Chapter 1: Just Arrived, and My Dignity’s Already Gone?!
“Mmm~”
In the dimly lit hotel room, a soft, breathy moan echoed, sending shivers down the spine.
Shen Xi's consciousness was hazy, and her body felt unbearably hot. It was as if she was under the influence of drugs.
Her fair cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue. A cool, damp sensation brushed against her skin, making her feel an instant wave of relief.
It almost felt like the family’s pet was licking her face… or maybe… kissing her cheek?
"Stop licking me… I want to sleep…"
—Wait, hold on… Kissing?!
Forcing her heavy eyelids open just a little, she vaguely saw the face of a man, handsome enough, but still… a man.
"Oh my god! What kind of nightmare is this?! I’m a grown man, why is a guy kissing her cheek?!"
No… something must be wrong. Maybe I just woke up the wrong way… Yeah, this must be a dream…
Shen Xi stopped resisting, the drug effect pulling her back into unconsciousness. Just as she drifted off, half-asleep, she vaguely heard the sound of a door being kicked open and someone shouting…
……………………………
The Next Morning.
Warm sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of the villa’s balcony, casting a glow over the sleek yet luxurious bedroom. But no amount of sunshine could lift the gloom from the woman slumped in front of the full-length mirror.
Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders in a tousled mess. Her features were breathtakingly delicate, her skin flawless, and her light blue eyes, striking and deep, like a mixed-race beauty.
Even in loose-fitting sleepwear, it was impossible to ignore the generous big curves straining to break free from her chest.
The woman in the mirror was none other than Shen Xi, who had just woken up. She clutched her head, disbelief written all over her face.
"No way… Did I just turn into a woman?! Who even is this?!"
She had never seen such a stunning woman before, but the refined features, the unique eye color… They seemed oddly familiar, like the villainous supporting character from a novel she had recently read.
"Madam, are you awake? Breakfast is ready."
A respectful voice came from behind the tightly shut bedroom door. A middle-aged woman, likely the housekeeper of this luxurious mansion.
"Got it. You can go downstairs first."
Shen Xi responded absentmindedly, her mind in complete chaos.
From the way the housekeeper addressed her and the sheer extravagance of this minimalist yet absurdly expensive-looking room, she had a guess…
This might just be the home of Gu Hanling, the hidden big boss from that novel.
"I really transmigrated into the novel! Does that mean everything last night was real? I just got here, and my dignity is already gone?!"
Shen Xi tried to recall what happened. Before all this, he had been just another overworked corporate grunt, working unpaid overtime at an ad agency until the early hours of the morning.
After finally getting home, he wanted to relax a bit and scrolled through an online forum.
Just as he opened the app, an accidental swipe triggered a full-screen ad, leading him to some over-the-top CEO romance novel. The kind of melodramatic stories that cliché-loving readers enjoyed.
Coincidentally, his name was Shen Xi (沈溪), and the villainous supporting character in the novel was Shen Xi (沈惜). Same pronunciation, different characters.
Tired of reading the usual overpowered male protagonist stories, he thought, Why not give this a try?
The novel’s villainess, Shen Xi, was the heiress of the wealthy Shen family. The male lead, Shi Jingyan, was also from an elite family.
Back in school, they were the perfect pair. Campus belle and campus heartthrob, secretly harboring feelings for each other.
But due to their strict family rules, they only got together in college.
However, the original Shen Xi wasn’t actually a real Shen family member. She had been brought into the household when her mother married into the Shen family after she was already a year old.
To chase her dreams and to prove she was worthy of Shi Jingyan, she left to study abroad as an exchange student in her second year of college, staying away for several years.
Shi Jingyan, unable to accept that she chose her “so-called dreams” over their relationship, cut off all contact with her.
"Uh… The rich young master can’t afford a plane ticket? It’s not like she moved to Mars. Just go find her."
Shen Xi had scoffed at the logic while reading, but then again, as the villainess, she was just a stepping stone for the main couple. So melodramatic plot twists were to be expected…
Sure enough, after some time, Shi Jingyan met Lin Yueyue, the novel’s sweet and innocent female lead, who had applied for a secretary position at his company.
