Chapter 36 Villainess She Was the Story’s Antagonist…

Chapter 36 The Villainess Supporting Role

Yu Kui didn't ask any more questions. She simply gazed blankly at the dark sky above, as if lost in thought.

“I’m sorry,” Xie Xingzhi said. “I thought you no longer cared about their affairs.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Yu Kui’s voice was very soft. “I’m just too foolish and stupid.”

She stood up. “I’m going home.”

“I’ll walk you home,” Xie Xingzhi said, rising with her.

“This is far enough,” Yu Kui replied. “I can go back by myself.”

Xie Xingzhi sensed something was amiss. “Are you angry with me?”

“I’m not angry,” Yu Kui said. “I just want some time alone to calm down.”

“Then I’ll get you a cab.”

The two walked to the curb. Xie Xingzhi flagged down a taxi for Yu Kui, and after she got in, he said softly, “Text me when you get home safely.” He wasn't his usual carefree self; his gaze, usually sharp, had softened into tenderness.

“Don’t worry, young man, I’ll make sure your girlfriend gets home safely.”

The driver chuckled. “I’ve been driving this route for years—I could do it with my eyes closed.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Xie Xingzhi corrected him. “She’s my friend.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll make sure your friend gets home.”

“Yu Kui,” Xie Xingzhi said, looking at the dejected girl in the back seat, “text me when you get home. You can tell me anything that’s bothering you.”

Yu Kui lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. “Xie Xingzhi, thank you.”

“Why thank me?” He teased with a raised eyebrow. “Do you still consider me a friend or not?”

Yu Kui tried hard to smile at him, but the smile wouldn’t come. She lowered her head instead.

She closed the car door, and the taxi began to move. Xie Xingzhi instinctively took a few steps after it until the car turned a corner and disappeared from his sight.

Yu Kui leaned back in the seat, watching the streetlights flash past outside the window. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, yet it also felt completely empty.

She felt calm now, yet also as if she couldn’t find any peace at all.

She hated the way she had fallen apart—it made her feel unlike herself. Yet, just moments ago, she had sobbed uncontrollably on the street, right in front of Xie Xingzhi.

So pathetic.

She even felt pitiful, but why? She had a happy family, excellent grades, and was kind and honest. So why should she feel pitiful?

So many people envied her.

Her parents loved her, her teachers and classmates treated her well—so why did she feel this way?

Was it because the boy she had a crush on lied constantly? Because a former friend had hidden agendas? Or because she had sensed something all along but refused to lift the painful truth?

She felt sorry for herself for becoming the kind of person she despised the most.

But thinking it over, Qin You hadn’t truly done her wrong. He had simply fallen for another girl. He had the freedom to love and the right not to tell her.

And what was she? She was nothing to him.

It’s over.

Yu Kui thought, it’s finally over.

She could finally bid farewell to the past, with clear eyes and no baggage.

She could finally move forward, free and unburdened.

She clenched her fists, trying to stop her thoughts from spiraling. Suddenly, a dazzling light flared from ahead. She instinctively closed her eyes, and a shattering impact made her heart feel as if it had stopped.

“Miss, miss, are you okay?” Someone opened the car door, calling out to her anxiously.

Yu Kui slowly opened her eyes. The pain in her forehead made it impossible for her to speak.

“Miss!” The person tried to help her out, but Yu Kui’s eyes rolled back as she passed out.

When she woke up, she wasn’t in a hospital, and her parents weren’t by her side.

Yu Kui knew with certainty that she was dreaming. She had returned to her bedroom, and everything around her was unchanged, except for a book on her desk—one she had never seen before.

*Original Lover*.

Yu Kui didn’t remember buying this book. She walked over and opened the cover. The moment she saw the first line, she frowned.

It was a book written with Qin You as the main character.

The sight of his name made her want to put the book down, but when she read further, she suppressed the urge.

It seemed to be a youth romance novel, telling the story of Qin You, a high school student, who fell in love at first sight with a transfer student named Tao Jiang. Unable to restrain his feelings, he defied all reason to love her.

They were entangled from high school to university, then to work, experiencing numerous breakups and makeups, but ultimately choosing to be together.

When Yu Kui saw her own name in the book, her frown deepened. In this novel, she was Qin You’s childhood friend, secretly in love with him but playing the role of the antagonist.

Because of her close relationship with Qin You, the female lead, Tao Jiang, often grew jealous and argued with him.

And in the book, after learning about Qin You’s relationship, she became consumed by jealousy of Tao Jiang. Using her status as a close friend, she deliberately acted intimately with Qin You in front of Tao Jiang to embarrass her, becoming the biggest obstacle between the two.

Tao Jiang eventually broke up with Qin You and found another boyfriend.

