The blazing sun hung high overhead, mercilessly scorching the earth.
The cicadas in the trees shrieked with all their might, perfectly reflecting Sang Yinyin’s current state of mind.
She stood outside a somewhat run-down Agricultural Bank, clutching a thin green bank card in her hand. In front of her stood a handsome young man.
“Yinyin, thank you so much for this.”
Despite the sweltering weather, the young man wore black trousers and a white dress shirt. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, yet he still maintained a gentlemanly smile.
With one arm resting casually on the handlebars of his bicycle, he smiled at Sang Yinyin. “Without you, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.”
As he spoke, he reached for the bank card in Sang Yinyin’s hand.
—Don’t take my family’s money!
Sang Yinyin’s ten slender, delicate fingers clutched the card tightly. She resisted with every ounce of strength she possessed. From her soul to the tips of her hair, every part of her was rejecting this.
Yet her body seemed to be controlled by an invisible force, leaving her completely unable to move.
The card was slowly pulled from her grasp, and Sang Yinyin’s expression gradually became one of utter despair.
It had been eighteen years since she transmigrated into this world, and throughout all that time, she had remained conscious but unable to control her own body.
Fortunately, she had a happy family in this world. Her parents and relatives doted on her, and because they assumed her slow reactions were due to an intellectual disability, they had always taken especially good care of her. Sang Yinyin had never suffered much.
Most people would probably have gone insane after years of being unable to control their bodies, but Sang Yinyin was a thoroughly unambitious salted fish.
A peaceful rural life where she could eat, drink, play around, and be cared for every day was not torture to her at all. On the contrary, she rather enjoyed it.
However, her peaceful salted-fish existence had been completely shattered a month ago by the young man standing before her—a man who had resigned from his job in the big city and returned home to farm.
His name was Lu Chengyi, and to Sang Yinyin, he was like a walking bug in the system.
Whenever she saw Lu Chengyi, her body would go completely out of control.
The first time they met, she had confessed her feelings to him. After that, she followed him around every day, constantly calling him “Brother Yi.”
She woke before dawn and worked until nightfall, helping him with farm work, cutting grass for the pigs, feeding the chickens and ducks, and cleaning the pit latrine.
She fought to do every dirty, exhausting, and disgusting job as though she had completely lost her mind.
Sang Yinyin’s eldest brother could not stand Lu Chengyi treating his little sister like a tool and tried to drag her home.
In response, she slapped her brother twice and declared that she belonged to Brother Yi in life and would be Brother Yi’s ghost in death!
Even now, Sang Yinyin could still remember the hurt and disbelief in her eldest brother’s eyes.
She had nearly died from sheer frustration, but there was nothing she could do. She could only watch helplessly as “she” repeatedly courted disaster, hurt her family, and successfully turned herself into Lu Chengyi’s unofficial little wife in less than a month.
And today, she had outdone herself.
Lu Chengyi had said he urgently needed money, so she stole her family’s household registration booklet and property deed. Before dawn, she secretly followed him into town and sold a house registered in her name.
Now, she was even planning to transfer the entire sale price of more than two hundred thousand yuan to him.
Why?
Why did she have to treat this man, whose every expression was filled with contempt and calculation, so well?
Was it because he was shameless?
Sang Yinyin strained her fingertips and tensed her back, gripping the card as tightly as she could.
Just as the thin card was about to be completely pulled from her hand by Lu Chengyi, a soft and adorable electronic voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
“Ding—Greetings, Host. I am Intern System 021 from the Supporting Female Character Counterattack Department, a division of the Book Transmigration Administration. Strong feelings of unwillingness have been detected. Would you like to bind yourself to this system, defy fate, and create a glorious life that belongs entirely to you?”
Sang Yinyin: !!!
Sang Yinyin: Yes!
“Understood, Host. Binding will now begin.”
The moment the soft electronic voice faded, Sang Yinyin felt an intense, electric pain explode inside her mind.
It was as though someone were smashing a hammer directly into her brain. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and sweat poured from her body.
Her consciousness immediately began to blur.
