Did we successfully escape?" Yue Ran looked up at the ball of light beside her, and her brows knitted for a second. Her eyes were cold.

Before she could receive an answer, the space behind her cracked, and she was quickly sucked into it. That was when the world whirled around her in a flurry of colors and everything went black. For a moment, she swore that she saw a pair of eyes—blood-red ones, cold and inhuman—staring at her within the abyssal void.

"Can't… leave." The voice was low and ghostly, almost inaudible, constantly echoing inside her head.

☼︎ ✵ ☼︎

Warm sunlight poured in through a floor-to-ceiling window and shone down on the form of a sleeping girl, creating a halo around her. An unearthly beauty with black hair, snow-white skin, and bright red lips, it was too bad that no one was here to admire her features.

The girl is Yue Ran.

When she opened her eyes, her sight was greeted with pink. There was pink all around her. Pale pink curtains, darker pink bedsheets, and a wallpaper with swirls of both.

When she heard a knock on the door, she jerked her head.

"Come in," she answered.

An old woman, around her late fifties, who looked like a domestic servant, came in. "Young miss, the master and madam are already waiting for you to eat in the dining room." She spoke to Pinqing sternly and with little respect. "Stop acting petty and come down with me." She was stern, but there was no malice.

Yue Ran didn't answer the old woman; she was only focused on gazing at her face in the oversized vanity mirror in the original body's room. A stunning beauty stared right back at her. She touched her face lightly with satisfaction and relief.

Thankfully, she still had her original features, only looking younger than she originally did in her own body. That's good; even if the Lord God of her system despised her, he couldn't change her lovely appearance as he pleased.

As for Yue Ran's name, it would always stay the same in every world she went to, so it would be of no concern to her.

Then her eyes swiveled back to the old woman. Since the Lord God detested her for her rebellion, it would seem that he delayed the memories of the original body from being sent to her. So even if she doesn't like the old woman, she still had to find out about this original body's situation, mostly for herself.

When she stood up, the pink Lolita dress that she was wearing ended just above her knees and danced in an arc with her movements. She lightly ran her fingers through her slightly unkempt hair to straighten it and placed a pink flower headband on her head that matched her dress. Overall, she looked cute, lovely, and sweet.

System No. 3153 popped up when he sensed Yue Ran's thoughts and quickly said, "Master, Master, there's a slight delay in the memory transference! But it won't take long; Ruan Ruan will guarantee it!"

"That's okay." Yue Ran twirled a strand of her silky hair in her finger as she followed the old woman out of her room.

"Ruan Ruan will analyze the plot of this world and send it to Master as soon as possible!" He chirped. "Even without the original body's memory, Ruan Ruan can gather enough information so that Master will be just fine!"

System No. 3153 is the system that was bound to her during her untimely death in her original world, created by the Lord God. During their first meeting, he was stubborn, stern, and so faithfully serving his Lord God that he always spoke with so much passion. But now look at how much he changed after traveling with her through dozens of worlds together. He could now even rebel against his noble Lord God.

And seeing just how cute he was getting as time passed, Yue Ran named him Ruan Ruan, just because of how cute his form was as a little ball of golden light and how soft his form felt when touched with her finger. His voice is also especially cute, like a child's.

"Is Ruan Ruan very good, Master?" He asked. She could just imagine a ball of light flying around her like a happy, chirping bird.

Yue Ran's eyes narrowed into crescents. "Yes, very good."

Just as Yue Ran answered the system's words in her mind, she raised her eyes and saw three people at the dining table. The two elders who looked like a couple should be the original body's parents, but who is the attractive boy on the side who looked about the original body's age?

"Ran Ran, you're here!" The older woman exclaimed happily at the sight of Yue Ran. "Come, sit by Mom's side."

"You finally came down," the older man commented.

"Mom, dad," Yue Ran pulled out a chair beside the woman, and with graceful and smooth movements, she sat down, turned her head over to the two, propped her chin with one hand, and smiled sweetly at them.

As for whoever the boy is, Yue Ran couldn't care less since he had shot her with such an obvious and horrible disgust in his eyes that couldn't be concealed even if he tried his very best to hide it. And she had no interest in learning whatever the original body's feud with him was that resulted in his having such a bad attitude towards her.

