After Transmigrating as the Villainous Second Lead, I Only Want to Uphold Justice - Chapter 4

At the school gates, a black-faced Ye Zexuan—now sans earring—gave Shen Yixi a cold sneer: “Woman, I will make you pay the price for what you’ve done today.”

Feeling like an exhausted father who couldn’t understand what was going on in his child’s head, Shen Yixi told him sincerely, “Right now, you are paying the price for what you’ve done.”

Ye Zexuan let out another cold sneer.

With that, he turned and stepped into a stretched Maybach. He slammed the door hard, though the high-end vehicle made no sound upon closing. The youth sat inside, his long legs sprawled irritably, his face a mask of annoyance.

Shen Yixi sighed and offered a kindly reminder: “Remember to wear your seatbelt!”

She didn’t hear if Ye Zexuan replied. The Maybach roared to life and sped away, leaving Shen Yixi staring at a receding pair of taillights.

She sighed again, shrinking her shoulders and rubbing her arms. She had given her padded coat to Jiang Liuzhou; inside the heated building, she hadn’t felt the chill, but standing at the gate in just a sweater was genuinely freezing.

Suddenly, someone stood beside her and poked her arm.

Shen Yixi turned around.

Jiang Liuzhou took off the clearly expensive coat and handed it back to her. “Thank you.”

Her ink-green eyes now looked like melting snow—beautiful and gentle.

Li Qian, standing on Shen Yixi’s other side, still looked at Jiang Liuzhou with hostility. However, unsure of Shen Yixi’s current mood, she simply let out a cold snort and remained silent.

Shen Yixi waved her hand. “No need, keep wearing it. I’ll be heading home in a moment.”

Jiang Liuzhou opened her mouth to argue, but Shen Yixi beat her to it with another reminder: “Remember to wear your school uniform from now on.”

In the novel, this was an elite academy for the rich and powerful; the students were all “little spirits” in training. If she wanted to teach these kids to follow discipline, she had to start with the basics. The uniform was the first step.

She just didn’t understand why the normally obedient heroine refused to wear it.

Assuming Jiang Liuzhou simply found the uniform ugly, Shen Yixi leaned in and whispered mysteriously: “If you don’t like the style, you can find someone to tailor it. It’s not very expensive.”

Li Qian, eavesdropping nearby, burst into a fit of laughter.

Shen Yixi didn’t understand what was funny and looked at Jiang Liuzhou with confusion.

Jiang Liuzhou’s expression turned icy again. She tilted her head up stubbornly. “I’ll wear whatever I want. What does it have to do with you?!”

What now?

Shen Yixi was baffled by the sudden outburst. Jiang Liuzhou shoved the coat back into her arms, turned around, and marched back into the school. Shen Yixi turned to Li Qian for answers.

Li Qian’s sneer was full of disdain. Seeing Shen Yixi’s gaze, she said flatteringly, “Sister Shen, I knew it! You were just acting today, weren’t you? Was it to show Young Master Ye how unique you are? Or did you just want an excuse to go home because you’re bored of school?”

Without Shen Yixi saying a word, Li Qian had already rationalized the day’s “insanity.”

Before Shen Yixi could explain, Li Qian sneered at Jiang Liuzhou’s retreating back. “I knew you wouldn’t actually be nice to that brat. She’s a pauper who can’t even afford the uniform. Of course she’d flip out the moment you mentioned it.”

“Can’t afford the uniform?”

Recalling Jiang Liuzhou’s sudden frostiness, Shen Yixi was puzzled. “Is it that expensive?”

Beneath the skin of this wealthy heiress was a builder of socialism—a small but great member of the proletariat. In her mind, school uniforms were those baggy, blue-and-white tracksuits from high school; ugly but comfortable, which a local auntie could hem for two bucks.

She never would have imagined the “Mary Sue” world’s version:

“It was specially designed by a French master. The fabric is from Japan, and every piece is hand-sewn by German craftsmen. A single set costs about 150,000 yuan ($20k+ USD). If you want it tailored, you have to ship it back to Germany. The tailoring is free, but the shipping back and forth costs maybe 10 or 20 thousand?”

Shen Yixi was floored. “So… Jiang Liuzhou doesn’t have a uniform?”

“Duh,” Li Qian said, sounding excited to gossip. “Sister Shen, did you forget?! She was scouted by the school because of her grades, so she was given one set when she started, but it was too big. It was you who said you’d help her ‘adjust’ it—and then you led us to shred it into pieces!”

Shen Yixi stared at the enthusiastic Li Qian in horror. It felt absurd. “Don’t you feel any shame? Don’t you feel guilty at all for doing something like that?”

“Why would I feel guilty?”

Li Qian looked at her, feeling a sudden sense of abandonment. She didn’t understand why the instigator, Shen Yixi, was being so weird. “Didn’t you want to do it? That’s why I followed you. Do you feel guilty?”

But I didn’t do it!

I only accidentally splashed water on her face, and I already apologized!

I didn’t do those other things!

Shen Yixi’s mind was screaming, but meeting Li Qian’s gaze, she realized she couldn’t say a word. She could only nod and lower her head to look at the smooth stone tiles. “Yes. I feel guilty.”

