Chapter 1: The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role

She was kidnapped.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the warehouse walls as someone pushed open the door. A rough voice ordered, “Go see if she’s awake.”

No sooner were the words spoken than a man grabbed her by the hair, making Dai Ning gasp in pain.

“Boss, she’s awake.”

Dai Ning was forced to open her eyes, her mouth taped shut, unable to speak. The man called “Boss” looked at her coldly for a moment before saying, “Miss Ji, sorry about this. Someone wants you dead, so don’t come after us on the road to the afterlife.”

Dai Ning whimpered, struggling.

Another man rubbed his hands together and chuckled darkly. “Same old rules, right? Since she’s going to die anyway… Boss, can we… you know, we haven’t had a chance with a high-class lady before.”

The boss waved a hand dismissively. “Just get it over with. Don’t create any complications.”

Several men closed in, starting to undress. Dai Ning, unable to break free, widened her eyes in terror.

“Pity her face was ruined. They say Miss Ji was once quite the beauty.”

“Just how many people did this chick offend? We got orders from multiple sources to get rid of her.”

Dai Ning’s pupils shrank in fear.

“Stop talking and hurry up, or you’ll be the one in trouble. If you can’t do it, I’ll go first. Tsk, her skin sure is white.”

Dai Ning was already in despair, her eyes filled with intense hatred.

After all she’d been through—disliked by her fiancé, her uncle, and her brother, her face disfigured, and now kidnapped, facing a fate worse than death—her heart had turned to ashes.

The acid-scarred face looked menacing, but the men were undeterred; she was still of noble status and had a striking figure. They rushed forward eagerly.

Dai Ning’s gaze dulled with hopelessness.

The next moment, the men froze in place, as if held by an unseen force. A voice echoed in her mind: “What are you waiting for? Run!”

Only then did Dai Ning realize her hands were free, and the tape on her mouth was gone.

She got up and kicked one of the frozen men hard before running out of the warehouse.

Under the pale moonlight, surrounded by trees swaying in the wind, she stumbled and forced herself to keep running, teeth clenched.

Someone behind her realized what had happened and shouted, “That woman got away!”

“Hurry up, after her!”

Barely making it to the main road, Dai Ning was struck by a speeding car, her body flung into the air. The last thing she saw was a blinding white light, then an excruciating, shattering pain.

The road fell silent as her broken body lay motionless.

Someone stepped out of the car and asked quietly, “Is she dead?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go. It’s over.”

~

“I’ve traveled through countless realms, but I’ve never seen anyone with luck as bad as yours.”

In a space filled with soft light, a young girl huddled, clutching herself tightly. She remained silent at the voice.

“Do you want revenge? You should know, if it weren’t for me, you’d have been brutalized and killed by those beasts.”

The voice continued, coaxing her. Dai Ning still said nothing. She remembered how she died. It had all happened so suddenly that it still felt unreal.

Only the pain remained vividly clear.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in this unknown space, with a small, green ball of light hovering around her, sighing deeply.

“So unlucky, so tragic. A person with negative fortune… This is the first time I’ve seen it. I can’t even save you. Say something—do you want revenge?”

Dai Ning covered her eyes. “No.”

The green orb froze. “What’s wrong with you?”

Everyone wanted a chance to turn their life around, but this human girl’s soul, which had turned completely black, still didn’t want revenge.

The green orb, frustrated, continued, “You were once the esteemed eldest daughter of the Ji family, rich and beautiful. But in the end, everyone hated you, you were disfigured, kidnapped, nearly violated, and finally died in a car accident! Do you know why you ended up like this?”

Dai Ning didn’t understand why things had gone so wrong.

Just a few years ago, she had been cherished and adored. But suddenly, her life became miserable. When did it all start?

Ah, yes, it was when her illegitimate half-sister Ji Tian had come to their home.

Dai Ning had always resented Ji Tian, but her younger brother adored Ji Tian, her fiancé loved Ji Tian, even her cold, aloof uncle favored Ji Tian. In the end, even her grandfather felt she was unreasonable.

“Your world is actually a story, a male-focused novel. It has three male protagonists who each rise to success in their own way. There’s no main female lead, and you’re just a cannon-fodder supporting character. Your sister Ji Tian came into the story, gradually taking on the role of the female lead and absorbing the fortune associated with it. When she arrived, she won over your rebellious twin brother, who became her loyal follower. Your possessive fiancé fell for her, and even your cold-hearted uncle was infatuated with her.”

The green orb floated up to her face. “Every man around you, a proud child of destiny, transferred their luck to her. She went on to command the world in your world, with men willing to spend fortunes just for her smile. And when you died, not even a coffin was prepared for you. No one remembered you.”

The girl’s jet-black soul glowed with a faint, eerie light, and the green orb swallowed nervously, feeling tempted.

It continued to prod, “Dai Ning, don’t you want to take back what’s yours?”

The girl stayed silent for a long time before finally laughing softly.

Her laughter was a bit venomous, yet crisp and melodious, extraordinarily beautiful. “Ji Tian has stolen their fortune. Without it, they won’t meet good ends. I’m not going back, so stop talking.”

The green orb was frantic.

“That’s not necessarily true! Ji Tian only took a bit of luck from each of them, so they’re still doing fine. And what about your brother? Don’t you care about him?”

“I don’t want him anymore,” Dai Ning replied, covering her eyes to hide her emotions. In this state, her soul had no scars, and there was no pain—it was almost peaceful.

The past year had felt like a nightmare, with everyone constantly comparing her to Ji Tian.

The eldest daughter was arrogant and overbearing; the second daughter was gentle and considerate. The eldest daughter was malicious; the second daughter was sweet and kind.

