After Transmigrating as the Villain’s Scummy Alpha "Dainty" Wife, My Escape Failed (GL) - Chapter 10

The four members of the Red Team finally arrived at the supermarket, only to find themselves in the middle of peak tourist season.

This was the only large supermarket in the town of the Home of Peaches and Plums. Looking across, it was a sea of people—nothing but a dense, dark mass of heads. The checkout area was a long, winding dragon of a queue.

Thus, the scene of Jiang Ci, Chi Yuan, and the others walking in with two cameramen following behind them instantly attracted everyone’s attention.

The production crew hadn’t provided much funding. After setting aside the budget for lunch, they only had five hundred yuan left. They had to be extremely meticulous.

Gu Meng looked at the dazzling array of goods, unsure where to start. “Five hundred yuan for nine people… what can we even buy? Should we just grab a bunch of packs of instant noodles?”

Jiang Ci frowned. “Rice, flour, meat, vegetables. Buy as much as we can.”

With exactly four people, they split into four directions.

Chi Yuan strolled over to the rice section, picked the largest bags, and hoisted them onto her shoulders. A middle-aged man nearby, also buying rice, stared at her in utter astonishment.

She had two bags on her shoulders and one in each hand. Her face showed not a hint of strain, and her stride was remarkably light.

Refusing to believe his eyes, the man walked over and tried to hoist a bag identical to the ones Chi Yuan held. He staggered, barely steadying himself after a long moment. Trying to take another bag was out of the question.

So what’s going on here?

Bags of rice that an average person struggled to carry one of—she had casually taken five by herself without any pressure.

At first, Chi Yuan didn’t realize anything was wrong. It was only when she reached the queue and noticed everyone staring at her with looks of shock that it dawned on her.

Natural Herculean strength wasn’t something this current body possessed; it was something the Chi Yuan from before the transmigration had.

Chi Yuan: System, System, what’s going on with my body?

System: As the task completion progresses, your current body and your original body will undergo a certain degree of fusion.

Chi Yuan: So my original strength is coming back!

This couldn’t help but make Chi Yuan excited. Imagine how painful it would be for a max-level expert to suddenly become a novice at their peak, forced back to the novice village to start grinding from level zero. It was the kind of level where you couldn’t even punch people satisfyingly.

Chi Yuan was floating with joy, and the steps beneath her feet became even brisker.

Jiang Ci, standing at the end of the queue to hold a spot, looked up to see Chi Yuan arriving first. When her gaze fell upon the rice Chi Yuan was lugging, she fell into a sudden silence.

Standing in front of Jiang Ci were two young girls in sun hats—a pair of sisters of similar age traveling with their parents. Seeing Chi Yuan approach, they let out gasps of wonder.

“Wow, that big sister is so strong!”

“She’s carrying so many bags of rice. Is she here to restock a store?”

“Is she Popeye? Does she love eating spinach too?”

Jiang Ci: “…”

“I didn’t realize you were quite so strong.” Jiang Ci finally spoke once Chi Yuan drew near.

Chi Yuan arched an eyebrow and said modestly, “It’s alright, just a bit of strength.”

Jiang Ci: This isn’t just ‘a bit’ of strength; it’s god-like power. Looking at Chi Yuan’s nonchalant expression, she seemed to be saying, “I could take five more bags, no problem.”

“However—” Jiang Ci drew out her voice, her expression serious, “We are staying for three weeks, not three months. If you take this much rice, we won’t be able to finish it.”

“So, keep two bags. Put the rest back.”

Chi Yuan: “…?!”

The situation repeated itself over and over.

“The weather is too hot; the frozen fish might rot on the way back.”

“Yogurt has a short shelf life and is expensive. Swap it for large bottles of juice and mineral water.”

“We should buy some hotpot base. Making hotpot for a large group is cost-effective.”

In the end, under Jiang Ci’s precise calculations and strict control, the Red Team managed to purchase a rich and sufficient supply of materials while keeping the expenses within a reasonable range.

The production crew, who had expected the supermarket trip to be a “price wall” that would force a restart, began to worry.

“According to the original plan, if their price exceeded the budget, they’d have to restart. If the quantity didn’t meet the minimum standard, it would be a failed task.”

But Jiang Ci was brilliant. Without a calculator, just by looking at the prices, she had already listed perfect distribution plans. Even if they did it again, she could think of different ways to pass. She was a hidden bug.

The group, having finished their task at lightning speed, didn’t forget to tease the crew.

Gu Meng: “Tsk, is that it? Is that all? No difficulty at all, okay?”

Wang Wen: “So easy~~”

An off-camera voice from a staff member rang out: “If it weren’t for Jiang Ci, giving you three chances wouldn’t have been enough, okay?!”

Chi Yuan crossed her arms coolly, carrying several pounds of food as easily as if she were holding a glass of water. “Jiang Ci drew the red slip, so she belongs to our team.”

“Luck is also a type of strength.”

Behind a quaint and elegant two-story restaurant was a beach filled with jagged rocks. The sound of distant waves crashing against the shore and the popping of sea foam reached Chi Yuan’s ears. She couldn’t help but open her arms and close her eyes to feel a moment of spiritual cleansing.

Within her view, the sea breeze blew through thick, long hair, swaying gently like seaweed.

