Chapter 1

Something felt off. Jiang Muti opened her eyes and immediately sensed that the situation was unusual.

Several gazes were fixed on her, giving her no personal space to assess her situation after just transmigrating.

This shabby reception didn’t match the enthusiastic farewells and heartfelt advice from the staff at the transmigration bureau when they sent her off.

Just then, Jiang Muti heard a clear and pleasant voice came from above her head—

“Sorry, you’re very cute, but I can’t accept you.”

This kind of half-hearted rejection card? Jiang Muti had handed out countless of those herself. She thought indifferently that some poor soul had been publicly turned down.

But she quickly realized the gazes on her were growing more intense, and someone even let out a mocking laugh.

The air was thick with a slightly malicious excitement and detached amusement. For most people, even if they didn’t understand the situation, such an atmosphere would make them want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

However, Jiang Muti was used to being the center of attention in a crowd. She had long grown accustomed to others focusing their eyes on her, so she wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

She merely looked up. Her gaze landed on a gentle and handsome face, and from the corner of her eye, she noticed the irregularly encircling crowd around her.

Finally, her eyes rested on a bag of beautifully packaged handmade cookies in front of her.

That’s when Jiang Muti realized—her hand was raised!

She couldn’t blame herself. It had been less than thirty seconds since she entered this body. The influx of information had been so overwhelming that she hadn’t prioritized controlling her body.

But now, she understood the situation clearly.

Just before she transmigrated, the original owner of this body had been confessing to the young man in front of her. She had made handmade cookies with all her heart and had shyly held them out, hoping he would accept her feelings.

The result was obvious: her confession had been decisively rejected.

From the looks of it, the young man was quite popular at school. His face, his captivating voice, and the fact that most of the onlookers were girls made that plain to see.

But what puzzled Jiang Muti was that the transmigration bureau staff hadn’t mentioned this plotline in the novel world they had promised her.

Did this scene take place before the main plot began?

She hadn’t even considered the possibility of transmigrating into a minor side character or a cannon fodder role outside the heroine or villainess. Her overconfidence was on full display.

While she was still mulling it over, she felt a lightness in her hand. The young man across from her had taken the cookies she was holding.

His pale, slender fingers deftly untied the ribbon sealing the bag. Such an ordinary action, when performed by him, seemed as elegant as a painting.

Jiang Muti could clearly sense that the breathing of the girls around them became a little lighter.

The small sakura-shaped cookie was pinched between his fingers as he examined it briefly. His faint, thin lips parted slightly, and a subtle crunch accompanied the barely audible sound of chewing.

This ability to turn the simplest earthly food into something like a refreshing breeze or dewdrop truly made one envy that ill-fated cookie in his hands.

After just rejecting someone, he pulled this move? Based on her own experiences, Jiang Muti thought, Is this guy trying to keep a backup?

Then, before she could react, she felt something shoved into her mouth—it was the remaining half of the cookie that had been in the young man’s hand.

Jiang Muti was immediately displeased. Seriously? This ^[1]“Walking central heating” is a playful metaphor to describe someone who is warm, charming, and attentive, making others feel comfortable and cared for.”walking central heating” really won’t stop using me for show, huh?

But when she looked up and met his eyes—gentle in shape but icy cold in gaze—with a flash of sticky malice hidden in them, she understood.

I’ve met a kindred spirit!

Sure enough, the expressions of the surrounding girls shifted from malicious amusement to shock and indignation.

That seemingly insignificant act of tenderness instantly put Jiang Muti in the eye of the storm.

The young man’s expression carried an air of melancholy and regret, with a hint of suppressed sadness, as if he were reluctantly rejecting her out of some unspeakable reason.

Although he had declined, he left behind an infinite sense of ambiguity and hope for the rejected party, all while completely ignoring the jealousy he had stirred in those around him.

Of course, one might argue he was simply clueless, intending to ease the awkwardness of rejecting a girl publicly but accidentally making things worse.

But this guy wasn’t clueless—Jiang Muti could smell that manipulative scent a mile away.

She cast him a deep glance, took the cookie he handed back, and did something that stunned everyone.

Instead of cherishing it like the crowd might’ve expected, she spit out the piece in her mouth, tossed it back into the bag, and strode straight to the nearby trash can without hesitation.

She didn’t blink as she threw the whole thing away.

A cleaning lady happened to be collecting garbage nearby. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but mutter, “What a waste! If you’re not hungry now, you could’ve saved it for a snack later. Kids these days—”

Jiang Muti smiled. “It got dirty, I can’t eat it anymore.”

The cleaning lady let it go, but the surrounding crowd collectively sucked in a sharp breath.

Jiang Muti turned her head, ignoring the indignant glares from the girls, and locked eyes with the young man.

The meaning in the eyes is very clear—

This game? Go find someone else to play with.

A flicker of surprise and displeasure flashed across the young man’s face, but he quickly regained his calm, his composure remarkably polished.

