The villainess decided to abandon the script

• C h a p t e r •

Ye Zhiruo woke up with a terrible headache. Pressing her head with both her palms, she moaned in pain. Her voice came out scratchy.

She sat up straight on the soft fluffy bed with a sigh. The sound buzzing in her eardrums made her close her eyes even tight. The last thing she remembered was cracking a few codes in some hacking competition she came across by chance. Did her brain overwork? This wasn’t unusual for her though.

The unfamiliar yet familiar surroundings bought her back to reality. She frowned at the huge extensive French decor of the room which was definitely not hers. Her room had small modern decor with tons of computers and she loved it that way.

Subconsciously she raised her hand to set her glasses straight but found she had none and could see clearly. Her frown deepened. She had serious Myopia where everything was almost blurred. She didn't risk trying LASIK because of her own fear.

She turned towards the nightstand on her left. In front of some vintage table lamp was a purple phone of the latest model. Again! The feeling of being familiar yet unfamiliar was back which made her stomach churn.

She silently reached for it and clicked it open. A set of dots appeared asking her to draw a pattern to get inside. Her thumb reacted instinctively making an M on the screen which made her let go of the phone.

She then noticed her hand looked a lot smaller for a 29-year-old. Her eyes fell on the screen where a lean girl in her teens smiled beautifully making a heart with her hands. Slightly behind her were a smiling couple looking 5 to 6 points similar to the girl.

Ye Zhiruo didn't even have the time to think straight as her head began to ache again. But this time it wasn't due to the hangover. Closing her eyes tightly, flashes of unfamiliar memories kept coming into her mind. Which she knew for sure weren’t hers.

What’s happening? Why are someone else’s memories coming to her?

Di- Did she... transmigrate? No, wait! Did she die in her room?

Ye Zhiruo widened her eyes in horror at the conclusion.

No way! No Way! This cannot... Absolutely CaNnOt happen. No, she couldn’t have died right? There is no such thing as transmigration or rebirth! She must be dreaming... Yes, the only logical explanation is... She must be dreaming...

Ye Zhirou shook her head violently and hit herself a few times muttering wake up to herself. She wanted someone to come in front of her and say this was all a joke and ask her to go back.

“Please wake up. You can’t do this to me. Let this be a dream. Please. Wake up.” She was on verge of breaking down. Her arms were a little red due to the self-inflicted injuries but other than that nothing changed.

You don’t feel pain in your dreams!

She pulled her hair anxiously at the thought. Her eyes turned red when she remembered her collections of merch that was in her room. She worked really hard for that. All of a sudden she seemed to have aged another decade and there seemed no purpose for her at that moment.

Really? Out of everything, you are worried about the merch?

Her subconsciousness mocked her bringing her back to reality.

That 'merch' you are talking about is my lifeline!

She retorted angrily. When she was at the lowest point in her life, songs gave her hope when people didn’t. And those light sticks in the concert halls made her feel she was not the only one in the world.

A stray tear fell from her eye as reality began to sink in.

But what was she going to do now that she had transmigrated into someone else? Just when she wanted to live...

Ye Zhirou choked on air as she tried to control her tears which still fell uncontrollably.

Just when she was finally happy... Just when she felt life was worth it... She didn’t want to die like this!

A sad humorless chuckle echoed in the quiet room. She felt like laughing. Laughing hard at her fate.

All her efforts, all her struggles from the time she could remember... What were they for now that she had no way of going back?

A small sob left her lips making her bite her inner cheek. Her shoulders trembled violently.

Hugging her arms tightly as if resigning to it, she dipped her head into the pillow in front of her.

Slowly, she raised her head weakly from the slightly wet pillow. It took her more than an hour to finally stop mourning.

She wiped her stinging eyes, blinking continuously to clear the water in them. She just sat there looking around the room in silence.

The extensive transparent white ivy pattern embroidered curtains hung before huge perfectly styled French windows on either side of the wall of photos on the left.

On the wooden oak floor was a lovely peach pink rugged carpet which was as soft as it appeared. Then was her queen-sized bed with white bedding. There were nightstands on either side of her bed with vintage table lamps.

