When Ruan Yue opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a cracked whitewashed ceiling and the dull spinning blades of a creaky ceiling fan.
The second thing she saw was her own hands — thin, bony, and covered in tiny calluses. They looked nothing like the manicured fingers she'd had just moments ago, holding her phone while scrolling through a romance novel's final chapter.
[Ding!]
> Congratulations, Host 0927. You have successfully bound to the "Villain Redemption System".
The voice in her head was crisp and mechanical, yet had an infuriating cheerfulness, like a salesperson who refused to hear "no."
"Villain… redemption?" Ruan Yue muttered, blinking rapidly. Her voice was hoarse, unused to speaking softly.
> Affirmative! You are now in the body of Ruan Yue — the notorious shrew and future scourge of Linhe Village in the year 1983. Original fate: tragic death after destroying the male lead's career, the female lead's marriage, and her own reputation. Your mission: change your ending.
Ruan Yue's mind buzzed. 1983? Linhe Village? Oh no. She remembered. This was the exact novel she'd just finished reading — a rural reform-era romance where the sweet, hardworking heroine married a reborn male lead, became wealthy, and lived happily ever after.
And Ruan Yue? She was that Ruan Yue — the lazy, petty, and sharp-tongued widow who bullied the heroine out of jealousy and ended up beaten half to death by angry villagers.
She had been so irredeemably awful that readers cheered when she died.
Now she was her.
She sat up abruptly, the thin cotton quilt sliding down, revealing a patched blouse and the faint smell of sun-dried laundry. Outside, she could hear the distant sound of someone chopping firewood, children laughing, and the faint creak of a bicycle.
She swallowed hard.
The 80s. A time before smartphones, online shopping, or iced milk tea. A time of work points, ration tickets, and endless gossip.
"System, are you telling me… I have to make people like me?" she asked bitterly.
> Incorrect! Your goal is to survive and avoid death flags. Positive reputation points are optional… though strongly recommended to avoid pitchfork-related incidents.
Ruan Yue rubbed her forehead. Great. Not only was she in the past, she was in the past as a villain everyone already hates.
She caught sight of herself in the small square mirror propped on the wooden table — a gaunt face, sharp eyes, hair in a messy braid. Not ugly, but the kind of woman the neighbors would call "mean-looking" after she passed by.
From outside came the shrill voice of the village gossip, Auntie Zhang.
"Have you heard? That Ruan widow's at it again — I saw her scare away the production team's new accountant yesterday. She'll never change."
Ruan Yue felt her scalp prickle.
Yesterday? Oh. That must have been original Ruan Yue.
Well, fine. If she was going to be hated, maybe she should just… lean into the villain role. Keep her head down, survive, and let the real story unfold without her interference.
But then —
> New Task Generated: Prevent the female lead from marrying the male lead.
Reward: 50 survival points.
Failure: Immediate death.
Ruan Yue froze.
What kind of messed-up "redemption" was this?