Ruan Shujin looked at Ruan Dong.
“Uncle, I know I’m not quite the same anymore, but you have to believe me—I’m still just Ruan Shujin. In the past, I was ungrateful and blind, which made you sad and disappointed Grandfather.”
“I was too desperate for their love. I foolishly believed that as long as I gave more, my parents would love me back. But I forgot Grandfather’s instructions.”
“But now, I’m no longer the Ruan Shujin whose heart only grew on a man. You, and my younger brother and sister, need to pack everything up properly and wait for my notice. When the time comes, I’ll take all of you away together. This place isn’t safe. We carry the label of ‘capitalists,’ and everyone knows you’re part of the Ruan family—naturally, they won’t let you off. I know this factory means everything to you, Uncle, but you also have to think about the kids. They’re only ten years old and have no father. If things go on like this, they’ll never have a happy life.”
Ruan Shujin said all this because she didn’t want Ruan Dong to end up like he did in her previous life—dying an innocent and unjust death.
Ruan Dong called out to stop her, stuffed a letter into her hand, then hunched his back and slipped back into the house.
Although he had been adopted by Old Master Ruan, he never forgot his own status. Seeing the young miss change so drastically shocked him deeply—there was simply too great a difference between the past and present.
After reading the letter, Ruan Shujin left the textile factory and hurried toward Liangshui Wharf.
In recent years, the authorities had cracked down hard on the black market, but it had never truly disappeared—only hidden itself away, quietly taking root in the shadows.
Ruan Shujin came to Liangshui Wharf, one of the black market’s aquatic trading points, to look for one of her grandfather’s old friends—Third Master Liang.
Only after reading the letter did she understand: the deeper the love, the stricter the discipline. Her grandfather had always planned far ahead. He had already foreseen that Shanghai would be unstable this year and had arranged everything in advance. Knowing she couldn’t guard such vast wealth on her own, he had deliberately entrusted it to an old friend.
Using the secret code written in the letter, Ruan Shujin was immediately ushered onto a steamboat.
Third Master Liang didn’t have much time. As soon as he saw her, he directly handed over information regarding the old master’s belongings.
“Little girl, I’ve been waiting for you a long time. My ship will only stay here for three more days before leaving Liangshui Wharf. You should pack up quickly and leave with me.”
As he spoke, Third Master Liang stepped closer. Ruan Shujin stared at the scar on his face without the slightest fear, her thoughts suddenly drifting back to her previous life.
“I won’t go with you. I have my own plans. You’re my grandfather’s confidant, so I’ll also tell you something—there’s a traitor among your people. It’s the lame one. You absolutely cannot stay here for three days. Once tonight’s deal is over, leave immediately, and don’t come back for the next few years.”
When she arrived earlier, she had only casually glanced at the busy crowd and already spotted someone who would soon be publicly exposed in the newspapers.
Third Master Liang frowned.
“You little girl—if you won’t leave, are you planning to keep following those blind parents of yours? Do you really think they’ll take you with them to Hong Kong? They’re only after your money.”
“As for that lover of yours, he’s no good either.”
Ruan Shujin didn’t dodge his gaze, staring straight at Third Master Liang.
“I know. That’s why I’ll make them pay the price. Since they want me to suffer, none of them will escape either. Hong Kong? They’re not going. They really think the Cui family are all good people.”
Third Master Liang was straightforward by nature.
Since the girl refused to leave, he simply shoved some money her way. Ruan Shujin naturally didn’t stand on ceremony and tossed it all straight into her space.
Although she didn’t know why the jade pendant was connected to this secret space, just knowing her family fortune finally had somewhere to be stored made her happy.
Thinking about what the girl had said, Third Master Liang waved his hand.
A black shadow immediately appeared in the cabin, indistinct and hard to see clearly.
Third Master Liang’s voice carried an unquestionable, decisive killing intent.
“Take care of Chen Si. This time, I really was blind—picked the wrong man.”
All the way back, Ruan Shujin carefully planned her next steps. Her grandfather truly hadn’t changed—no one would ever guess that the things were piled up inside the ancestral home. What Zheng Yousai had emptied was only the underground secret room that everyone knew about. But the Ruan ancestral home had more than just that one hidden chamber.
