After Transmigrating as the Villain’s Scummy Alpha "Dainty" Wife, My Escape Failed (GL) - Chapter 5

The filming location for Home of Peaches and Plums was on a private island. The island was surrounded by a river on all sides; to get there, one had to row a boat. The round trip took forty minutes, making transportation extremely inconvenient, yet it lent the place an air of an isolated, otherworldly paradise.

By the time Chi Yuan arrived at the pier dragging her suitcase, twilight had already begun to settle.

The simple pier, made of narrow wooden planks, had a broken section near the riverbank that creaked and swayed in the evening breeze. It looked dilapidated no matter how you sliced it.

A red-painted awning boat was tied to a wooden stake with a long rope. At the bow stood a ferryman wearing a straw hat, a white cloth jacket, and black shorts.

Seeing Chi Yuan approach, he let out a shout and untied the rope.

“You’re the last one! Hurry up and get on! This is the last boat of the day. Any later and we won’t be able to set off.” The urgency in his voice—clearly someone desperate to clock out—was unmistakable.

Stepping onto the boat, Chi Yuan realized she wasn’t the only passenger.

A sweet-looking girl with pink hair was squeezed into the furthest corner of the cabin, clutching her suitcase. She greeted Chi Yuan with intense enthusiasm.

Calling it “squeezed” was no exaggeration. Although there were four plastic stools lined up in a row, the space was only just enough for those stools; there wasn’t even a place to put one’s feet.

Chi Yuan stacked two stools together to create some breathing room, then pulled her legs in and hugged her suitcase, mimicking the pink-haired girl to wedge herself in.

The girl struggled to give Chi Yuan a small bow and began gesturing with her hands. “Hello, Teacher! I am Momo, a member of iPink. It is a great honor to participate in Home of Peaches and Plums, premiering on Fried Fish TV. Over the next three weeks, I will bring everyone a day full of energy!”

The pink-haired girl’s hand gestures changed rapidly with every sentence, finally ending with her making a heart shape with both hands and giving Chi Yuan a cute wink.

The cabin was dim, and Chi Yuan, whose eyes couldn’t keep up with the movements, was left dazed and full of question marks.

That self-introduction was… quite the spectacle.

But since she had clearly prepared it with heart, Chi Yuan feigned being “shocked” and clapped with a smile.

“Hello there, I’m Chi Yuan.”

The girl nodded obediently and continued to stare at Chi Yuan with blinking eyes, seemingly waiting for more. The two stared at each other for quite a while until the surrounding atmosphere began to get awkward.

Finally, Momo asked politely, “Is that all?”

Chi Yuan gave a generous smile and replied, “That’s all.”

“Oh… I see.” Momo gave a thumbs-up. The two began to laugh awkwardly again.

Chi Yuan’s smile was becoming stiff. Lord, save me. How could it be this awkward? She wanted to jump overboard and swim to the island just to avoid staying in this rickety boat for one more second.

Was my intro too simple? But she didn’t have all those “bundled packages” to add on.

The awkward silence lasted the entire trip and was only broken when they finally disembarked.

A beautiful, exquisite three-story Western-style house appeared before Chi Yuan and Momo. With the contrast of the dilapidated awning boat from before, both of them let out synchronized gasps of admiration the moment they saw it.

Momo: “This is so beautiful! The program crew really has a conscience!”

Chi Yuan: …They probably spent the entire budget on this.

Dragging their suitcases to the house, they were met at the door by a woman in a black cheongsam with a cool, noble temperament. Judging by the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she was likely in her forties, but she was well-preserved with a shapely figure.

Momo was visibly excited the moment she saw her. “Teacher Zhao! Teacher Zhao, I’m your fan! I grew up watching your movies!”

This was no exaggeration. Zhao Zhenzhen had debuted in her teens and had won prestigious awards like the Golden Horse and the Palme d’Or over five times. She was a true veteran actress.

Zhao Zhenzhen waved her hand modestly, her lips curling up slightly. She was clearly pleased by Momo’s words.

“Including you two, all nine guests for our Home of Peaches and Plums have arrived.”

As soon as Chi Yuan entered the living room, she spotted one woman and two men sitting close together on the sofa, chatting away.

Jiang Wan was wearing a pale yellow long dress, a familiar “trademark sweet smile” on her face. She was giggling behind her hand at the man in glasses and casual clothes to her left.

Glasses Man: “I’ve seen the movie Under the Skirt starring Teacher Jiang at least five times. At the end, when Yao Jing looks at the camera and closes her eyes in despair—wow, every time I watch it, my scalp goes numb.”

Jiang Wan: “Really? Teacher Wang’s skits on the Spring Festival Gala are also very interesting.”

Glasses Man: “I never expected to be on a variety show with Teacher Jiang. It’s truly fate.”

Jiang Wan: “Teacher Wang can just call me Xiao Wan. I don’t think I have the seniority to be called ‘Teacher’ yet.”

“Xiao Wan, don’t say that. You’re a very popular star right now. Your future will surely be bright.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I will work even harder.”

On the other side, the man in sportswear, seeing their intimacy, looked displeased. He seemed to want to jump in but was frustrated by the lack of common topics, irritably picking at his pant leg.

In short, it was a massive “Shura Field.”

The audience would have loved it. People who knew the show thought Home of Peaches and Plums was a serious lifestyle show; those who didn’t would think they were filming a romance reality show like One Day from the rival channel.

The drama of two men fighting over one woman is an eternal theme of romance shows, and it had somehow migrated here.