"Here, Ran Ran." Yue Ran's mother pushed a small plate of desert in front of her. "Your favorite red velvet cheesecake."

"Mom, you always know me best," Yue Ran said with a slight hint of coquettishness, sounding so cute and lovely. She leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and circled her arm.

"You." Her mother poked her head dotingly. "You've already grown so big, but you are still so childish."

Yue Ran poked her tongue out at her mother and proceeded to eat the slice of cake that was just in her line of sight. But just as she was about to eat it, her movements paused for the briefest of seconds before resuming, as if that was just a momentary slip of the eyes.

No one noticed this slight blunder.

Yue Ran only felt her head suddenly turn heavy for a moment, then countless pictures floated before her eyes. She was used to this rather oppressive feeling in every new world she went to, so her adaptation to this abnormality was extremely quick.

The memory she received, however, in this world was a tragic one—most likely because her system's Lord God disliked every fiber of her being but couldn't actually do anything to do real damage to her, thus wanting her to suffer in every world she was transferred into.

The original body in this world is a really silly girl, arrogant and self-willed, but she would never actually mean to hurt anyone. Yet she still received a bad ending in the plot.

The original body was originally born into a warm and wealthy family. Her parents loved her very much and raised her like a princess. She was the best at everything, whether in her studies or in her social life. Furthermore, the beautiful features she inherited from her parents made it so that she would always be surrounded by people and would always be placed in the center of the spotlight.

Until one day, while she was attending a private noble high school, the male protagonist, a poor student on a scholarship at the time, caught her attention. He was poor but very handsome, and he didn't really put the original body, the noble young lady of the Yue family, in his eyes. He really was the literal definition of a snow-white lotus that came out of the mud unstained, and he doesn't bow down to the rich and powerful at all.

The original body gradually became interested in the male protagonist, Jiang Yi, and the more she paid attention to him, the more she discovered his excellence. So she started a typical routine of a villainous female supporting character who hopelessly fell in love with the male protagonist and then shamelessly chased him around, a love that would remain unchanged for thousands of years and for all of eternity.

She had never actually suffered any setbacks since she was a child, thinking that the person she liked should like herself as well. So she went to the male lead to boldly confess her love for him. And she was rejected, as should be expected, but she still had an indomitable spirit within her to continue chasing him.

She secretly helped the male lead in private, as any villainous female supporting character who stood in the way of the main protagonists' love would. She had long known that the male lead was very passionate about fashion design, so she used her parents' connections to send him to the best fashion design company in the city.

And that was how the male protagonist and the female protagonist, two separate parallel lines that never met, intersected into a single line.

The female protagonist, Rui Qin, in the plot is the female president of a fashion design company. Because the male protagonist entered the company by using the connections from the original body's Yue family, the female president paid special attention to him.

The male protagonist is the type of person who would shock anyone who paid special attention to him. If the female protagonist hadn't taken the initiative, then her life would've just gone on as usual. But thankfully, she did because she had just found an exceptionally talented designer!

The female protagonist specially transferred the male protagonist to her side and discussed ideas with him in person. They discovered how many similar points of view they held after a heated debate. It was akin to the joy of finding a confidant in the vast, wide world, and the two quickly hit it off and became great friends.

Friends that would eventually become lovers in a relationship.

And what about the original body? She discovered she had a fiancée as soon as the male protagonist was sent to the company. She cried, made trouble, and tried to threaten suicide. But no matter how much trouble she caused, her parents, who loved her very much, still refused to break their engagement. And off she went to get married.

The original body and Yang Chi, the second male protagonist and now apparently her husband, hated each other immensely and jointly agreed to turn a blind eye to each other's affairs.

Because of her marital status, the original character no longer dared to pursue the male protagonist boldly. But, by chance, she saw the male protagonist and the female protagonist chatting very intimately together. For a moment, she lost her mind and immediately stepped forward to question the male protagonist: "Who is she?!"

Naturally, the male protagonist stepped in front of the female protagonist with a protective stance and very reluctantly took the trouble to ask, "What's wrong with you?"

The original body's eyes were red with anger, and she attempted to slap the female protagonist. However, her wrist was firmly grabbed and restrained by someone. When she turned her head, she saw that it was actually her husband, Yang Chi, who stopped her and was asking the female protagonist if she was okay with such a tender look in his eyes.

