I’d Rather Be A Stray Dog Than His Beloved Wife

01

The moment the police stormed into the damp alley, the school's untouchable bad boy, Zane, shoved the bloody metal pipe directly into my hands. He stared at me with absolute, arrogant entitlement.

You get straight As. The teachers love you. If you take the fall for this, you'll get a suspension at worst.

"If I get arrested, my life is over."

A mechanical voice from the System shrieked frantically in my mind.

"Host! If you help him right now, he will be absolutely devoted to you! In the future, when he becomes a billionaire, you will be his wealthy, beloved wife!"

I glanced down at the innocent classmate bleeding out on the concrete, then calmly took a step to the side.

Under Zane's utterly bewildered gaze, I pointed right at him and yelled at the approaching cops.

"Officers! He did it! His fingerprints are all over that weapon, and I have the entire assault recorded on my phone!"

Zane froze in sheer disbelief.

The two police officers moved with lightning speed. They lunged forward, twisted Zane's arms behind his back, and slammed him hard against the brick wall.

The crisp click of handcuffs echoing through the alley finally snapped Zane out of his shock. He struggled violently against their grip, turning his head to roar at me.

"Kate, are you psycho?! I told you my family would make this go away! I just needed you to take the heat for a minute. How dare you set me up?!"

I took two steps back, my tone dripping with unmistakable amusement.

"Let's get one thing straight. I didn't set you up. This is called fulfilling my civic duty to provide a truthful witness statement."

"Also, aggravated assault resulting in severe bodily harm carries a minimum sentence of three years. Not only did you beat someone half to death, but you also attempted to coerce a witness into taking the fall. That is a serious felony."

"I think you should spend less time worrying about my mental health and more time worrying about your own rap sheet."

I handed my phone directly to the female officer walking toward me and tapped play on the high-definition video I had just recorded.

The footage perfectly captured every second of Zane swinging the steel pipe at the boy on the ground, ending with his desperate attempt to shove the weapon into my hands. The audio was crystal clear.

The female officer took the phone and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Good job, kid. You have excellent situational awareness."

Paramedics had already rushed in and were loading the heavily bleeding boy onto a stretcher.

Before being shoved into the back of the police cruiser, Zane stared at me with eyes full of venom and disbelief.

In his eighteen years of smooth-sailing, privileged existence, he had probably never encountered someone like me who refused to play along with his twisted rules.

As the sirens wailed and the cruiser sped off, I adjusted my backpack and started walking home. Meanwhile, the System in my head was having a complete meltdown.

I had accidentally bound to this plot-maintenance System a few days ago, learning that I was the designated female lead in a toxic, high school bad-boy romance novel.

Right now, the System was emitting high-frequency screams that made my temples throb.

"Are you insane?! That was Zane! He is the male lead of this universe! You just sent the male lead to jail! How is the plot supposed to progress now?!"

"In the original storyline, you take the fall for him. Even though he acts tough, he is deeply moved by your sacrifice. From that moment on, he tones down his temper and secretly protects you!"

"When he eventually inherits his family's empire and becomes a billionaire, you would be his glamorous wife! You just single-handedly destroyed your perfect marriage!"

I stopped walking and asked a very genuine question in my mind.

"Does a billionaire's wife not need to pass a background check?"

The System's screaming ground to a halt. "W-what?"

I kept walking toward the bus stop, breaking down the logic for this artificially unintelligent voice.

"According to your braindead plot, if I take the fall, I end up with a felony record."

"A person with an assault charge on their permanent record can't pass the Bar exam, can't get federal clearance, and would fail the background check at any top-tier corporate firm. My future would be completely destroyed."

"You want me to gamble my entire future on an emotionally unstable, violent felon with zero legal literacy, all on the off chance that he might miraculously grow a conscience and marry me someday?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Do I look brain-dead to you? Why would I ever take a deal where I lose everything?"

The System started crying in sheer panic. "But he really loves you! Later in the story, he'd give up his own life for you!"

