From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Yan Rugo held her breath, crouched low, and moved like a nimble night cat through the intricate alleyways of the dock.

As night fell, the dock was filled with a fishy smell mixed with a damp, musty odor, and the air was so thick it felt like it could seal one's mouth and nose.

The dim light shone on the mottled walls, casting distorted shadows, like monsters lurking in the darkness, ready to devour anyone at any moment.

Yan Rugo's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, scanning everything around her; no slightest movement could escape her notice.

"System, activate stealth skill!" Yan Rugo silently commanded.

With a slight energy fluctuation, her figure gradually disappeared into the night.

She quietly slipped into a heavily guarded warehouse.

The warehouse was piled high with goods, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of medicinal herbs.

Using the dim light, Yan Rugo carefully searched through the items.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she spotted a locked wooden crate among a pile of miscellaneous goods.

"Lock-picking skills, activated!"

With a click, the lock opened.

Yan Rugo carefully opened the wooden box, inside which was a thick stack of account books.

She quickly flipped through the document, which contained the very evidence she had been searching for—a list of goods linked to a business scam!

"Great! I finally caught you!" Yan Rugo was secretly delighted, a smug smile playing on her lips.

She memorized the key information in the ledger, then restored the wooden crate to its original state and quietly left the warehouse.

"At least the trip wasn't a complete waste..." Yan Rugo breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave...

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the warehouse, accompanied by a rough shout: "Who goes there?!" Yan Rugo held her breath, her back pressed tightly against the cold wall, the rough bricks rubbing against her clothes, causing a ticklish sensation.

In the corner of the warehouse, there were some old fishing nets piled up, emitting a strong fishy smell that almost made her faint.

Outside the warehouse, the guards' footsteps grew closer, accompanied by heavy breathing, like the urgent beat of a drum, pounding against her heart.

"Search! Search thoroughly! Don't let a single mouse escape!" A gruff voice boomed outside the warehouse.

The warehouse door was suddenly pushed open, and blinding light rushed in, illuminating the scene inside.

Several burly guards, carrying torches, strode in menacingly.

They looked around warily, their eyes as sharp as falcons, as if trying to see through everything in the darkness.

The burly man at the head of the group, his face full of scars, gritted his teeth and spat viciously: "You dare to break into our Black Tiger Gang's warehouse? You're tired of living!"

Yan Rugo's heart was pounding in her throat.

She huddled in the shadows, too afraid to move, lest she be discovered.

In the dim light, she could even see the ferocious expressions on the guards' faces and the gleaming blades in their hands.

The goods piled up in the warehouse cast strange shadows, like monsters lurking in the darkness, ready to devour her at any moment.

"System, interference skill, activate!" Yan Rugo silently chanted in her mind.

For a moment, the lights in the warehouse flickered a few times, then plunged into darkness.

The guards panicked and their torches went out.

"What happened? Why did the lights suddenly go out?"

"Damn it, could it be haunted?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Light the fire!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Yan Rugo slipped away quietly.

Outside the warehouse, the night was still deep, and everything on the dock was shrouded in a mysterious atmosphere.

She glanced back at the warehouse, a smug smile playing on her lips: "Ha, a bunch of fools!"

Yan Rugo was about to leave when she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling from not far away: "Ge'er!"

As Yan Rugo emerged from the shadows of the warehouse, she saw a familiar figure standing under the dim lights of the dock, tall and slender, like a pine tree in the night.

It's the male lead, Xu!

He paced back and forth, glancing occasionally toward the warehouse, his brow furrowed with deep worry.

Hearing the noise, he looked up abruptly. The moment he saw Yan Rugo, his tense nerves instantly relaxed. He took a few steps forward and hugged Yan Rugo tightly in his arms.

"You scared me to death!" Xu's voice trembled slightly as he rested his chin on Yan Rugo's head, feeling the real warmth in his arms. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

"Please don't do anything so dangerous next time, okay?"

Yan Rugo was a little breathless from his embrace, but she could also feel his genuine concern.

She gently patted his back and said softly, "Okay, okay, I know I was wrong, I won't do it again next time."

The scene of the two embracing looked especially warm under the dim light, and passersby couldn't help but cast envious glances, as if marveling at the love of this perfect couple.

"I found this!" Yan Rugo pulled out the list of goods she had written down from her bosom and handed it to Xu Nanzhu like a treasure.

The male protagonist took the list, looked at it carefully, and his brows furrowed more and more.

"Could this... be a trap?"

"A trap? You doubt me?" Yan Rugo's excited expression instantly vanished. She put her hands on her hips, her tone tinged with displeasure. "I risked my life to get this clue, and you doubt me?"

"I'm not doubting you, I just think the coincidences are too much..." Xu explained, his tone tinged with helplessness.

An awkward atmosphere hung between the two, and the air on the dock seemed to freeze.

Just then, a cold voice broke the silence: "Oh, isn't this our talented young master Xu? What are you doing here, having a secret rendezvous with a beauty?"

The person who came was none other than Young Master Xu.

A sinister smile played on his lips as he glanced at the inventory list in Yan Ruge's hand. He said meaningfully, "It seems you've made a new discovery? Why don't you let me share it with you?"

Yan Rugo looked at the strange smile on Xu Ershao's face, and her doubts deepened.

The lights on the dock flickered, and everything around seemed to be shrouded in shadow, making it hard to breathe.

Young Master Xu stepped forward and held out his hand: "Give it to me."