Yet it was precisely this sudden, inexplicable agony that allowed her to gain control over her body for the first time just before she lost consciousness.
Sang Yinyin snatched the bank card back from Lu Chengyi’s hand and turned to run beneath his stunned gaze.
Only a few minutes earlier, “she” had already told Lu Chengyi the card’s PIN. He had even written her an IOU.
If she did not run now, Lu Chengyi could still transfer the money after she fainted.
And if he spent it all and then stubbornly refused to repay her, there truly would be nothing Sang Yinyin could do to him.
Sang Yinyin stumbled towards a more crowded area.
Lu Chengyi quickly recovered from his surprise. Hesitation flashed across his handsome face before being replaced by a trace of ruthlessness.
There were fewer than ten days left before the apocalypse.
He urgently needed a large amount of money to purchase supplies.
Although he did not understand why Sang Yinyin had suddenly changed her mind, he absolutely had to obtain the more than two hundred thousand yuan from the house she had sold!
Without further hesitation, Lu Chengyi chased after her.
“Yinyin! Yinyin, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
As he ran, he explained to the scattered passers-by around them, “Sorry, excuse me! She’s my girlfriend. We just had an argument, and she’s throwing a tantrum.”
Through the haze, Sang Yinyin heard what Lu Chengyi said and nearly fainted from anger.
This bastard had previously acted like some chaste and virtuous maiden back in the village, refusing to admit she was his girlfriend no matter what.
Yet now that he was about to lose the money, he was suddenly claiming she was his girlfriend.
Seeing the knowing expressions on the faces of the surrounding people, all of whom clearly thought it was better not to get involved in someone else’s business, Sang Yinyin desperately wanted to call for help.
Unfortunately, the electric hammer inside her mind had left her dizzy and disoriented. Her entire body trembled from the pain.
The fact that she could still force herself to run was already proof of her powerful will.
“Yinyin, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. I’ll apologise, all right?”
Lu Chengyi’s voice grew closer and closer.
Sang Yinyin desperately ran out of the deserted street. Suddenly, a tall figure flashed before her eyes.
Before she could react, she crashed straight into him.
Her soft nose struck the man’s solid chest. Sang Yinyin, who had not cried even while the electric pain made her entire body tremble, immediately burst into tears.
She raised her tear-filled eyes and saw only a sharply defined jaw.
Crystal-clear beads of sweat slid from the man’s black hair at his temples and gathered in the hollow of his prominent collarbone, glistening against his wheat-coloured, bronze-tinged skin.
“Yinyin!”
Lu Chengyi’s voice came from behind her.
The pain inside her mind intensified. Before losing consciousness, Sang Yinyin only had time to clutch tightly at the leather belt threaded through the man’s jeans.
With her little face deathly pale, she sobbed softly.
“…Save me.”
…
The girl’s soft, boneless body collapsed against him.
Tears and sweat formed glistening trails down her beautiful, pale face.
The man raised an eyebrow and took a step back. With one large hand, he grabbed the back of Sang Yinyin’s dress collar and effortlessly lifted her upright.
His dark eyes swept over the bank card she was clutching tightly.
Lu Chengyi finally caught up, panting heavily.
He happened to meet the man’s oppressively intimidating gaze, and his voice unconsciously weakened.
“Brother, she’s my girlfriend. We just had an argument. She isn’t in very good health, and it’s hot today, so she probably fainted from anger. Please hand her over to me. I’ll take her to the hospital.”
After speaking, Lu Chengyi even smiled at the man.
Lu Chengyi was good-looking, fair-skinned, and refined. He easily inspired trust and goodwill.
Sang Yinyin, on the other hand, wore an ordinary floral dress and cloth shoes commonly seen in rural villages. Her hair was even tied into two old-fashioned braids.
However, she had fair skin, a slender waist, and exceptionally beautiful features. At first glance, she appeared both stunning and alluring—not at all like a quiet, well-behaved village girl.
Combined with Sang Yinyin’s strange behaviour moments earlier, Lu Chengyi’s explanation sounded extremely convincing.
