After Transmigrating into a Novel with My Boyfriend, He Turned Out to Be a Native Villain

Yu Li had no reaction to Da Dong’s threat.

Instead, her gaze paused on her now-clean handkerchief, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Was that just a ghost’s illusion?

If she had known, she wouldn’t have bothered wiping it. Now she had wasted a perfectly good handkerchief.

Even though it still looked spotless, Yu Li remained indifferent as she tossed it into the trash.

She, like Bo Jingmo, had a slight obsession with cleanliness. Anything touched by others was better off discarded.

Turning back, she met Jodie’s gaze. Her cold expression instantly melted into a smile as she tilted her head playfully. “What’s wrong, dear?”

Jodie wrung her hands, hesitating. “Aunt Filia, don’t you think there’s something strange about Joeci…?”

“Strange?” Yu Li touched her chin, squinting as she smiled. “You and your sister are both adorable. I don’t see anything strange.”

Jodie didn’t think so. Ever since she saw Joeci in the woods yesterday, something felt off about her. Everything about her—her movements, her demeanor—had an indescribable eeriness, as if she had become a different person.

But Aunt Filia said there was nothing unusual.

Was she just being overly sensitive?

Jodie didn’t notice it.

Yu Li had said, “your sister,” not “your sisters.”

Of course, a corpse possessed by a male ghost could hardly still be called human.

Lost in thought, Jodie furrowed her brows, completely unaware that Yu Li had walked up to her. By the time she realized it, a hand was already resting on her shoulder, and a soft chuckle whispered in her ear.

“It’s okay, dear. If you really think something is wrong, I do have an idea.”

Jodie instinctively followed up, “What idea?”

Yu Li didn’t answer right away. She simply stroked Jodie’s hair, narrowing her eyes. After a long pause, she spoke in a gentle voice.

“Aunt Filia knows that our Jodie is a brave girl.”

“It’s not such a big deal, really. Maybe we could find out the truth ourselves first and then tell them, don’t you think?”

Her voice carried an almost bewitching quality, making it hard to refuse.

Yu Li leaned down slightly, her golden curls cascading over her chest. The gemstone at her neckline shimmered brilliantly, but her deep sapphire eyes were even more mesmerizing—captivating and impossible to look away from.

Jodie found herself entranced, her mind replaying Yu Li’s words over and over.

Find out the truth herself?

That… wasn’t impossible.

As the eldest among her two younger sisters, Jodie had always taken on the role of a mother figure. She was used to handling things on her own.

So when she first found that jar, she didn’t tell her parents. She tried to figure it out by herself.

After everything that had happened, she had hesitated about telling them. But since they hadn’t noticed anything strange and kept reassuring her not to overthink it, she had started doubting herself.

And so, she remained stuck—uncertain, unable to decide what to do.

But now, someone had told her, Why not investigate it yourself?

No one believes you anyway, so why not rely on yourself?

Jodie stood in silence for a long time. Long enough for her mother, Elia, to start calling for her from outside.

She still didn’t say a word.

Yu Li didn’t press her for an immediate answer. She simply patted Jodie’s head lightly and turned to leave.

But just as she was about to step away, she felt a small tug at the hem of her clothes.

Jodie’s voice came softly. “Aunt Filia… if I find something, can I ask for your help?”

Yu Li turned back, meeting the unease in the girl’s eyes. She arched a brow and let out a soft, amused laugh.

“Of course, Jodie. I’ll help you.”

Little did they know, their conversation had completely blown up the chat.

【Wait, what!? An NPC and another NPC teaming up? What kind of chaos is this? How will the protagonists trigger the plot now??】

【Uh… report: the male and female leads are currently enjoying their meal. Seems like they’re having a great time.】

【Correction: our protagonists have finished eating and are on their way home, hehe.】

【This story has taken a turn I never imagined. Never thought I’d see NPCs trigger the plot faster than the main characters.】

【Oh no… if this keeps up, won’t the protagonists have barely any screen time? Their ratings are going to tank.】

The camera always followed the protagonists, but only if they were actively driving the plot. If someone else triggered the storyline, then naturally, the camera would follow them instead.

