In the evening, the sky began to pour rain. The damp, cold air drifted into the room, and her muddled mind gradually grew clearer. Yin Man narrowed her eyes and looked out at the torrential rain outside the window. Just two hours ago, she had still been working at the company, earning that little daily wage and carefully calculating every day’s expenses. And now, even if she were sitting in a wheelchair admiring the rain, she still had a large amount of cash rolling in.
Yin Man unconsciously took out her phone and looked at the bank balance.
Just the balance in one of her accounts made Yin Man fall silent once more.
Yin Man had transmigrated into a book, into a scum who shared her exact same name and surname. Because the name was the same, she paid special attention to it. Just yesterday, she had even been complaining about why that crippled and perverted scum still had not received retribution, and today she had come over.
Overnight, she had become the top rich woman in the book, at the cost of a pair of legs.
The title of this book was The Self-cultivation of a Scum Top. Its setting was a world full of scummy top men, where from the female lead to the female supporting characters, all of them were scummy tops, and the original owner was the pinnacle among the scummy tops. The original owner had broken her legs when she was young. Later, her mother died and her stepmother moved in. The defects in her emotions and body fostered the original owner’s irritable and gloomy personality. She was fickle, promiscuous, and also extremely perverted.
According to the author’s description, there was no end to the girls she had driven to their deaths.
Knock, knock.
The sound of the knock on the door made Yin Man’s heart leap into her throat. She had not yet gotten used to her new identity, and she did not know whether she would be exposed.
“Come in.” She answered, and the door was pulled open. The first thing to step in was a pair of white high heels, and a pair of straight, fair legs was especially eye-catching, making Yin Man unconsciously look at her own legs, the ones covered by the blanket.
Her face was equally eye-catching. Her capable short hair could not hide that delicate beauty, and the fresh face revealed a brief flash of disgust. She hid it well, but Yin Man still saw it. She rummaged through the original owner’s memories and matched the identity.
Yin Youxia, the original owner’s younger sister, and also the female lead in the book.
Yin Youxia was the only existence in the scum top novel who had been whitewashed. Probably because she was the female lead, she could still find true love after driving living people to their deaths, successfully whitewashing herself. Even many readers said that it was because she had been influenced by Yin Man, that her emotions had become twisted, and that because she had lived in such suffocating repression under Yin Man’s control, she had come to yearn for freedom so deeply.
Faced with the family marriage alliance with Liu Siyin, of course she could not have developed any love, and breaking off the engagement was only reasonable. No one knew that Liu Siyin, after being broken off with, would commit suicide so vehemently.
Yin Youxia had not deliberately driven Liu Siyin to death. She had simply wanted freedom.
She understood the reasoning, but Yin Youxia had broken off the engagement neither early nor late, insisting on doing it only after Liu Siyin had an accident trying to save her, was injured, and went blind.
Liu Siyin had been betrothed to Yin Youxia since childhood. She had been raised from a young age as a tool for marriage alliance. After losing the only value she had left and going blind, did Yin Youxia really not know this might drive Liu Siyin to death?
That might not be the case.
But in the end, in this world full of scummy tops, Yin Youxia was already one of the better ones.
Yin Youxia’s eyes paused. She opened her mouth. “Sis.”
Yin Youxia and Yin Man were half-sisters. She was six years younger than the original owner. The original owner was a pervert. She had once locked eight-year-old Yin Youxia in a dog cage, with a piece of wire mesh separating them, one side an eight-year-old girl, the other side a mad dog barking wildly.
In the darkness, one could only hear the sound of the dog’s sharp claws scraping against the wire mesh, and the sound of its teeth biting at the wire netting. By the time she was found, Yin Youxia had already been frightened into idiocy.
It took more than a year of care before she gradually recovered, but Yin Youxia therefore developed claustrophobia and was afraid of dogs, especially afraid of dogs.
Knowing full well that Yin Youxia was especially afraid of dogs, Yin Man still kept a pet dog, taking it with her every day, inseparable, deliberately provoking Yin Youxia. The original owner could be said to be the novel’s biggest villain, the female lead’s nightmare, and also the one who bullied the female lead’s true love, so later Yin Youxia went mad and fought back, scheming against Yin Man, whom she could hardly shake.
The book had not yet finished updating, and the ending for this vicious female supporting character had not been written either. In any case, the comments section was full of people unanimously hoping the scum would die, while praising Yin Youxia as a peerless top. She also hoped Yin Man would die, but whenever she thought of the dead Liu Siyin, she could not agree with the latter.