In front of her bed were two blush fur ottomans. On the right wall between two doors were certificates and two pink ballet shoes hung. Behind her were two big paintings of ballerina dancing.

It was a perfect room for a little rich girl but for her who never had the stage of being a ‘little rich girl’ it was quite daunting.

A knock on the door got her back to reality. The door opened smoothly revealing a woman in her late 30's wearing a perfectly ironed long sleeves black dress with a white collar that reached just above her legs. Her face appeared a little stern as she walked inside with a frown.

Aunt Claire?

The name appeared in her head all of a sudden and the sudden fondness for the woman in front of her made her feel uneasy. Was this the body's feelings?

“Tori? mon Dieu! Why are your eyes so red?” She spoke clearly distressed as she sat down at the edge of the bed reaching out and pulling a strand of hair behind Ye Zhirou’s ear before patting her cheek fondly.

“A- Aunt Claire.” She muttered a little uncomfortably lowering her head suddenly finding her fingers interesting.

“I- I had- a nightmare.” She stuttered a little riling up again while Claire Martin frowned at the mention.

“Shh- It’s ok dear. It’s just a nightmare. Don’t think about it anymore.” She rubbed Ye Zhirou’s left eye with her thumb lovingly once before standing up. The sudden affection from the other person made Ye Zhirou feel out of place.

“You stay here. I’ll ask someone to send some ice.” She spoke patting Ye Zhirou’s head before walking briskly towards the door. It took a few minutes before Ye Zhirou heard a series of footsteps again.

“Yue! Are you alright baby?” A beautiful woman looking exactly like the one in the picture she saw walked towards her with a concerned expression. Her blonde hair and light blue eyes stood out the most.

She occupied the place in which Claire sat previously and held Ye Zhirou’s hand tightly.

“Yue?” She called out bringing her out of her daze.

“Mum...” She subconsciously uttered, her eyes still red and swollen from the crying making the woman smile sadly.

“My baby! It must have been horrible.” She spoke hugging Ye Zhirou who was flabbergasted at the act. Aunt Claire came back with a bowl filled with ice and a white towel. Behind her was an old man who Ye Zhirou identified as the butler.

“Here. This will help.” Aunt Claire handed the cool towel to Aubrey Martin, her mother.

“Yue, lie down.” Aubrey gestured to a blank-looking Ye Zhirou who was trying to make sense of the situation.

“Yue?” She frowned as she lightly pushed Ye Zhirou until she laid down.

“Close your eyes now. It will be a little painful.” Aubrey muttered putting the towel on the back of her hand to check the temperature before slowly putting it on Ye Zhirou’s now closed eyes. Her lips quirked in surprise and her hands clenched into fists. Observing this tiny detail, Aubrey sighed in distress.

“Shh- Don’t worry. It was just a nightmare. None of it is real.” Aubrey said finally chuckling as she combed the stray hair on Ye Zhirou’s forehead unknown to her that she was having a fit internally.

I really hope none of this is real!

She thought but the anxiety in her heart when she woke up calmed down a lot. For the first time in her life, someone other than doctors was tending to her.

Her mind was a mess. She didn’t know what to feel. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to stop the woman but at the same time, she didn’t want to.

That woman in front of her... She called her mother... She had a mother...

Her heart clenched at that thought. Previously being an orphan she had no one to call her own. Now she had one too. She had a person she could call mother.

No this- this wasn’t her mother. This was Jiang Yingyue’s mother. This body’s mother. Not her’s.

Argh! Stop acting like a teenage girl!

Again her mind gave her a reality check. She sighed internally not paying attention to the conversation between the two women.

She needed to sort her thoughts out. But it also seems that fate didn’t want her to as she fell into oblivion tired of all the drama.

~.~

“H-........ He-......... Hey!” Ye Zhirou woke up with a jerk. She looked around to see pure white walls and nothing else. Not her own room or the French room she woke up in. Frowning, she looked at the girl in front of her. She looked exactly like the little girl in the picture.

“Yue?” She muttered in confusion while the girl in front of her smirked.

