Born as the seventh daughter of the powerful and feared General Zhao, she should have lived a life of luxury, pampered as a noble young miss. But fate had been cruel. She was the child of an unwanted concubine, despised by the main wife, neglected by her father, and treated as nothing more than a stain in the grand Zhao household.
No status. No backing. No love.
Her life had never been easy.
Her mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her younger brother. From that moment on, the two siblings were left to fend for themselves in a household that never wanted them in the first place.
Their father, General Zhao, was a man focused only on power and legacy. He had many children, but only paid attention to the ones who showed promise—the talented ones who could bring him pride or political benefit. As for Zhao Lingxi and her younger brother, they were nothing more than burdens in his eyes.
They were ignored at best, mistreated at worst.
The concubines in the manor gave them a hard time, especially the more favored ones. The first wife, proud and harsh, saw their presence as a stain on the household's name. She made sure their lives were miserable. Their older siblings weren't any better—mocking them openly, turning servants against them, stealing their food and clothes when no one was watching.
In a place like that, kindness was rare.
That's why Zhao Lingxi cherished her second sister—the second daughter of the Zhao family.
Unlike the others, she treated Zhao Lingxi and her little brother with a gentle smile. She secretly brought them food when they were hungry, smuggled warm blankets into their cold, cramped room during the winter, and even bandaged Zhao Lingxi's bruises once when she had been punished unfairly.
To a young girl starving for affection, that kindness felt like a lifeline.
Over time, Zhao Lingxi's heart softened. She trusted her second sister completely. She thought, maybe… not everyone in this house was cruel. Maybe she finally had someone on her side.
But she was wrong.
Beneath that gentle smile hid deep ambition.
The second sister had never cared. All her kindness was a mask. What she truly wanted was the hidden inheritance left behind by Zhao Lingxi's mother. Something even Zhao Lingxi didn't know existed at the time.
And when Zhao Lingxi finally found someone she thought she could love, when she was engaged to the eldest son of the prestigious Qin family, her second sister struck.
On what should have been the happiest night of her life, her wedding night, Zhao Lingxi was dragged into a nightmare.
She was framed for something she didn't do. Accused of adultery, humiliated in front of everyone, and before she could even explain, her newlywed husband—yes, the same man she once loved with all her heart—strangled her with his own hands.
She died in pain, confusion, and betrayal.
Her body was secretly buried, dumped like trash, and quickly forgotten by everyone. No mourning. No justice. No one in the Zhao family cared. Not even her powerful father.
The only person who cried for her, the only one who cared, was her younger brother.
But even he wasn't spared.
Afraid that he might speak the truth, those two scumbags, her so-called husband and her fake 'sister,' got rid of him too. Silenced him forever.
After that, they took the inheritance that Zhao Lingxi's mother had hidden away and used it for themselves. Greedy and heartless.
But fate wasn't finished with Zhao Lingxi.
Anguished, full of regret and fury, Zhao Lingxi was given a second chance. She was reborn.
This time, her heart carried only one word—revenge.
Every single person who had mocked her, humiliated her, abandoned her, or harmed her brother would pay in blood. Step by step, she clawed her way back from nothing, her cold beauty turning sharper, her will unbreakable. Her brilliance could no longer be ignored.
She sharpened her mind, trained her body, and grew powerful in both strength and influence. Those who once looked down on her were forced to look up, powerless before the person they had trampled underfoot.
And in the end, her determination drew the gaze of the Crown Prince himself—the proud and powerful man who was the true male lead of the story. With his backing and her ruthless resolve, Zhao Lingxi would rise above them all.
In short, it was a tale of blood and betrayal, of growth and revenge. The heroine's journey from the ashes to glory.
Bethany squinted as she pieced everything together.
If that icy beauty was the heroine, and the two girls in plain uniforms were her servants… then who was she?
Her lips twitched as the answer sank in.
Lan Yue.
The loyal servant. The best friend. The one who, blinded by jealousy, would one day betray her mistress and pay for it with her life at Zhao Lingxi's hands.
Bethany's face went blank.
…You've got to be kidding me. Out of all the roles in the story, I landed the cannon fodder best friend?
Just her luck.
She survived an apocalypse, fought zombies, became a leader, only to die a cruel death and transmigrate… into this nonsense? And not even as the heroine, or at least a powerful villain, but a tragic little side character who didn't even make it past halfway in the novel!
Lan Yue's ending had been miserable—beaten, humiliated, and then executed by the very mistress she had once loyally served. Bethany shuddered just thinking about it.
"Nope. Absolutely not," she muttered under her breath. "I'm not playing this game."
If the script wanted her to be a cannon fodder, then she would tear up the script and write her own.
She wasn't about to waste her second life being someone else's stepping stone.
Food, comfort, and a peaceful life—that was all she wanted. As far as she was concerned, revenge, betrayal, and bloody drama could stay far, far away from her.
Her eyes darted toward Zhao Lingxi, the cold, domineering heroine whose story this world revolved around.
Yup, she wasn't going to do that.