New Rival Villain Ready to Enter the Scene

“We’re here. Are you going in by yourself, or should I escort you?”

Li Siyi was naturally speaking to Su Luo.

Awkward, she had been caught.

However, Su Luo didn’t show any sign of it and even pretended to have just woken up.

“Who was it? Who ambushed me?”

“You’re acting quite well, but don’t bother next time.”

Her act was convincing, but Li Siyi had her diary, which had already exposed Su Luo. No amount of acting would help.

“Are you still the Li Siyi I know?”

Su Luo felt a bit frustrated. Why did she suddenly seem so clever? She used to be just a naive girl who was easily fooled.

“Are you still the Su Luo I know?” Li Siyi shot back.

“Of course I am.”

“Then so am I. I brought you back out of respect for the fact that we grew up together.”

“You don’t even believe that yourself, do you?”

Growing up together? What a joke. Not every admirer is worth treating as a person.

Li Siyi had always disliked Su Luo.

“Fine, don’t believe it then.”

To avoid revealing too much, Li Siyi said little more and left.

She knew that Su Luo was no longer the spoiled brat she was familiar with. He was now a cunning schemer who knew how to hide his true intentions.

Without her diary, she wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

So, Li Siyi decided to secretly learn from Su Luo and master the art of hiding her own intentions.

She even considered practicing a male voice in secret, thinking it might come in handy someday.

As for the so-called plot, Li Siyi didn’t care.

She refused to accept that she was just a character in a book.

Every step she took, she believed, was her own decision.

After all, it was Su Luo’s story. Whether it went off the rails or not, it had nothing to do with her, Li Siyi.

......

Su Luo felt like he was about to lose it.

Li Siyi had already gone off-script several times, leaving Su Luo completely baffled.

But when he thought about how he wouldn’t have any scenes for the next few days, he felt like he could handle it again.

It was the kind of joy a worker feels when they finally get a day off.

Well, the author wasn’t stupid. You can’t just keep milking the same character.

Humbling someone requires a multi-faceted approach, involving multiple characters.

Su Luo opened his diary again.

【Today, for just a moment, I thought Li Siyi wasn’t so annoying after all.】

【But I know it’s just my imagination. She’s still the clueless, foolish girl she’s always been.】

【Let’s not talk about her. I won’t be seeing her anytime soon anyway.】

【Why am I not in the spotlight? Because it’s time for the next villain to shine.】

【Wang Mo, the second person to be humiliated after me.】

【The youngest patriarch of the Wang family, one of the three great families of Autumn Wind City.】

【If I’m the brute type, he’s the cunning type—though not as cunning as Lin Xuan, of course.】

【His plot is simple: he monopolized a medicinal herb called Carefree Grass in the city.】

【Li family’s stock of Carefree Grass was sabotaged by Wang Mo’s men, and the Li family had a major order for a healing pill that required Carefree Grass as its main ingredient.】

【In this situation, the Li family couldn’t fulfill the order, offending the client and forcing them to pay a hefty penalty.】

【This was all part of Wang Mo’s long-planned scheme, and it would unfold in the coming days.】

【Just as the Li family was about to suffer heavy losses, Lin Xuan stepped forward, claiming he could bring back a large amount of Carefree Grass.】

【Disbelief, suspicion, and disdain were directed at Lin Xuan, but he simply smirked and said, “If I fail, I’ll jump off a cliff.”】

【And then he did.】

【Because he had previously discovered a large patch of Carefree Grass at the bottom of the cliff.】

【Just like that, the Li family was saved, and their favor toward Lin Xuan grew even more.】

【After Wang Mo’s plan failed, he flew into a rage, smashing tables and throwing things around, making readers sympathize with him. “Lin Xuan is too dangerous. He must be dealt with,” they said.】

【After all, Wang Mo had spent a fortune bribing some members of the Li family and gathering intelligence to set up this scheme, only for it to completely backfire. Of course, he’d be furious.】

【There’s a small detail in this plot involving Li Siyi. When she goes out, Wang Mo arranges a scene.】

【He claims, “This was all my doing. My admiration for you is like the endless flow of a river...”】

【In short, he’s trying to pin the blame on me.】

【Naturally, Li Siyi believes him, and her opinion of me plummets. From then on, she distrusts everything I say, effectively blacklisting me.】

【Well, even without a role in the story, I still get the blame.】

【I guess it’s true: villains shouldn’t make things harder for each other.】

After finishing his diary entry, Su Luo lay back comfortably.

【Diary entry completed. Reward: Defense +8, Strength +4, cultivation level increased by one.】

【Current cultivation level: Perfect Qi Cultivation】

【Special ability upgraded: “My Pain Surpasses Yours” → “My Pain Still Surpasses Yours”】

【When attacked, can transfer 10% of damage taken to a designated target → When attacked, can transfer 20% of damage taken to a designated target.】

Seeing the rewards, Su Luo jumped up and shouted:

“Fine, I’ll take the blame!”

No need to explain this reward—it’s top-tier.

With absolute strength, what is there to fear?

Su Luo, now at the Perfect Qi Cultivation stage, felt as powerful as someone at the Mahayana stage.

Wait, Su Luo suddenly thought of a problem.

This time, Lin Xuan didn’t fall off the cliff, so he wouldn’t know about the Carefree Grass at the bottom.

But then, Su Luo came up with a solution.

“I’ll just pick it for him. Brilliant, aren’t I?”

......

Back at home, Li Siyi did some cultivation and noticed that her diary had updated.

She began filtering out the negative content about herself and started reading.

【...for just a moment, I thought Li Siyi wasn’t so annoying after all...】

Of course, I’m great. It’s just that you’re blind, hmph.

【...Li family’s stock of Carefree Grass was sabotaged by Wang Mo’s men...】

Wait, something like this happened? I think I heard about it yesterday.

Li Siyi vaguely remembered, though she rarely paid attention to the family’s business affairs. She wasn’t clear on the details, but some of the Carefree Grass had indeed been destroyed.

So, the plan was already in motion. If the family’s stock of Carefree Grass had been sabotaged, then the rest in the city must have been bought out.

Thinking this, Li Siyi felt a bit helpless. If she had known earlier, she could have helped minimize the losses.

【This was all part of Wang Mo’s long-planned scheme...】

Wang Mo was someone Li Siyi was familiar with. They had played together as children.

But after his parents passed away, he became the family patriarch at a young age, and they gradually grew apart.

Still, they would meet once or twice a year, as Autumn Wind City wasn’t that big, and the three great families often had overlapping interests.

What a clever move.

But I have the diary.

Li Siyi sneered.

Suddenly, she felt different from before.

In the past, she would have panicked and immediately run to her father upon hearing such news.

Now, she could calmly think things through and even felt capable of solving the problem herself.

“Have I grown a little too...?”

Li Siyi murmured, realizing that she used to focus solely on cultivation and knew nothing else.

She glanced at the diary...

It’s... it’s not because of you...

After a brief moment of hesitation, Li Siyi headed straight for the cliff where the Carefree Grass grew.

She wanted to help her family overcome this crisis.

But along the way, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her.