That was also why none of the passers-by had helped her.
However, to Lu Chengyi’s surprise, the man did not return Sang Yinyin to him after listening to his explanation.
Instead, he clicked his tongue impatiently. His iron-like arm wrapped around Sang Yinyin’s waist, and he swept her into his arms before striding away.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
Lu Chengyi immediately became furious.
It was true that his heart belonged to someone else and that he did not like Sang Yinyin. However, this beautiful girl had spent the past month following him everywhere, repeatedly calling him “Brother Yi.”
He had long since begun viewing her as his possession.
There were too many watchful eyes in the village, so he had never been able to do much with Sang Yinyin.
Forget wrapping an arm around her waist—the most he had ever done was hold her hand.
Seeing a strange man being so intimate with her naturally made him uncomfortable.
However, after following them around a corner, he saw two police cars parked nearby and immediately stopped.
Their town was small. The housing authority, bank, and police station were all located along the same street.
The apocalypse had not begun yet, and public order had not collapsed. If he truly followed them, he might only cause trouble for himself.
Sang Yinyin had two older brothers, and both Father Sang and Grandfather Sang were still strong and healthy.
If they discovered that he had deceived their precious daughter into selling the family’s house, he would not have a single peaceful day for quite some time.
Forget it. Purchasing supplies was more important.
Once the apocalypse arrived, he would have his spiritual-spring dimension. He would have plenty of ways to take revenge.
Lu Chengyi gritted his teeth and glared viciously at the man’s tall back.
He would remember this grudge!
…
“Brother Nie, what brings you here?”
Before Nie Gen had even entered the police station, a round-faced young auxiliary officer came out to greet him.
The moment he saw Sang Yinyin curled up like a kitten in Nie Gen’s arms, his expression became as though he had seen a ghost.
“Holy shit, Brother Nie. You…”
He examined Nie Gen suspiciously, his face filled with shock and doubt.
Nie Gen had a terrible reputation. Rumour had it that he had brought death to several women, and everyone throughout the surrounding villages knew about it.
Nie Gen: “…”
He frowned impatiently.
“Found her on the road. Don’t know her.”
Chen Yuan approached suspiciously.
When he saw that Sang Yinyin’s face was pale, her breathing weak, and her entire body trembling uncontrollably, he realised that it did not look like ordinary heatstroke.
He immediately stopped worrying about anything else. After calling out to her a few times, he prepared to send her to the hospital.
The county hospital was five or six kilometres from the police station. Even by car, the journey would take around ten minutes.
They could not afford to delay.
Unexpectedly, once the car and driver were ready, the young woman in Nie Gen’s arms stubbornly refused to release his belt.
Chen Yuan could only watch as she struggled in his brother’s arms, repeatedly rubbing her soft cheek against his brother’s chest muscles.
His brother’s eyebrows twitched violently with every rub.
Seeing Nie Gen’s face alternate between pale and red, Chen Yuan finally said, “Brother Nie, why don’t you take off your belt?”
Nie Gen stared at him darkly.
Chen Yuan: “…”
Chen Yuan said, “…What I mean is, the young lady probably feels insecure. I have a length of straw rope. You can make do with that for now.”
…
Nie Gen left the police station with a straw rope tied around his waist and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
He lit it and watched the police car disappear into the distance.
Thinking about the young woman who had repeatedly burrowed into his arms, his long, thick eyelashes suddenly trembled.
He raised the cigarette to his lips, only to inhale a mouthful of black smoke.
“Fuck.”
His face reddening, he threw the cigarette onto the ground and crushed it several times beneath his shoe, cursing quietly.
Both his cheek and chest felt scorching hot.
He had lit the wrong end of the cigarette and burned his mouth.
**Author’s Note:**
Dagen, do you want a wife?
P.S. This story is set in a fictional rural apocalypse. The female lead is a kind person and will do her best to help others when she is capable of doing so. Anyone who believes helping others is unbearably frustrating and that people should only protect themselves during an apocalypse should close the story now. It will be better for everyone.
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