"Chu Zi, our grudge ends here!" Her voice was hoarse, the accumulated emotions like a flood about to burst its banks.
Memories slashed through her heart like a knife. "In this world, no one truly loves me!" Mary Gu screamed to the sky, tears mixing with rainwater as they slid down her cheeks, "I hate this world! I hate everyone!"
Bang—
The sound of the gunshot exploded in her ears. Mary Gu felt a sharp pain spreading from her temple throughout her entire body. Warm blood flowed down her cheek, and her vision gradually blurred. The last thing she saw was a ground covered in glaring red.
"Hah... it's over."
"So this is what getting shot feels like..."
Mary Gu suddenly opened her eyes, her chest heaving violently. She instinctively touched her temple—unscathed, no bullet hole, no blood.
The sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling window, casting a golden layer over the whole room. The sound of waves crashing on the shore could vaguely be heard, and the salty sea breeze gently brushed across her face.
She walked barefoot to the balcony, gripped the railing tightly with both hands, and greedily breathed in the fresh air. Despite knowing that this was just a virtual world constructed by the system, all her senses felt terrifyingly real—including the pain from the earlier "suicide."
[Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully completing the side story plot.]
[Reward calculation in progress...]
[Calculated, the host's completion of this side story is 93%.]
[Completion rewards: Charm increased by 30, firearms proficiency unlocked.]
"Charm again?" Mary Gu raised an eyebrow and complained to the air, "Isn't this almost maxed out? If it keeps going up, will I need to wear a mask when I go out?"
Three years ago, she was just an ordinary university student, and her biggest concerns were early-morning classes and the living expenses at the end of the month. Then, that damned night, after finishing a about a villainess who shared her name, this cursed system suddenly bound itself to her.
[Suitable host detected, Villainess Roleplay System activating...]
No matter how much she protested, the system forcefully threw her into the world. And from that moment on, she began her miserable life of playing the villainess in various side stories.
The only good thing was that time flowed differently in the two worlds. While in reality, only a few minutes passed, in the worlds, she had already spent three years.
In those three years, she had played roles such as a malicious female supporting character, a darkened best friend, a corporate spy... she even once played a villainous fox spirit. The rewards she received were varied—ranging from language skills to martial arts mastery, from culinary expertise to art appreciation. Her attributes were on the verge of surpassing human limits.
Once she completed the final side story, she would be able to materialize all the rewards and bring them into the real world. More importantly, she would gain the right to choose which side stories to play, instead of being randomly thrown into bizarre worlds by the system.
"Three years! three whole years!" Mary Gu threw herself onto the soft bed and buried her face in the pillow, shouting with a muffled voice, "Do you know how I've spent these three years?"
The most recent gangster side story had actually been the most normal one she had experienced. The protagonist's intelligence was on point, the villain didn't act stupid, and the plot logic was mostly reasonable. Although in the end, she had to follow the script and shoot herself, at least the process had been exhilarating and didn't embarrass her.
In contrast, the seventh side story had been a nightmare. It was set in a world called "Urban Spicy Female Soldiers," where every time characters fought, they had to scream loudly as if the louder the scream, the stronger the attack. What was even worse was that the male leads frequently "shed bloody tears," which almost gave her PTSD.
Although that side story gave generous rewards—maxed-out ancient martial arts and +30 mental strength—no amount of rewards could convince her to go through that again.
"System, what's the next side story?" Mary Gu turned over and asked, staring at the ceiling.
[This side story is titled Dragon King's Daughter-in-Law, and it will open in three days.]
[Due to the extreme difficulty of this side story, the system will provide the host with the full plot.]
Mary Gu shot up from the bed.
"What?!" Her voice went high-pitched. "The Dragon King? The one with the 'The five-year term is up, welcome back, Dragon King' storyline?!"
She felt a wave of dizziness, as though the sky were collapsing. As a veteran reader, she knew too well the plot tropes of these kinds of —the villain's sole purpose was to be slapped in the face by the protagonist, serving as a stepping stone for the protagonist's growth.
[Plot information compiled, please check it, Host.]
Mary Gu closed her eyes, and a flood of information rushed into her mind:
"Five years have passed, this blade severs the bond between us!"
"Blind and foolish, Su family, I no longer care!"
"The marriage contract is broken, it's too late! Get out of Tianhai!"
"Unless absolutely necessary, my identity must not be exposed!"
...
One hour later, Mary Gu rubbed her temples and opened her eyes. This Dragon King's Daughter-in-Law was over 10 million words long! If the system hadn't directly transmitted it to her, it might have taken her a month to read.
The story was about an ordinary girl, Bella Yang, who accidentally saved an old man, only to discover he was the former leader of the world's most mysterious organization, Dragon Gate. As a reward, the old man made her his heir candidate, and the test was to go into hiding for five years as the daughter-in-law of a second-rate Su family in Tianhai City.
As for her, Mary Gu, she would play the second daughter of the top-tier Jiang family in Tianhai City, Maggie Jiang—a malicious female supporting character who is obsessed with the male lead, Ethan Su. Her main task is to create trouble for Bella Yang and provide material for the female protagonist's revenge.
The most absurd part was that this had more than twenty male leads! There were all types, but none of them ended up being "taken" by the female protagonist. It was a constant source of frustration.
"Fine, whatever. I'm just a minor villain in the early Chapters, my role isn't that important," Mary Gu comforted herself. "As long as I finish the first part of the plot, I can wrap it up and claim my rewards."
Thinking about the freedom she was about to gain, a smile appeared on her face. Three years, and she was finally going to be free!
"System, prepare to start the Dragon King's Daughter-in-Law side story," she took a deep breath, "Let's see what this 'Dragon King' is all about."
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]