CH 103

Villainous Stand-in (1)

Song Xu Yi awoke once again, her eyes adjusting to the brightness of the incandescent light looming above her. The memory of her journey through time and space still vivid in her mind.

Despite being fast asleep during her crossing of the small world, the turbulence proved too intense, rousing her from her slumber. She found herself in a semi-conscious state, eyes fluttering open to an endless expanse of brilliant light on the horizon. These shining lights appeared like meteors cascading around her, as she glided through them, much like a flat boat navigating through a raging flood. It felt as though she could have been swallowed up by the light at any given moment…

Soon after, Song Xu Yi lost all sense of consciousness.

Even now, she could not discern whether what she saw was a mere illusion. However, the memory of that moment still left her questioning: what exactly were these small worlds, and where had the Lord God that the system mentioned disappeared to?

Alas, Song Xu Yi knew there was no hope for her to attain the answers she sought.

……

Feeling inexplicably exhausted and empty, Song Xu Yi lay in bed, reminiscing about her experiences in several worlds. Although the memories of each world were somewhat incomplete, veiled like a layer of gauze, and even recalled with a sense of loss that she had forgotten something essential, one thing was for sure: after encountering so many worlds, her inner self had grown stronger.

Suddenly, the voice of the system resounded in Song Xu Yi’s mind: “Xu Yi, we have been attacked again, and we still cannot get in touch with the Lord God–“

Song Xu Yi responded with a simple “Hmm,” her mood remaining stable. After several similar situations, both the system and Song Xu Yi had adapted well to the fact that contacting the Lord God was not always possible.

“But I had already foreseen this situation.” Following the mention of the Lord God’s lack of communication, the system’s voice held a hint of pride. “I have already located the nearest small world before our departure–“

Then, the system proceeded to summarize the plot of this small world for Song Xu Yi.

The story takes place in modern times, in a small world where the background is relatively straightforward compared to previous missions.

In recent years, Xiangshi Linhai had emerged as the country’s wealthiest city, drawing in wealthy businessmen from far and wide. Among them, two families stood out: the Song family and the Li family.

It was widely known that the two wealthy families had a deep-rooted grudge against each other and had been estranged for years. Upon closer inspection, it could be traced back to the grandfather generation of the two families, but no one knew the specific cause of their conflict.

However, the fighting between the two families abruptly came to a halt ten years ago when something happened to the Li family.

The Li family had made their fortune in real estate, but the media reports exposed their past mistreatment of construction workers, which led to a fatal construction accident. Their reputation took a nosedive, and tragedy struck again when the only son and his family were killed in a car accident, leaving behind only a ten-year-old daughter named Li Yuqing.

Tragically, the Li family elders received news that one of their own had fallen ill and passed away just half a month later. The death of the Li family elder caused the board of directors to become divided, and power struggles emerged as they fought for control. The once-great Li Group eventually declared bankruptcy.

Surprisingly, the Song family did not take advantage of this situation. The old man, who had retired from the spotlight, even funded the last remaining bloodline of the Li family, Li Yuqing.

At first glance, this may seem like a heartwarming story of reconciliation between two feuding families. However, with Song Xu Yi’s god’s-eye view, it was clear that the situation was not as simple as it seemed.

The old man of the Song family did this for a very specific reason – the male protagonist, Song Shi.

Unlike the devoted Li patriarch, the Song patriarch had several wives after becoming wealthy, and had many children and grandchildren. Among them, his grandson Song Shi stood out for his exceptional business talent and intelligence from a young age. Unfortunately, Song Shi was also a hopeless romantic who had fallen in love with Li Yuyun, the sister of Li Yuqing, despite his grandfather’s objections.

After the devastating loss of Li Yuyun in the car accident, Song Shi was left in a state of utter despair and suffered from severe mental illness. It was only then that the Song patriarch realized how deeply Song Shi loved Li Yuyun. To ensure that he didn’t lose this promising young man, the Song patriarch funded Li Yuqing, bringing her to Song Shi and telling him that he could treat her as a replacement for Li Yuyun if he wished to.

Perhaps it was the striking resemblance between Li Yuqing and Li Yuyun, or maybe it was the fact that Song Shi finally found the will to live and wanted to take care of his beloved sister. After much hesitation, Song Shi reluctantly took on the responsibility of managing the family business.

