The Villain Has A Yuri Halo [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 30

In the quiet, suspended stillness of time, a stunningly beautiful woman slept peacefully inside a life-sustaining pod. Her hair was a thick, dark cloud, her features delicate and perfect as if painted. She lay in a deep slumber, and no one would have the heart to disturb her.

The space around her seemed untouched by the passage of time, as if nothing living existed here. Yet, the white roses in the vase slowly withered, a stark contradiction to the eternal quiet.

Suddenly, a shimmering illusion appeared on the wall, and from it, a small, plump mechanical figure emerged. Its beady eyes were filled with sadness. The little bot raised a stubby hand, replacing the withered white rose in the vase with a fresh one.

Its voice was weary, heavy with worry for the woman.

It clung to the life pod, as if trying to cry, but its 666-model life-creation chassis didn’t come with the parts or programming for tears. So, all it could do was complain mournfully, “Host, when are you finally going to wake up?”

They had already disconnected from that world. The system program had erased the host’s story and brought them back to the system space, so why wouldn’t she wake up?

The mission had failed, which meant the character “Li Ju” no longer existed in that modern world. Everything changed because of the car accident that Li Ju was supposed to have caused. But an unexpected turn of events made her abandon the mission; her only thought was to save the female lead, Tang Qingqing.

Everything was a mess!

System 666 sighed with frustration, but it couldn’t change Li Ju’s mind. The incident had even forced it to shut down temporarily since Li Ju’s physical body couldn’t handle their operation at the time.

So, System 666 waited and waited, anticipating the day Li Ju’s injuries healed so they could leave that world.

But why was it back in the system space while Li Ju showed no signs of waking up?

The more 666 thought about it, the more scared it became. It was the longest it had ever been separated from Li Ju.

It held the withered white rose in its hand, tilted its smooth, round head back, and cried out.

Only a thunderous sound came out, though, with no rain, because it couldn’t produce tears.

“Host, Host, don’t sleep anymore! 666 is so lonely! I complained to the program, but all it does is give me official-answer, saying I don’t need to worry because you’re not in any danger.”

“Host, so many roses have withered. I don’t know how to prune them. If you don’t wake up, they’ll all die!”

The sobs of 666 finally stirred the woman, who had been sleeping for a long time. Her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked, as if waiting for her chaotic memories to finish loading.

The life pod sensed its host was awake, and the transparent lid automatically opened.

Li Ju’s confused expression slowly became calm as she took in her surroundings. She touched her forehead, her mind was racing with disbelief.

She had survived the program’s story erasure? Was this… a bug? Or…

…Or was it because A’Ci’s life form was more advanced than the system’s, allowing it to protect her from the erasure?

“Ahhh, Host, Host! You’re back!”

System 666 bounced excitedly beside the life pod. Li Ju turned her head and smiled faintly. “I didn’t realize 666 could be so lively.”

“Host, Host, why did it take you so long to wake up?!”

Li Ju deliberately hid A’Ci’s parasitic presence. She told System 666, “Scan my body.”

“Okay, Host.”

A beam of light shot from 666’s right eye, scanning Li Ju from head to toe. It quickly reported its findings: “System scan complete. Host’s soul is intact, with no sign of cracks.”

Li Ju pondered this. It was just as she had suspected. 666 couldn’t detect A’Ci’s presence. It was no wonder it hadn’t noticed anything when she’d had it scan her body before the car accident.

It was now undeniable that A’Ci was a more advanced being than 666.

Li Ju stepped out of the life pod, her form-fitting white and gold uniform adding a touch of sacred elegance to her beautiful face. She opened her personal data panel. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the deducted points.

The points were correctly deducted—the price of a failed mission.

Her life, which should have ended, was saved by A’Ci’s energy. Even though she had lost her memories, who was to say that wasn’t a good thing?

This confirmed something for Li Ju: the program didn’t know her soul had stayed in that world. It had allowed her to live out her life there until she died of old age. And the mission failure meant the original plot was no longer in effect, freeing her completely from its control.

She smiled slyly. This was the second interesting discovery she had made after figuring out how to bypass the minor plot points and only follow the major ones. It was too much fun to share with 666.

Li Ju bent down and affectionately picked up the little mechanical bot, placing it on her shoulder. Then, she took out the fresh white rose.

Her delicate, long fingers held the pure white rose like a meticulously carved piece of art.

“Thank you, 666, for replacing the roses for me all this time.”

666 happily waved its stubby little hands while holding the white rose.

 “Don’t mention it! Don’t mention it!”

