From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Yan Rugo held the flimsy piece of paper as if it were a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

The handwriting on the note was delicate, yet it sent chills down her spine, like a ghost's.

She frowned and paced anxiously around the room, each step feeling like she was walking on a knife's edge, as if she were afraid of being shattered to pieces at any moment.

"I just became the top scorer, am I going to fail so soon? This isn't how things are going to go!" She mentally complained, her mind racing with memories of the past few days.

From feeling like she was walking on thin ice when she first arrived, to successfully rising to power by taking advantage of rumors, she took every step cautiously, afraid of revealing even the slightest clue.

Could something have gone wrong somewhere?

She tried hard to recall, attempting to grasp that single clue.

Is that Mrs. Li?

She was dignified and authoritative, with a deep mind, yet she had always looked down on me.

Is it still that Aunt Zhao?

This woman hates herself to the core, but does she even have the brains to back it up?

Yan Rugo felt a growing headache as she thought about it. Her chaotic thoughts were like a tangled mess that she couldn't untangle no matter what she did.

She felt as if she were in a giant maze, with hidden traps everywhere.

Just then, a cold gaze suddenly shot out from the shadows, making her shiver violently.

Yan Rugo felt like prey being targeted by a venomous snake, her hair standing on end.

She looked around warily, but found nothing. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window, which seemed particularly eerie.

Meanwhile, Aunt Zhao was sitting in her room with a twisted smile on her face, a smile like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, sinister and vicious.

"Hehe, you little slut, you've been quite good at putting on airs lately, climbing the ladder pretty fast! I'll see how long you can keep up this smugness."

The flames of jealousy in her heart burned brighter and brighter. How dare a lowly maidservant act so arrogantly in front of her?

We absolutely cannot let that bitch get ahead of her!

With a wave of her hand, she commanded menacingly, "Keep a close eye on her. Report to me everything she's done and said lately! I want to see what secrets she's hiding."

Following Aunt Zhao's orders, more of her trusted confidants spread out silently, like ghosts. They were like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, watching Yan Rugo's every move and waiting for their chance to strike.

Yan Rugo felt as if countless eyes were watching her from behind. The feeling of being monitored made her feel uneasy and increased her pressure.

She gripped the note tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, a strong sense of crisis enveloping her.

"Who is behind this? I must find them!" She gritted her teeth and secretly vowed that she would never let anyone ruin her hard-won peace.

Just then, a soft knock came from the door, and a clear, gentle voice rang out: "Miss Yan, are you there?"

Yan Rugo's heart tightened when she heard Xu's voice, and she tried her best to remain calm.

"come in."

The male protagonist, Xu, pushed open the door and entered, a look of concern on his face.

"Miss Yan, you don't look well. Has something happened?" He glanced around the room seemingly casually, his gaze lingering for a moment on the note that Yan Rugo was clutching tightly before subtly looking away.

Yan Rugo hid the note in her sleeve and forced a smile. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

The male protagonist did not point it out, but said gently, "Things have been a bit unsettled in the manor lately, so it would be best if you were careful, Miss." He paused, then added, "If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask."

After Xu left, he quietly arranged everything.

On the surface, he was admiring the flowers in the garden, but in reality, he was secretly observing Aunt Zhao's spies.

He casually chatted with a few servants, subtly extracting some information from them.

When Aunt Zhao learned that her plan had failed, she was so angry that she smashed the teacup in her hand to pieces.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Her face turned ashen, burning with rage.

As Yan Rugo watched Xu's departing figure, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

She knew that the male lead, Xu, was helping her.

Having escaped Aunt Zhao's surveillance, Yan Rugo did not let her guard down.

She turned her gaze to Xiao Cui, the new maid who had come to the mansion.

Xiao Cui always peeked at her furtively, her eyes darting around as if she were hiding some secret.

"Xiao Cui, what have you been busy with lately?" Yan Rugo asked casually.

Xiao Cui was taken aback for a moment, then lowered her head and respectfully replied, "Replying to Miss, this servant has been doing her duty."

Yan Rugo stared intently into Xiao Cui's eyes, trying to find a clue in her gaze, but Xiao Cui kept her head down and avoided her gaze.

In the dead of night, Yan Rugo lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

She always felt that something was about to happen.

Suddenly, the system's voice rang in her mind...

"Ding! Key clue detected. Target: Xiao Cui. Location: Xiao Cui's room." The system's voice, like heavenly music, exploded in Yan Rugo's mind.

Yan Rugo suddenly sat up in bed. Xiao Cui?

It seems her intuition was right!

A sly smile curved her lips, like a little fox who had successfully stolen a bite.

She tiptoed into Xiao Cui's room and, by the moonlight, carefully searched every corner.

Soon, she found some papers identical to the anonymous note and a calligraphy brush with the same handwriting in an inconspicuous wooden box.

"Bingo! Caught red-handed!" Yan Rugo lowered her voice, clenching her fist excitedly, as if she could already see the dawn of victory.

The next morning, Yan Rugo brought the evidence to Xiao Cui and looked at her with a half-smile.

"Xiao Cui, do you have anything else to explain?"

Xiao Cui's face was deathly pale, her lips trembled, and her eyes flickered, like a frightened little rabbit.

"Girl, I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

Yan Rugo presented the evidence to her, her tone icy, "The evidence is conclusive. Do you still want to argue?"

When Xiao Cui realized that her secret had been exposed, she knelt down on the ground with a thud and tearfully confessed everything.

"Please spare me, young lady! It was Aunt Zhao who ordered me to do this..."

The servants around her gasped, their eyes filled with awe as they looked at Yan Rugo.

This seemingly frail maid is actually incredibly capable!

Yan Rugo did not punish Xiao Cui directly, but instead asked her to deliver a message to Aunt Zhao.

"Tell Aunt Zhao that I know she did it. If she dares to provoke me again, I won't let her off easily!"

Xiao Cui nervously relayed the message, and when Aunt Zhao heard it, her face turned deathly pale, and she almost dropped her teacup.

When the other servants in the mansion heard this news, they all admired Yan Rugo greatly. This maid was truly not to be trifled with!

However, Yan Rugo always felt that things were not that simple.

As she walked through the mansion, she suddenly heard a soft murmur: "...Master...Madam Li...Aunt Zhao...The plan..."

Yan Rugo's heart tightened. Could there be an even bigger conspiracy?

She held her breath and quietly moved closer to the source of the sound...

"Shh! Someone's coming..." a voice suddenly said.