Chapter 1: Home. Work. Home .Work.
Layna's life is a never-ending cycle of; waking up, eating breakfast, getting ready for work, going to work to break her back from the labor and toil, before then returning home to do it all over again the next day. But, I have a feeling that cycle is going to change very soon.
"Wake up!" A voice rang in her ears.
Her eyes slowly opened to see who would possibly try to wake her up. Not to mention in her own house! She sat up from the bed when she began to notice that she was no longer in the house. Instead she was in a white room with nothing in it but a mirror.
She stood up and walked towards it to get a closer look. It was large---far taller than her--- and rectangular in shape. The ones you would often see in a dancing studio. She was weirded out when she saw herself looking distorted in the mirror.
"What?"
She said under her breath barely getting the word out in her confused state.
"You like what you see?"
Her head ached when she heard that voice once again. She started to look around the said room in the hopes of finding the owner of that said voice.
"W-WHO SAID THAT?!" She yelled out of fear, however she tried to hide her fear but failed as her voice began to crack as she yelled.
"My name is not important... I'm a system and you're one of the chosen ones to beat the Meta. It's that simple." The voice was cold and monotonous.
"Meta? Like in games?" She asked bewildered at the strange situation she found herself in.
"Like in games...or novels?" She asked once more after not receiving a response.
This time however the voice responded in its cold and monotonous tone. "You do read right?"
She raised her eyebrows in shock. She couldn't believe what he just said.
"You should've done your research..."She says trying to regain some form of confidence.
"...I'm an aspiring novelist of course I read..."
The voice chuckled.
"Then this game is perfect for you..."
"What do I get?" She stopped the voice, almost jumping to her feet in the possibility of a reward. For her, the world revolved around money.
"You said it's a game, so what's my prize?" She says once more. Wanting an immediate response.
"Nothing." The voice responded.
"Well then, goodnight. I'm not interested." She said in a mocking tone, mimicking the voice speaking to her.
"You don't even know the game. And yet you want to refuse it?" The voice echoed throughout the room. It seemed almost perplexed at her refusal.
"No prize, no game. I think it's that simple..." She said with a snarky tone.
"What do you want?" The voice asked with but a hint of aggression. Clearly losing its patience with this girl.
"Money... But first explain the game to me." She crossed her arms while she awaited a response from the voice. For her, the world revolved around money.
The voice went silent for a second before explaining the game to her. She, of course, didn't really listen to what the voice had to say but she ultimately got what it wanted. It may be an opportunity
Long story short. Novels always disregard the second lead when it comes to romance after their part, which is mostly to support and love the female lead from afar, thus they don't get their own happy ending. And that's where she comes in. She'd beat the system by playing the game; Take The Second Lead.
Of course she negotiated her price. She wanted a million dollars and the voice said it would give her a hundred thousand dollars per novel. So the goal was simple, and she could handle this! Or so she thought.
"To get started, kindly lie on the bed and close your eyes." The voice spoke to her once more.
She shrugged and followed its instructions. She wondered what could possibly go wrong. Unbeknownst to her she would receive her answer sooner than expected. She hadn't even laid down on the bed before she was punched by an invisible hand in her gut, her vision became blurry before fading to black and she was knocked unconscious...
As Layna lay deep in slumber, information came to her in a dream. Though she didn't quite grasp why or what was happening. She received the message that was being relayed to her.
Wang Xui Ying is a concubine in the Duke Haijin's estate. She was the favored concubine until a foreign slave, of unparalleled beauty and grace, was sold to him. That slave is the female lead, Courtney Lim. She was captured ashore in Korea due to the traders thinking she was a runaway slave. What they didn't realize is that she run away from her noble life to avoid an arranged marriage, she fled seeking a chance to marry the one her heart truly beats for.
Duke Haijin also known as Zhang Wei bought her for he was greatly enticed by the beauty she possessed. He wanted her the moment his eyes laid upon her and she hated him as her eyes fell upon him. Seeing how many concubines he has had engraved into her mind that Zhang Wei can't be taken seriously when it comes to a relationship, he clearly only sought pleasure.
And that's where the Male Lead comes in. Now that Courtney became the favored concubine and mostly a candidate as an official wife of the Duke. Zhang Wei flaunts her to every party he attends and that's where the female lead and the male lead meet.
Prince Li Wei is the emperor's beloved, handsome, and graceful son. He's kind and reliable a total opposite of Zhang Wei despite having the same name. Li Wei believes that a person should only have one true love. Even though girls would throw themselves on his feet, he refused to acknowledge them unless he feels a certain connection between the two of them.
The Male Lead has the aura that can draw any girls to him especially the Female Lead. As all novel love triangle story goes the Male lead gets the girl and the second lead changes but can only love her from afar.
Now we might be all asking where Layna's character fit. Being the favored concubine before the Courtney stole the limelight she became jealous and furious at being replaced by another.
Wang Xui Ying planned the Female Lead's downfall, her attempts however always failed. Poisoning, Humiliation, Discrimination, all the horrid things a woman could do but always ended in failure.
Until Zhang Wei caught her. She begs and cries for him to take her back. She just wanted his love back but he didn't take her pleas and tortured her himself. Xui Ying died in the arms of the man she loves. She smiles on her death and wished someday she'll fall in love again but this time she'll be loved back.
Layna felt all the anguished and the betrayal Xui Ying felt. The heartbreak and the will to survive. She was blinded by the light as she opens her eyes; it took her a few seconds to register what is currently happening on her surroundings. She took Xui Ying's place, her soul but different body. She's inside a carriage but she wasn't alone. There's another girl in front of her wearing a long white tunic; something a servant would wear.
The said servant is looking at Xui Ying with a weird expression, it looks like she wants to say something but either was too afraid or stubborn to speak. Xui Ying took a deep breath before asking a question.
"Where are we going?" She proceeded despite having a hunch to where on the destination ultimately was.
And with a meek soft voice the servant replied "To Duke Haijin's estate, Mistress."
"I see." Her voice monotonous and uninterested. The servant felt her distaste for the said Duke but she knows her position thus why once again she chose to not say anything.
Xui Ying was transmigrated to the time where she was given to the duke as a gift for his loyalty to the nation. If her calculations are correct this was one year before Zhang Wei's fated encounter with Courtney. She have one year to change her destiny, one year to survive death, and one year to make Zhang Wei to fall in love with her. She scoffed at her own thoughts, thinking this would be easy money but little did she know this is only the start of her journey.
She closed her eyes once again, took a deep breath and started a mantra in her thoughts.
She's Xui Ying and Xui Ying is her.
If she wants to win this game this is something she needs to do. Right now she is no longer Layna but Xui Ying who wants redemption. The moment she opened her eyes. She's now into character.