A group of children by the roadside sang loudly:
“Rolling thunder, I’m so scared~”
Dragging herself home after another exhausting day of overtime, Cui Qingshu silently finished the lyric in her head:
“Strike me till I’m falling apart.”
The very next second—
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Cui Qingshu lifted her overworked corporate-slave face in confusion—
—and got struck by lightning.
Actually struck by lightning.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, the only things Cui Qingshu could think about were the apartment she had just finished paying off… and the five hundred grams of gold she’d been hoarding as investments.
Damn you, heavens!
The kid was the one singing! I only mentally replied—why strike me?!
The child who witnessed the whole thing burst into terrified tears.
Cui Qingshu woke with a splitting headache, as if countless steel needles were stirring around inside her brain.
A flood of memories poured into her mind all at once:
A cold, indifferent father.
A mother who secretly worshipped Buddha in hiding.
A stepsister who loved stealing her things.
Before Cui Qingshu could even process any of it, a book slowly unfolded in her mind:
“Sweet Military Marriage: The Delicate Wife Gives Birth to Eight Treasures in One Pregnancy.”
She had transmigrated.
Transmigrated into a novel with a title ridiculous enough to summon heavenly thunder all on its own.
The heroine was the adopted daughter of a capitalist family. During those turbulent years, she decisively abandoned her capitalist background and married the military male lead.
After marriage, she lived a blissful life, giving birth to octuplets in a single pregnancy.
Her adoptive father doted on her.
Her husband doted on her.
Her in-laws doted on her.
Her adoptive father later smuggled himself to Hong Kong, leaving her an enormous fortune. After the Reform and Opening-Up era, he returned to the mainland and continued supporting the heroine’s luxurious lifestyle.
The heroine’s happiness made every woman jealous. Every woman wanted to harm her.
And naturally, every vicious female supporting character who tried ended badly.
The owner of this body—Cui Qingshu, the biological daughter of the heroine’s capitalist adoptive father—was the most tragic villainess of them all.
The heroine stole her engagement.
Stole her inheritance.
Even stole the magical jade pendant passed down through her mother’s family.
One precious thing after another was taken from her until she finally went insane, obsessively opposing the heroine at every turn.
Yet every scheme backfired spectacularly, turning her into a laughingstock.
In the end, she desperately drugged the male lead—only to accidentally help the hero and heroine consummate their love, becoming a stepping stone in their romance instead.
She tried to reclaim what rightfully belonged to her, but her father chose to leave the Cui family fortune to Su Ranyue—the outsider.
Then her father fled illegally to Hong Kong, abandoning both Cui Qingshu and her mother behind.
Because of their “capitalist” status, they were sent down to the countryside.
And for a young, beautiful girl like the original owner, life there was exactly as horrifying as one could imagine.
Even with her mother desperately protecting her, she was still violated by local thugs.
Overwhelmed by despair, the original Cui Qingshu committed suicide.
After her death, her mother transformed into a vengeance-driven poisoner.
At a massive rural banquet, she poisoned the food and killed half the village.
The shocking case quickly made national headlines. When word reached the heroine, Su Ranyue merely commented lightly:
“Her daughter committed suicide, and she poisoned half a village? That mother and daughter really are vicious.”
Cui Qingshu shot upright in bed, her head pounding.
She raised a hand to rub her temples—but froze.
The hand before her was pale and slender. Not hers.
Years of writing had left her original right middle finger slightly deformed, covered in thick calluses.
But this hand…
This was clearly the hand of someone raised in luxury.
Remembering the memories she had just absorbed, Cui Qingshu stumbled out of bed and rushed toward the mirror.
As expected, the face reflected there was younger than her own had been.
She’d been pretty in her previous life, but this face—even bruised—was stunningly beautiful.
Its features were almost too delicate.
Fair skin. Bright almond-shaped eyes glistening with moisture. A naturally innocent expression soft enough to make even herself feel protective.
But the moment she remembered this body’s future fate, a fierce chill appeared in her eyes.
Since she was here now, she absolutely would not end up like the original owner.
At that moment, voices drifted in from outside.
A soft, pitiful voice tinged with coquettish sweetness said:
“Dad, Sister seems angry… Maybe I should ask Brother Shen to return those things after all?”
“Even if Brother Shen gets upset, it’s okay. Sister is more important. She’s your only real daughter, after all.”
