Saving The Spare : Quick Transmigration To Save The Second Male Lead

"That annoying female lead had the nerve to hit my Jun for that jerk? Jun's got terrible taste in girls. 

She barely acknowledges him, but runs to him whenever she's in trouble. Does she take my Jun as her personal backup plan?

A spare tire? Ugh... it's infuriating!"

Qin Li exclaimed, tossing the book onto the bed as she got up and headed downstairs.

"Why do female leads always get to be the center of attention, while I'm struggling to even get one guy to notice me?"

"With a heavy heart, Qin Li trudged into the kitchen, her feet dragging in sync with her despair. 'Ah, cruel fate... no food to solace my sorrow.'

She opened the fridge, only to find it as barren as her love life, which further deepened her despondency.

Defeated, she shuffled out of the kitchen and collapsed onto the living room sofa, surrendering to her misery. 

Why must God be so unjust? Why can't I have a life filled with excitement and passion, instead of this dull, monotonous existence?'

Qin Li lamented, her eyes closing in resignation."

...

"Do you want to help those devoted second male leads who love with all their heart, only to be left with nothing in the end?"

A whisper seemed to echo in Qin Li's mind, and she found herself responding instinctively.

"Yes, I want to help them. They're so pitiful and forlorn."

The whisper continued, "If given the chance to save them and grant them a happy ending, would you do it?"

Without hesitation, Qin Li replied, "I will."

Suddenly, a declaration resonated in her mind:

"Qin Li, the host, has been selected to guide the second male leads towards their happily ever after."

...

"Ugh... my head is pounding."

Qin Li groggily opened her eyes, only to be enveloped by an inky blackness that seemed to swallow her whole.

Disoriented, she struggled to sit up, her mind foggy.

"W-where am I?" she stammered, her voice shaking slightly.

Panic set in as she scrambled to her feet, stumbling forward in search of a glimmer of light. 

But there was none. No matter how far she walked, the darkness seemed endless, an abyss that stretched out before her like an eternal void.

"Where am I?"

Qin Li cried out, her voice echoing into the void.

Suddenly, a low, mysterious voice resonated in her mind, "Host, have you forgotten that you are bound to me by contract?"

Qin Li's eyes widened in shock as she lost her balance and sat down hard on the cold, dark ground.

"Ahhh!" she exclaimed, her heart racing.

"Who... who are you?" she stammered, trying to process the unexpected voice and her strange surroundings.

"Who are you?"

Qin Li asked, her voice trembling slightly as she scrambled backward, her hands feeling around the dark ground for support. 

She frantically scanned her surroundings, but the darkness seemed to swallow everything. 

The mysterious voice continued, "Host, there's no need to panic. I am a system designed to guide second male leads towards their happy endings. 

You, Qin Li, have been afflicted with Second Male Lead Syndrome – an excessive empathy for the unjustly forsaken. 

That's why I've chosen you."

"Huh?" 

Qin Li's confusion deepened as fragments of memories resurfaced. 

She recalled the whispers she had heard in her sleep, and a connection clicked into place. 

"Wait, are you talking about that conversation I had... when I was asleep?" 

She hesitated, trying to process the strange coincidence. "The one where I said I wanted to help the second male leads?"

"Yes!" The system responded with an annoyingly cheerful tone, which only served to irritate Qin Li further. 

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, indignation rising. 

"I wasn't even fully awake! You should have waited for me to be sober and alert before springing this on me. Taking advantage of me in my sleep is just despicable!"

"But you were on the brink of collapse," the system explained, its cheerful tone now laced with a hint of seriousness. 

"If I had waited any longer, you would have missed your chance entirely. You would have been lost forever, and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." 

Qin Li's eyes widened in shock as she processed the system's words. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"What happened to me?" Qin Li's voice trembled as she struggled to comprehend the system's words. 

"You were poisoned," the system replied, its tone neutral. 

"I'm not allowed to interfere with your personal life, so I don't know the details of how it happened. But the poison was the primary cause of your... demise."

"Poisoned... I was poisoned." 

Qin Li's voice cracked as she repeated the words, trying to process the cruel reality. 

"Were they not satisfied with the pain they'd already inflicted on me? Did they have to take my life too?" 

Her words trailed off, consumed by a mix of anger, sadness, and despair.

"Will I receive anything in return for helping the second male leads find their happiness?" 

Qin Li's eyes burned with a mix of desperation and longing as she stared into the darkness ahead. 

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the shadows, as if searching for a glimmer of hope. 

Her voice cracked with emotion, "Will I finally find peace?" 

"Yes, once you've successfully guided the second male leads to their happy endings and accumulated the necessary merit points, you'll be granted the opportunity to return to your own world." 

The system's voice held a hint of promise. 

"And, since your original body is no longer viable, I will provide you with a new one, complete with a fresh identity. You'll be able to start anew, free from the burdens of your past."

"Alternatively, if you prefer not to return to your original world, you can choose to remain in one of the worlds you'll be visiting. 

Moreover, you can continue to accumulate merit points, and I will grant your wishes in exchange for them. The more merit points you collect, the more possibilities will be open to you."