"A guy who can't even follow basic laws? His love is worth less than the dog crap on the sidewalk."

I stepped onto the bus, scanned my transit card, and walked to a seat in the back.

"Stop trying to brainwash me with those toxic romance tropes. I am here to study and succeed, not to rehabilitate a convict."

"If he wants to throw his life away, that is his business. Don't drag me down with him."

The System's entire purpose was to force me to follow the original plot and take the blame for Zane.

In the novel, Zane was an arrogant rebel who had never been defied. The original Kate's willingness to absorb his punishment struck a chord in his dark heart.

He was supposed to gradually soften, protecting her from the shadows, eventually realizing she was his one true love compared to the manipulative girls constantly swarming him.

But after hearing my flawless legal breakdown, the System fell completely silent.

I pulled out my vocabulary flashcards and went back to memorizing advanced terms.

There were only two hundred days left until the National Admissions Exam, and my goal was a top-tier Ivy League pre-law program.

Wasting even one second looking at a piece of trash like him was an insult to my study schedule.

Early the next morning, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, called me into his office.

When I pushed the door open, I saw a middle-aged woman sitting inside. She was dripping in haute couture, pinching a crocodile leather handbag, and looking down at me with absolute disdain.

It was Zane's mother, Mrs. Blackwood.

Standing right next to her, rubbing her red, teary eyes, was a girl from my class.

Perla.

She was the class social chair and the designated secondary female lead of the novel.

Outwardly, Perla played the role of a fragile, innocent angel, but inside she was deeply vain and selfish. She constantly strung Zane along, relishing the attention and power that came with having the school's richest bully obsessed with her.

In the original plot, she constantly started drama, played the victim, and secretly sabotaged me while keeping Zane firmly wrapped around her finger.

I definitely didn't expect her to team up with Zane's mother to come after me.

Mr. Davis looked incredibly uncomfortable. He pointed awkwardly at me.

"Kate, Mrs. Blackwood wanted to speak with you about what happened yesterday."

Mrs. Blackwood didn't even bother standing up. She simply pulled a check from her designer bag and slid it to the edge of the desk.

"You are Kate, correct? I heard about the little misunderstanding."

"My Zane can be a bit hot-headed, but he has a good heart. He only got physical yesterday because he was protecting a classmate."

She lifted her chin, her tone dripping with unquestionable arrogance.

"Here is fifty thousand dollars. All you need to do is go down to the precinct and change your statement. Tell them you looked at the video wrong, and that you accidentally pushed that boy. Do that, and this money is yours."

"Your family doesn't have much. This is more than enough to cover your college tuition so you can graduate in peace."

I looked down at the check on the desk but didn't move a muscle.

Perla immediately stepped forward, tears spilling perfectly down her cheeks.

"Kate, please just help Zane. That dropout from the vocational school came over to harass me yesterday. Zane only fought him to protect me!"

"He is a hero! You can't let a stupid mistake ruin his future!"

"You get good grades. Even if you get a suspension, you can still get into a good college. But if Zane gets a criminal record, his father will kill him!"

"We're all classmates, how can you be so heartless?"

I slowly turned my head and looked Perla up and down.

"If he's such a hero in your eyes, why don't you go take the fall for him?"

Perla choked on her words, stammering defensively.

"I... I have bad health! If I got suspended, my parents wouldn't be able to handle it. Besides, Zane said he only trusts you..."

I watched her pathetic, theatrical display and raised an eyebrow.

In the original timeline, Perla used this exact manipulative script to enjoy the ego boost of two guys fighting over her, while forcing the criminal consequences squarely onto my shoulders.

Afterward, she spread rumors that I only took the blame because I was desperate for Zane's money, completely ruining my reputation.

I ignored her completely and turned back to Mrs. Blackwood.

"Mrs. Blackwood, did you just say Zane has a good heart and is just a bit hot-headed?"