Qin You, unable to accept this, grew to hate her intensely. He pretended to agree to date her, only to humiliate her with words and the silent treatment once they were together. This caused her character in the book to develop severe psychological issues, even leading her to consider taking Tao Jiang with her, ensuring Qin You would suffer.

But the plan failed. Her character in the book ended up in prison, her parents fell ill and passed away from heartbreak, and she herself died miserably in jail.

The male lead, Qin You, and the female lead, Tao Jiang, reconciled and got back together, living happily ever after.

The book was short. After reading it, Yu Kui found it absurd. How could that insane supporting character be her? She had indeed had a crush on Qin You but never thought of clinging to him, let alone harassing him knowing he had a girlfriend.

The book was complete nonsense.

She wanted to put the book back on the desk, but memories of past events surfaced in her mind—many of which strangely aligned with the book.

For instance, Qin You secretly dating Tao Jiang behind her back, Qin You borrowing money from her to buy Tao Jiang a phone, and Tao Jiang’s troubled family background...

Tao Jiang had previously mentioned her dysfunctional family, and while Yu Kui had felt sympathy for her at the time, she hadn’t known the specifics. However, the book made everything clear.

Tao Jiang’s mother was not her father’s first wife but rather his mistress. Desperate to secure her position, Tao Jiang's mother had tried hard to bear a son, but Tao Jiang was born a girl, which left her mother deeply disappointed.

As a result, Tao Jiang was neglected by her parents from a young age. Her mother not only failed to care for her but often verbally and physically abused her because of her gender, while her father paid her no attention at all.

In an effort to keep her man's affection, Tao Jiang's mother went to great lengths to please her father, striving to maintain their luxurious lifestyle. Seeing her mother live the life she wanted simply by dressing up and looking glamorous every day, Tao Jiang’s psyche underwent a radical transformation.

She began to believe that as long as she was beautiful enough, she could obtain whatever she desired, just like her mother.

Whether it was money or luxury goods, she felt she could easily acquire them with just a snap of her fingers.

Even before developing feelings for Qin You, she had many suitors. These people would cater to her every whim without her having to commit to being their girlfriend—sometimes just a meal together or a few smiles were enough.

She also saw nothing wrong with her mother’s role in being the other woman, believing that as long as one lived well, it was a perfect life.

In middle school, she faked her report cards to help her mother win her father’s favor, desperately maintaining the illusion of a happy family of three.

However, after her younger brother was born, her parents’ obvious favoritism for him made her realize that no matter how hard she tried, she could never overcome the disparity brought by gender. Once again, she became insignificant. In retaliation, she began a relationship with Qin You, watching herself self-destruct until she genuinely fell in love with him...

"Dysfunctional family."

Yu Kui murmured these words, feeling that her past sympathy had been laughable.

This book—or perhaps it shouldn’t be called a book, but rather a world contained in its pages.

Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she knew it wasn’t just a book but the very foundation of the world she inhabited. In Qin You’s story, she was merely a side character, even a villain.

Despite coming from a good family and achieving decent grades, she had foolishly chased after Qin You.

What a pitiful life.

Compared to such a plot, Yu Kui felt that being deceived by Qin You wasn’t such a big deal. At least she wouldn’t end up in prison, and her parents wouldn’t worry themselves sick because of her.

Yu Kui pored over the book until she could recall every detail clearly, until every event that had happened aligned perfectly with the first half of the story. Only then did she place the book back on the desk.

She didn’t know why she was able to see this book—whether it was because she had escaped the story's control or because she was on the verge of death. But regardless of the reason, she was grateful to have encountered it.

Even though the version of her in the story was portrayed as twisted and villainous, Yu Kui knew deep down that it wasn’t the real her.

She was not a supporting character in Qin You and Tao Jiang’s story, nor was she a sacrifice meant to highlight their true love.

She was simply Yu Kui, living her own unique life, not a clown controlled by a novel’s plot.

Even if that person was the boy she had once secretly loved, even if that person was the "god" who had shaped her existence—

None of them had the right to dim her sparkle. And she would never submit.

Yu Kui took a deep breath, turned around, and pulled back the covers before lying down quietly. She needed to return to the real world.

She urgently wanted to see Mom and Dad Yu, to confirm that they would be by her side for a long time.

Yu Kui had been in a car accident, just two days before the Gaokao.

Upon hearing the news, her teachers and classmates came to the hospital to visit her. Fortunately, she had only injured her forehead, with no other major injuries, and she would still be able to take the upcoming exams.

After seeing her main teacher off, Mom Yu returned to the bedside. Looking at her daughter’s pale face, her heart broke as tears streamed down her face. "If you wanted to go to the amusement park, you could have told your father and me. Going there late at night and taking a taxi back alone—this time you were lucky. If something serious had happened, what would I have done?"