage some dignity, he added this with a cold expression, then turned to open the door.
Lu Yubai had always been on bad terms with this sister who wasn't related to him by blood. He had originally intended to seize today's opportunity to mock her some more, but in his panic, he had completely forgotten about that. All he wanted was to leave as quickly as possible.
Yet even after he pushed hard on the door twice, it wouldn't open.
Lu Xiaoxiao helpfully reminded him, "You have to pull that door."
[I'm dying. How can anyone be this stupid?]
Lu Yubai nearly exploded with anger. His face flushed bright red. "I know that! I don't need you to remind me!"
Lu Xiaoxiao nodded and considerately fell silent.
[This brat sure loses his temper easily. He really needs to be knocked down a peg.]
Lu Yubai: "..."
Unable to take it any longer, Lu Yubai fled the room.
Silence returned to the room. Lu Xiaoxiao looked around, then asked the system reluctantly, "Do I have to just give up the room without a fight?"
The system: "In theory, you can put up a struggle."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "And in practice?"
The system: "In practice, struggling won't do any good."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Fine. Then I'll leave."
The system: "No, that won't do. You have to make a scene. The plot requires you to put Lu Jiaoyue in her place here. You'll get points as a reward once you finish~"
Lu Xiaoxiao was a little speechless.
Before transmigrating, she had slaved away for her bosses at the office every day. She hadn't expected to end up working for the system after transmigrating, too.
Her mental state was basically: alive, but slightly dead.
Lu Xiaoxiao sighed. Comforting herself with the thought that she was here already, she sat down at the vanity and began fiddling with the designer cosmetics she never could have used before transmigrating, gradually becoming absorbed in them.
Fine, a villainous supporting character it is. At least I can experience a life of luxury. That should count as compensation for all the crap I'll have to put up with.
After watching her admire herself for ages, the system couldn't help asking, "What are you doing? Lu Jiaoyue will be back soon. Shouldn't you be preparing to make things difficult for her?"
Lu Xiaoxiao replied with perfect confidence, "That's exactly what I'm doing. I'll put on an absolutely stunning full face of makeup and knock her dead with my beauty. She's guaranteed to feel inferior."
The system: "...?"
The system: "Host, isn't this way of making things difficult for her a little too innocent?"
Lu Xiaoxiao slammed down the eyebrow pencil. "So I can't even put on makeup now? Then I quit. I'll jump out the window and fall to my death right now!"
The system hurriedly changed its tune. "I was only joking. Take as long as you like with your makeup. Life is precious, okay? Kisses~"
She spent more than two hours on her makeup. By the time Lu Xiaoxiao was finally satisfied, it was already dark outside.
A servant knocked on the door and called, "Miss, it's time for dinner."
Lu Xiaoxiao answered that she knew, then pulled a haute couture dress from the wardrobe and put it on before heading downstairs.
The villa's European-style decor glittered with opulence, and numerous famous paintings hung along the hallway walls. Her room was on the second floor, so reaching the dining room meant descending a long spiral staircase. As she walked, Lu Xiaoxiao marveled at everything.
If her real-world self could live somewhere like this, she couldn't even imagine what a smug little girl she would become.
Only when she entered the dining room did she realize everyone was already there.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Everyone who could be there was present-her father, Lu Yuan; her mother, Song Zhilan; the Lu family's third son, Lu Bochen; their youngest son, Lu Yubai; and Lu Jiaoyue, who had just been brought home.
Well, well. Now things are going to get lively!
Before you continue