Assuming I was giving in, Mrs. Blackwood nodded haughtily.

"Exactly. Young people make impulsive mistakes. If you do this favor for him, the Blackwood family will owe you a very generous debt."

Without missing a beat, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tapped the play button on my voice memos.

Mrs. Blackwood's voice echoed crisply through the quiet office: "Here is fifty thousand dollars. All you need to do is go down to the precinct and change your statement..."

Mrs. Blackwood's face drained of color. She shot up from her chair.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my voice dead calm.

"Nothing much. Just gathering some fresh material for the police."

"Mrs. Blackwood, what you just did is legally defined as witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Using bribes or threats to coerce a witness into committing perjury carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison."

I met her furious, wide-eyed glare without taking a single step back. "Your son is facing charges for aggravated assault, and you are facing charges for witness tampering."

"What, is the Blackwood family planning to host your next family reunion in a penitentiary?"

Mr. Davis panicked, jumping up from his desk and waving his hands wildly. "Kate, calm down! Don't say things like that!"

I shifted my gaze to him.

"Mr. Davis, I am simply stating basic legal facts. I am a minor who was just subjected to financial bribery and perjury coercion by a student's parent on school grounds. As a mandated reporter, if you fail to report this, you become an accessory to the crime."

Mr. Davis instantly shut his mouth, his face cycling between green and pale white.

Trembling with rage, Mrs. Blackwood pointed a manicured finger right at my nose and screamed.

"You ungrateful little bitch! Do you honestly think one audio recording is enough to bring down the Blackwood family?!"

"Let me tell you something! In this city, I have ten thousand ways to make sure you never step foot in a classroom again!"

I nodded approvingly. "Excellent. Threatening a minor. That is another piece of evidence for the pile."

"Mrs. Blackwood, keep your fifty thousand dollars and use it to hire a very good defense attorney for Zane. As for me changing my statement, keep dreaming."

Without sparing another glance at their horrified faces, I turned around, pulled the office door open, and walked straight out.

The few students who had been eavesdropping outside scattered like frightened birds. In my head, the System was sighing heavily.

"You're doomed. You're completely doomed! You just made a mortal enemy out of the male lead's mother! The Blackwood family can bankrupt your family with a snap of their fingers!"

I rolled my eyes internally. "We're already broke. What exactly is there to bankrupt?"

My family lived in a tiny, heavily mortgaged apartment, and my parents were honest, hardworking factory workers. No matter how rich the Blackwoods were, what were they going to do? Buy the factory just to fire my parents?

The working class fears nothing.

Despite his family's wealth, Zane wasn't released immediately.

The boy he beat up suffered a mild concussion and severe soft-tissue damage, officially classifying the incident as second-degree assault. Thanks to the concrete video evidence I provided, all the money in the world couldn't immediately bail him out.

But the Blackwood family wasn't sitting idle.

By the afternoon, the atmosphere at school had drastically shifted.

Walking down the hallway, I could feel the strange, judgmental stares and hear the loud whispers.

"Did you hear? Kate intentionally sent Zane to the cops just to secure her scholarship."

"She is so toxic. Zane was just being a hero and standing up for Perla, and Kate stabbed him in the back."

"I always knew there was something wrong with her, sitting around studying all day. Who knew she was such a snake?"

I walked to my desk at the back of the classroom. A few rows over, Perla was surrounded by a protective circle of girls.

Her eyes were red and puffy, playing the picture of a fragile victim. "Please don't be too hard on Kate, guys. She was probably just scared."

"But Zane is still locked up and suffering. I can't even eat when I think about him. If Kate had just explained to the cops that it was a mutual fight, Zane wouldn't be in a holding cell right now."

A boy named Tyler slammed his fist on a desk, burning with righteous indignation. "Perla, you are way too kind! Zane only got into this mess to protect you. Kate needs to go to the cops and clear his name."

"I'm going to go demand justice for you right now!"