Both of them understood the situation perfectly, but to outsiders, it looked like a chubby, toad-like girl dared to covet the swan, got rightfully rejected, and when the young man graciously tried to save her from embarrassment, she shamelessly insulted him in return.

Jiang Muti, however, had lived her life unapologetically, selfish and willful. If she was unhappy, there was no way she’d swallow her anger.

Someone seemed ready to step in and stand up for the young man, but just then, the school bell rang. Those still fuming had no choice but to glare at her resentfully and head back to their classrooms.

Jiang Muti hadn’t yet recovered the original host’s memories, but as soon as the thought of returning to the classroom crossed her mind, her body seemed to instinctively know the way, and she successfully found her seat.

However, as soon as she sat down, she felt something off. What was this shuddering sensation running through her entire body?

With a sense of foreboding, she stretched out her hand—and was utterly startled by what she felt: ten stubby, uneven fingers like solidly packed sausages.

Her hands trembled as she reached up to touch her face. Good grief, even her two chubby paws couldn’t completely cover it.

The chin had no discernible shape, the sleeves of her uniform were stretched to the brink of tearing by her arms, and as for her waist…

Forget it. She didn’t even have the courage to touch her waist and thighs.

Right in the middle of class, Jiang Muti rolled her eyes so hard she nearly fainted.

At last, she understood the heavy, and unfamiliar sensation weighing down her entire body since earlier. This unfiltered flesh had to add up to at least 200 pounds.

Jiang Muti trembled with anger. This was worse than—actually, no. Being alive again was still a blessing, all things considered.

Even if life had shifted from easy mode to hard mode.

She had died at barely 20 years old, with so much of life still ahead of her to enjoy. Of course, she wanted to live again.

In that sense, she considered herself lucky. Even though she’d crossed into a world of book, continuing her life was a rare fortune.

After sulking for a while, Jiang Muti managed to collect herself and accept reality.

As for who the original host was and what role she played in the story, Jiang Muti already had a vague idea.

Nothing particularly remarkable—just the typical tropes of a light romance novel.

A proud and stubborn heroine, an overbearing and domineering male lead, and a cold, emotionally detached second male lead who only showed his gentle side to the heroine.

Jiang Muti thought, given her qualities, if she didn’t fit the role of the leading heroine, then surely she’d be perfect for the beautiful and wealthy female antagonist, right?

Instead, she’d ended up as the unlucky cannon fodder who confessed to the second male lead at the start of the story, got casually toyed with when he was in a bad mood, and was then targeted by the entire school’s girls.

In the original novel, this unlucky character endured bullying from the girls while clinging to the delusion that the second male lead secretly liked her. She was even rescued by the heroine once, but after that, she barely appeared again.

Her sole purpose was to highlight the second male lead’s cold indifference, his cruel tenderness, and his emotionally complex character.

Although objectively and rationally speaking, the second male lead was a walking red flag, practically a textbook case of untreated mental instability.

But who was the target audience for romance novels? Young, lovestruck girls with dreamy, romantic minds.

And who did readers relate to while reading? Obviously the heroine. Who would ever self-insert as a throwaway cannon fodder character with barely a few lines?

This type of dark, two-faced, gentle-only-to-the-heroine bad boy was a standard archetype for deeply devoted second male leads.

According to the original plot, the second male lead would’ve taken the cookies earlier, only to throw them away in some deserted hallway like trash.

This scene was just witnessed by the heroine, who scolded the second male lead for trampling on someone else’s feelings. In response, he sneered and asked her: wasn’t his heart also being trampled on?

Jiang Muti even knew why the second male lead was acting out—it was nothing more than the fact that his childhood sweetheart, the heroine, had recently started dating the male lead.

However, Jiang Muti’s sudden arrival in the story had disrupted the plot. Although she didn’t fully understand the situation at first, her usual carefree attitude meant she wasn’t about to play along, so she had already managed to throw one storyline into chaos.

What kind of ridiculous mess was this?

She spent the entire class processing everything. When the classroom started to buzz with activity, signaling the end of the lesson, Jiang Muti decided to head to the restroom.

But before she could stand up, a sharp pain shot through her scalp as someone yanked her out of the classroom by her hair.

Quite a few people in the class saw what happened, but it didn’t cause any commotion. Most of them turned a blind eye, while a few watched with interest.

Still, no one followed, likely due to the aggressor’s domineering presence.

Jiang Muti was dragged to a stairwell. It was a short break between classes, so there weren’t many people around, and those who passed by kept their distance.

Rubbing her sore scalp, caught off guard by the tug, Jiang Muti felt a surge of anger.

“What? You still dare to glare at me?”

A girl’s voice sneered, her hand raised, ready to deliver a slap.

But this time, Jiang Muti was prepared. She caught the girl’s wrist mid-swing. Being on the heavier side had its advantages—her wrist was twice the size of the girl’s, and once she grabbed hold, there was no escaping.

Seeing the “fatty” dare to resist, the others immediately closed in.

