In a high-end afternoon tea shop, the gazes of the patrons drifted, from time to time, toward a woman seated by the window.
The sunlight filling the shop seemed to freeze upon her. She had lustrous, waist-length black hair, and her elegant willow-leaf brows and large eyes were currently cast in a sorrowful arc. Her straight, delicate nose left a deep impression on the other guests, while her petal-pink lips made one long to steal a kiss.
Her grass-green dress perfectly accentuated her fresh, fragile temperament, evoking a sense of profound pity in all who saw her.
"Miss, are you ready to order?" An oblivious waiter, braving the collective stares of the room, stepped forward to disturb the woman’s solitary melancholy.
Despite the thick, inescapable sorrow in her eyes, the woman still offered a polite smile. "A cup of herbal tea, please," she said gently.
The waiter was momentarily dazed, his heart infected by her sadness. He nodded gloomily. "I understand, Miss." He then took the order slip back to the counter.
The woman returned her gaze to the window, looking as though she were waiting for someone, or perhaps as if someone important had already departed.
The shop’s tranquility was shattered as the door was pushed open with force. A young woman dressed in an expensive, custom-made black gown, her curls perfectly pinned back, stepped inside with a sharp, commanding aura. She wore the latest designer high heels, and the handbag on her arm swayed with her stride.
The patrons’ eyes instinctively followed her until she reached the table of the woman in green, a scene that felt straight out of a movie.
The woman in black pulled out a chair and sat down without ceremony.
In an instant, the air was filled with a discordant tension.
"You’ve come... Mrs. Song." Que Tang’s expression remained low and pained, but seeing the newcomer, she forced a smile that looked more agonizing than crying. "Would you like to order first—"
The woman addressed as Mrs. Song simply raised her hand. The waiter, who had been watching the table closely, hurried over. "A cup of herbal tea," she commanded.
The waiter nodded and beat a hasty retreat.
"I didn't expect you to have some standards, choosing a place like this instead of some random cafe," Mrs. Song said, taking out a wet wipe to clean the table.
"Given your status... it wouldn't be appropriate to appear just anywhere," Que Tang echoed weakly.
"Enough nonsense. Why did you ask to meet me? To provoke me? To gloat?" Mrs. Song’s eyes were sharp as she sized up Que Tang, who appeared to be around her own age. With that fragile, "White Lotus" saintly aura, it was no wonder Song Aotian was so infatuated with her that he ignored her family’s wealth. "You should know that everything Song Aotian has today was given to him by me. If he hadn't married me, would he have become the CEO of the group? If he divorces me, he’ll have nothing. Do you still want to be with him then?" Mindful that this was a family scandal, Mrs. Song kept her voice low despite her fury.
"No, it’s not like that, Mrs. Song." Tears welled in the corners of Que Tang’s eyes as she nervously reached out to grasp the other woman's hand. "Please, let me explain. When I found out Aotian... that Mr. Song was married, I already broke up with him. I only wanted to apologize to you, and to ask you not to make things difficult for him."
Mrs. Song violently shook off her hand. "Don't touch me." She pulled out a tissue to wipe her hands in disgust. "Then what exactly did you want to say? Just to tell me not to make things hard for him? Heh." She looked at Que Tang with utter distrust.
"Mrs... Song." Que Tang struggled to utter the title. "Rest assured, I have cut off all contact with Mr. Song. Nothing happened between us; we simply shared a few meals." She tried to curl her lips into a smile, but failed. Finally, she let her shoulders slump in defeat. "I am truly sorry for coming between your marriage. I have already requested a transfer back to the United States. I’ll be leaving next week."
"Excuse me, your herbal tea." The waiter delivered the drinks. He had hoped to overhear what they were saying, but the two women had fallen silent the moment he appeared. He left with a sense of regret.
"Please, have your tea." Que Tang pushed the cup toward her.
This time, Mrs. Song did not refuse and took the tea.
"Aotian... is a good man. I hope you will be happy in the future. I’ll take my leave now. My apologies, Mrs. Song," Que Tang said with a sob. She took the bill to the counter, paid with a large bill without waiting for change, and walked straight out.
"Meow. The female supporting character’s favorability toward the host has increased by 10; current value is negative 60. The male lead’s favorability toward the female supporting character has decreased by 10; current value is negative 30."
As soon as Que Tang pushed open the shop door, she heard the notification from Little Mushroom. "...The male lead’s favorability toward the wife decreased? Is he hiding somewhere and watching?" She immediately pretended to hail a taxi while scanning her surroundings. Finally, she spotted a black sedan under a roadside tree, with the words "Male Lead of This World" floating prominently above it.
Noticing the car door beginning to open, Que Tang lowered her head and hurriedly hopped into a random taxi.