【This is insane. The direction of this horror movie is insane. This neighbor is insane.】

【Things are getting interesting (bubble voice effect).】

【Not gonna lie, I’m excited. I’ve never seen a plot where an NPC starts the storyline before.】

【Did y’all forget about Bo Jingmo…? He might just kill the neighbor tonight. Maybe this is all a setup, and in the end, Jiang Xi and Hou Liang will still be the ones solving everything. Y’all are getting too hyped.】

【Fair point, but I bet this woman is surviving tonight. No way she’s dying so easily.】

【Why? Have you seen this kind of plot before?】

【No. But because this NPC is gorgeous. What if Bo Jingmo takes pity on her, or even—falls in love at first sight?】

【……】

【……】

【……】

After a long silence, someone finally sent another comment.

【Hahaha… Making Bo Jingmo fall in love at first sight? That’s harder than making this entire movie set explode.】

—

Once Jiang Xi and Hou Liang had left, the smile on Yu Li’s face faded.

She sat at the table, narrowed her eyes, and turned toward the empty space beside her.

“Little Darling.”

Detecting that the cameras had moved away, the system finally revealed itself. Its voice was filled with excitement as it eagerly shared the latest chat comments.

“Sis! Look at what the audience was saying!!”

Yu Li gave a slight nod. “Show me.”

A familiar glowing screen appeared in the air. As the system displayed the messages, it spoke again.

“Sis, you have to be careful! If they find out you’re not an NPC, the consequences will be really bad!”

“Oh?” Yu Li raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. “What kind of consequences?”

The system had always warned her to be careful, but it had never explained what would actually happen.

Hearing her question, the system hesitated. Then, in a stammering voice, it answered,

“Well… for example… we might get kicked out of this movie world, or… they could erase our souls. Then you and your boyfriend would both be doomed.”

The usual horror-movie tropes.

Yu Li nodded, indicating she understood. She casually scrolled through the chat messages, reassuring the system, “Don’t worry. They don’t know what kind of character the neighbor is supposed to be. They’re just guessing.”

But the more she read, the more focused her gaze became.

By the time she had finished, her expression turned thoughtful. She sat silently in her chair, tapping her finger against the glowing screen.

These messages were actually quite useful.

In just a short time, she had gathered several pieces of information that she hadn’t known before.

For example, Bo Jingmo—like her—didn’t have a player identity.

For example, the audience didn’t actually know the plot. They only followed along as the protagonists advanced the story.

And most importantly—within this storyline, her character was the one who had killed Bo Jingmo.

Which meant… Bo Jingmo might try to kill her tonight.

At that last thought, Yu Li couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Kill her?

She was actually looking forward to it.

The system noticed Yu Li was smiling but had no idea why. Remembering the last few comments from the chat and how Yu Li had subtly guided Jodie, it still didn’t quite understand her intentions.

Confused, it asked, “Sis, why did you say that to Joeci at the end? The chat says you’re replacing the protagonists.”

The system was a little nervous. “Won’t this make them suspicious?”

Yu Li patted its head, her tone as calm as ever. “Don’t be afraid. I know what I’m doing.”

At the same time, she found the system’s fear amusing yet helplessly naive. So, she decided to explain.

“Didn’t you see what the chat was saying?”

“They don’t know my character setting. Most of them haven’t even seen the later parts of the story. So it doesn’t matter who triggers the plot. As long as someone moves it forward, it’s fine.”

Yu Li’s smile was warm, almost kindly. “So, what does it matter if I take control of the story myself?”

Rather than passively accepting the role the plot tried to force on her, why not create her own character setting?

The corners of her lips slowly curled upward, and a long-lost thrill surged within her.

Let’s see what surprises this mysterious world has in store for her.

She patted the system’s little head, stood up, stretched lazily, and headed upstairs. Her voice was languid.

“Little system, in this game, if you want a role, you have to steal it yourself.”

As if something had suddenly crossed her mind, she stopped mid-step and said in an unreadable tone,

“Hide yourself tonight.”

The system hesitated. “Why?”

It had been fine staying outside last night.

“Sis, the cameras won’t be on us at night. You don’t have to worry.”

Nighttime was usually when the protagonists uncovered key parts of the plot. The cameras wouldn’t turn toward them, so there was no risk of exposure. And even if they did, the system could automatically hide itself.

Hearing its doubt, Yu Li tilted her head, squinting slightly. A sly smile played on her lips, her beautiful fox-like eyes filled with intrigue.

“I know. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“It’s just that… we have a guest tonight.”

And when hosting a special guest, there couldn’t be any outsiders present.