In order to avoid getting overwhelmed, Jiang Muti quickly yanked the girl she was holding by the collar, pinning her against the wall. With one hand on her head, she pushed her toward the wall.

“If anyone dares to touch me again, I’ll smash her head against the wall,” Jiang Muti said coldly, her voice calm and devoid of any bluster. She then addressed the girl she had pinned: “There are a lot of you, but I’ll single you out. Let’s see who ends up worse.”

Her indifferent gaze and steady tone left no room for doubt. The girl, likely the ringleader, hesitated, and no one dared to make a move for the moment.

When the girl finally broke free, she tugged at the hem of her uniform to cover up her embarrassment at being intimidated by a cornered “fatty.”

Standing in front of Jiang Muti with her arms crossed, the girl sneered. “Walking around like a mountain of meat every day is bad enough, but don’t you have any self-awareness?”

“You’re just a fat pig. Where did you get the confidence to confess to him? You knew full well that Yuqi’s gentle nature makes him bad at rejecting people, but you had to make things awkward for him. What, were you hoping to take advantage of him by being shameless?”

Qiao Yuqi—that was the name of the black-hearted lotus second male lead.

Jiang Muti was already irritated by the extra hundred pounds of weight she was carrying, and now she had to deal with this triggered plotline on top of it.

Her words were sharp as she retorted with a sneer, “Are you his girlfriend or something? What gives you the right to be yapping like this? Wow, you’re just so self-aware.”

“Hah! Do I have to be his girlfriend to care? Yuqi belongs to all of us. He’s the school’s idol, admired by everyone. And you? You’re just a pig trying to claim him as yours. If we haven’t butchered you yet, it’s only because we live in a society with laws.”

“Oh, so being your idol means he’s under your control? Then your idol must be real unlucky.” Jiang Muti chuckled. “Let’s be real—it’s just a delusional fan’s filter, isn’t it? But he hasn’t even debuted yet, has he? Have you spent any money on him? Not a single cent, yet you’re acting all possessive. That’s some next-level entitlement right there.”

A few girls were momentarily stunned, instinctively feeling that this person was talking nonsense, yet they couldn’t seem to refute it.

One of them shouted, “Who said we didn’t spend money? All of us have prepared gifts! It’s just that Yuqi is too polite to accept them—”

“So you’re just backups, huh?” Jiang Muti raised her eyebrows. “If you’re all backups, why bother ranking yourselves?”

The dreamy hearts of these girls couldn’t handle being exposed so bluntly. After all, the idea that “he treats me differently” is one of life’s biggest illusions.

The girls were furious. On any other day, they would’ve started hitting her already.

But for some reason, the fat girl was different today. She stood there with her arms crossed, her mountain of flesh blocking the way. She didn’t have the usual vibe of someone who was easy to bully.

People are naturally inclined to pick on the weak and fear the strong. Considering her size and the harsh words she had just said, it gave them pause.

At this moment, a voice came from behind: “What are you all doing?”

They turned around and saw two girls standing not far away. One of them had an elegant demeanor, fair skin, and long flowing hair—very pretty.

The leader of the troublemakers snapped, “What’s it to you? Get lost—”

Before she could finish, someone tugged at her sleeve. “That’s Li Xi, young master Zhou’s girlfriend. Last week, during the flag-raising ceremony, in front of the whole school, did you forget?”

Jiang Muti looked up. Li Xi? Wasn’t that the name of the heroine?

Li Xi walked over and glanced at them. “The bell’s about to ring. Aren’t you going back to class?”

The group, intimidated by the person behind her and realizing they hadn’t gained the upper hand with the fat girl, left in frustration.

As Jiang Muti saw them leave, she shrugged and was about to walk away herself.

But the girl next to Li Xi called out, “You’re just leaving? Not even a thank you?”

Jiang Muti turned around, glanced at Li Xi, and smiled. “You’re welcome!”

“You’ve got it backward,” Li Xi said.

She didn’t necessarily expect gratitude, as she knew what Qiao Yuqi’s true personality was like. His bad attitude today likely had something to do with the argument they had yesterday.

So, when she saw the situation, she decided to help. But she didn’t expect the other person’s response to be so strange.

“From where I stand, I don’t see any reason to thank you.”

Jiang Muti shook her head, meeting her gaze. “You should be thanking me.”

“After all, by their standards, if confessing to him without permission deserves a thousand deaths, wouldn’t the person in his heart deserve to be dragged out and torn apart?”

Li Xi and the girl with her looked shocked. At school, she and Qiao Yuqi had no visible connection, so no one knew about their childhood relationship, let alone suspected her.

How did this girl know?

Feeling embarrassed at having the truth laid bare, Li Xi suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder as Jiang Muti brushed past her.

“Don’t underestimate the unreasonable possessiveness of girls at this age. It’s irrational and impossible to reason with, especially when that guy’s usual behavior only encourages it.”

“So, don’t put on this ‘I helped you without expecting anything in return‘ attitude with the people standing in front of you, okay? I don’t like it.”