When she reached the area near the ancestral home, she glanced over and saw a familiar figure—young An Minhua.
Ruan Shujin felt nothing but bad luck. To run into her ex-husband at such a happy moment.
At this moment, her heart felt no flutter at all.
Thinking of An Minhua’s scumbag behavior, Ruan Shujin clenched her fists in anger, only regretting that she hadn’t properly learned martial arts from her master back then.
Things that don’t belong to you—no matter how hard you try—will always exact a painful price in the end.
Ruan Shujin calmed herself and slowly walked toward the young couple already locked in an embrace.
Seeing Ruan Shujin drift over like a ghost, Zheng Shuya immediately jumped away. An Minhua, however, wore an undisguised look of impatience.
That wasn’t entirely his fault—Ruan Shujin herself had given him the capital to be willful.
Tears immediately welled up in Ruan Shujin’s eyes.
“You two…?”
Zheng Shuya reacted first and grabbed Ruan Shujin’s arm.
“Sister A-Jin, are you going to blame me? You know, I lost my dad when I was young, and—”
Ruan Shujin abruptly covered Zheng Shuya’s mouth, completely lacking her former affectation.
“Yes, yes, only you lost your dad. Only you’re the most pitiful. I’ve been forced to marry someone else, and I haven’t even said anything about it.”
Her gaze swept toward An Minhua. Seeing his calm expression, Ruan Shujin immediately understood—he also wanted her to voluntarily step forward and marry in Zheng Shuya’s place.
Ruan Shujin couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time on the two of them and went straight into the ancestral home.
If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she’d throw up.
Late at night, with everything quiet, Ruan Shujin swiftly climbed out of bed. Thinking about how pitifully empty the basement had looked that evening made her feel extremely bored.
She wasn’t that easy to fool.
All the servants had been dismissed during the day. After briefly meeting that night, Zheng Yousai had taken the rest of the household out, who knew to do what.
Running away? Ruan Shujin didn’t believe it. The wedding date hadn’t even been set yet, and they hadn’t taken everything her grandfather left her—how could they bear to leave?
So at this moment, the entire ancestral home belonged to Ruan Shujin alone.
The master bedroom on the first floor had once been her grandfather’s. After she brought those heartless wolves into the house, Zheng Yousai moved in.
Thinking about it now, he must have known all along that the basement entrance was right there.
Following the blueprint through the basement to the other hidden treasure locations, Ruan Shujin stared at the golden “big yellow fish” (gold bars), her eyes instantly widening.
This place didn’t just have two crates of gold bars—it also held porcelain and paintings from unknown dynasties, jade artifacts, coins, silk, medicinal herbs… more than a dozen large crates in total, including famous watches and jewelry from the outside world.
Staring at the dozens of crates now stored in her space, Ruan Shujin felt she had truly underestimated her grandfather. In her previous life, she’d been utterly foolish—handing all these things to her parents and keeping only a small portion for herself.
Her grandfather’s wealth was simply unimaginable.
Gold abacuses, gold thumb rings, gold-and-jade bracelets, silver chopsticks, silver bowls, silver dollars…
There were even various precious Chinese medicinal herbs—some long declared extinct.
Sure enough, when people are doing bad things, they don’t feel tired at all. Looking at the completely empty rooms, Ruan Shujin even felt it still wasn’t enough.
With a wicked grin, she thought of Zheng Yousai’s favorite hiding place. A man like him would never bear to give everything to the Cui family. No matter how much he loved Cui Ruping, when disaster struck, he loved himself the most.
After climbing back out, Ruan Shujin went to Zheng Yousai’s bedroom and stuffed the remaining valuables into that secret spot. She also made a trip to Zheng Shuya and her stepmother Cui Ruping’s rooms, emptying everything in one go. She didn’t mind at all—after all, who would be stupid enough to turn their nose up at money?
She didn’t spare a single corner of the house.
Then, Ruan Shujin casually tidied herself up. Exhausted, she fell asleep immediately.
The next day, she waited until the timing felt right, glanced at her own messy hair, and then—gritting her teeth—smashed her head straight into the wall.
Letting out a howl, she cried:
“Ah— I fainted!”