After Getting Bound to Both the Protagonist and the Villain at the Same Time - Chapter 4

The system 0927 never told Lin Chuyi that, according to its previous calculations, the one destined to die was not the “villain.”

According to the original plot, the villain was supposed to silently endure all this bullying, digest it on her own, and then fold that cruelty into herself—twisting it into part of her warped personality. Every misfortune she suffered existed for one purpose: to shape her paranoia, her obsession, her ultimate descent into darkness. It gave her “evil” a reason.

System 0927’s job was to ensure the villain grew into exactly the kind of character the script required.

But earlier that morning, after it ran another simulation, everything changed. The moment Shen Qing secretly hid a shard of glass in her palm, the entire plot veered off course.

In the simulation, if Lin Chuyi failed to arrive in time, Shen Qing would use that glass—pressed so tightly it embedded into her skin—to slit her tormentor’s throat.

And if Shen Qing really did that, then she would lose any possibility of becoming a villain who could stand toe-to-toe with the protagonist.

She would spend most of her life behind bars. How could she grow? How could she fulfill her narrative purpose?

Shen Qing was fated to become the protagonist’s opposing force, and eventually, a perfectly shaped stepping stone.

So that was why the system chose Lin Chuyi. On the surface, it seemed to be “saving the villain.” In reality, it was pushing her right back onto the rails of a prewritten destiny.

System 0927 did not consider anything wrong with that. Ensuring the villain’s growth was a duty coded into its very foundation.

“What should I do next?” Lin Chuyi asked.

System 0927 stayed silent for a moment before answering, “After you clean things up, just send her back.”

“Wait—did I hear that right? You want me to send her back to that cannibalistic environment?” Lin Chuyi stared at the small matte-black sphere floating before her. Moments ago, its sleek, futuristic design had seemed so impressive.

Now, it looked cheap and heartless.

“The villain has her own trajectory,” the system recited mechanically.

“But she’s still a child. Her life has barely begun, and you’re already stamping ‘villain’ on her forehead and forcing her back into that horrible place to walk that horrible path?” Lin Chuyi asked, unable to accept it.

“These are the system’s rules,” 0927 replied. “The points from this emergency mission will be credited to your account. This transaction is now complete.”

A transaction—yes, that was exactly what this was.

Lin Chuyi could now walk away and do nothing. Shen Qing would return to her environment and grow into the villain she was supposed to be.

Lin Chuyi instinctively glanced at Shen Qing. The girl sat quietly on the chair, her expression unreadable.

It was as if she already knew her fate. Whether Lin Chuyi appeared or not didn’t seem to matter.

No—perhaps it made things even worse.

If Lin Chuyi hadn’t appeared, Shen Qing might have finally been freed—once and for all. Instead, she would now need to devise a new plan, sending those people to hell one by one.

Shen Qing lowered her head and let out a faint, almost invisible smile.

She knew exactly what would happen next: Lin Chuyi would send her back. Because she was trouble—massive trouble.

And then she would once again have to endure the torrent of insults and revenge from those people while waiting for the right moment to kill them.

She had begged for help before. Neighbors, teachers, the parents of those girls—anyone who could’ve intervened. She had gone to them with hope, with tears. She didn’t even need them to help her. She would’ve been satisfied if they simply left her alone.

But they didn’t. They insisted on provoking her, humiliating her.

If asking for help changed nothing, then she would rely on herself.

Kill them. Kill them all.

“If you need the villain to become a rival strong enough for the protagonist, couldn’t you just give them the same goal? I don’t know—like both wanting a Nobel Prize? Or both wanting to become the richest person in the world? Wouldn’t giving the villain a slightly more humane growth environment work just as well?” Lin Chuyi asked softly, unable to bear it. “Can’t you at least tell me what they end up fighting over? Since this book names them protagonist and villain, there must be a reason.”

“The protagonist and the villain each start a company. They both compete for the development rights to a national-level experimental project,” the system explained. “But the villain uses underhanded methods. The protagonist’s team uncovers her schemes and steps over her as a stepping stone to reach the peak of their lives. That marks the end of the story. Everything else is glossed over.”

Lin Chuyi had no idea what to say. Something seemed stuck in her throat. She glanced subconsciously at Shen Qing, her brows knitting with visible worry.

Shen Qing immediately understood what she was worried about.

She also knew what Lin Chuyi couldn’t bring herself to say. After getting her wounds treated, she sat obediently on the stool, thanked the school nurse, and stayed quiet.

This person had softened.

Shen Qing sensed everything—the shift in Lin Chuyi’s emotions, the momentary hesitation. She knew she could easily pull Lin Chuyi into her mess, using that softness.

But—but.

Shen Qing felt agitated.

Perhaps it was because Lin Chuyi’s sincerity was too warm, enough to burn her.