Li Ju’s eyes curved into a smile. She was keeping A’Ci’s parasitic presence a secret from 666 because she didn’t want the program to discover this secret.

She passed through the wall and left the room with the life pod, arriving at the control room. She tapped the control panel, and data on Tang Qingqing from the last world appeared.

A flash of sorrow and affection crossed Li Ju’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed the unusual emotion. She had to hide the fact that her soul hadn’t been returned by the program.

A projection appeared above, with a clear profile of Tang Qingqing.

Li Ju was already familiar with Tang Qingqing’s data; she was just looking at it one last time as a final farewell.

Li Ju’s expression was calm and indifferent, yet the little 666 on her shoulder seemed to sense something.

“Host, are you sad?”

She pursed her lips and said calmly, “Why would I be? I just want to remember the woman who made me fail my mission. I, Li Ju, have slacked off and completed countless missions. I never thought I would be defeated by her. Don’t you think I should remember this woman well?”

“You’re right, Host.”

Li Ju stared at Tang Qingqing’s data. Even though she had failed the mission in that world, she never regretted saving Tang Qingqing.

There were many missions, and she could always earn back the points.

But Tang Qingqing only had one life.

She saved the world where Tang Qingqing was and took a deep breath to compose herself.

She was still the same ace employee, Li Ju, who only wanted to coast by.

“Let’s go. Next mission.”

“Don’t you need to rest, Host?”

Li Ju opened the mission gate. Looking at the countless worlds spinning before her, she hit the pause button and clearly saw her next task.

Her smile was tinged with sorrow, a forced effort. Li Ju knew she was lucky; she had those decades of love and companionship. She should be content. She didn’t forget who she was. Now that her memories were back, Li Ju was no longer the carefree person she used to be; she had a long road ahead.

And someone like her wasn’t worthy of love. Having a single lifetime of romance was already a stroke of luck.

Someone like her should be alone for life.

Because she could never escape the program’s emotional removal, she wasn’t worthy of being loved.

Li Ju took her first step, passing through the mission gate. After the program’s emotional removal, she would just be Li Ju, an employee of the Villain department.

******

Jiangyang Town was the best-preserved ancient town in the present day, attracting countless tourists every year, including the staff of a certain variety show. They had come here in advance to design missions based on their plan. Sometimes, the staff even had to run through the missions themselves to see if there were any issues they needed to fix.

Today, the staff was full of energy, desperate to get in on some juicy gossip, but they couldn’t just casually spill the beans since they were in the industry. If they were caught, they’d be in serious trouble.

“Don’t you think Long Jing’an’s fans must be so devastated?”

“No matter how devastated his fans are, they can’t be more devastated than Li Ju’s fans!”

When one of the staff members, a woman with long hair, brought up Li Ju’s name, the other two women exchanged a look and sighed in unison.

The long-haired staff member was exasperated. She pointed at her phone, scrolling through the trending topics, and cursed, “What in the world is wrong with Li Ju? She’s gorgeous and talented. She was the top student at the Beijing Film Academy and became an instant hit right after graduation. Who wouldn’t be envious of her luck? Not only that, every show she’s been in has been a huge hit, so she quickly rose to the top as the most popular young actress. People even nicknamed her ‘The Number One Ju.’ Her future was so bright, but then…”

Her voice became bitter. “…Who knew that girl was such a love-obsessed moron!”

A colleague next to her nodded and quipped, “Her fans say her brain is stuffed with oranges and she has no sense!”

Someone else scoffed, “If she had no sense, how did she get into the academy as the top student? Let’s be real, she’s just a love-obsessed moron. She doesn’t cherish her career, so there’s no point in us being upset.”

The long-haired woman said dejectedly, “I used to be a fan of hers.”

“No wonder you know so much about her past. She was a star you used to follow!”

She lamented, “This star didn’t need me to abandon her; she ran off herself, right to the side of some talentless male actor. I hate it!”

“Don’t say that. Long Jing’an might not have acting skills, but he’s really good-looking.”

“I still can’t stand him!” The long-haired woman clearly had a personal vendetta against him. After all, her favorite actress had gone crazy and started chasing after Long Jing’an.

“Linlin, I have some good news. Want to hear it?” another staff member said mysteriously.

The long-haired woman, whose name was Meng Linlin, rolled her eyes but then leaned in closer. “What is it?”

“I heard from the assistant director that Li Ju might be invited to be on this show.”

“What?! Seriously?”

“Whether it’s real or fake, time will tell. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

*******

Autumn gave way to winter, and soon, the coldest season of the year arrived.

An SUV pulled up to an entertainment company’s building. A tall woman, her face obscured by a black scarf and a mask, entered the company, accompanied by a man.