Cui Yuanwei replied sternly:
“No. She’s been spoiled rotten. Making a huge fuss over something so trivial. She’s not even half as sensible as you are.”
Su Ranyue smiled faintly.
“Sister is actually very kind. I’m already satisfied that she lets me stay in this family and keep Dad company.”
Cui Yuanwei snorted.
“You’re too considerate, Yueyue. They were only some trinkets—yet she’s making such a scene over them.”
“Getting herself hurt like this serves her right. She isn’t even half as obedient as you.”
Looking lovingly at his adopted daughter, he gently ruffled her hair.
“If only Cui Qingshu were half as sensible as you.”
Separated only by a door, Cui Qingshu heard every word clearly and sneered inwardly.
Now she remembered.
The reason the original owner had fallen unconscious was because she’d argued with Su Ranyue—and Su Ranyue had pushed her down the stairs.
The cause of the argument?
Su Ranyue had taken one of her jewelry boxes.
Her most valuable jewelry box.
And inside it… was the jade pendant containing the storage space.
Taking something without permission was theft. Furious, the original owner confronted Su Ranyue.
But Su Ranyue put on her innocent little act and claimed Father had told her to choose whatever she liked from the room.
The original owner had already been furious. Those words only poured oil onto the fire.
During the struggle, Su Ranyue shoved her directly down the staircase.
She tumbled all the way down and suffered a severe concussion.
As Cui Qingshu thought this over, her head began throbbing again.
“It’s almost mealtime. Yueyue must be hungry. Dad will take you to the state-run restaurant and order your favorite braised crucian carp.”
Cui Qingshu’s expression turned icy.
Taking a deep breath, she yanked the door open.
BANG!
The sudden noise startled both of them.
Cui Yuanwei and Su Ranyue turned simultaneously.
Well-maintained and wearing glasses, Cui Yuanwei looked to Cui Qingshu exactly like a refined scumbag.
A flash of schadenfreude first appeared in Su Ranyue’s eyes before instantly switching to concern.
“Sister, you’re awake? Perfect timing—Dad’s taking me out for braised fish. Come with us!”
A trace of relief appeared in Cui Yuanwei’s eyes.
“See how considerate your sister is? Learn from her.”
Without even glancing at Su Ranyue, Cui Qingshu looked toward Cui Yuanwei with trembling grievance—
—and burst into tears instantly.
“Dad… I hurt so much. I’m your daughter too… Is there really no place for me in your heart?”
“Dad… can you ask Sister to return the jade pendant to me? She can keep all the other jewelry, but that pendant is the only thing Mother left me…”
“Mother abandoned me… and now Dad only loves Sister… The pendant is my only keepsake…”
Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. Her wet lashes clung to her eyelids, and the tip of her nose flushed red.
She looked unbearably pitiful.
Cui Yuanwei had never seen his usually arrogant daughter like this before and stared in shock.
Su Ranyue was dumbfounded too.
W-Wasn’t this her specialty?!
She nearly twisted her nose in anger.
She—she’s copying me?!
Cui Qingshu sneered inwardly.
You fake little white lotus. I’ll out-act you to death.
Her tears flowed even harder now. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she deliberately spoke in broken, breathy sobs:
“Sister… give the jade pendant back to me… I’ll give you all my expensive jewelry instead… okay…?”
Lowering her gaze, Cui Qingshu deliberately turned her face sideways, displaying her bruised cheek at the perfect angle for maximum pity.
Cui Yuanwei saw the bruising clearly.
And his heart softened.
After all… she was his biological daughter.
Su Ranyue was about to explode with rage.
She had been carefully watching her father’s expression and naturally caught that fleeting moment of sympathy.
Those were her tricks!
“Cui Qingshu, have you no shame?! What are you pretending for?!”
She was so furious she forgot all about maintaining her sweet, innocent persona in front of Cui Yuanwei.
Cui Yuanwei stared blankly between the two girls.
Something felt wrong.
Had his daughters somehow been swapped?
The instant the words left her mouth, Su Ranyue regretted them.
Meanwhile, Cui Qingshu’s lips curled upward wildly inside.
Fake green tea bitch. Keep acting. Your level is way too amateur.
Looking toward Cui Yuanwei for help, Cui Qingshu’s eyes practically said:
Dad… control your precious little sister.