Not long before the arrival of Song Xu Yi, Song Shi met a compassionate and caring caregiver who helped him immensely, and his mental state significantly improved under her attentive care. Song Shi didn’t want to miss his chance at love again and fell deeply in love with the caregiver, hoping to marry her.

However, at this point, the Song patriarch began to interfere, favoring Li Yuqing, who was beautiful, well-educated, and well-tempered, and whom he had supported and raised.

In a turn of events orchestrated by the Lord God, the caregiver slowly won over the Song family with her patience and kindness, eventually earning the Song patriarch’s approval. Song Shi and the caregiver were finally able to marry and live happily ever after, thanks to the help of the Song patriarch’s resources and connections.

However, since Song Xu Yi had arrived, this world naturally produced moths.

After the female protagonist married Song Shi, the Song family enterprise was exposed for committing multiple commercial crimes and using unfair means to compete in business. They were also found to have engaged in shoddy construction projects. This caused the Song family to face numerous troubles and Song Shi had to work tirelessly, causing his mental state to rapidly deteriorate until he became completely insane.

As the Song family patriarch saw that Song Shi had no more use, he abandoned him and supported others to take his place. The family was overwhelmed and could no longer afford to support Song Shi, who was now useless. The female protagonist took care of the insane Song Shi while working to support their livelihood. Unfortunately, she met an untimely death while at work.

The downfall of the Song family was mainly attributed to the villain, Li Yuqing, in this world.

The Song patriarch had always tried to cultivate Li Yuqing into a noble lady. She studied art and was skilled in talents such as playing bamboo flutes and drawing illustrations. No one ever thought that she would be the one to destroy the flourishing Song family.

At this point, if it were the previous Song Xu Yi, she might not have noticed anything suspicious. But now, having ventured into the business world and achieved success, Song Xu Yi naturally knew many of the dirty tricks used in the industry. From Li Yuqing’s retaliation against the Song family, it can be seen that the Song family patriarch was implicated in Li’s downfall, which is why Li Yuqing harbored hatred towards the Song family and sought revenge.

……

Upon reading the synopsis, Song Xu Yi was also imbued with the memories of the body she had taken over.

The Lord God still adheres to its principle of choosing hosts with high status and easy to manage. Although Song Xu Yi’s position in this body is not low, as she is the granddaughter of Song’s patriarch and Song Shi’s cousin, her father was the least favorite “unproductive” offspring of the patriarch. He was obsessed with painting and became a university professor. Except for holidays, Song Xu Yi’s family had little contact with the old Song family and had already faded from their memory.

The original owner was carefree and accepting, with a passion for anime. She had a talent for drawing and pursued it by studying animation. Her biggest dream was to become a manga artist.

Coincidentally, Li Yuqing was also studying painting, and Song Xu Yi and Li Yuqing attended the same school and college.

The original owner had always been curious about Li Yuqing, the rumored soon-to-be sister-in-law. However, Li Yuqing rarely came to school due to her childhood experience and poor health. Despite being in their sophomore year, the original owner had never laid eyes on her.

As stated in the synopsis, the original owner’s family eventually took in Song Shi, who had become homeless and insane.

……

After Song Xu Yi received the memories of her new body, the system’s voice suddenly rang in her mind, “Xu Yi, I purposely chose this world for you.”

The system went on to say, “You work too hard. I know you’re disciplined and excellent, which is a rare and valuable quality, but you’ve been overworking yourself. It’s time for you to take a break, to truly feel and learn to enjoy life. This world is peaceful, with no strange illnesses, wars, or conflicts. You’re just a young girl with dreams living in a peaceful era. The downfall of the Song family in the future has little to do with you. Your only mission is to protect the male and female leads.”

“As a friend, I hope you can love yourself more.”

Song Xu Yi was taken aback by the system’s words. She never expected the system to care so much about her well-being, nor did she realize the true intention behind choosing this particular world. She remained speechless for a moment, processing everything the system had said.

