The hall was silent.
Too silent.
Ning Fei could hear her own breathing—slow, controlled, steady. She stood at the center of the ancestral hall, shoulders slightly lowered, hands folded neatly in front of her. To anyone watching, she looked resigned. Guilty. Weak.
Perfect.
But inside her chest, something else stirred.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Control.
The system interface pulsed faintly at the edge of her vision, its light cool and unforgiving.
[Public confrontation detected.]
[Current Public Perception: Villain – 82%.]
[Optimal Strategy: Maintain silence.]
Silence.
In her past life, silence had been her coffin.
Now, it was her blade.
Ningran stood a few steps away, her posture straight, her eyes red-rimmed, tears trembling at the edge as if waiting for permission to fall. She looked like the picture of restraint—hurt, but forgiving. Noble, even.
The kind of person everyone wanted to protect.
"I only want the truth," Ningran said softly, breaking the stillness. Her voice quivered just enough to tug at the heart. "Fei-jie, if you made a mistake, we can forgive you. But please… don't make things harder by staying quiet."
Every gaze turned to Ning Fei.
Her aunt frowned. "Speak. Are you admitting guilt, or are you planning to deny it again?"
Again.
The word stabbed deeper than any accusation.
Ning Fei lowered her eyes.
The system chimed.
[Warning: Verbal defense will reduce Villain Points.]
[Recommended Action: Endure.]
Endure.
She had endured her entire first life.
The difference now?
She was choosing it.
"I have nothing more to say," Ning Fei murmured.
The words were barely louder than a whisper—but they hit the hall like a stone dropped into still water.
Gasps followed.
Murmurs spread.
"What does that mean?"
"So she is guilty?"
"How shameless…"
Ningran's breath hitched.
Just for a split second.
The system caught it instantly.
[Micro-expression detected.]
[Emotion: Unease.]
Unease?
Good.
Very good.
Ningran took a step forward. "Fei-jie, I'm not accusing you. I just don't understand why you won't explain yourself. If you're innocent, shouldn't you say so?"
Innocent.
The word tasted bitter.
In her past life, Ning Fei had screamed it until her throat bled.
No one listened.
Now, she simply tilted her head slightly and said nothing.
The elders exchanged looks.
Her grandmother's grip tightened around her cane. "Ning Fei," she said slowly, "do you understand what your silence implies?"
"Yes," Ning Fei replied.
Her calm answer startled them.
"And?" her grandmother pressed.
Ning Fei lifted her gaze.
For the first time since entering the hall, she looked directly at everyone.
At the elders who judged her.
At the servants who whispered.
At Ningran—still trembling, still crying, still acting.
"I understand," Ning Fei said evenly, "that no matter what I say… the conclusion has already been reached."
The hall froze.
That wasn't a defense.
It wasn't an apology.
It was an accusation without pointing fingers.
The system vibrated sharply.
[Villain Points ×200.]
[Passive Psychological Pressure achieved.]
Her aunt's face darkened. "What are you implying?"
Ning Fei lowered her eyes again, retreating just as quickly as she had advanced.
"Nothing," she said. "I wouldn't dare."
The contrast was jarring.
Strong—then weak.
Bold—then submissive.
It unsettled them.
Ningran's fingers curled into her sleeve.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
In her script, Ning Fei should be pleading by now. Crying. Breaking.
Not standing there like a quiet mirror, forcing everyone to see their own cruelty reflected back at them.
"Enough," Ningran said suddenly, tears finally falling. "Please don't argue anymore. If blaming me will make things easier for Fei-jie, then I—"
"Stop."
The word cut through the hall like a blade.
Everyone froze.
Even Ningran did.
The voice hadn't come from an elder.
It had come from Ning Fei.
Slowly, Ning Fei lifted her head.
Her eyes were calm.
Too calm.
"Don't say that," Ning Fei continued softly. "People might misunderstand. I wouldn't want you to be hurt because of me."
The system exploded with notifications.
[Emotional Manipulation Reversal detected.]
[Villain Points ×300.]
[Skill Unlocked: Emotional Camouflage (Lv.1).]
Ningran's face went pale.
Hurt?
She had been hurt?
No—this was wrong.
This was backwards.
Ning Fei wasn't supposed to protect her.
She was supposed to attack.
Her aunt hesitated. "Fei… what exactly are you trying to say?"
Ning Fei shook her head slightly, as if startled by the attention. "Nothing. I just don't want my cousin to feel pressured. If someone must take responsibility… then it should be me."
The hall erupted.
"What nonsense is this?"
"She's admitting guilt again!"
"How manipulative—acting noble now?"
The accusations piled higher.
And with each one—
[Villain Points ×50.]
[Villain Points ×50.]
[Villain Points ×50.]
Ning Fei felt it.
Not power.
Not triumph.
But clarity.
This was how the world worked.
Truth didn't matter.
Perception did.
And she was finally done fighting it.
Her grandmother exhaled sharply. "Enough. This matter will not be discussed further today."
Ningran's eyes widened.
That wasn't the outcome she wanted.
The punishment hadn't been declared.
The verdict hadn't been sealed.
This ambiguity—
It was dangerous.
As the elders began to rise, Ningran stepped closer to Ning Fei, lowering her voice so only they could hear.
"You think this makes you clever?" Ningran whispered, her tone no longer sweet. "Do you think playing the martyr will save you?"
Ning Fei met her gaze.
Up close, she could see it now.
Not innocence.
But calculation.
"I don't need saving," Ning Fei replied quietly. "But you might."
Ningran stiffened.
Before she could respond, the system flashed violently.
[URGENT WARNING.]
[Fate Convergence detected.]
[A key event from your past life is about to repeat.]
Ning Fei's heart skipped.
Repeat?
Her past life—
Her breath slowed.
"What event?" she asked silently.
The system responded with chilling calm.
[Event: Public evidence submission.]
[Outcome if unchanged: Total reputation collapse.]
Evidence.
Ning Fei's fingers tightened.
In her past life, this was the moment everything had truly ended.
False witnesses. Fabricated proof. A single item that turned suspicion into conviction.
And Ningran—
Ningran had been the one to present it.
Ning Fei lifted her head sharply.
Across the hall, Ningran was already looking at her.
Smiling.
Not sweetly.
But knowingly.
As if she, too, remembered something important.
Something inevitable.
The system issued another notification
[New Mission Issued.]
[Objective: Intercept the evidence.]
[Time Limit: One day.]
[Failure Consequence: Irreversible fate lock.]
Ning Fei's lips curved—slow, cold, dangerous.
So this was it.
The moment fate tried to crush her again.
She bowed her head obediently as the elders dismissed everyone.
But inside—
Inside, the villain smiled.
The evidence that destroyed her once… was about to appear again.
This time, would she stop it—
or let it destroy someone else instead?