Chi Yuan refused to join their “chat room.” Her gaze swept inward and unexpectedly met those familiar grayish-brown eyes. Liveliness sparkled in Jiang Ci’s eyes, filled with interest as if she had discovered a fun toy.

Jiang Ci hadn’t expected Chi Yuan to actually come to the show. What was a rich heiress doing at Home of Peaches and Plums?

Experiencing life? Filming Metamorphosis?

Or…

Jiang Ci’s gaze flickered back and forth between Chi Yuan and Jiang Wan. It made Chi Yuan’s scalp tingle, wondering what the villain was plotting now.

Jiang Wan had noticed Chi Yuan the moment she walked in. She intentionally acted as if she were having a deep conversation with Wang Wen, waiting to see Chi Yuan’s jealous reaction.

That woman ruined my plan that night and didn’t even send a text to apologize. If this continues, she’s going to lose me!

But Jiang Wan waited and waited, yet Chi Yuan didn’t come over to talk. When she tilted her head slightly, she saw Chi Yuan and that Jiang Ci making eyes at each other!

What the hell?! Has my “Everyone Loves Her” attribute failed again?

Chi Yuan should have been mesmerized by her the moment she stepped through the door!

The so-called “Everyone Loves Her” attribute works better the more it’s used on the same target. From love at first sight to being deeply rooted in the heart—the longer the time, the deeper the love.

So what was with Chi Yuan’s reaction of intentionally ignoring her?!

Jiang Wan refused to believe it and decided to take the initiative. She stood up, flipped her hair, and walked over to greet Chi Yuan.

“Sister Chi, long time no see. I didn’t expect you to come to Home of Peaches and Plums too.”

The moment Chi Yuan turned around, she was blasted in the face by Jiang Wan’s gardenia scent. Her brain felt dizzy for two or three seconds. She shook her head and instinctively took a few steps back.

When she looked up again, she found…

The world seemed to have changed.

More specifically, the Jiang Wan in her eyes had changed. She was draped in a faint glow, like a luminous body, becoming the most dazzling… lightbulb in the room.

Her small, exquisite face looked like it was under a level-10 beauty filter. The skin was blurred to the point of glowing, with a “softness” effect turned to the max. Because it was so distorted, it gave Chi Yuan the illusion of skin that would break at a touch.

The most ridiculous part was a circle of rose-themed special effects floating around her upper body, with bling-bling stars sparkling and flashing…

It almost blinded Chi Yuan!

She rubbed her startled eyes and opened them again—

Still the halo, the blurred skin, the roses, and the stars.

God! Where did this retro Mary Sue manga aesthetic come from? This is the so-called “Everyone Loves Her” attribute? Save my eyes!

Just then, the System, which had been playing dead for several days, suddenly came online like a godsend.

System: [Female lead detected. “Everyone Loves Her” aura has been shielded. Please resist temptation and do not become obsessed with the female lead’s beauty.]

Chi Yuan: Obsessed? Don’t worry, even if I looked at her for 24 hours, I wouldn’t be obsessed. But thank you for this “anti-addiction” system; you’ve saved my charming 20/20 vision.

Some people’s eyes just suddenly get “nearsighted,” where everything up close blurs into a mosaic.

As the System’s voice faded, everything returned to normal. Those inexplicable filters vanished. Jiang Wan was currently winking at her with a coy expression.

Jiang Wan: “Sister Chi, you’re staring at me so intently, you’re making me a bit embarrassed.”

Chi Yuan: “…”

“Miss Jiang, do you remember Xiao Fang?” Chi Yuan suddenly asked.

Jiang Wan froze, her eyes clouded with confusion. Xiao Fang? Who is Xiao Fang?

“You don’t remember?” Chi Yuan pointed to her own forehead. “Right here. The one with the red heart-shaped mark.”

Jiang Wan suddenly remembered. Xiao Fang—Chi Yuan’s ex-girlfriend who had a cinnabar mole on her forehead.

She had some impression of Xiao Fang; when Chi Yuan first met her, that was the model she was with. Later, Chi Yuan switched to pursuing Jiang Wan and said goodbye to Xiao Fang.

But—why on earth was Chi Yuan suddenly mentioning an ex?

Chi Yuan: “Good that you remember. I just feel that you and she could definitely become best friends now.”

The smile on Jiang Wan’s lips froze. If she couldn’t understand the underlying meaning in Chi Yuan’s words, her “Green Tea” training would have been a failure.

“Sister Chi, you…”

Chi Yuan spun around and quickly hid near Jiang Ci. “I didn’t expect to run into Teacher Jiang on a show. It’s truly fate! Teacher Jiang, I’m your fan! I grew up watching your movies!”

Jiang Ci, who had been watching the drama with her arms crossed, hadn’t expected the fire to suddenly spread to her. She nearly spat out her lemon water, barely covering her mouth in time.

Swallowing, Jiang Ci took a tissue to wipe her mouth and looked at Chi Yuan with slight disdain. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t a child star. That ‘growing up watching my movies’ bit… you sure you weren’t dreaming?”

Chi Yuan: Gah?!

Author’s Note:

The two of them are on a variety show together; the “extreme push-and-pull” is about to begin.

Let’s guess: will the dim-witted Chi Yuan fall first, or will the belly-black Jiang Jiang fall first?

Pick Chi: Vote 1. Pick Jiang: Vote 2. Let’s see who has the most fans!

(P.S. Voting is permanently open.)