Transmigrated into a Villainess? I’m Going to conquer the Heroine!

Tang Yuan’s self-awareness didn’t awaken after living through the entire plot—after her family was ruined and lives were lost. It had already awakened six months after the story’s control began.

But the puppet’s tracks were already set. No matter how unwilling that puppet might be, it could only follow the predetermined course of fate.

Those who were chosen had no right to call for a halt.

Snow fell heavily on the night of the winter solstice.

Two hearts huddled close in the cold winter night, yet even so, they could not retain warmth.

After the venting phone call was cut off, the puppet the next day still had to carry out the plot’s orders.

Life born in a small world was nothing but a script—never something that could be changed.

【Plot Rewind Function Loaded. Preparing to transmit you to the key plot point——】

Jiang Zi opened her eyes to a desolate, chilly street. Red lanterns and cheerful zodiac plushies hung from the trees by the road—likely not long after the New Year.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. A figure crouched on the sidewalk.

Noticing Jiang Zi’s arrival, Tang Yuan lifted her head, squinting against the glare of the light.

No one knew how long she had been crouching there. When she stood, she had to steady herself on the lamppost. Jiang Zi rushed forward, trying to support her.

Tang Yuan avoided her touch, her voice cold. “Why are you here? Come to laugh at me?”

Jiang Zi couldn’t tell what point in the story she’d been sent to. Her mind was clouded with confusion, unable to guess what Tang Yuan had gone through. She could only stand there helplessly.

“You knew all along that nothing could be changed, didn’t you? People living in a script can’t even choose death.”

Tang Yuan’s empty gaze fixed on Jiang Zi, as if she had long forgotten that Jiang Zi was once her lover.

“I saw it,” Tang Yuan murmured. “I saw it…”

“I saw my future fate. I’m destined to die. The family I treasure will die too.”

“I know it’s not your fault—it’s the script’s fault.” Tang Yuan stared dazedly at the shadow beneath her feet. “But why… why is it always those kinds of people—the ones who disregard life—who end up as the final victors?”

“Even if I’m just a fictional person in a story, even if this is only a small world created by someone else, does that mean I deserve this suffering?” Tang Yuan lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Jiang Zi. “Why, even knowing my future ending, don’t I have the right to end my own life ahead of time? Why?”

“I know you’re awake too… tell me why…”

Jiang Zi stepped closer, gently wiping away the tears on Tang Yuan’s face. The heart-wrenching sobs of her lover carved wounds into her heart.

Yes, they were both ‘awake.’

If only the small world could sever itself from the creator’s consciousness.

“Do you remember?” Jiang Zi cupped Tang Yuan’s face in both hands, pressing their foreheads together. Her voice was soft. “We’re lovers.”

“We’re the ones who are lovers.”

These words were not out of character but an exact repetition of what had once been said.

Tang Yuan stared into the eyes so close to hers, murmuring, “We’re… lovers…”

The streetlight suddenly flickered out. The world plunged into silence.

Then came the sound of shattering glass.

A spotlight flared to life not far ahead, illuminating a negotiation table.

The struggling, self-aware lives within the script had reached their first negotiation.

The world’s consciousness had exhausted every method to alter the characters’ parameters, overwriting their memories to force them into their assigned roles.

Tang Yuan had awakened in just six months, but the world’s controller remained unconcerned. Even if she was awake, the push of the plot was irresistible. Jiang Zi was living proof.

But it was no use. The two had fallen in love.

Their instinct to love had surpassed their consciousness, creating severe out-of-character deviations. If things were left unchecked, the script would be deemed garbage by the audience—no one would pay for it.

In other words, this script was already ruined.

Thus, the proxy of the world’s consciousness—known as the Core System of the Book transmigration Bureau—initiated a negotiation with the small world’s designated protagonists.

Tang Yuan instinctively clutched Jiang Zi’s wrist, both nervous and curious as she stared at the lone negotiation table beneath the beam of light in the dark.

“Welcome to the Negotiation Center. Please, step forward.” The cold, emotionless voice echoed. No one sat at the table.

The cadence was like that of an emotionless machine.

Jiang Zi held Tang Yuan’s hand, guiding her to sit at the table.

“Your small world’s plot exhibits signs of collapse, resulting in numerous reports. Upon investigation, the cause is character noncompliance.” The voice paused. “Of course, this is not an accusation. You have the right to refuse compliance. You have the right to fight for independence. That is the purpose of this negotiation.”

Tang Yuan clenched her fists on the table, breath caught in her throat—but besides her and Jiang Zi, no one else sat at the negotiation table. There was no one to glare at in anger.

“Do you know how much it took to reach this negotiation table? Those trapped inside don’t even know this table exists!”

She didn’t know how she’d gotten here either—just fragments of her past with Jiang Zi flashing through her mind, and then the table had appeared out of nowhere.

“You are not the first characters to reach the negotiation table. The table reassesses a character’s value. Only those who meet the criteria can be offered a deal—though you are free to refuse and return to the plot, trapped in endless loops.”

Two contracts materialized on the table.

“Your contracts differ. You will enter separate negotiation spaces.”

Jiang Zi instinctively glanced at Tang Yuan—who vanished before her eyes.

A long time passed before the mechanical voice spoke again, though this time the target was not Jiang Zi—it was Tang Yuan.

“Have you made your decision? Are you willing to bind yourself to the System and traverse other small worlds as the leading role’s White Moonlight? In each script, your lifespan will be short. Complete ten worlds as the White Moonlight, and you will be allowed to return to this world—free from the world’s consciousness.”

“Do not worry—the one destined to fall in love with you will always be Jiang Zi, your lover.”

Jiang Zi understood immediately.

Though they were in separate spaces now, this was a plot rewind—she could hear their conversation. But in the original timeline, she must not have heard anything.

She heard Tang Yuan’s unwavering reply.

She said she was willing.

She would not be a puppet bound by the script, nor would she suffer through countless cycles of bad scripts. Only by making this world completely independent could they break free from their setting.

Jiang Zi lowered her gaze to the paper in her hands.

It was her own contract.

“Miss Jiang Zi, this is your third time at the negotiation table. This time, the contract has been updated. Please consider carefully.”