“Where’s my mom?”
Xiao Yayin had only just returned from out of town, and the first thing she did upon stepping through the front door was look for her mother.
She was eighteen this year, full of energy, and had plenty of pocket money. Through a series of coincidences, she had stepped onto the path of chasing celebrities. This time, she had followed her idol through several cities. If her mother’s birthday had not been coming up, she definitely would not have returned so early.
“Madam has gone to Nanling Temple.”
The person who spoke was Guo Tong, the housekeeper’s daughter. She was now working as an assistant by Mrs. Xiao’s side. Having grown up in the Xiao household since childhood, her relationship with Xiao Yayin had always been quite good.
“Miss Sang fell ill a few days ago and had a high fever that wouldn’t go down. After she woke up, she wasn’t very clear-headed either and kept talking nonsense. The elders said she must have run into something evil, so Madam went to Nanling Temple early this morning to pray for a protective charm.”
When Xiao Yayin heard this, she wrinkled her nose.
“She really does have endless problems. I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking. She’s so beautiful, yet she insists on hanging herself from one tree. Anyway, I absolutely won’t pity her!”
Guo Tong could not help sighing as well.
“Actually, Miss Sang is quite pitiful too. She was seriously ill this time, but Second Young Master only came back once. He didn’t even go into her room to see her before leaving.”
Outsiders did not know the situation, but the servants of the Xiao family saw everything very clearly.
In the past, Second Young Master Xiao Jingqiao had liked his fiancée. It was just that now, he claimed to have found true love and no longer wanted to accept this engagement that held no attraction or vitality for him. However, Mrs. Xiao liked Miss Sang very much and had long since regarded her as her future daughter-in-law. In wealthy families, marriage was not always something one could decide for oneself. So whether Miss Sang could successfully become the second Madam Xiao depended on two things: first, whether she herself could hold on, and second, whether Second Young Master could fight against his mother and win.
Although Miss Sang was not yet guaranteed to become Mrs. Xiao, she had Mrs. Xiao protecting her from above. Whether it was the Xiao family or outsiders, everyone would still give her some face.
Yet Miss Sang, who was so pitiful in Guo Tong’s eyes, was currently sitting leisurely on the reclining chair in her bedroom, eating agate grapes while scrolling through her phone. She could not have been more comfortable.
When she first realised she had transmigrated, she had been unable to adapt. After all, no matter how strong one’s mental fortitude was, if something this unscientific happened to them, anyone would be stunned and frightened.
But when she woke up early this morning and carefully looked around at her surroundings, she suddenly understood.
The day when a pie fell from the sky had finally come for her.
The original owner’s bedroom alone had a bedroom, a living room, a large private balcony, and an ensuite bathroom. The furnishings were luxurious, and even the air seemed to carry the unique fragrance of money. There were so many designer bags in the walk-in closet that if she carried a different one every day, she would not repeat one for a whole month. The jewellery, accessories, and branded clothes were enough to dazzle the eyes.
The original owner had the exact same name as her. Even their appearances were completely identical. This made Sang Yao shamelessly believe that all of this was fate’s arrangement.
Sang Yao had an extremely beautiful face. This was not her bragging; it was something everyone acknowledged. However, without backing, background, or a heart as hard as diamond, beauty could sometimes be a sin. At least in her original world, beauty had brought her more harm than good.
She wanted to live a good life, so after a friend recommended it, she entered the entertainment industry. At first, she had been mysteriously confident in herself. She always felt that with her looks, even if she could not become wildly popular, she could at least become a third- or fourth-tier little celebrity and live a modestly wealthy life.
Never in ten thousand years had she expected that even an assistant director from some tiny, shabby production crew would try to sleep with her.
Sang Yao felt that she was not the kind of person who could throw caution and dignity to the wind. For the sake of a little wealth and comfort, she would have to accompany this person and that person… She was afraid that before she could even become a little rich woman, she would already die from frustration and depression.
Just as she was preparing to unilaterally withdraw from the entertainment industry, return to ordinary life, apply for a job as a small office worker, earn a salary that would neither fill her stomach nor starve her to death, and become a happy little poor person, she got into a car accident.
Thinking of this, Sang Yao wanted to sigh again.
She really was the living embodiment of a beautiful woman with a tragic fate.
Only at the moment before death did she realise that she was actually very afraid of dying. It was not that death itself was so painful. After all, no matter how painful it was, there was still an end to it. She was simply afraid of having no future.
Yet when she opened her eyes again, not only had she not died, she had transformed into a wealthy young heiress, the future fiancée of a rich and powerful family…
Sang Yao raised her hand to cover her mouth, but delighted laughter still slipped out from between her fair, slender fingers.
Facts proved that good people were indeed rewarded.
Look at this. In her previous life, no matter how wild or inflated her imagination was, she had never dared to dream of marrying into a wealthy family. Yet now, after waking up from one sleep, the beautiful dream of freeloading her way through life in a rich family was only one step away.
Just as she was admiring how blindingly dazzling the huge diamond ring on the ring finger of her right hand was, there came a knock at the door.
Her expression changed in a second. She quickly ran back to the bed and responded in a weak voice, “Come in.”
Xiao Yayin pushed the door open and entered. Frowning, she came to the bedside. When she saw Sang Yao’s pale face and the sorrowful expression between her brows, she became even more furious.
In the past, the engagement between her second brother and Sang Yao had once been considered a beautiful story. After all, the two of them had grown up together since childhood. They were true childhood sweethearts, and their relationship had always been stable. Both families had also planned to begin preparing the wedding once they each returned from their studies.
Who could have known that plans could not keep up with change? Her second brother had fallen for someone else.