“The one and only. You must be Ye Zhirou?” She spoke tilting her head with a frown while Ye Zhirou nodded her head.

“Are you sending me back?” She asked with a little hope in her eyes while Jiang Yingyue just shook her head.

“I can’t send you back. You have already died in your world.” She spoke bluntly as if she didn’t just announce her death making Ye Zhirou frown and tighten her fists.

Don’t get angry she is just a teen.

She muttered to herself taking deep breaths.

“Then why am I here instead of being in the afterlife? And what caused my death?” Ye Zhirou questioned the girl half her age.

“Look, I am sorry I got you involved in this but my life is going to be a mess.” She spoke, her eyes suddenly turned red making Ye Zhirou raise her brow. She definitely didn’t sign up for a drama.

“I know this may sound like drama to you but hear me out please.” She pleaded while Ye Zhirou looked at her in eerie.

“Did you just hear my thoughts?” She questioned while Jiang Yinyue nodded her head.

“Please don’t do that again. It’s not very pleasant.” Ye Zhirou spoke sternly reprimanded her like an elder while Jiang Yingyue could only nod her head in return with a pout.

“Now continue.” She spoke while Jiang Yingyue took a deep breath.

“You know my past right. I was born and bought up lovingly by my parents Jiang Feng and Aubrey Martin. I never felt the need for anything. Even my relatives. My Aunt Claire Martin and Uncle Walter, My grandfather Robert Martin were very good to me. All in all, I had what they called a happy childhood.” Jiang Yingyue said with a bitter smile which matched Ye Zhirou’s but for a different reason entirely.

“That was until I made a few awful decisions.” She spoke gritting her teeth in anger while Ye Zhirou raised her brows.

“And what decisions were they?” She asked while Jiang Yingyue opened her mouth to answer before closing.

“I cannot tell you that but those decisions made my life and my family’s lives hell. To the point that everything we had now was taken away. And I had to watch my parents getting kicked out to the streets. I had to watch my father beg others for our family. I had to watch my mother trying hard not to breakdown in front of me. I regret it. I regret it all.” She spoke with so much emotion that the usually hard-hearted Ye Zhirou felt a bit of pity.

“So please take my place and help me keep my family safe and happy.” Jiang Yingyue pleaded which fell on deaf ear.

“Look girl, you said it yourself that it’s ‘your’ family. So why should I help? And on top of that, I don’t know what will happen so how do you know I won’t make the same mistakes? And why don’t you just re-do your life? Won’t it be easy to make decisions now?” Ye Zhirou looked at her suspiciously.

“I- I can’t. I am not capable of going back and facing them again. So please, I will give you my life in return for my wish. And I know you won’t make the same mistakes because you know the future. You just don’t remember it.” Jiang Yingyue spoke almost begging while Ye Zhirou rolled her eyes.

She wasn’t a saint. She won't start being one now.

“I don’t want it.”

“Wh- What?” Jiang Yingyue stared at her with her big eyes making her sigh.

“I don’t want your life.” Ye Zhirou spoke as clear as the daylight while Jiang Yingyue was quiet for a while. Usually others would get happy to 'live' than go to the unknown afterlife.

“Why?” She asked in return while Ye Zhirou scratched her head.

“You see, I don’t want to try hard every day. Again. I just was to rest in the afterworld. I am tired too.” She spoke shrugging while Jiang Yingyue made a troubled expression.

“Bu- But fate brought us together.” Ye Zhirou scoffed.

“I don’t give a damn about fate.” She spoke while Jiang Yingyue bit her lip in distress. She opened her mouth once and twice before looking up to Ye Zhirou who was patiently waiting for her answer.

“B- But---..." She muttered something to herself making Ye Zhirou raise her brow.

"I- I am sorry. I hope you find happiness and live your life well. Please don’t blame me.” She spoke waving her hand in the air while Ye Zhirou was startled.

"Just remember the-......" The last of her words were inaudible as the light directly shined into her eyes.

“Wai-” She couldn’t even get a word across as she woke up in the same bedroom she did before.