Shen Qing had seen people shirking responsibility, pushing problems away. She had seen cowardly adults who handled things perfunctorily. But she had never met someone who held her so gently, treated the wounds on her hand so carefully, and didn’t snap at her even when she lost her phone.

This girl had dragged her along by the wrist for so long, and Shen Qing’s heart had been pounding the whole way. She thought her heart had long since died. Yet somehow, it still beat.

“I’m heading out first. Thank you,” Shen Qing said, unwilling to cause trouble for the kind person in front of her. She would deal with her own problems. “As for the phone, if you don’t mind, leave me some contact info. I’ll work part-time and pay you back.”

“Work? You’re still so young.” Lin Chuyi blurted out instinctively.

“I’m not a child anymore,” Shen Qing said. “I’m almost an adult.”

She didn’t know why, but she suddenly wanted to show this little bit of stubbornness in front of Lin Chuyi. “I should’ve started working long ago to earn my own money.”

“You—wait, hold on!” Lin Chuyi gritted her teeth. To hell with the system, to hell with the original plot. She asked, “You’re in your senior year of high school right now, aren’t you?”

“Mm.”

If you could even call what she was doing studying.

“You need to keep studying. What I mean is, would you be willing to stay with me for now? You’d have a place to study and maintain a consistent routine every day.”

According to System 0927, Shen Qing currently lived alone in an abandoned tile-roof hut out in the fields at the edge of the city—the only thing her parents had left behind.

Every day, she had to set out before dawn just to make it to school. By the time she walked home after classes, it was already dark.

The four yuan she saved by not taking the bus meant she could buy a big bag of instant noodles for the weekend.

As a student, Shen Qing couldn’t even guarantee her basic living needs. She relied entirely on financial aid arranged by her school. But even that aid was often stolen by others. In the end, the teachers had her eat on credit in the cafeteria and deducted it from her stipend at the end of each month—barely enough to keep her fed.

Everything else, might as well have been nothing.

Her nutrition was poor, and naturally, her growth and development were stunted.

Lin Chuyi knew that the first pot of gold Shen Qing would eventually earn came from the demolition compensation for that dilapidated hut. But although Shen Qing would grow financially capable, her way of handling things would still lag behind, leaving many hidden dangers for her future company. In her current situation, even getting into a university was nearly impossible.

Now that Shen Qing was standing right in front of her, Lin Chuyi asked herself honestly—there was no way she could just ignore her.

At least not until Shen Qing grew strong enough to stand on her own.

Shen Qing stood still, looking at her.

After a moment, she said, “You’re too kind. You’ll get taken advantage of.” She shook her head. “I can handle my own problems.”

She wore an old school uniform and carried a sack made from a fertilizer bag, but her spine was straight.

She believed in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. She would bide her time, grow stronger, and strike back fiercely one day.

But when someone offered her genuine kindness, she had no idea what to do with it.

And deep down, Shen Qing felt she didn’t deserve Lin Chuyi’s goodwill—because she wasn’t harmless.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“You see? She doesn’t need you,” System 0927 added coolly from the side. “This transaction went very well for me. I’ll contact you again when I need something.”

“Hey—shouldn’t we still go to a hospital and have you checked out?” Lin Chuyi ignored 0927 and called after Shen Qing, still worried.

Shen Qing glanced back at her, then shook her head. Lin Chuyi had never lived in her kind of world; she wouldn’t drag her into that abyss.

She waved at her—her bandaged hand flashing sharply in Lin Chuyi’s eyes.

And then she left.

System 0927 was about to follow her.

Suddenly, the protagonist system Mengmeng arrived late, flustered: “0927, don’t go! You didn’t even apply for temporary access to my host—you’re trying to freeload off my host’s affection! I’m warning you, you owe overtime points for this. Double—no, triple points!”

“So noisy.” System 0927 stopped and replied coolly.

“Pay now! Transfer it!”

“Fine. Here. This is the amount I agreed on with your host earlier.”

“Wow, why is it so much? Do villain systems have this much money?!” Mengmeng stared at the credited points in shock. “You didn’t just overpay to show off in front of me, did you? This is too much—I should return some?”

“Noisy,” 0927 snorted. “Save your kindness. It’s useless on me.”

“You don’t accept kindness, then you’re not a good system!” Mengmeng exclaimed. All the protagonist systems around it were supposed to promote truth, kindness, and beauty.

“Say one more word and I’m taking the points back. Idiot.”

Mengmeng immediately covered its mouth and flew behind Lin Chuyi, not daring to make a sound.

“Hmph.” System 0927 strode away proudly.

“Are we going to the library for work now?” Mengmeng asked.

Lin Chuyi thought for a moment. “Not yet. First, we’re going to get a new SIM card, buy a backup phone, and then—”

Then take care of the little stray who’d been hurt.

Her environment could improve one step at a time, starting with giving those bullies the punishment they deserved.