Even her own twin brother only saw Ji Tian as his sister and no longer acknowledged her. Whatever she did was wrong; if she so much as harmed a single strand of Ji Tian’s hair, someone would retaliate by ruining her face.

In just one short year, she’d lost everything.

And it all boiled down to the fact that, in this male-centric world, Ji Tian had become the heroine while she was just cannon fodder.

Out of options, the green orb sighed deeply before finally revealing, “In the original story, after your death, your grandfather couldn’t accept it. He sought out the truth and eventually died in the hospital, the cause being a cerebral haemorrhage.”

Dai Ning’s breath hitched.

The green orb noticed a faint flicker of white light appearing within her pitch-black soul.

Her expression finally showed some life. With a hoarse voice, she asked, “Who did it?” Dai Ning couldn’t believe it was just a coincidence.

The green orb withheld the answer, merely asking, “Are you willing to go back and rewrite your fate?”

Dai Ning sat up, lips pressed tightly together. “Send me back.”

The green orb was thrilled she had agreed, buzzing around her joyfully. “Make a pact with me. I’ll use all my power to send you back. Once you’ve changed your fate, I’ll take your soul.”

Dai Ning had expected nothing less. She couldn’t believe that even with a cheat-like helper, she had to pay a price for being “lucky” to be this unlucky.

Other people had cheat abilities; she had a leech.

“Fine,” Dai Ning agreed.

“Leech” or not, the green orb replied, “Then let’s begin.”

A contract appeared before her. Dai Ning glanced at it and signed.

The green orb gleefully accepted the contract.

“Alright, let’s go, right now! Remember, we must follow the rules of the world. Your sister transmigrated into this story, gaining some of the heroine’s fortune. You can’t kill any main characters, or you’ll be erased. But you can drain her luck.”

Turn the men who once loved her toward you, and this outsider heroine will lose her supply of fortune and fade away.

The green orb carried her blackened soul through the realms.

The space-time wind blew the little orb nearly off its path. It wondered, puzzled, why a supposed “villainess” wouldn’t go back just for revenge but instead would give up her soul to protect a dying old man, facing off against a heroine and heroes of great fortune to live through her tragic life once again.

~

“Ning Ning, Grandpa says there’s no need to travel to such a remote place for some peace of mind. If you want to relax, have Xiao Zhang and the others take you out to sea, or go up north to see the snow.”

The elderly man stamped his cane, hoping his beloved granddaughter would change her mind.

Dai Ning, packing her bags, looked up, her delicate face as pure as a doll’s.

“Grandpa, it’s fine. If you’re worried, just send a few more people to protect me. I’ll call you every day. Is that okay?”

The seventeen-year-old’s voice was soft and sweet, and the old man, who doted on her more than anything, couldn’t refuse when she clung to his arm and pouted. Even if he’d had a heart of stone, it would have softened.

Just days earlier, she’d lost her parents, and afraid for her emotional state, he was relieved to see her calm and steady. Unable to refuse her, he sighed and nodded.

“Then promise me you’ll come back soon and let me know if anything happens. It’s been sweltering lately—wait a few more days before you leave.”

The girl nodded in agreement.

The green orb stamped in her mind. “Are you out of your mind? The heroine already arrived several days ago! If you don’t hurry, are you planning to let Zhao Yu fall for her?”

Dai Ning replied, “No rush. I have some preparations to make.”

The green orb had taken her back six years, to the days after her parents had died and she’d had a fierce argument with her rebellious brother. While this would have been the perfect time to improve her relationship with her brother Ji Mojue, Dai Ning had no interest in seeing him at the moment. She was still bitter. Besides, the heroine’s first target was Zhao Yu, so the courting was likely already underway.

Dai Ning wasn’t worried about rushing.

Zhao Yu, that self-made “phoenix man,”^[1]A “phoenix man” refers to a man from a poor background who rises to success, often facing cultural or social challenges in adjusting to a higher social class. was only eighteen now. Six years later, he would be a cold, ruthless force, though he’d soften only for the heroine. Clearly, the heroine’s charm offensive had worked over these years.

Dai Ning wasn’t in a hurry, just as she said.

She scrutinized herself in the mirror, suddenly understanding why people didn’t like her back then—her style really was a bit… unconventional.

The girl’s hair was dyed yellow, with oversized hoop earrings, exaggerated makeup, and ripped jeans.

Ignoring the green orb’s exasperation, she leisurely gave herself a makeover. Her skin, naturally flawless and milk-white, needed little work.

After some thought, she dyed her hair back to a deep brown and had it styled into its natural, wavy form.

Her hair cascaded down in soft, seaweed-like waves, and Dai Ning adorned it with a blue ribbon bow.

She discarded the ripped jeans and put on a beautiful sky-blue dress instead.

With a lazy blink of her beautiful, cat-like eyes, she waved to the servants, “Uncle Qian, come with me to go shopping.”

The servants stared at her, stunned.

The girl before them had rosy cheeks and a youthful glow that made people want to pinch her. Her innocent yet lively look was incredibly charming, and despite whatever people might say about her character, there was no denying that her face was like a masterpiece.

Was this really the same edgy young lady?

Too… too cute!

After the makeover, the green orb gasped.

This world was male-centric, where girls served as the rewards for men’s success stories, and there were no unattractive women. But the level of beauty Dai Ning possessed… it was unreal.

The green orb wasn’t so worried anymore as it watched her direct people to stock up on tasty food and fashionable clothes.

“Yes, Zhao Yu’s family is dirt poor right now. Stock up on more supplies so he’ll be well-fed and warm,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Dai Ning smiled but said nothing more.

She didn’t tell the green orb her plan to win over Zhao Yu.

She absolutely despised that brooding, manipulative man.

Who said that draining the heroine’s fortune meant making the male lead fall for you?

Why not just make the male lead hate the heroine instead?