After Transmigrating as the Villainous Second Lead, I Only Want to Uphold Justice - Chapter 1

Everything before her eyes was dark.

A kaleidoscope of colors swirled and collided in her mind before finally shattering into a silent boom, returning everything to darkness.

Shen Yixi felt as if she were floating in water—unable to breathe, unable to struggle. She just kept sinking, deeper and deeper.

Then, a beam of white light cut through, getting closer and closer.

She heard a voice.

“Jiang Liuzhou, this is just a small lesson for today. Next time we see you getting this close to Young Master Ye, it won’t just be words!”

The girl’s voice was sharp and mean, spitting out threats with pure malice.

Jiang Liuzhou?

And who the hell is ‘Young Master Ye’?

What kind of “lesson” or “threat” was this? It was so incredibly edgy and chuunibyou.

Yet, it felt vaguely familiar.

The white light expanded, chasing away the gloom. Shen Yixi felt her arms move, though they were still weak and limp.

Someone chimed in: “Exactly! Let me tell you, Young Master Ye belongs to our eldest miss, Shen Yixi. You? You aren’t even fit to carry her shoes!”

Eldest Miss Shen Yixi.

It clicked instantly.

Right! When she was working as a tutor, she taught a sixth-grader who spent all day reading brainless Mary Sue novels instead of studying. One day, the kid showed her a book, telling her there was a female supporting character with the exact same name: Shen Yixi.

And the heroine of that book was named Jiang Liuzhou!

What is going on?!

Subconsciously, Shen Yixi realized something was wrong. She lifted her weak arms, trying to brush away the last of the fog before her eyes.

Splash!

Something hit the ground with a crisp, shattering sound.

This wasn’t right. What was that?!

Panicked, Shen Yixi snapped her eyes open—only to lock gazes with a pair of eyes filled with hatred.

The girl’s features were deep and defined; her eyes were a captivating ink-green, the kind that made one feel like they’d wandered into the heart of a forest. Right now, those eyes were stubborn and icy, coated in a layer of winter frost. Her eyelashes curled upward like the wings of a fluttering butterfly.

The girl was exquisite. There was a tiny black mole about half an inch from the inner corner of her right eye. With her small, heart-shaped face and refined features, she looked like a white crane that had taken human form.

This was Jiang Liuzhou.

The heroine of The Overbearing Young Master’s Stubborn, Silly Girl.

In a flash, the entire plot of the book surged into Shen Yixi’s mind.

As the title suggested, it was an absolute “brain-dead” Mary Sue novel. The heroine, Jiang Liuzhou, possessed startling beauty and an equally startlingly poor family. During high school (due to the author’s arrangement), she became the seat partner of the wealthy heir, Ye Zexuan.

Because of the male lead, she was suppressed, isolated, and bullied by the girls at school. But the heroine remained stubborn and unyielding, eventually touching the male lead’s cold heart.

And the one who bullied her the most was the second female lead, Shen Yixi.

Shen Yixi: the male lead’s childhood friend, possessor of incredible wealth, an incredible temper, and an incredible lack of intelligence.

Shen Yixi (by the author’s decree) was obsessed with the male lead. The moment she discovered his seatmate was a beautiful girl, she flew into a jealous rage and began making the heroine’s life a living hell.

It’s a Mary Sue novel, so naturally, the leads ended up happily ever after.

As for Shen Yixi? (By the author’s decree) she brought it on herself, broke her leg, was sent abroad by her family, and never saw her “beloved” male lead again.

Basically, it was an idiotic novel full of plot holes that no one but a sixth-grader would want to read!

…Even though she had read it too.

Thinking about it now made Shen Yixi’s skin crawl. Between the embarrassment and the logic gaps, she felt a surge of anger.

The male lead, Ye Zexuan, followed the “wicked and charming” archetype—cold with a touch of malice. He “showed his love” by bullying the heroine. His words were full of contempt, and he stood by while his lackeys and the female lead tormented her.

