“Ji Shuyu! Are you dead? Still not up? How long are you planning to laze around?”
A sharp, shrill female voice pierced the air, and Ji Shuyu’s eyes snapped open.
She—top materials scientist Ji Shuyu—had actually transmigrated into a novel.
She had become a character who shared her name, a spoiled young woman in the 1970s who had managed to ruin her excellent hand in life.
And currently, she was carrying a three-month-old baby in her womb.
Ji Shuyu lifted her gaze to the calendar nearby, her eyes fixing on the year: 1965.
“Stop playing dead! Don’t think falling down once will get you out of this!” A young girl stood in the doorway, wearing a brand-new floral bulaji dress and sporting trendy permed curls.
The undisguised schadenfreude on her face was unmistakable.
“Dad and Mom have already decided. You must sign the consent form for going to the countryside today. That job position—you’ll give it up whether you want to or not!”
The one speaking was the original host’s stepsister, Ji Meiling.
It was she who repeatedly flaunted their father Ji Guodong’s favor in front of the original host, seized the valuable items left by the original host’s mother, and was one of the masterminds behind forcing the original host to take her place in the rural assignment.
Ji Shuyu pushed herself up to sit, a strong wave of nausea turning her face as pale as paper.
She subtly rested a hand on her still-flat abdomen.
“I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”
Her stepmother, Lin Xiumei, walked over and gently pulled Ji Meiling back.
In her early forties, well-maintained, dressed in a well-fitted Lenin suit, her hair meticulously styled, Lin Xiumei wore a gentle and appropriate smile. But her eyes held unconcealed disgust.
“Shuyu, it’s not that Auntie is pressuring you. It’s just the way policies are now. Your father’s background… sigh… someone in the family has to answer the call. Meiling is frail—how could she endure the hardships of the countryside? You’re young. Going down for some training would be good for you.”
“Your father is also thinking of what’s best for the family. Don’t make things difficult for him.”
What a picture of a virtuous wife and loving mother, so reasonable and righteous.
Ji Shuyu sneered inwardly.
It was this very hypocritical facade that, after the original host’s mother died, played the part of a caring stepmother while gradually driving the original host into a corner.
And now, she was personally set on destroying Ji Shuyu’s future.
Ji Shuyu slowly raised her head, her icy gaze sweeping over Lin Xiumei and Ji Meiling’s faces.
A mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips. “Go to the countryside? Fine.”
Hearing Ji Shuyu’s words, the two were momentarily stunned.
They had tried every tactic, soft and hard, but Ji Shuyu had refused to agree to go to the countryside no matter what. Why had she suddenly changed her mind?
“You… what did you say?” Lin Xiumei thought she had misheard and instinctively pressed for confirmation.
Ji Shuyu enunciated each word clearly: “I said, I agree to go to the countryside.”
“However,” she continued, her tone shifting as her eyes settled on Ji Meiling, “since I’ve agreed to go, shouldn’t I get something in return?”
“What do you mean?” Ji Meiling grew wary at Ji Shuyu’s words, asking suspiciously, “What trick are you trying to pull now?”
“Trick?” Ji Shuyu let out a light laugh, laced with undisguised sarcasm. “Haven’t you been obsessing over that good job of mine?”
Ji Meiling’s eyes lit up, greed nearly spilling over.
Of course she had been coveting it—that job was one Ji Shuyu’s husband had specially arranged for her through connections.
It was a position as a salesclerk at the state-run department store, a coveted spot that countless people fought tooth and nail to get.
“I can give it to you,” Ji Shuyu said, “but you’ll have to give me what I want in return.”
Ji Meiling was about to retort, but Lin Xiumei stopped her and asked, “What do you want?”
Hearing this, Ji Shuyu raised her hand to rub her temple, feigning a headache.
“What’s the rush? I’m tired and need to rest.”
As she spoke, Ji Shuyu started to lie back down, making Ji Meiling so angry she practically wanted to pull her upright.
How could this person only say half of what she meant?
“Am I going to run away while living under someone else’s roof? How can I go with you to handle the procedures if I don’t get proper rest?”
Ji Shuyu said this with her back turned to the mother and daughter.
Lin Xiumei thought about it and found it reasonable. She had already convinced Ji Guodong; there was no way Ji Shuyu could escape going to the countryside this time.
“Then rest well. Make a list of what you want. If it’s within our means, Auntie will provide it for you.”
After saying this, Lin Xiumei pulled Ji Meiling out of the room.
The door closed, but Ji Shuyu could still faintly hear Ji Meiling’s grumbling and cursing.
Once they were gone, Ji Shuyu quickly sat up and began recalling the plot.
The original host was a girl who had been doted on while growing up, but unfortunately, her scumbag father married a hypocritical stepmother.
Life under her stepmother’s thumb was extremely difficult.
Fortunately, her late mother had arranged a childhood marriage for her, which provided some semblance of support.
However, later, influenced by her stepmother’s instigation, the original host looked down on her husband, He Yuan, who was stationed on a distant island.
He Yuan had originally discussed with the original host that once he got a promotion and qualified for family accompaniment, he would bring Ji Shuyu over.
That way, the young couple wouldn’t have to continue their long-distance relationship.
Who would have thought that the stepmother, to force the original host to take Ji Meiling’s place in the rural assignment, would brainwash her daily, urging her to divorce He Yuan.
In just this past year, she had written seven letters to He Yuan asking for a divorce.
He Yuan couldn’t understand why Ji Shuyu wanted a divorce and patiently replied to each of her letters.
But the original host was so thoroughly brainwashed that she simply wouldn’t listen to He Yuan.
Left with no choice, He Yuan made a trip to Shanghai. The child was conceived during that visit.
He Yuan had intended to take the original host with him directly but had to return first due to an urgent mission.
It was during this gap that the original host was forced to go to the countryside. With no way out, she ended up jumping off a building.
Probably, the original host’s mother never anticipated, despite all her careful planning, that her own daughter would turn out to be so foolish.
After recalling the plot, Ji Shuyu let out a sigh.
This really was a hellish starting point.
However, it wasn’t without a solution.
If she had left with He Yuan back then, this mess wouldn’t have happened.
So, after some thought, Ji Shuyu decided that going to the island to find He Yuan could prevent all these events from unfolding.
After all, a year later, Ji Guodong and the others would also be driven into a corner by that political storm.
And He Yuan was someone who could protect her.
But before leaving, Ji Shuyu needed to prepare a “big gift” for this family of three.
They were so black-hearted that, for the sake of their own comfortable lives, they could coldly drive a person to their death.
Ji Shuyu had always believed in repaying every slight. Since that was the case, she would take revenge on behalf of the original host.
She didn’t know why she had transmigrated here.
But now, she was Ji Shuyu. What was wrong with seeking revenge for herself?
Having made up her mind, Ji Shuyu stood up to pour herself a glass of water.
Unexpectedly, weakened and lacking strength, her foot twisted, and the enamel cup in her hand fell to the ground.
The expected clatter didn’t come. Instead, she heard another cold, mechanical sound.
[Detected item available for exchange: Enamel Cup × 1, Exchangeable Points: 1.]
[Confirm exchange?]
In an instant, a transparent panel appeared before Ji Shuyu’s eyes. A blue border highlighted the enamel cup, with points displayed beside it.
Frowning, she suddenly recalled descriptions from novels she had read. Could this be her golden finger?
Leave a Reply