Pathetic, Aren’t I? But I Still Became a Heartthrob, Haha!

Xu Nuo, a terminally ill woman, transmigrates into the body of a villainous supporting character in a novel. In the original story, she is the illegitimate daughter of the Xu family and the half-sister of the female lead, Xu Chuchu. Her role is to obsessively seduce the male leads surrounding Xu Chuchu and cause trouble until she is executed. However, upon arriving in the novel, Xu Nuo discovers she is bound by a System that forces her to maintain her cowardly and shameless persona. The plot diverges immediately when the male leads, led by the cold CEO Xiao Jingchen and the sharp-tongued Gu Nongxuan, confront her for pushing Xu Chuchu down the stairs. They intend to inject her with poison, but Xu Nuo’s internal monologue, which is audible to everyone present, reveals her true thoughts and comedic desperation. This unexpected transparency confuses the male leads, particularly when she mentions a missing younger brother held by Gu Nongxuan and mocks their appearances.

The situation escalates with the arrival of Feng Huan Chao, the tyrannical antagonist and Xu Nuo’s arranged fiancé, whom she has never met. The Feng family arrives to break off the engagement, but Feng Huan Chao ignores the social slight and focuses on a black fish-shaped jade pendant belonging to Xu Chuchu. When Xu Nuo accidentally reveals she owes Feng Huan Chao five hundred yuan from a previous transaction, he becomes intrigued by her bizarre behavior. Instead of killing her, he takes her to his secluded residence. There, it is revealed that Feng Huan Chao is deaf and uses a hearing aid. He is searching for a missing fiancée from his past, identified by a similar jade pendant, and suspects Xu Nuo might be connected. Meanwhile, Xu Nuo learns from the System that because she did not die as scripted, her physical body is deteriorating. To survive, she must collect Healing Value by saving souls on the brink of corruption through time-space travel to the past.

Xu Nuo is assigned to the Gu household as a maid under Gu Nongxuan to earn money for her brother, Xu You, who she secretly raised after finding him as a child. During her time there, she accidentally enters a restricted room and triggers a mission that sends her back ten years. She encounters a teenage Gu Nongxuan, who is struggling as an aspiring actor named Jiang Nan and is being harassed by a predatory industry figure. Wearing a pig mask to hide her identity, Xu Nuo saves him and offers crude but effective advice about survival and money. Their interaction leaves a lasting impression on the young Gu Nongxuan, who later recognizes her by a specific brand of tissues she gave him. Back in the present, Gu Nongxuan becomes obsessed with finding the mysterious girl from his past, unaware it is his current maid.

The narrative weaves together Xu Nuo’s dual life: maintaining her cowardly facade in the present while navigating dangerous situations in the past. She encounters Feng Huan Chao again in a small sweet soup shop, where he uses the nickname "Xiao Feng," revealing a softer side. Xu Nuo also learns that Gu Nongxuan is searching for his missing younger brother, Xiao Zheng, and has a lead involving one of Feng Huan Chao’s enforcers. The story highlights the complex dynamics between the characters, as Xu Nuo’s inner thoughts continue to disrupt the expectations of the male leads. She must balance her mission to heal herself, protect her brother, and navigate the dangerous world of the tyrant Feng Huan Chao and the increasingly suspicious Gu Nongxuan, all while trying to survive in a body that is slowly failing her.