The corridor outside the ancestral hall smelled faintly of incense and old wood.
Ning Fei walked slowly, her steps measured, her head lowered just enough to appear obedient. Servants passed by without meeting her eyes. Somewhere behind her, Ningran's soft voice floated through the air, still explaining, still comforting, still carefully shaping the narrative.
None of it mattered.
Not anymore.
[Mission Countdown: 23:47:12]
[Objective: Intercept the evidence.]
[Failure Consequence: Fate Lock — Permanent Reputation Collapse.]
Ning Fei exhaled quietly.
One day.
In her previous life, she had never known this countdown existed. She had walked blindly into her execution, trusting that truth would save her.
This time, she knew exactly how much time she had left before the blade fell.
And she intended to turn that blade around.
The Memory That Bled
The system did not show her images.
It didn't need to.
Her body remembered.
The small storage room behind the west courtyard. The cracked wooden chest. The servants "accidentally" discovering the jade pendant hidden inside her belongings.
Evidence.
False, but undeniable.
In that life, Ningran—no, Ning Guang—had stood in the center of the crowd, trembling, clutching the evidence as though it burned her hands.
"I didn't want to believe it," she had said back then, tears falling freely. "But the proof is here…"
And the world had ended.
[System Prompt:]
[Do you wish to replay the memory?]
"No," Ning Fei answered silently.
She didn't need to relive it.
She needed to rewrite it.
Target Identified
[Primary Target: Ning Guang]
[Role: Evidence Presenter]
[Psychological Profile: Control-oriented, reputation-dependent, fear of exposure.]
So it wasn't just Ningran.
Ning Guang—the elder cousin, the quiet manipulator. The one who never cried. The one who moved pieces behind the curtain.
In her last life, Ning Fei had barely noticed her.
This time, the system painted her in blood-red lines.
[Secondary Objective Unlocked:]
[Turn evidence against its owner.]
[Reward: Massive Villain Points + Authority Shift.]
Ning Fei's lips curved faintly.
So the system wanted escalation.
Good.
She turned down the side path toward the servants' quarters.
Night fell quickly.
Lanterns flickered to life, casting long shadows against the stone walls. Ning Fei moved like a ghost, her presence barely acknowledged. The servants were used to ignoring her.
That, too, was a weapon.
She stopped outside the west storage room.
Locked.
Just as she remembered.
[Skill Activated: Emotional Camouflage Lv.1]
[Presence detection reduced.]
Ning Fei crouched and examined the lock.
Old. Rusted. Opened frequently.
[System Suggestion:]
[Brute force unnecessary. Observe pattern.]
She waited.
Ten minutes later, footsteps approached.
A maid—young, nervous, clutching a bundle of cloth. She unlocked the door, slipped inside, then locked it again.
Ning Fei followed silently.
Inside, the room smelled of dust and mold. Boxes stacked unevenly. The maid placed the cloth inside a chest and turned—
—and froze.
"N-Ning Fei?" the maid stammered.
Ning Fei tilted her head. "I was looking for you."
Her voice was gentle.
The maid swallowed. "M-me?"
"Yes." Ning Fei stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You were instructed to move something tonight, weren't you?"
The maid's face drained of color.
[Lie Detection: Confirmed.]
"I—I don't know what you mean…"
Ning Fei sighed softly. "You don't have to be afraid. I already know."
She reached into the chest and lifted the cloth.
Inside lay the jade pendant.
And beneath it—
A folded letter.
Her fingers stilled.
[System Alert: Additional evidence detected.]
A letter?
That hadn't existed in her last life.
Interesting.
She unfolded it.
The handwriting was elegant. Familiar.
Ning Guang's.
The contents were simple. Devastating.
Instructions.
Placement details.
Timing.
Witness coordination.
A confession.
Ning Fei laughed quietly.
So fate had overplayed its hand.
Cornering the Spider
The next morning, the household gathered again.
This time, Ning Guang stood at the center.
Calm. Confident. Certain.
"I found something last night," Ning Guang said, lifting the jade pendant. "I didn't want to believe it, but…"
She paused deliberately.
Everyone leaned in.
Ning Fei stepped forward.
"I found something too," she said.
The room froze.
Ning Guang's eyes flickered.
"What do you mean?"
Ning Fei smiled and placed the letter on the table.
"Care to explain?"
Silence.
Then—
Ning Guang lunged.
"Where did you get that?!"
Too late.
The elders read.
Faces changed.
Murmurs turned sharp.
"Is this handwriting—"
"Ning Guang!"
Ning Guang's composure shattered.
"That means nothing!" she shouted. "Anyone could fake this!"
Ning Fei tilted her head. "Then perhaps the maid would like to speak."
The maid fell to her knees.
"I—I was told to place it there! By miss Ning Guang!"
The hall erupted.
Ning Guang staggered back.
Cornered.
Exposed.
Unable to defend herself.
[Villain Points ×1000.]
[Authority Shift: +1 Tier.]
Ning Fei watched quietly.
No triumph.
Only cold satisfaction.
But the system did not celebrate.
[Warning:]
[Major fate deviation detected.]
[New Threat Activated.]
A chill ran down Ning Fei's spine.
"What threat?" she asked silently.
The system responded.
[Hidden Antagonist Awareness Triggered.]
[Someone has noticed the anomaly.]
Anomaly.
Her.
Across the hall, an unfamiliar gaze met hers.
Sharp.
Evaluating.
Smiling.
Not Ningran.
Not Ning Guang.
Someone new.
And someone dangerous.
Ning Fei's heart beat once.
Hard.
So the game had expanded.
She lowered her gaze.
And smiled.
She had destroyed the evidence.
She had crushed Ning Guang.
So why did it feel like someone else had just locked onto her?