Her eyes, “peach blossom” eyes, were naturally luminous and full of emotion; they could make even a stone seem beloved.

But this woman was stingy with her gaze, keeping a cool distance and controlling the inherent affection in her eyes.

So, with Li Ju’s deliberate restraint, those naturally soulful eyes could become cold and apathetic.

“Sister Ju, this way.”

“Am I that old?”

“No, no, no, I just wanted to show you some respect.”

Li Ju leaned against the elevator handrail, eyeing the man’s nervous, sweaty state. She said flatly, “Did you ever think I’d be this famous?”

“No, no, Sister Ju, what happened back then… I was out of my mind. Please, will you give me a break?” The man nervously took off his glasses and wiped his brow. He knew exactly why the higher-ups had sent him to greet Li Ju: to get her to calm down and sign a contract with the company.

He was filled with regret. If he had known Li Ju would become this successful, he would have signed her back then, no matter what!

Li Ju sneered. “Shut your mouth. You’re being annoying.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

It wasn’t that Li Ju was acting like a diva; it was that this man had wronged her in the past, even attempting to take advantage of her.

And was that something a villain could tolerate? So Li Ju had beaten him up and exposed what he had done. Marketing accounts immediately began to dig into his history, and they actually found a few things. As a result, he was demoted from manager to a regular employee, stripped of all his connections and power.

Li Ju stood with her hands in her pockets, her face cold as she waited for the elevator doors to open.

The man beside her was terrified. He wasn’t very capable and had a hard time finding a job. If the company fired him, he didn’t know what he would do. This was why he refused to quit, even after being demoted.

“Sister Ju, this way, this way.”

Li Ju was like a noble empress, calmly enjoying the attention of her attendant.

To be a good villain, picking on someone who had wronged her wasn’t enough to uphold her character. Her mission was to offend the male and female leads in this world, too! If it weren’t for the mission, Li Ju wouldn’t have come to this company in the first place.

Suddenly, Li Ju heard some voices she wasn’t supposed to hear. Her lips curled into a smile of interest. She glanced at the man beside her and said in a low voice, “What’s over there?”

“That’s a practice room. In recent years, reality shows have gotten worse, so the kids the company signed are temporarily shelved. Almost every company does this. After all, the shows three years ago were so popular, everyone wants to replicate the success of a popular idol.” The man explained, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. He was glad he wasn’t a manager anymore; otherwise, he’d have a lot of headaches dealing with this troublesome bunch.

Li Ju understood, but she didn’t turn to leave. Instead, she stayed around the corner, listening in.

“Si… Sister Ju?!”

She glared at the man in disgust. “Shut up,” she hissed.

She perked her ears up, hoping for some gossip, but then she heard a familiar name.

“Fang Yihan, why do you get to help out beside our senior? Tell me, did you use some dirty tricks to get to Sister Cai? I heard Sister Cai likes girls, especially delicate, gentle-looking ones like you.”

Li Ju’s carefree expression turned serious. She hadn’t expected the female lead’s bullying to start so early. She had already planned to go and scare the younger kids, but now she had to go for sure.

Bullying the female lead? They couldn’t do that without her!

In this world, Li Ju was a famous actress, and fans and netizens had a love-hate relationship with her, experiencing the classic case of loving so deeply it turns to hatred.

Li Ju’s “love-crazed” behavior shocked everyone. Unlike other popular actresses who gave vague answers about their ideal partners, she publicly showed an interest in a reality show contestant. This move made both Li Ju and Long Jing’an famous again.

Everyone thought it was a publicity stunt, part of her persona.

But whenever someone brought up the topic of love, Li Ju would mention Long Jing’an, saying he reminded her of someone in her memories and that he had made a lasting impression.

In other words, she was indirectly confessing her feelings!

Suddenly, many of her fans stopped following her, thinking she had lost her mind.

Long Jing’an, on the other hand, gained a huge following, which helped him debut in second place.

But Li Ju’s infuriating antics weren’t over. Her “love-crazed” actions made countless people leave her, but when her dramas came out, people fell in love with her again. Her “beautiful but tragic” character in the show gave Li Ju a huge boost in popularity. Her former fans returned, and her fame grew even more.

Everyone thought she would stop, but Li Ju remained the same. Sometimes she would accidentally “like” a post or do other things that sent her fans on an emotional rollercoaster.

As a result, both sides’ fanbases disliked each other, and Li Ju’s reputation online became extremely complicated.