"Merit points? How do I earn them?" Qin Li asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Ah, you'll receive merit points after successfully guiding the second male leads to their happy endings," the system explained. 

"One merit point will be awarded for each world you complete. To return to your own world, you'll need to collect a total of ten merit points. 

And if you have any additional wishes, you'll need to accumulate even more merit points to have them granted." 

"Okay, I understand. But how do I actually help them achieve their happy ending?" Qin Li asked, seeking clarification.

"Simple," the system replied. "Just help them find their true love, their other half, and ensure they end up together."

Qin Li's eyes widened in surprise. "Their other half? But aren't they usually in love with the female lead?"

The system's response was calm and matter-of-fact. 

"Not always. Sometimes, the second male lead has a different soulmate, one who truly understands and loves them for who they are."

"Your task is to identify and bring them together or help them find someone new to fall in love with, moving on from the female lead."

Qin Li's eyes lit up with a mischievous idea. "So, can I be the one they fall in love with instead?"

The system paused for a second but then replied with a neutral tone. 

"Yes, you can. The goal is for them to fall in love and be in a relationship. The partner can be anyone – even you."

...

"'Fiancée?' Qin Li repeated, her voice laced with confusion.

"Yes, you are the male lead's fiancée who tragically took her own life in the novel," the system explained.

Qin Li's gaze shifted to her reflection in the mirror. 

The face staring back was identical to her own, yet somehow more refined and delicate. 

It was clear that the owner of this face had lived a life of pampering and luxury, a stark contrast to Qin Li's own experiences.

"What about the memories of this body?" Qin Li asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I'll transfer them to you now. Close your eyes," the system instructed.

As soon as Qin Li's eyelids shut, a searing heat spread across her forehead, followed by a sharp pain piercing through the back of her head. 

"Ah!" she cried out, her voice trembling.

"It will hurt a little. Endure it," the system warned, its voice firm but detached.

Qin Li's head spun violently, as if her memories were being rewritten. 

She felt like fainting, but the pain was so intense that it kept her anchored to the present moment, more alert than she wanted to be.

...

"Pitiful," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"What?" the system asked, its tone neutral.

Qin Li's eyes focused, her expression somber. "This owner had a pitiful life."

The system's response was matter-of-fact. 

"Well, that's true. She was born into a life of luxury, but it was devoid of genuine love and connection. 

Her existence was marked by loneliness and tragedy."

Qin Li gazed down at her hand, her eyes tracing the delicate fingers as she let out a soft sigh. 

The memories of the body's original owner flooded her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

The owner of this body, she thought, was once the arranged fiancée of the male lead of this world, their families bound together by a union of equal social standing.

But the truth was far more poignant. The owner of this body was merely a pawn, an adopted child of the Qin family. 

They had taken her in, groomed her, and trained her to be the perfect, obedient young lady, solely to leverage her in a strategic marriage alliance. 

In the capital, she was known as the pampered princess of the Qin family, a delicate and beautiful facade. 

Yet, in reality, she was nothing more than a flower in a greenhouse, nurtured and controlled, devoid of true freedom or purpose.

The secret of her adoption was meticulously kept, hidden behind a facade of familial harmony.

But within the Qin family's grand estate, she was eerily invisible, treated as if she were air. 

Her parents' interactions with her were limited to discussions with her teachers about her progress, never once inquiring about her well-being or emotions. 

She was a mere specter, a ghostly presence haunting the halls of her own home.

Her elder brother, the heir to the Qin family's legacy, harbored a deep-seated disgust towards their parents for exploiting her as a mere pawn. 

Yet, his revulsion was equally directed towards her, a puppet who had passively allowed herself to be manipulated and controlled. 

He saw her as a willing participant in her own oppression, a fact that filled him with even greater disdain.

Qin Li rose from her seat, her movements mechanical, and made her way to the washroom. 

She went through the motions of washing up, her mind still reeling from the revelations about her new body's past. 

After completing her routine, she exited the washroom and stepped out of the room, leaving the haunting memories behind, but carrying the weight of her newfound identity with her.

"Where are you going?" 

The cold voice cut through the air, halting Qin Li's descent down the stairs. 

She felt a shiver run down her spine, but she steadied herself and turned to face the speaker, her expression serene. 

As she rotated, her eyes locked onto the figure standing in the shadows, their gaze piercing through the dim light.

Before her stood a towering figure, a handsome man with jet-black hair and piercing eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. 

His broad shoulders and imposing build commanded attention, forcing Qin Li to tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze. 

But instead of meeting her eyes, he was gazing down at her with a sharp, intense scrutiny, his eyes narrowed slightly as if sizing her up. 

His gaze was so intense that it sent a shiver down her spine, as if he might devour someone whole. 

Qin Li's own thoughts unsettled her, and she hastily replied, "The kitchen." 

Qin Han's eyebrow shot up, his expression skeptical. 

"At this hour?" he asked, his tone dripping with disbelief. 

Qin Li met his gaze, curiosity getting the better of her as she wondered what was brewing behind those piercing eyes. 

"Yes, I'm hungry," she said, her voice firm, trying to sound nonchalant despite the tension.

"There are no servants to attend to you at this time."