The system’s thoughtfulness touched Song Xu Yi, but it also left her feeling confused. As the system pointed out, she didn’t know how to enjoy life. The system, sensing her dilemma, suggested, “Your current body is that of a manga artist. You can draw your experiences in these little worlds with your pen.” Though the system wasn’t usually one for emotional conversations, having been a spirit for thousands of years in the previous world, it seemed to have developed an unexpected emotional side. As her supportive partner, the system understood Song Xu Yi’s confusion and offered this idea to help her find a way to enjoy life.

At first, Song Xu Yi hesitated, unsure of how to relax.

But the memory of the emptiness she felt upon waking up in this world and the original owner’s dream of becoming a manga artist eventually prompted her to nod in agreement.

“Let’s just treat it as experiencing life!” she told herself.

From a young age, the original owner of the body had possessed excellent drawing skills. However, she soon discovered that creating good manga required not only artistic talent but also strong storytelling abilities. The original owner had enjoyed a relatively easy life and lacked the experiences necessary to develop empathy and narrative skills. Despite her efforts to serialize her work on various platforms, she had only managed to attract a handful of fans over six months.

Examining the original owner’s drafts, Song Xu Yi found them to be technically flawless but lacking in substance. She had to go through seven or eight drafts to depict the protagonist eating breakfast. As a reader, Song Xu Yi found the story’s depiction to be somewhat unbearable.

Although Song Xu Yi had not studied drawing extensively, she was surprised to find that her body instinctively knew how to draw when she picked up the pen. While she lacked knowledge of human anatomy and color theory, the images she produced were still harmonious.

Despite her initial success, Song Xu Yi knew that she could not rest on her laurels. During the summer break, she spent her time studying drawing techniques, reading books on writing and plot design, and immersing herself in classic manga titles.

Song Xu Yi felt she had gained a lot, but the system, which witnessed everything, was about to go crazy.

“Xu Yi, you came to this world to enjoy life!” the system said, almost out of breath. “You should go out and eat good food, play, and enjoy the weather. The temperature outside has dropped, and it’s the perfect time to go out. How can you stay at home all the time and waste this opportunity?”

Song Xu Yi blinked, considering the system’s words. The mangas she had read were pretty good, and she could understand why the original owner was addicted to them. They had inspired her to want to create a manga of her own. However, she knew that creation required inspiration, and she wasn’t sure where to find it. Although she had already decided to write about her past life in her small world, she felt that her life completing tasks in the small world seemed monotonous. She always felt like something was missing, but couldn’t remember what.

Perhaps a walk outside could help her find inspiration.

With this thought, Song Xu Yi followed the system’s suggestion, grabbed a sun umbrella, changed into a floral skirt, and stepped out of the door.

Currently, Song Xu Yi resided in the staff quarters assigned by the school to her father. Her parents lived elsewhere, and the staff quarters were located adjacent to the university city. As she walked out, the university city sprawled before her.

Observing the idle people on the roadside, Song Xu Yi purchased a cup of milk tea and donned her headphones. She strolled leisurely around the school’s campus lake.

Although it was summer break, the university city bustled with activity. Many students who planned to take postgraduate entrance exams either stayed on campus or rented accommodations nearby. As dusk approached, the students dined in the cafeteria and small restaurants, leaving the lakeside relatively deserted.

The sun slowly descended, casting a warm orange-yellow glow over the world. The evening light felt as warm as fire and formed unique shapes on the horizon. A soft breeze brushed past, causing the lake water to shimmer, while a delicate floral scent hung in the air. Walking by the lakeside, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel relaxed.

This was a new sensation for Song Xu Yi, one that she had never experienced before, and it felt as delightful and soothing as basking in the afternoon sun. Song Xu Yi couldn’t resist taking out her phone, eager to capture this blissful moment…

However, in that moment, the system in her head seemed to scream out in terror. Song Xu Yi couldn’t make out what it was saying and was about to listen again when she accidentally kicked a stone, causing her to lose her balance and tumble backwards.

Suddenly, a familiar embrace caught her.

The one holding her was a girl.

Song Xu Yi gazed up and locked eyes with the girl’s breathtakingly beautiful face illuminated by the setting sun. When she noticed the red mark near the girl’s eye, Song Xu Yi’s heart began to race, pounding fiercely in her chest!

In that instant, Song Xu Yi realized what her story was lacking – love!

It was the most exquisite of all emotions, an everlasting, romantic, and quintessentially human feeling that had driven countless writers to despair.