From Xiao Yayin’s point of view, this was a betrayal.
If the person she liked no longer liked her and abandoned their relationship, she would absolutely kick that person away without hesitation. She would never give anyone the chance to humiliate her!
Sang Yao had once been such a proud person. Yet now, in order to win back her second brother, she had become so humble, so lacking in self and dignity.
“Sang Yao, I’ve told you many times before. Once a man changes his heart, it’s very hard to win him back. Besides, while he’s still maintaining this fiancée relationship with you, he can still fall for someone else. Isn’t that ironic? Do you still want a man like that?”
Xiao Yayin dragged a chair over and sat at the side. Her tone was not good either. Although Xiao Jingqiao was her second brother, she showed him no mercy when criticising him.
“I like him,” Sang Yao replied weakly.
“I know. Anyone with eyes can see that. My second brother knows it better than anyone. But even though he knows, he still fell for someone else. He knows this hurts you, but he still did it and still said those things. Why? Because he already doesn’t care about your feelings anymore. You’re still so young and so beautiful. There are plenty of people who like you. In the future, you’ll meet someone who truly likes you and whom you also like.”
“I won’t. I won’t like anyone else again,” Sang Yao said weakly but firmly.
“How could that be? You’re still so young. You’re only twenty-two! My second brother isn’t the person who suits you. Someone who truly likes you wouldn’t hurt you like this. Besides, even if you marry him, if he doesn’t like you, then that kind of marriage would just be mutual torture. It would be terrifying.”
“As long as I can marry him, even if it’s torture, I accept it.”
She was that stubborn plaster that could not be peeled off. From now on, Xiao Jingqiao could forget about shaking her off.
Xiao Yayin tried to appeal to both emotion and reason until her mouth was nearly dry.
But Sang Yao simply let the words go in one ear and out the other. She did not care about what Xiao Yayin said at all.
Only when Xiao Yayin finally stopped talking did Sang Yao slowly say, “Yayin, thank you for your good intentions. I know Auntie has had conflicts and arguments with Jingqiao because of me, and I’m very sorry. But I still want to work hard for my love just this once. We’ve known each other for more than twenty years and have been together for several years. It really isn’t something I can put down just because I want to. As long as I wait for him at home, he’ll come back one day. This is his home.”
Fortunately, before transmigrating, she had been too idle and had read plenty of novels. Otherwise, these words would not have come to her so easily. Fortunately, her skin was thick enough that she could say all of this without changing expression.
Sometimes, even Sang Yao herself felt that she simply lacked backing and background. Otherwise, with her talent, if she really stayed in the entertainment industry, perhaps she might actually have made something of herself.
Even she had almost deceived herself.
Xiao Yayin was half-dead with anger. She threw down a harsh remark that she would never bother with her again, then left the room.
After Xiao Yayin left, Sang Yao sat up again. She casually picked up the comb on the bedside table and began combing her slightly messy long hair.
What kind of international joke was this?
Even if she died, she would never let Xiao Jingqiao go. This was a mountain of gold. Even if she died, she had to guard it.
Why?
As luck would have it, not long after she woke up, she discovered that she had transmigrated into a novel she had read before.
In the novel, the original owner could barely be counted as the vicious third female lead. She deeply loved the supporting male character, Xiao Jingqiao. The two of them had been engaged very early on. However, at the start of the plot, Xiao Jingqiao met the female lead and fell in love with her. He turned a blind eye to all of the original owner’s feelings.
Later, Xiao Jingqiao died while saving the female lead. The original owner nearly collapsed. She believed the female lead had caused the death of the man she loved, so she vented all of her anger and negative emotions on the female lead, setting up all kinds of ridiculous schemes and plots.
How could the male lead, who deeply loved the female lead, tolerate that? In the end, he drove the original owner into a mental breakdown and sent her to a psychiatric hospital, where she suffered endless torment.
Sang Yao had never thought of changing the plot. Whether Xiao Jingqiao died or not had nothing to do with her.
However, she remembered that before Xiao Jingqiao died, the original owner had already registered their marriage with him. In name, she was Mrs. Xiao.
Mrs. Xiao treated the original owner so well. After Xiao Jingqiao died, the property and shares under his name all fell into the original owner’s hands.
Although the original owner was also the daughter of a wealthy family, Sang Yao had inherited her memories and knew that the current Sang family was only strong on the outside but hollow within. They no longer had much real power. Otherwise, the original owner would not have moved into the Xiao family before marriage.
On the surface, it was said that she was cultivating feelings with Xiao Jingqiao. In reality, the Sang family was also putting pressure on her. If the original owner and Xiao Jingqiao really broke off their engagement, her days would not be easy either.
When she thought that she would become a rich woman in the near future, Sang Yao felt that life was simply too wonderful.
She had already thought it through. After Xiao Jingqiao received his boxed lunch, she would continue being Mrs. Xiao. As for love or whatever, she had given that up long ago. She had no interest in dog men at all.
Guarding her mountains of gold and silver, she would simply freeload her way through life in the Xiao family.
With the Xiao family’s protection and piles upon piles of assets, was shopping not fun? Was living in a huge mansion not comfortable? She would have to be insane to go and make trouble for the female lead.
The future waiting for her was so bright and so beautiful.
Anyone who tried to persuade her to let go of Xiao Jingqiao was trying to stop her from getting rich.
**Author’s Note:**
Content warning: the female lead of this novel does not have proper morals, and neither does the male lead. There is also a love-triangle battlefield where two brothers both like the female lead.
The male lead has not appeared yet. His name hasn’t even appeared in this chapter. The male lead is Xiao Chengxiu, Xiao Jingqiao’s older brother.
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