Yang Chi's obedient, puppy-like image in front of the female protagonist, Rui Qin, and his fierce and unreasonable image in front of her were such a big contrast that she was greatly stimulated by him.

The original body ran away with red eyes and hired a private detective to investigate the whereabouts of the female protagonist, then sent someone to kidnap her.

The original body had never actually done anything bad since she was a child, so this time she naturally felt panicked for her own actions. Her suspicious behavior, needless to say, was easily discovered by her parents. And when being questioned, she confessed all the things she had done, which she immediately regretted.

Her parents naturally called the kidnappers back to call off the operation. But after making a call, an unknown stranger answered the phone, and he only cursed loudly at their words.

The unknown stranger who answered the phone turned out to be the female protagonist's childhood sweetheart, Jin Yao, who had braved through fire and water to save her from the kidnappers. Afterwards, he used his superb hacking skills to leak some confidential documents from Yue Corporation. The company suffered a huge blow because of this.

As if it wasn't enough, the female protagonist's childhood sweetheart also told Yang Chi about this and asked him to take "good care" of his wife.

Yang Chi had no feelings for the original body. Once he learned that she had dared to hurt someone he loved, he immediately ignored his family objections and asked her for divorce. On top of that, he ordered his men to disrupt her legs, causing her to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

When the male protagonist learned about this incident, he, who has always been upright, couldn't help but get really angry. He hired someone to render her hand useless for the rest of her life. The original body changed from a spoiled princess to a useless person in a matter of days.

In this humiliating condition, she would rather die than live any longer. Naturally, she didn't want the female protagonist to feel better.

So she begged her mother to help her. The original body's mother also hated the female protagonist for turning her daughter into such a state, so she used a leftover favor from her father, the original body's grandfather, who had connections to the underworld.

The original body wanted to use the boss of the underworld's power, who is the villain in this small world, to kidnap the female protagonist and teach her an unforgettable lesson.

It's a pity that the female protagonist's tenacity impressed the villain, and he let the male protagonist save her without making an effort to stop the deed. And like any other brain-dead plot, the villain, Mu Chen, gradually fell in love with the female protagonist.

When the female protagonist's childhood sweetheart, Jin Yao, learned that the original body was acting like a demon again by finding trouble with the female protagonist, Rui Qin, he directly sent the original body to the mountains with his own hands to a village that took women as a birthing tool for men.

Without much surprise, the original body committed suicide. Her father was also jailed for leaking the company's confidential documents, with the evidence forged by Jin Yao.

Seeing how tragically the Yue family had ended, the original body's mother, who couldn't bear such a huge stimulus, also committed suicide, not long after her husband was sent to jail.

In the end, the female protagonist, Rui Qin, and the male protagonist, Jiang Yi, lived happily ever after together. Of course, in the company of three other men—Yang Chi, the second male protagonist; Jin Yao, the female protagonist's childhood sweetheart; and Mu Chen, the villain—who stuck by Rui Qin like glue.

When Yue Ran took the first bite of her dessert, she let out a small little moan of delight, ignoring the coughing noise made by Yang Chi.

"Yang Chi's data is loading," her system, Ruan Ruan, informed her.

This may have been a normal dessert, but it was perfection. This red velvet cheesecake is creamy, moist, and flavorful, with each ingredient complementing the other perfectly, especially with the white chocolate shavings on the top layer of icing. The taste is so rich and flavorful, but not quite enough to be too heavy and decadent.

This red velvet cheesecake definitely hits the perfect ratio of cake to cheesecake. She still wants another slice.

"Yang Chi's favorability +5"

"Yang Chi's current favorability is -5"

Yue Ran swept her eyes across the dining table and flashed her father a smile. Her eyes brushed over Yang Chi so naturally that he was unsure if she had even seen him or not.

"How much favorability does he have towards the female protagonist?" Yue Ran questioned her system in her mind.

"Yang Chi's favorability toward the female protagonist, Rui Qin, is 68."

"Hmm," she hummed lightly in response to Ruan Ruan.

Putting down the fork in her hand and dabbing her lips lightly with a napkin, she turned back towards her mother, who was also enjoying her own desert.

"Mom, why did you call me down so early?"