Lin Yueyue had secretly liked him since their school days, and after learning from their old classmates that Shi Jingyan’s first love, Shen Xi, had left the country and they had broken up, she saw her chance.
So, she deliberately applied at his company, using her pure and innocent persona, plus the female lead’s natural plot armor, to quickly go from "boss and secretary" to "lovers."
But since this was a CEO romance novel, there had to be some dramatic push-and-pull.
Right at the peak of her career struggles, Shen Xi returned!
And so, the classic plot unfolded. Shen Xi, jealous of Lin Yueyue for stealing Shi Jingyan, constantly schemed to sabotage her, only for each failed attempt to bring the male and female leads closer together through misunderstandings and reconciliations.
During this time, Shen Xi, trying to uphold the declining Shen family while also wanting to provoke Shi Jingyan, entered into a contract marriage with Gu Hanling, the hidden big-shot of the story.
And as the villainess, she had one final, unforgivable move. She orchestrated a plan to ruin Lin Yueyue’s innocence by ordering her half-brother to send men after her.
At the same time, Shen Xi lured Shi Jingyan out for dinner the night before, making him drink spiked alcohol, hoping to stage a scandal in a hotel, making him completely give up on Lin Yueyue.
In the end, when the truth was exposed, Shen Xi was abandoned by the Gu family, disfigured by the male lead Shi Jingyan, and thrown overseas to become nothing more than a plaything for men.
This kind of over-the-top, soap opera-level drama made Shen Xi so frustrated that she pinched the bridge of her nose in anger. Her urge to rant was through the roof.
The original Shen Xi had everything going for her, wealth, beauty, status. Yet she insisted on clinging to the male lead and humiliating herself. And on top of that, the female lead ended up getting cucked? Why couldn’t the story just let both the main couple stay loyal to each other?!
After being force-fed this ridiculous plot by the author, Shen Xi had gone straight to the novel’s forum and posted three long-winded rants.
But karma worked faster than a tornado. Because when she woke up, she found herself inside the very novel she had been complaining about. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her little brother before she ended up like this.
"Wait a second! Hotel… spiked drink… wasn’t that last night?!"
As soon as she made the connection, Shen Xi realized, this was the turning point that led to her getting disfigured and sold off!
She quickly checked her body. No discomfort, nothing unusual. Did she and Shi Jingyan actually… do it? She had no way of knowing. The original author, probably afraid of getting their novel locked, had conveniently skipped over the details.
But if Lin Yueyue really got ruined, then everything would be irreversible.
Shen Xi jumped out of bed and grabbed the phone sitting on the nightstand, the same one she had seen the moment she woke up.
She unlocked it and saw an unread English email from Susie.
"Susie? Who the hell is this?"
No time for spam emails. She glanced at the time 8:53 AM.
"I should still have time. In the original story, the incident at Yunding Hotel happened sometime after 9 AM."
Letting out a small sigh of relief, she opened the contacts list to find her brother’s number.
But all the saved contacts had only single-character names. She had no idea which one was her brother.
"Oh, come on, are you kidding me?! Fine, if that’s how it is, don’t blame me for doing what needs to be done!"
Since this world was mostly the same as reality, Shen Xi quickly dialed a number.
"Hello, this is Su City Police, what’s your emergency?"
"I want to report illegal activity at Yunding Hotel, Room XX… uh… a transaction involving… ahem… services."
She figured the situation hadn’t escalated to the worst possible outcome yet, so outright claiming it was kidnapping or assault might backfire on her. She had to make something up on the spot, saving Lin Yueyue was the priority.
"Understood, ma’am. We are dispatching the nearest patrol unit. May I have your name?"
"Me? I’m Xiao Shen, I’m just a good Samaritan, Officer. Gotta go, bye!"
Shen Xi hung up in a panic, feeling slightly relieved.
But then she thought it through. Even if she managed to prevent the incident, what if Shi Jingyan investigated and found out she was behind it?
Or worse, what if her brother snitched on her?
Her ending would still be screwed either way.
And as for her contract husband, Gu Hanling? Forget about expecting him to help her. He wasn’t even involved in the original story.
Shen Xi felt a massive headache coming on. The original villainess had left behind a whole mess, and now she had to clean it up.