Tyler spun around and aggressively marched over to my desk.

"Kate, did a dog eat your conscience?! Zane might be a bit rough around the edges, but he never bullied you! What gives you the right to ruin his life while he's down?"

I put down the physics exam I was currently acing, looking up to meet his angry glare.

"Tyler, have you ever passed a physics test in your entire life?"

Tyler froze, his face flushing red. "I'm talking about Zane! What does physics have to do with anything?!"

I tapped my pen against my desk. "I bring it up because I've realized your brain is just as defective as your hearing."

I stood up, my gaze sweeping across the entire classroom before locking dead onto Perla.

"First of all, the guy who got beaten up yesterday is Noah, a student from the class next door. He is not some gangbanger dropout."

"And the only reason Noah was attacked was because he accidentally spilled some soup on Perla's shoes in the cafeteria. Noah immediately apologized and offered to pay for the shoes. It was Zane who tried to force Noah to get on his knees and lick Perla's shoes clean. When Noah refused, Zane dragged him into the alley and beat him with a pipe."

I took a slow, deliberate step toward Perla. "Perla, is that what you call being a hero?"

The classroom fell dead silent. Everyone stared at Perla in shock.

Perla's face drained of all color. She immediately covered her face and started sobbing. "I didn't know... I was so terrified I ran away. I swear I didn't know Zane was going to hurt him... Kate, why are you making up lies to ruin me?"

I didn't give her a single inch to breathe.

"You didn't know? Would you like me to read the exact text messages you sent Zane out loud?"

I held up my phone and waved it. "I just went to the classroom next door. Noah's friends confirmed that you threw a fit because Noah got a tiny stain on your limited-edition sneakers, making you lose face in front of your friends."

"You complained in your private group chat, and Zane immediately rushed out to intercept Noah just to earn points with you. I already have the screenshots of the chat."

The atmosphere in the room flipped instantly.

The girls who had just been comforting Perla now looked at her with blatant disgust.

Tyler stood frozen in place, his face burning with absolute humiliation.

I stared down at Perla's fake, crocodile tears. "Perla, you loved the thrill of having Zane act like a violent dog for your honor, but the second things got real, you tried to dump the blame on someone else."

"Zane is sitting in a holding cell right now. You claim you're so heartbroken you can't eat, yet I haven't seen you visit the precinct to bring him a single meal."

"Stop using me as a meat shield to distract from your own guilt. If I hear you say one more word about me behind my back, I will print out those chat logs and tape a hundred copies to the school bulletin board so everyone can see what a 'good person' you really are."

Perla's sobbing choked in her throat. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled, her face a mask of ugly panic, completely unable to utter a single word in her defense.

Ignoring the stunned expressions of my classmates, I sat back down and returned to my practice test.

The System was trembling in my mind. "You are ruthless... You completely destroyed the supporting female lead's manipulative, victim-playing route with just a few sentences."

"She's just bad at her job," I replied coldly.

For the next two weeks, Zane didn't show his face at school.

Rumor had it the Blackwood family spent an astronomical amount of money to secure a settlement and a signed letter of forgiveness from Noah's family.

Noah's family struggled financially, so they accepted the massive payout and dropped the charges.

Zane avoided real prison time, but due to the severe nature of the assault, he still had to serve fifteen days in juvenile detention.

Today was his first day back.

Coincidentally, it was also the day of the school's semesterly "National Merit Scholar" award assembly.

I was fully intent on winning that spot. Not only did it come with a fifty-thousand-dollar cash scholarship, but it would also practically guarantee my admission to the best pre-law programs in the country.

I was consistently ranked first in the entire grade, had a flawless resume, and zero disciplinary marks. The scholarship was basically already mine.

The assembly was scheduled for the afternoon in the main auditorium, with the entire student body and faculty attending.

Half an hour before it began, Mr. Davis rushed into the classroom looking terrified. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the hallway.

"Kate, something happened. Come with me to the Principal's office, now!"