You couldn’t say her acting was bad, because it wasn’t. You couldn’t say her character was bad, because no one had ever exposed anything. The only problem was her brain, which seemed to be filled with hearts and flowers.

Later, her fans simply gave up on her outrageous behavior. Let her do what she wants; they couldn’t control her. What else could they do but give up?

Meanwhile, the male lead, Long Jing’an, was frustrated by Li Ju’s advances, yet all his resources and fame came from her. This debt of gratitude prevented him from publicly stating that Li Ju’s actions were causing him trouble. He could only try to avoid any connection with her.

He had a crush on someone: Fang Yihan, a fellow trainee.

Compared to Fang Yihan, his luck was amazing. While he received flowers and applause, Fang Yihan was struggling with whether she should leave the company.

When Long Jing’an found out, he offered to make Fang Yihan his assistant. By staying by his side, Fang Yihan would have more opportunities to be seen.

Fang Yihan was indeed seen… by Li Ju.

For a veteran like Li Ju, it was easy to take an assistant from Long Jing’an. Furthermore, by this time, Li Ju had signed with the same company as Long Jing’an, so his manager, Sister Cai, personally brought Fang Yihan to her.

She looked at Fang Yihan, who seemed timid and like a punching bag, and smiled as she made her her assistant.

From then on, Fang Yihan took care of Li Ju’s every need until her family was struck by a great misfortune. Li Ju offered to help but required Fang Yihan to sign a contract, making her Li Ju’s master from then on. Fang Yihan could not see anyone without Li Ju’s permission.

The two made an agreement, but Long Jing’an refused to accept it.

He thought Li Ju was crazy. From her initial harassment of him to her confinement of Fang Yihan, these were not the actions of a normal person. He had to save Fang Yihan.

The story unfolded as Long Jing’an expected. Li Ju’s behavior became more and more abnormal.

She even threatened to jump off a building to manipulate Fang Yihan, as if to show off to Long Jing’an that Fang Yihan would never leave.

She jumped.

She didn’t die but would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

This accident caused Long Jing’an to have a severe mental breakdown, but even so, Fang Yihan didn’t leave.

Just as Li Ju had flaunted to Long Jing’an, Fang Yihan continued to stay by her side.

“Fang Yihan! Say something, stop acting like a mute!” The girl’s insults interrupted Li Ju’s plot review. Taking on a crazy villain persona wasn’t new to her, so she wasn’t surprised at all.

Li Ju tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. She walked out from the corner, catching the girls off guard and making their faces freeze.

“Oh, is this workplace bullying?”

“I’d better take a good look, because my next drama is about a girl who gets bullied. Guess what my character does to fight back?”

“I kill them all!”

She was wearing a pure white coat, her black scarf and long hair blended together. Her smiling eyes were mesmerizing, as if filled with the most beautiful, vibrant stars in the world.

She should have looked innocent, but her words made everyone shiver.

The girl who had just been yelling at Fang Yihan stammered, “We… we weren’t bullying her! Ask Fang Yihan. And who are you, anyway? Why are you meddling in our business?”

Li Ju held out her hands and pulled down her mask, revealing her stunning face. Her smile was cold, with a strange upward curve at the corners. She said, “Do you recognize me now?”

“Li Ju?!”

“Oh crap, we’re screwed.”

“Hello, senior. We weren’t bullying Fang Yihan. We were just messing around.”

Fang Yihan, whose clothes were being tugged, blinked her long lashes like a fluttering black butterfly. Her dark eyes stared intently at Li Ju. This intense gaze wasn’t offensive, but Li Ju found it strange.

What did it mean? Everyone else was scared stiff, but she was just staring at her?

Li Ju frowned, asking in a harsh tone, “What are you looking at? Are you an idiot? If someone bullies you, you should fight back.”

“Hello, my name is Fang Yihan.”

“…He-Hello, I’m Li Ju.”

Oh, for goodness sake, what was this? This wasn’t the time for introductions!

Li Ju pulled her mask back up and pointed at the girl who had started it all. “You guys can continue. Just pretend I wasn’t here.”

Li Ju turned and walked away. Fang Yihan mumbled softly, “She came to the company?”

“You didn’t know? I heard the higher-ups want to sign her.”

Fang Yihan really didn’t know, so she followed up, “Will she agree?” She seemed so sincere, so earnest.

The girl scoffed. “With Long Jing’an here, of course she will. She’s a ‘love-crazed moron,’ after all.”

Fang Yihan repeated, “Love-crazed moron? Then, it must be very happy to be loved by a love-crazed moron.”

“Are you… crazy? Are you okay?”

Support The Villain Has A Yuri Halo [Quick Transmigration]