[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s":3,"chapter-born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-chapter-161":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\\% Rebate System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1491482,1939,"Chapter 161: Adeline’s Gratitude","born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-chapter-161",161,"\u003Cp>Her forehead touched the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you,\" she whispered. \"Miss Dawn... thank you so much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Adeline, what are you—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I swear my life to you,\" Adeline said, still on the ground. Her voice shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From now on, I will do anything you say. I will be your shadow. Your sword. Your shield. Whatever you want. I’ll never betray you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them. She didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora stood up quickly, looking almost a little stunned herself. She hadn’t expected this. A promise, yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loyalty, yes. But this girl was kneeling? On the cold, hard floor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Adeline,\" she said, gently but firmly, \"Get up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Adeline didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m serious,\" Aurora said again, stepping forward. \"You don’t have to kneel to me. I’m not a queen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To me, you are,\" Adeline whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chest felt strangely tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had thought this would feel good... this control, this loyalty. And it did. But seeing Adeline cry like this... swearing herself like this... it felt different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora slowly crouched down and reached out a hand. She touched Adeline’s shoulder gently and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright. Then it’s my order, stop it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adeline froze. Her whole body was shaking, but she stopped crying for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slowly lifted her head, eyes red and wet. Her face looked confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora gave a small smile. It wasn’t a cold or fake smile like the ones she usually gave. This one was warm... real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said that’s an order,\" Aurora repeated, her voice soft but clear. \"If you really swear your life to me, then listen to me. And I’m telling you—get up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adeline blinked. Her lips trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora’s hand was still on her shoulder. It was warm. Firm. Like an anchor holding her in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t need to kneel,\" Aurora said. \"Not to me. Not to anyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adeline slowly pushed herself up, still shaky. Her knees hurt, and her hands felt cold, but she listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat back on her heels, looking up at Aurora like she was looking at the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just... I didn’t know what else to do,\" Adeline whispered. \"No one’s ever helped me like this. Not my mom, not my dad, not even Henry when we were together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora sat down beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know,\" she said quietly. \"But things are different now. I’m not like them. I don’t help people so they can bow to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since...she learned something new today...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was seeing Adeline through the filter of the dream. Villainous from her perspective because Mary and Lucas died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora refused to believe that her family was villainous and justified their action, because she knew her family members were pure at heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blamed everything on fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if she saw everything from Adeline’s perspective?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman betrayed and burdened by the word ’responsibility’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She struggled every day for her family. Just like Aurora...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe if she wasn’t the female lead...Aurora might have ignored her all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even she didn’t know that she was the female lead...like Alex...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They just retaliate against people who hurt them. Their only mistake was not knowing they were part of someone else’s story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not knowing...that everything might have been a misunderstanding all along...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Aurora, it was the female and male leads who were wrong, because they killed her family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the female and male leads, it was the Waters family who were wrong, because they repeatedly harmed the female and male leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, who was wrong and who was right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora stared at the floor for a moment, her thoughts spinning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meeting with Adeline passed in a blur. After she left, Aurora remained motionless for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emily softly asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aurora, why are you so good to her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora came back to her senses, and the answer that she was trying to get.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The right and wrong depend on perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, her family was right. She had built and helped Adeline purely because she was selfish and wanted a backup plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if in the future, even after her intervention, the plot still remained the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...Adeline would still forgive Lucas or Mary because of the kindness Aurora was showing to her now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A future investment,\" Aurora said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>............\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an abandoned warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy walked in fearfully and looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello? Is anyone there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice answered from the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy jumped. Her hands clutched the straps of her bag tightly. \"The car broke down,\" she stammered. \"I had to make sure no one followed me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black mask figure wearing entirely black clothes came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She motioned for Mandy to sit on the chair and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you don’t want the school authorities to know you are doing drugs, just sit in that chair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy’s face went pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I-I’m not doing drugs!\" she whispered, panicking. \"I swear, I’m not!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure didn’t move. Her voice was calm but scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then you have nothing to worry about, right? Just sit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy looked around. The warehouse was cold and dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only light came from a small lamp on the table. The chair looked old and dusty, but she sat down anyway. Her legs were shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure then tied her with a rope and tied her arms too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy was even more scared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What...What are you doing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure didn’t answer. She just opened a small metal box and took out a long, thin injection needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy’s eyes widened in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"N-No... please, no,\" she whispered, struggling against the ropes. \"I’m scared of needles. Don’t—please don’t do this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure held the needle up to the light, tapping it with her finger. The clear liquid inside shimmered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy started crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please! I didn’t do anything! Why are you doing this to me?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure didn’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slowly walked toward Mandy, calm and silent like a shadow. Her boots clicked on the floor with every step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No! Don’t come near me! I swear I’ll be good! I’ll do anything! Please don’t stick me with that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure stopped in front of her and knelt down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t speak. She didn’t blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grabbed Mandy’s arm and held it tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"NO! STOP! PLEASE!\" Mandy shouted, twisting and turning, but the ropes were tight. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears ran down her cheeks. Her whole body was shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure brought the needle close to her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"PLEASE, NO! PLEASE! I’M BEGGING YOU!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the needle kept getting closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy shut her eyes. She didn’t feel the needle yet, but her mind was already screaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fear took over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll tell you anything!\" she cried. \"I’ll give you money! I’ll do your homework! I’ll leave the school! Just—please—don’t use that thing on me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still no mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure lightly poked Mandy’s skin with the tip of the needle—not deep, just enough to make her scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"AAAAAAHHH! PLEASE! STOP IT! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She kept begging for minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over and over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry! I’ll be a good person! I swear! I’ll never lie again! Please just let me go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the figure just stood there. Silent. Watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes she raised the needle again. Sometimes she pressed it near Mandy’s neck, or her arm, or her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never actually injecting her. Just threatening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was enough to make Mandy lose it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She screamed until her voice cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sobbed until her face turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen minutes passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the figure finally stepped back, Mandy’s whole body was limp. Her face was soaked with tears. She looked more like a scared child than anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who...who are you?\" She asked in a small voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think carefully of who you have offended. They were the ones who had asked me to harm you.\" The masked figure said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mandy’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure appeared in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t she torture Aurora using Aurora’s phobia against her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the black masked figure Aurora?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Mandy couldn’t think straight anymore. She fainted from fear and exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The masked figure stared at her for a moment longer... then slowly turned and walked back into the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a place Mandy can’t hear, the masked figure whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am sorry... I had to do it to protect myself...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure was Caroline, and she had recorded every second of Mandy screaming and sent it to the hacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Caroline suspected that the hacker was Aurora, after all the way the hacker had asked Caroline to torture Mandy was similar to how Mandy and Caroline had tortured Aurora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the reality was...Aurora couldn’t have such hacking skills, so she wasn’t the culprit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to escape punishment and hatred, Caroline decided to drag Aurora’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hoped Mandy would be dumb enough to directly convict Aurora as the suspect and not investigate deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>",1502,"2026-06-06T04:03:40.623Z",1,"novelbin.me","df46b6d3f8b2945f15b8ba59606aecaa719813dc428e8ca2dc886d91b9ae18ce","born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-chapter-162","born-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-chapter-160",614,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fborn-into-villain-s-family-i-have-a-200-rebate-s-cover.jpg"]