“Do you need something?” Yin Man made her tone sound a bit more sharp and cold, trying hard to maintain the original owner’s irritable image. Her deliberate act still made Yin Youxia freeze. In the past, Yin Man would already have been smashing things at her. Today, she was actually asking her in such a calm tone.
Yin Youxia hid the surprise in her heart. Who knew what kind of trick Yin Man was playing again.
She hated Yin Man to death, but she could not compete with Yin Man. Although Yin Man was disabled, the future heir of the Yin family was Yin Man’s full-blooded older brother from the same mother, and although Yin Man was sickly and strange, her investment sense had always been very accurate, bringing a great deal of benefit to the family. If Yin Man were not disabled, Yin Youxia’s situation would be even worse.
In a few more years, sooner or later, she would trample Yin Man under her feet.
Yin Youxia secretly clenched both fists, enduring her emotions. “Dad and Mom asked whether you want to go to Youchuan with us. A few new dishes have been added, and I heard they’re quite good.”
Yin Youxia hated her mother’s excessively deliberate attempts to curry favor with Yin Man, and she also hated her own weakness, so she had no choice but to act obediently in front of Yin Man.
“Can I bring the dog?” The corners of Yin Man’s mouth lifted slightly. That bright smile was full of cruelty and mockery. Yin Youxia’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her fear of dogs was carved into her bones, and she stammered, unable to speak.
Yin Man was slightly stunned, forcing down the upward curve of her lips.
That instant of asking back just now was not something she had intended to ask. She had originally wanted to ask about the dishes, but just then, it had been as if someone had controlled her intent. She had almost instinctively blurted out those words that stabbed at Yin Youxia’s pain.
Could it be the original owner?
Yin Man had just wanted to say a few comforting words when Yin Youxia steeled herself and answered, “Yes.”
It seemed that as long as she went, anything was fine.
That made Yin Man immediately think of the timeline. It seemed she had transmigrated into the beginning, and Yin Youxia was still the one who would bow her head to Yin Man at every turn, the not-yet-strong-enough Yin Youxia, at her beck and call.
The Yin family’s current position depended on support from the maternal family of Yin Man’s deceased mother. Because Yin Man refused to give her nod of approval and would not accept the stepmother, people were making things difficult for them both openly and secretly. Even though Yin Nanbai pitied her, protected her, and loved her, he did not dare to openly tear his face with Yin Man. That was the confidence brought by the maternal grandfather’s family.
That was why Yin Youxia later became so extreme that she tried to seduce her cousin, wanting to rely on the Mei family’s great tree to bring down Yin Man.
But because her cousin was gentle and warm, completely unlike Yin Man’s cruelty, she really developed feelings. When Yin Man exposed her true purpose in front of Miss Mei, the first thing she thought of was not that she was about to be trampled under Yin Man’s feet again, but that she could not lose Miss Mei.
Confession, and admission, were all for winning her back.
But now she had not yet met that bodhisattva. No one saved her, no one protected her.
Cruelty rose little by little in her heart. Yin Man’s cold lip line lifted once again, and the words were about to leave her mouth. Yin Man promptly swallowed them back, suppressing that thought. Just now, for a moment, she had actually wanted Yin Youxia to go hug the dog.
The original owner’s will really could not stand Yin Youxia having it easy.
Yin Man pressed at her aching brow. How could there be such an unlucky transmigrator as her, becoming disabled and still unable to suppress the original owner’s will.
“Go then.” Most likely guilt made her agree to Yin Youxia.
Yin Youxia looked up in slight surprise. “Really?”
Probably because she had been tricked by the original owner too many times and had been left with trauma, Yin Man looked at her pale face, the sweat all over her forehead, and the faint expectation in her eyes, and nodded.
“I’m going to find Xiaoyou right away.” The original owner’s dog was called Xiaoyou.
The You from Yin Youxia. How could there not be an element of humiliation toward Yin Youxia in that?
And Yin Youxia had endured all of this. People like that only became terrifying when they went crazy.
As the book continued, Yin Man had already gradually fallen into a disadvantage. Although she had not seen the ending, one could imagine it would not be good. The later Yin Youxia was a mad beauty, while the current her could only be described as hateful, and as hopeful, hoping Yin Man would get better, hoping Yin Man would accept them, so that the Yin family and the Mei family could both accept them, and life would slowly improve.
Although they all bore the surname Yin, Yin Youxia’s mother was just an ordinary woman, without strong methods or a powerful maternal family backing her. Her two children were still young, and without mature wings, how could they dare contend with an eagle.
In the Yin family, the real young lady had always been Yin Man. It was only because Yin Man’s legs were inconvenient that Yin Youxia had so many chances to appear in public.