Jiang Ci tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, took off her flat white sandals, and stepped onto the soft sand with her beautiful, fair feet. The fine sand squeezed between her delicate toes and kissed her heels, pouring over her bare arches like flowing water.

She walked a few steps into the shallows, letting the salty seawater swirl around her ankles before dragging itself back to the sea.

In that moment, Chi Yuan seemed to see a flash of weariness and loneliness on Jiang Ci’s face.

She felt for a second that she must have misseen it. How could the powerful, intelligent, and charismatic Jiang Ci show an expression that was almost fragile and sensitive?

Even in the face of sudden misfortune, being indomitable and fighting back was the image Jiang Ci was given in the early stages. Bearing the debts of the Jiang family’s bankruptcy, acting to earn money, taking care of her mother—running like an infinite machine day and night, she had finally seen hope in life.

Yet, because of the “inevitable fate” of blackened revenge granted by the author, link by link, step by step, she was eventually pushed into a bottomless abyss, unable to climb out again.

Long-term helplessness and loneliness were perhaps the true recurring themes of Jiang Ci’s life.

Chi Yuan reached out her hand, reaching toward her back in a daze, clutching at the air as if trying to catch someone who was about to be scattered by the wind.

Jiang Ci kicked a shell turned up by the waves. Wet mud splashed onto her rolled-up pant legs, leaving marks. As another wave rushed in, she suddenly felt the sand beneath her feet give way. She lost her balance and tumbled backward.

Jiang Ci: Oh no! My clothes are going to be soaked.

But a soft, warm chest pressed against her back. A heat enveloped her waist as someone hugged her, helping her stand firm.

A faint voice, carrying the moisture of the sea, whispered past her ear: “Teacher Jiang, be careful.”

“If you get too close to the waves, the sand under your feet will be washed into the sea.”

Jiang Ci froze, letting Chi Yuan take her hand and lead her back to the beach.

The beach volleyball court had already been set up by the crew. A net over two meters high was firmly rooted in the sand, with a yellow and blue volleyball placed right in the center. Opposite them were four local residents of the town, barefoot and in sportswear.

Sometimes, the cruel reality before our eyes tells us: don’t be too cocky, or you’ll get hit.

The provoked production crew had decided to make things difficult for them during the lunch segment.

Wang Wen: “This isn’t fair. I asked the other side; they’re all professionals. No one on our side knows how to play this. It’s an obvious loss.”

The rules of the match were: if the Red Team won, they could enjoy a luxury feast at the restaurant for free. If they lost, lunch would be the “complimentary” instant noodles provided by the crew, and they would have to pay a 100-yuan game entry fee.

Wang Wen: “How about we don’t play? With this hundred yuan, the four of us could still eat something decent.”

The Crew: The game is ready; you can’t just quit when you say so.

“Any hitting style is allowed. If the ball hits the ground, you lose. You may choose auxiliary tools.”

The four of them rummaged through the prop box. Inside were inflatable maces, electric fly swatters, washbasins, dolls… nothing that looked like it could hit a ball.

The group felt discouraged. Instant noodles for lunch seemed inevitable.

As the match began, the Red Team started running all over the court—kicking with their feet, catching with their faces, heading with their brows… a constant stream of hilarious playstyles emerged. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to use normal volleyball techniques; they simply couldn’t catch the ball, let alone hit it back. Running in the sand made it easy to slip and roll in the dirt.

The inexperienced Red Team was in a bitter struggle.

Another whistle blew. The volleyball rose into the air under burning gazes, only to be smashed back toward them. Gu Meng’s “powerful” strike was intercepted by a massive man and flipped back over.

They lost a point right at the start. Gu Meng glared at the man’s bulging muscles, feeling an urge to curse.

Chi Yuan walked quickly to his side and said flatly, “I’m swapping positions with you.”

“Sister Chi, are you sure?”

Chi Yuan: “Positive. I’ll watch him.”

Her sharp gaze and the powerful, calm aura radiating from her made people feel instinctively at ease. Gu Meng nodded and swapped.

Ten minutes into the match, the hot volleyball landed in Chi Yuan’s hands. Her expression shifted. She glanced left and right at the relatively weak spots on either side of the big guy, but she still locked her target on the man himself.

She had never played volleyball. Her method of hitting was simple and crude: a punch. After all, the rules were unrestricted.

With a surge of power, the volleyball’s speed doubled, whistling past the big guy’s ear and slamming a visible crater into the sand.

The Red Team finally scored a point, breaking the scoreless deadlock. In the subsequent plays, Chi Yuan maintained a powerful output. Anyone who tried to catch her ball either failed or ended up with a face full of sand.

Under this wave of Herculean strength, the Red Team’s momentum was strong. However, the opponents realized Chi Yuan was skilled and adopted a strategy to avoid her whenever possible.

The advantage was gone. The battle took a turn for the worse; if it continued like this, they would definitely lose.

Jiang Ci’s eyes flickered. She looked at Chi Yuan, who was anxiously watching the score beside her. “Do you want to win?”

Chi Yuan turned to her. Her short hair was damp with sweat from running and clung to her cheeks. A stubborn conviction shone in her eyes. “I want to win.”

Jiang Ci: “Fine. Then I will let you win.”