Then, at the very end, there was a “pursuing the wife at the crematorium” arc where he lowered his “noble” head just a tiny bit, and everyone urged the heroine to forgive him and be with him.

And she actually did?!

As a law student, Shen Yixi was about to explode with rage.

With such a comprehensive Protection of Minors Act in place, why wasn’t the male lead sent to a literal crematorium (or at least jail)?

Shen Yixi looked up at the heroine. A cup of water had just been splashed over her, soaking her bangs. Water droplets clung to her eyelashes and deep-set eyes. Shen Yixi felt a wave of “disappointment in a teammate who won’t fight back.”

Jiang Liuzhou was furious. She didn’t understand why this Miss Shen always insisted she was trying to steal Ye Zexuan. She despised that unlearned classmate who did nothing but bully her. She had explained this to Shen Yixi more than once, but the girl never listened and continued to cause trouble.

It was early winter. Jiang Liuzhou felt the lukewarm water on her face slowly turn cold, sliding down and soaking her only decent padded coat.

She shivered.

Clenching her teeth, she prepared to explain one more time—that she didn’t like Ye Zexuan, never would, and didn’t want to steal anything. And please! Stop hit—

Suddenly, a tissue was pressed against her face.

The person who had just aggressively blocked her path with a gang of followers—the person who had splashed her without a word—was now frantically wiping the water off her face.

Not just Jiang Liuzhou, but even the lackeys behind Shen Yixi stared in disbelief.

As she wiped, the water on Jiang Liuzhou’s lashes fell, tracing a path down her pale cheek like a line of clear tears.

Shen Yixi thought she was crying. She felt a mix of pity, guilt, and frustration: “Wake up!”

Jiang Liuzhou’s heart skipped a beat. Here come the threats, she thought. I don’t even like Ye Zexuan, why won’t she leave me alone?!

But Shen Yixi didn’t threaten her.

The law student in Shen Yixi was stomping her feet in frustration: “You have to learn to use the law as a weapon to protect yourself!”

Jiang Liuzhou: “?”

The lackeys: “??”

“Be a bit tougher! If the teachers can’t solve it, call the police!”

Jiang Liuzhou: “?”

The lackeys: “?”

Shen Yixi looked around, found a chair behind Jiang Liuzhou, and pressed the girl down by her shoulders. Jiang Liuzhou looked up, panicking. In this position, if Shen Yixi wanted to hit her, she wouldn’t even be able to dodge.

Sure enough, Shen Yixi reached out and unzipped the girl’s padded jacket, trying to pull it off.

We’re still at school! What is she trying to do?!

Jiang Liuzhou’s eyes nearly split with rage. she gripped her jacket tightly, glaring at Shen Yixi: “What exactly do you want?!”

The lackey behind them, Li Qian, snapped: “How dare you speak to Miss Shen like that?! Apologize to her right now!”

What is this nonsense?

As a law-abiding citizen, Shen Yixi had never had “lackeys” in her life. Hearing the little girl behind her talk made her head ache. Miss Shen? How old are you, putting on such airs?

Ignoring Jiang Liuzhou’s struggles, Shen Yixi pulled off the soaked jacket.

Jiang Liuzhou saw Li Qian holding up a phone, clearly intending to record a video. She struggled desperately: “Where did I offend you? Can’t I just transfer schools? I’ll stay away from Ye Zexuan from now on!”

Shen Yixi tossed the wet coat onto a desk and handed Jiang Liuzhou a pack of tissues: “What are you crying for?”

Jiang Liuzhou slapped Shen Yixi’s hand away. The tissues hit the floor.

Shen Yixi sighed. Her hand stung, but since she (well, her body) was the one who splashed the girl, she couldn’t blame her for having a temper.

Shen Yixi stayed silent, but her lackeys were terrified.

This was the Eldest Miss of the Shen family—and she’d just been struck?! If she went home and cried to her elders, those of them who were present but failed to stop it would face the family’s wrath.

