From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

"Yan Rugo! You jinx! Not only did you bring death to your parents, but now you want to bring death to your master and mistress too?!" The sharp and piercing curses were like a sharp knife stabbing straight into Yan Rugo's eardrums.

what's the situation?

All she did was stay up all night reading an ancient romance novel, right?

How did I end up transmigrating into the body of a villainous female supporting character in a book—a cannon fodder maid with the same name as me?

Yan Rugo looked around; the dilapidated bed and simple furnishings reminded her of the fact that she had transmigrated into a book.

What's worse is that the original owner was notorious for being lazy and gluttonous, and everyone in the mansion wished she would disappear immediately.

Sure enough, the stern-faced butler Lin was glaring at her, practically ready to drag her out and beat her to death.

Yan Rugo's heart skipped a beat. This start was hellishly difficult!

She has to save herself!

Butler Lin's eyes were clearly looking for trouble, just waiting to kick her out.

As luck would have it, it's the original owner's turn to help out in the kitchen today. If he doesn't perform well, he might have to sleep on the streets tomorrow.

Yan Rugo took a deep breath, trying to ignore the disdainful looks and whispers of the maids around her, and walked towards the kitchen with a stiff upper lip.

The kitchen was filled with steam, noise, and chaos.

The sounds of cleavers clattering against spatulas and maids calling out to serve dishes blended into a noisy symphony.

Yan Rugo felt as if she had fallen into a giant steamer, and she even had difficulty breathing.

"System, system, are you there? Help!" Yan Rugo cried out in her heart.

In an instant, a flood of information rushed into her mind: various modern kitchen management knowledge, dish pairing techniques, and food preservation methods flashed before her eyes like a movie.

Yan Rugo's eyes lit up. This cheat code had come at just the right time!

She began to think rapidly about how to use this knowledge to make a name for herself in this ancient kitchen.

When the maids around Yan Rugo suddenly froze on the spot, her eyes glazed over, and her expression carrying a strange excitement, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Xiao Cui, the most timid and gossipy maid, cautiously approached Yan Rugo and timidly asked, "Sister Rugo, are you... alright?"

Yan Rugo snapped out of her daze and gave a confident smile: "Of course it's alright, the real show is just beginning."

Yan Rugo rolled up her sleeves and surveyed the kitchen with a determined look in her eyes.

She first arranged all the ingredients according to their type (meat or vegetables, raw or cooked, perishable), and then reorganized the process of taking, washing, cutting, and cooking the ingredients based on the cooking order of each dish.

Under her methodical direction, the entire kitchen sprang to life like a precision machine that had been lubricated.

The junior manager, Sister Wang, was dumbfounded. The once chaotic kitchen had now become orderly and efficient.

Her face crinkled into a wide smile as she gave Yan Rugo a thumbs-up: "Oh my, Rugo, you've really changed a lot in just a few days! Your brain is even sharper than mine! I never knew you had this trick up your sleeve!"

The maids around Yan Rugo looked at her. They worked themselves to the bone every day, doing the dirtiest and most tiring jobs, while Yan Rugo simply used her brain and won the praise of the junior manager. How could they accept this?

The air was thick with a sour smell, almost overflowing from the screen.

"Wow, it's like the sun has risen in the west! Yan Rugo can actually do housework now?"

"Yeah, didn't you used to slack off? Why are you so enthusiastic today?"

"Hmph, all pretense. Let's see how long she can keep this up!"

Yan Rugo knew, of course, that the maids were gossiping about her behind her back, but she didn't care at all. After all, she was going to become the beloved female lead, so what was this little setback?

She now has only one goal in mind: to gain a foothold in this ancient kitchen and successfully turn the tables!

At this moment, Xiao Cui's eyes darted around, and a strange smile appeared on her lips.

She crept up to Yan Rugo's workbench and, taking advantage of Yan's inattention, secretly slipped a delicately embroidered handkerchief into the corner.

This handkerchief doesn't belong to her!

When Yan Rugo finished her work and was about to take a break, she accidentally discovered the extra handkerchief and was immediately stunned.

This is not hers!

Her heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

"Oh dear, isn't this the handkerchief that Granny Zhang just threw away? How did it end up with Yan Rugo?"

"Yes, yes, this handkerchief is Zhang Mama's favorite. She treasures it like the back of her hand."

"Oh my god, could it be Yan Rugo who stole it? I knew it! She was still up to her old tricks!"

The surrounding maids immediately gathered around, their eyes filled with suspicion and disdain. They whispered among themselves, as if they had already decided that Yan Rugo was the thief.

Yan Rugo glanced at the scrutinizing gazes around her and sneered inwardly.

"I've never seen this handkerchief before."

The maids around her were originally waiting to see Yan Rugo panic and cry, so that they could put on a show of "the wicked reaping what they sowed," but they were all stunned by her calmness.

The kitchen, which had been bustling just moments before, fell silent instantly, and an eerie tension filled the air.

Yan Rugo looked around and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

You think you can frame her with such a petty trick?

That would be underestimating her 21st-century soul.

“I’ve never seen this handkerchief before. But…” Yan Rugo paused, her gaze falling on Xiao Cui, “Xiao Cui, the stain on the hem of your clothes seems somewhat similar to the pattern on this handkerchief.”

Xiao Cui's face paled, and she subconsciously took a step back, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet Yan Rugo's gaze.

The maids around her followed Yan Rugo's gaze to Xiao Cui, and sure enough, there was a light stain on the hem of her light green dress, the shape of which was exactly the same as the pattern on the handkerchief.

"I...I don't know..." Xiao Cui stammered, her voice trembling and her eyes filled with panic.

"Don't know? Then how do you explain this stain?" Aunt Wang's face darkened, and she shouted sharply.

Xiao Cui trembled with fright, knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes, and tearfully confessed that she had framed Yan Rugo.

Aunt Wang gave Xiao Cui a severe scolding and punished her by making her wash all the dishes and chopsticks.

The maids around Yan Rugo's gaze changed from disdain to admiration.

It seems that Yan Rugo is not as bad as the rumors suggest!

Yan Rugo breathed a sigh of relief, finally averting the crisis.

It seems that to survive in this world, the skills provided by the system are not enough; you also need to use your brain!

Just as she was about to continue working, Butler Lin walked over with a serious expression.

"Yan Rugo, Meixiang, the head maid of the madam, seems to be paying close attention to you," Butler Lin said in a low voice. "She came to the kitchen today specifically to ask about your situation."

Yan Rugo's heart tightened. Mei Xiang?

That's the main villain in the later part of the book, ruthless, vicious, and cunning.

Why is she paying attention to herself?

Did the original owner have some kind of grudge against her?

As the sun sets, the light in the kitchen gradually dims.

Yan Rugo looked up at the window. The sky was overcast, as if foreshadowing an approaching storm.

"I understand," Yan Rugo replied calmly, but a sense of unease welled up inside her.