After Transmigrating as the Villainous Second Lead, I Only Want to Uphold Justice - Chapter 5

The cafeteria of the grand and noble Aliston Elite Academy was, in a predictable fashion, grand and noble.

The ceilings were high, adorned with massive crystal chandeliers that remained lit whether it was day or night. The light spilled down onto the floor, where polished white tiles reflected it upward, making it hard to tell where the brilliance actually originated.

Jiang Liuzhou sat in a corner, her lunch placed on the table before her.

“The first day without Young Master Ye… I miss him so much.”

“Without seeing his handsome face, I feel like my life has lost all meaning.”

“If it weren’t for Jiang Liuzhou, Miss Shen wouldn’t have suddenly snapped. Would Young Master Ye have to go through all this?!”

“Exactly! It’s all Jiang Liuzhou’s fault. That brat is a total jinx!”

“Hmph, such a vulgar, low-class person—how dare she even think about Young Master Ye?”

“Ugh… look at her. She’s actually eating fatty meat! Her eating habits are so crude, she looks like a starved ghost.”

These girls sat right in front of Jiang Liuzhou, intentionally raising their voices so that every word reached her ears with crystal clarity. Jiang Liuzhou acted as if she heard nothing, finishing her meal bite by bite before turning to leave the restaurant.

Outside the classroom door, a girl named Wang Ya was looking around, holding a large black paper bag. She was one of the people who usually followed Shen Yixi to cause trouble for Jiang.

She’s probably here to interrogate me for “framing” Shen Yixi, Jiang Liuzhou thought. She felt a volcano of rage inside her, ready to erupt.

Why are these people so persistent?! I just want to study hard, go to college, and live a decent life. Why is it so hard?!

But currently, she had neither the power to seek revenge nor the strength to resist. She pretended not to see her and tried to walk straight into the classroom.

Wang Ya blocked her path. She looked irritable, as if she wanted to lose her temper, but then she seemed to remember something. She glanced at Jiang Liuzhou out of the corner of her eye, reluctantly softened her tone, and handed over the paper bag: “Miss Shen gave this to you.”

What kind of trick is it now? Jiang Liuzhou glanced inside impatiently. It was the padded coat that had been splashed yesterday. She froze in surprise.

“Here, take it!” Wang Ya saw that Jiang wasn’t moving and thrust the bag under her nose, looking awkward. “Miss Shen gave it to you. If you don’t take it, I won’t be able to report back.”

If Shen Yixi had heard this, she would have jumped up and shouted, “Don’t misrepresent me!”

Wang Ya recalled how Shen Yixi had looked earlier—honest and simple, handing over the bag with both hands, bowing seriously to say thank you, and even waving goodbye. Beside her, Li Qian had looked like her soul had left her body in disbelief.

Miss Shen must have her own plans! We, as her followers—no, as her little sisters—must follow her lead and fulfill her requests unconditionally.

Jiang Liuzhou looked at the bag and then at Wang Ya, still hesitating.

What are you hesitating for?! Wang Ya thought with disdain. Normally, she would have started shouting. But today, Miss Shen had been so polite and specifically told her to use a “nice tone.”

Wang Ya suppressed her urge to scream and shoved the bag into Jiang’s hands: “Just take it!”

The paper bag was thick and heavy, stuffed full. Jiang Liuzhou pulled out her coat first; it had been washed clean and carried a scent of cherry blossoms.

Beneath it was a full set of school uniforms. As she moved the clothes, a pink cherry-blossom envelope peeked out from the bottom. Inside was a scented card.

“Dear Student Jiang,

My name is Shen Yixi. I am writing to say I am truly sorry for yesterday. I accidentally wet your clothes; I have washed them and hope you don’t mind. Regarding the uniform, my words yesterday were just a casual remark with no malice. As for the matter of cutting up your uniform in the past, I have no excuse—I have realized my mistake. I am giving you my own uniform (which I have never worn). Please see if the size fits. If not, give it to Wang Ya, and I will have it altered for you.

I sincerely apologize for the wrongs I have done in the past and hope you can give me a chance to reform.

Best wishes.”

What on earth is she playing at? Jiang Liuzhou stared at the pink card, her grip tightening. Yet, for some reason, she suddenly remembered those hands from yesterday—soft and white, holding a cotton swab to apply her medicine. The cool scent of the ointment couldn’t even hide the cherry blossom fragrance on the girl’s wrists.

Is she a demon? So temperamental, yet so good at bewitching people.

Taking advantage of Ye Zexuan’s absence, Jiang Liuzhou went to the homeroom teacher and moved her seat.

She hadn’t originally been a student here. In her first year of high school, she had been scouted because of her grades. Many schools wanted her, but this elite school offered the largest scholarships—ten times what other schools paid per semester—so she came.

On her first day, her desk had been thrown out as a prank. With no other choice, she sat in an empty spot in the back row. As luck would have it, that was the seat of the “accursed” Young Master Ye.

Initially, everyone just wanted to watch the show and see him teach the newcomer a lesson. But that day, Ye Zexuan was so annoyed by Shen Yixi’s pestering that when he saw his new seatmate, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he acted friendly—purely to spite Shen Yixi.

And Shen Yixi was indeed spited. She began a campaign of brutal bullying to force Jiang Liuzhou away. But Ye Zexuan wouldn’t allow it. He felt that while this “ugly girl” was poor and “shabby,” she was useful for annoying Shen Yixi and showing her he’d never like her.

The girls hated Jiang because Ye Zexuan had, for the first time, allowed a girl to sit next to him without getting angry. They bullied her to make her give up the seat. The boys, though they found her beautiful, also treated her poorly under Ye Zexuan’s lead because she “stole his sleeping space” and made him irritable. Yet, he wouldn’t let her leave.