Li Qian was stunned.

Guilty?

The Eldest Miss Shen actually feels guilt?

Li Qian felt as though she had gone mad today, or that the whole world was a dream. Her voice turned thin and high-pitched, as if she were being strangled: “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Shen Yixi said, forced to shoulder the original body’s sins. She nodded. “I won’t be like that anymore. I’ve turned over a new leaf. I swear, from now on, I will be a good person—law-abiding, respectful to teachers, kind to friends, a diligent student, and a contributor of my modest strength to the construction of socialism.”

Li Qian looked at her and suddenly sighed. She lowered her head and muttered:

“Great. She hasn’t turned over a new leaf. She’s just gone senile.”

Just as Shen Yixi was about to speak, an incredibly gaudy pink car turned the corner. It was a flashy, prohibitively expensive vehicle that stopped right in front of them.

Two men in white suits stepped out. They bowed respectfully, opened the car door, and rolled out a red carpet right to her feet. Then, they gestured for her to enter.

Shen Yixi: “…”

What on earth is this nonsense?!

Seeing Shen Yixi looking like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, Li Qian sighed and supported her arm, leading her onto the carpet.

Feeling her arm being held, Shen Yixi was still a bit dazed. Li Qian guided her forward two steps, using the same “kindly father” tone Shen Yixi had used on Ye Zexuan: “Lift your feet. Step up.”

Shen Yixi was so startled by the tone that she instinctively followed the instructions. Li Qian looked at her with the relief of a mother whose mentally challenged daughter had finally learned to walk: “That’s it. Good girl.”

Shen Yixi: “…”

This isn’t right. I’m a little scared.

Back in the classroom, Jiang Liuzhou arrived only to find a puddle of water on her chair.

She didn’t usually have a habit of checking her seat before sitting, but once, someone had poured red ink on it. Her summer pants had been soaked through instantly. When she had stood up to fight back, she had seen the unmasked malice in Shen Yixi’s laughing eyes. It made her feel like a clown—lowly, ugly, and stripped of dignity.

Shen Yixi has always been this vile, selfish, and jealous.

Anyone can say pretty words. How could I have changed my opinion of her just because of one afternoon?

Shen Yixi’s home was right next to Ye Zexuan’s—though “next door” meant they were still quite far apart. Two European-style villas, each ruling over their own hill. Thus, Shen Yixi didn’t run into the equally “grounded” Ye Zexuan.

That didn’t matter. There was no one at home. Her mother reportedly lived in Europe, and her father was doing business in Russia. Being alone made her very happy.

And so, on her first day of suspension, Shen Yixi went out. She took her gaudy pink car to the city’s largest mall and bought every legal textbook available, along with a complete reading list for “Builders of Socialism.”

Li Qian, sitting on the leather sofa in the Shen villa, had felt a glimmer of hope when she heard the Eldest Miss had gone shopping. She thought Shen Yixi had returned to being the pampered, extravagant heiress.

Two hours later, Shen Yixi returned.

Li Qian watched as the butler called a group of people out to carry things in. She thought Shen Yixi had bought out an entire street’s new arrivals and felt quite excited. Then, she watched as those people carried in stack after stack of… books.

As a maid passed by Li Qian, she stumbled, and a brick-thick copy of Das Kapital fell at Li Qian’s feet. Its classic red-and-white cover featured the golden silhouette of a wise philosopher. It looked enlightening. Soul-cleansing.

Dazed, Li Qian looked up at the equally dazed maid, then reached down to pick it up. Li Qian’s hands were used to carrying delicate designer purses; she didn’t expect a book to be heavy.

For the first time in her life, she failed to lift something on the first try. She had to bend down again, channel her inner strength, and use both hands to lift the book back into the maid’s arms.

The maid nodded in thanks. As Li Qian said “you’re welcome,” Shen Yixi walked in, lugging a stack of books that were clearly “Red and Professional.” Her body wasn’t used to labor, so she stumbled under the weight.

As she got closer, Li Qian saw the title of the book on top: 《The Civil Code》

She’s insane. She’s actually lost it. Li Qian sat back on the sofa, feeling faint.

Shen Yixi put the books on the table, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and greeted her warmly: “Student Li Qian, what brings you here?”

“I… was going to ask if you wanted to go shopping,” Li Qian stammered.

Shen Yixi waved her off. “It’s fine, I actually want to head out again.”

She asked the butler to bring in a paper bag from the car. It was a high-end black bag sprinkled with gold glitter—understated and luxurious. Li Qian felt another spark of hope. Was it a new designer outfit? Or a bag?

Shen Yixi pulled the bag open to show her. “I found my old school uniform and adjusted the size. Let’s go give it to Student Jiang as an apology!”

“Adjusted the size?” Li Qian asked tentatively. “Did you fly to Germany yesterday to have it tailored?”

“Of course not,” Shen Yixi waved it off. “I found an auntie on the street. Twenty yuan solved the problem.”

She pulled out the grey wool uniform skirt to show Li Qian the waistline. The stitching was fine and tight.

Shen Yixi said earnestly: “Technology changes lives.”

Looking at the skirt, Li Qian felt her vision go dark.

This world has truly gone mad.