Instead of her mother responding, it was her father who spoke first, in a gentle voice with a hint of pampering.

"We just want to ask you when do you want to get engaged with Chi'er?"

"Engaged?" Yue Ran asked, then let the words sink in. "I'm engaged?" She asked again, not very sure if she actually heard the words right the first time.

"Yes, with Chi'er," Father Yue answered with a smile. At least his daughter wasn't running away from the conversation, unlike before, right? That's a huge improvement.

But reality has to shatter his dream into irreparable pieces for Yue Ran hugged her stomach with both hands and pretended to be uncomfortable; her beautiful features were decorated with a frown.

"Mom, Dad, you guys eat first. I have a stomachache, so I'll head up first!"

The corners of Mother Yue's mouth twitched slightly, and she complained to Father Yue. "Look, look, your daughter is behaving this way again because you spoil her so much!"

Father Yue did not refute and only smiled lightly.

Hence, Mother Yue had no choice but to turn her head to Yang Chi and say politely, "Our daughter was spoiled senseless by us, so please understand."

Yang Chi only hated Yue Ran, a noble young lady who is full of princess disease. He harbored no ill will toward the well-bred couple in front of him, so he always performed admirably in their presence.

At this moment, Yang Chi smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing; Ran'er is really down to earth." It was almost as if he were not the one who had shouted at Yue Ran before.

After the meal, Mother Yue brought a glass of warm milk to Father Yue, who was working in the study, and then sat by his side.

Father Yue asked with mirth in his eyes, "There's no need to contemplate so much; just ask me anything you want to."

Mother Yue sighed with knitted brows. "Our daughter and Yang Chi dislike each other so much, so can the engagement really not be dissolved?"

Hearing this, Father Yue took off the glasses he wore and placed them on the table. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his hands, he said, "You also know that this is a marriage contract between my father and the old man of the Yang family." He removed his hand and stared into Mother Yue's eyes. "And before Father died, his last wish was also for Ran'er and Yang Chi to get married," he said. "Moreover, Mr. Yang will definitely refuse to break their engagement."

Mother Yue was frowning. She knew very well that she was putting Father Yue in a difficult spot, so she could only say, "Remember to drink the milk; I'll head out first."

Father Yue only watched Mother Yue walk out of his study, and he put on his glasses again. There are still many papers from the company that he has to deal with.

☼︎ ✵ ☼︎

Now the timeline of the plot has come to the point where the male protagonist has joined the female protagonist's company. If she does not take the initiative to attack the male protagonist, the male protagonist and female protagonist will develop feelings for each other and get together, though she will be able to break them up if they ever get to that point.

Besides, in the original plot, the male protagonist never knew that the original body had helped him enter the company through the Yue family's connections. All he thought was that some kind-hearted person had finally discovered his talent and recommended him to the fashion design company.

Yue Ran would not be as stupid as the original body. It was never her style to do good deeds without leaving a name.

☼︎ ✵ ☼︎

The next day.

It was Monday, the first day of a new week in school.

Yue Ran was dressed in gothic Lolita attire. She started her day at school dressed in a sassy and sweet way.

Presently, the male protagonist, Jiang Yi, is a senior who will have his final year in university. But today will be the last time he will ever step foot in the university, for he will complete all formalities for early graduation on this very day.

So how could Yue Ran miss such a good opportunity to provoke the male protagonist?

After all, all she had to do was mess up the Lord God's plan by gaining the love of all the male protagonists and thus disrupting the plot set in this world.

The Lord God would most definitely be pissed, but that had nothing to do with her. She was caged by him, not given the choice to leave his clutches, and she had to avoid the snowballing tragedies coming her way.

Going from world to world, she had finally understood that the Lord God of her system was just a more powerful being who gained power through the "hosts" of each system he created. Each host recruited would need to follow the same set of plots, going through tragic endings and the inhumane torture of villainous female supporting characters.

In this way, these hosts would become weaker and weaker through each world plot they went through until they dissipated into nothingness, for the Lord God had completely absorbed their souls for his own growing power.

And Yue Ran had never once planned to become food for such a power-hungry Lord God.

To regain her free will, she had to find a way to escape, or better yet, a way to bring him down.

Both methods were just asking for a death wish. But what else could she do? Just crawl around in despair? As if.