In this standoff between psychos, the one suffering most was Jiang Liuzhou. She wanted to leave but couldn’t; every time she asked the teacher, Ye Zexuan would act “reluctant” to let her go, making the girls hate her more and causing Ye Zexuan to take his frustration out on her whenever she tried to escape.

It was disgusting. But now, things were better.

Jiang Liuzhou packed her things. Shen Yixi seemed a bit more normal now, so the girls’ attacks might decrease. With Ye Zexuan gone, she took the chance to move far away. She would study hard and keep her scholarship; that money was enough for her grandmother’s medicine and to pay off some debts.

She didn’t have much—just books and stationery. She quickly finished packing, pulled out a black paper bag from her drawer, and moved to a seat in the front.

Lu Jiangcheng followed her, helping her carry books and speaking softly: “Congratulations. You’ve finally escaped Ye Zexuan.”

To Lu Jiangcheng—the only person in this school who had ever shown her kindness—Jiang Liuzhou dropped her cold exterior and smiled: “Yes, finally.”

The week of suspension passed quickly.

During those seven days, Li Qian visited Shen Yixi daily for the first three days, desperately waiting for her to “return to normal” and be a spoiled heiress again.

It didn’t happen.

Day 1: Shen Yixi was reading the Constitution.

Day 2: Shen Yixi was reading the Constitution.

Day 3: Li Qian finally realized this “Miss Shen” had a good temper and wouldn’t curse at her. She asked, “Why are you reading that?”

Shen Yixi, nearly finished with the book, looked up and smiled: “The skills I use to make a living… I can’t let them go to waste.”

Li Qian was dazed: “I… see.”

She didn’t come back for the final four days. Shen Yixi was happy for the peace as she chewed through the “brick-thick” Constitution, followed by the Civil Code and the Criminal Law.

After a week, she had some good news: Although the characters in this ridiculous Mary Sue world didn’t respect the law, the laws themselves were quite comprehensive and reasonable—identical to those in her original world.

That made things easy. She wouldn’t have to memorize new statutes.

Feeling satisfied, Shen Yixi put on her uniform, packed the Constitution and the self-reflection she had stayed up all night writing, and took her cherry-pink luxury car to school.

In the body of a sixteen-year-old “villainess” was the soul of a twenty-seven-year-old law student “Auntie.” The Auntie was an idealist and felt that, with her current resources, she might actually be able to straighten out these arrogant, edgy kids.

“Following the rules” might be a neutral term, but “committing evil” was definitely not a compliment.

Shen Yixi arrived early. There were only a few people in the classroom, including Jiang Liuzhou, who was already wearing the uniform. Jiang sat in the third row by the window, focused on a book, occasionally making notes with a pen.

See? This is what a sixteen-year-old high schooler should be doing! Shen Yixi nodded with approval. She was about to head to her own seat quietly when the girl by the window looked up as if sensing something, staring straight at her.

The golden winter sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a natural glow over her. Her long lashes were clear and captivating in the light; her ink-green eyes were translucent, shimmering like emeralds.

Shen Yixi held her breath. Jiang Liuzhou seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly, very slowly, nodding her head in a polite greeting.

Who wouldn’t like a beautiful, polite girl?! Shen Yixi detoured and walked over to Jiang Liuzhou’s side, looking down at her work with a “kindly” gaze.

She looked at the desk. The books there were tattered, covered in grey smudges and held together by massive strips of tape. Because of the tape, Jiang Liuzhou’s notes were squeezed into tiny blank spaces, the handwriting as small as ants.

Shen Yixi’s face froze. Jiang Liuzhou looked at her expression and then down at her own books. Clearly remembering what had happened to them, her expression turned awkward and cold.

These were the very books Shen Yixi and Li Qian had torn up and thrown in the trash.

Shen Yixi, oh Shen Yixi, she thought, couldn’t you just act like a human being for once?! She wanted to grab the original body’s shoulders and shake some sense into her. But there was no choice; she had to clean up the mess.

Shen Yixi took off her backpack, pulled out all of her own books, and placed them on Jiang Liuzhou’s desk: “Use mine.”

Jiang Liuzhou looked at the pristine textbooks and then at Shen Yixi. Her expression softened slightly. She must realize she was wrong. She apologized, and now she’s trying to make amends. Maybe I can give her a chance.

Except… Jiang had already made her own notes. These textbooks were clearly untouched. Maybe I shouldn’t…

A breeze blew through the room. The top book’s cover flipped up for a split second before falling back. In that instant, Jiang Liuzhou saw black ink on the title page.

Shen Yixi saw her stop talking and guessed she was worried about the notes. Although the “Law Auntie” hadn’t touched the textbooks all week, she was confident she still knew high school curriculum.

She was just about to beat her chest and promise she would help organize all the notes when Jiang Liuzhou reached out and flipped open the book.

Beneath the cover, in massive, hideous characters, were the words:

“Jiang Liuzhou, just you wait! One of these days, this Young Lady is going to torment you to death!”

Shen Yixi: “…”

Looking at Jiang Liuzhou—who had suddenly turned icy, unyielding, and stubborn once more—Shen Yixi was speechless.

Wait! No! I didn’t write that!

Why are kids these days so edgy?! Writing this kind of stuff in your books just to screw over an old Auntie like me later?!

What did I ever do to deserve this?!

Jiang Liuzhou turned her head away stubbornly, refusing to look at Shen Yixi: “Miss Shen should take her books back.”

Shen Yixi: “…”

Wait, listen to me explain!