"This mission is truly making me uncomfortable. A man who relies on his wife’s promotion, gets rich, and then starts thinking his wife is arrogant and overbearing? He feels he can't hold his head up because his title and wealth came from marrying into her family, so he starts plotting to swallow her company. Then he meets the representative sent by a partner company—the female lead—falls in love with her gentle, lovely aura at first sight, and pursues her relentlessly. When the female lead finds out he’s married, she tries to break it off, but the male lead kneels and tells her how terrible and wicked his wife is... Then the two get back together and team up to destroy the wife, branding her as 'evil' in the process. Is this kind of novel really okay?" Que Tang repeated the plot to herself, still finding it unbearable.
"Meow~ Host, do not underestimate this 'usurping mistress' novel. it was number one on the romance charts that year. Readers were moved to tears by the male lead’s constancy and the female lead’s undying love. They held nothing but malice for the female supporting character, believing she used her power and wealth to force a man who didn't love her into marriage. No one sympathized with her at all."
Que Tang could only offer a cynical "Heh." "And in the end, these two who betrayed their vows reached the pinnacle of life and lived happily ever after. What a mockery of people who actually try to live decent lives."
"Meow~ This mission is the same: please help the female supporting character max out the male lead’s favorability so they can reconcile and create a happy life."
"Even though this task is quite unpleasant... fine. The older generation always says it's better to reconcile than to part. I'll do my best," Que Tang muttered, frowning.
She got out of the taxi and was walking home when someone called out to her from behind.
"Que Tang." Seeing her stop, the worry on Song Aotian’s face finally gave way to a sliver of a smile. He hurried to her side and gazed at her deeply. But seeing the profound sorrow on her face, his handsome features darkened. "Did Yu Luoyan make things difficult for you?" Song Aotian’s eyes flashed with resentment. "That woman... it’s bad enough she orders me around normally, but now she’s bullying you." He took a deep breath to suppress the hatred in his chest, then looked at her tenderly. "Que Tang, believe me. I will work hard to bring her down so that you can be the only wife by my side."
Que Tang solemnly pulled her arms from his grasp, turned her head, and took a step back. "Aotian, we cannot continue like this."
"Why? I truly love you, Que Tang," Song Aotian said in disbelief. "Is it because I can't give you a formal status yet? Do you feel wronged? Believe me, it’s only like this for now. It’s all part of the plan to take her down. Once I’ve successfully seized her assets, I can throw her away." Song Aotian stepped forward again, trying to pull her into a tight embrace.
He knew Que Tang was a very virtuous girl, so he had always respected her. During their time together, they only ate meals and went for walks. Even so, she gave him the beautiful feeling of returning to his first love.
He wanted to give her a title, to marry her properly and bring her into his home as the one and only Mrs. Song.
Que Tang was so disgusted she felt like vomiting. She used all her strength to push him away, her face a mask of tragedy. "Song Aotian, please respect me. You should never have approached me while you were still married."
"Que Tang—"
"Enough!" Que Tang glared at him. "What is it you actually want? Come back and talk to me when you’ve figured that out. However, I am returning to my country next week." With that, she left the male lead behind and walked quickly toward her apartment building, the iron gate swinging shut to lock him out.
"The female supporting character’s favorability toward the female lead has decreased by 40; current value is negative 100. The male lead’s favorability toward the female supporting character has decreased by 20; current value is negative 40. Meow~"
Just as she stepped inside, Que Tang received this bolt-from-the-blue notification. She immediately went to the window and pulled back the curtain. Sure enough, the couple was arguing downstairs.
"Should I say they really are husband and wife? They even stalk each other." She took a can of fruit wine from the fridge, opened it, and leaned against the wall, drinking while watching the soap opera unfolding below. The argument escalated until Yu Luoyan, heedless of her image, slapped Song Aotian hard across the face. Song Aotian, seemingly restrained by something, didn't hit back. His face was exceptionally grim as he finally turned and walked away.
"Is the host not going down to stop them? Meow~" Little Mushroom padded over to the window and hopped onto the sill to look down.
"The timing isn't right yet." Que Tang finished the fruit wine in one go and tossed the can into the trash. "One must appear when the other person is at their most painful moment to truly demonstrate the maximum value of a White Lotus."
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 宋傲天 | Song Aotian | The male lead of the current mission world. |
| 虞珞妍 | Yu Luoyan | The female supporting character (the wife) of the current mission world. |
| 白莲花 | White Lotus | A trope referring to a character who appears pure and innocent, often used as a facade. |
| 小三上位文 | Usurping mistress novel | A subgenre of romance where the mistress successfully replaces the wife. |
| 负六十 | Negative sixty | Refers to favorability points in the system. |
| 圣母 | Saintly / Madonna | Often used with "White Lotus" to describe an overly forgiving or "pure" persona. |
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Transmigrated as the Mary Sue: The Villainess's Revenge System | Chapter 55 | The White Lotus Act | Novela.app | Novela.app