Before Shen Yixi could react, Li Qian stepped forward and slapped Jiang Liuzhou across the face: “Have you eaten a tiger’s heart and a leopard’s gall? You dare hit Miss Shen?! Do you want to keep that hand or not?!”

Having never faced actual campus bullying before, Shen Yixi was stunned for a second.

Jiang Liuzhou’s head was snapped to the side by the force of the slap. Tears sparked from her eyes like embers. A bright red mark immediately bloomed on her fair skin.

Shen Yixi panicked. She shoved Li Qian away and spread her arms to shield Jiang Liuzhou: “What are you doing?! Why are you hitting people?”

Jiang Liuzhou slowly turned her face back, staring at Shen Yixi’s back. The fire of hatred burned painfully in her heart.

Li Qian didn’t speak; she just looked at Shen Yixi in total disbelief.

Shen Yixi didn’t have time to care what she was thinking. She quickly shed her own expensive padded coat and draped it over Jiang Liuzhou. Then, she bent down, picked up the tissues, and gently wiped the girl’s tears.

Li Qian was even more baffled until she caught sight of someone approaching from behind. Ye Zexuan was coming over with a group of guys.

Oh! Miss Shen must have seen Young Master Ye coming and wants to leave a good impression! Li Qian convinced herself she had found the reason for the “abnormal” behavior.

The boisterous noise of boys filled the space. Ye Zexuan looked at Jiang Liuzhou sitting in the chair, draped in Shen Yixi’s expensive coat. He gave a wicked “Yo” and mocked: “Where did an ugly girl get such nice clothes? Looks decent on you.”

The girls nearby looked at Jiang Liuzhou with envy. This woman! She actually got a compliment from Young Master Ye?!

The boys looked at Shen Yixi. Everyone knew she loved Ye Zexuan to her core and couldn’t stand him speaking a word to another woman, let alone such a direct compliment.

Shen Yixi was definitely going to torment Jiang Liuzhou now, right?

Jiang Liuzhou stared at everyone with hatred, gritting her teeth.

Shen Yixi glanced at the male lead impatiently. Yikes.

Look at those “razor-sharp” facial lines. Those sword-like eyebrows. Those thin lips. That wild, chestnut-colored hair. And that arrogant expression, as if the whole world were beneath him.

Truly the “Overbearing Young Master” who had violated the Protection of Minors Act, Civil Law, and Anti-Bullying regulations multiple times.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for her reaction.

Sure enough, the Eldest Miss Shen immediately looked at Young Master Ye.

And then…

She turned back and continued wiping the water off Jiang Liuzhou’s face?

Ye Zexuan assumed she was acting to get his attention again. He let out another “Yo”: “Stop acting. You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Give it up. I’ll never like you.”

Shen Yixi finished drying Jiang Liuzhou’s face. She looked at the tears falling like broken pearls and the swollen red mark on the girl’s pale skin.

She pulled Jiang Liuzhou up: “Come on, let’s go to the infirmary for some medicine.”

Is she taking me somewhere private to beat me?

Is this coat a setup to frame me for theft?

Jiang Liuzhou struggled with all her might, her voice breaking: “I’m not going!”

Ye Zexuan looked at his pitiable, sobbing seatmate and felt a strange sensation in his chest. It prompted him to speak up, saying impatiently to Shen Yixi: “Why are you bullying her? I told you, I won’t like you. Stop being so unreasonable.”

Shen Yixi finally turned her head and looked Ye Zexuan right in the eye.

Everyone waited for the explosion.

Shen Yixi quirked an eyebrow, her voice dripping with annoyance: “What exactly am I supposed to like about you? Your habit of bullying classmates and acting like a little gang-leading thug? How did the ‘Sweep Away Black and Evil’ campaign miss you? If I turn you in, will I help this district hit its annual KPI? If you keep this up, sooner or later, I’ll be singing ‘Tears Behind Iron Bars’ to you through a prison window.”

“?”