Afraid, hateful, and hopeful, what a complicated emotion.
Yin Youxia really was going to find the dog. Yin Man called out to stop her. “No need.”
Yin Youxia looked over in disbelief. Yin Man averted her gaze. She was afraid of being exposed, but she really could not bring herself to do something like rubbing salt into someone’s wound.
She coughed lightly. “Don’t wait for me to change my mind.”
The gloom on Yin Youxia’s face vanished at once. She quickly stepped forward to push her wheelchair. Yin Man casually picked up her phone and was pushed out of the room by Yin Youxia. She probably understood Yin Youxia’s happiness. Going out with their mother and daughter also counted as a kind of indirect acknowledgment of them. No matter what Yin Man’s true thoughts were, at least there would not be so many people making trouble for them anymore just to perform in front of Yin Man.
After all, Yin Youxia was only a nineteen-year-old girl. She still did not know how to control her emotions.
The stairs at home had all been specially fitted with a relatively gentle slope, for the convenience of the original owner. Yin Youxia pushed her downstairs, and when her gaze fell on the woman sitting on the sofa, her eyes grew colder. “What are you doing here?”
She looked a bit older than Yin Youxia. Her beautiful features were exquisitely carved, without a single flaw. Her long, slender, soft hair drifted beside her face, and her waterlike beautiful eyes, upon seeing Yin Youxia, were lightly covered with a layer of mist as she said in a soft voice, “It was Aunt who asked me to come.”
Her gaze fell on Yin Man, who was being pushed along, and thick fear rose in her eyes. “Sister Man.”
Yin Man nodded. She knew her. She was Liu Siyin.
In the original text:
She wore a knee-length skirt, revealing her snow-white calves. Her skin was snowy and jade-like. She truly was as white and clear as ice and snow, and just looking at her made one feel she was exquisite.
Yin Youxia, however, looked down on her. Not only did she look down on her, she also despised her, unable to hide her disgust. “She asked you to come, and you came? Your surname is Liu, not Yin.”
“I was always going to take the surname Yin.” As expected of someone raised as a tool, she had been brainwashed thoroughly.
Liu Siyin did not have a distinct personality, only a docile temperament. She was a tender cuscuta vine.
The original text did not describe Liu Siyin much. She was only a cannon-fodder character, appearing merely to create the female lead’s tragedy, to shape the female lead’s resolve to resist power and resist the family marriage alliance, and to long for freedom.
It had never even told readers that she was such a beauty.
Beauty is loved by all. Yin Man had long thought Liu Siyin was too tragic, and now she felt even more pity for her. In the few lines devoted to her, she was an illegitimate daughter. Her mother died early, and because of her rather good looks and the Liu family bloodline, she was brought back and raised as a tool for marriage alliance.
For the Liu family, she was a tool for marriage alliance. For the Yin family, she was a bargaining chip. For Yin Youxia, she was the rope binding her freedom.
For herself, she lived for the sake of marrying into the Yin family.
If that was impossible, there was only death.
A trace of pity appeared in Yin Man’s eyes. “Since you’re already here, come with us to Youchuan and try the new dishes.”
Not only Yin Youxia, even Liu Siyin widened her eyes in surprise.
Author’s note:
The next book is Writing for Her
5.85 opening
Gentle agent of the true heiress and a foolish artist pretending to be cold and aloof
Rising star Jiang Ruo has three great hobbies, reading serialized fiction, shipping CPs, and scolding Gu Yan.
When she first got into it, she read a cold and obscure novel. Although the genre was niche, the author’s writing was excellent, and she also loved the character setup, a high-quality artist pair who were each other’s confidants, the cold and gentle top and the charming, sweet bottom.
She read it all the way to the ending, and then the author Gu Yan abandoned the book and ran away.
Jiang Ruo waited five years for updates and gradually grew irritable. She swore that if one day she caught that Gu Yan, she would definitely cut her into a thousand pieces.
When she was young, Gu Qingmei wrote a book based on her neighbor, but later, after falling in love with Jiang Ruo at first sight, she had no mind to write anymore and focused all her energy on trying to woo Jiang Ruo, abandoning the book.
Although Jiang Ruo was young, the cool nobility in her deeply attracted Gu Qingmei. Gu Qingmei gave up her family-business dream and accompanied Jiang Ruo in bravely entering the entertainment industry, all for her happiness.
After many years of unrequited love yielding nothing, Gu Qingmei thought it over and decided to cater to her preferences, to learn a little about Jiang Ruo’s likes, and to find out what she usually did.
She asked Jiang Ruo to recommend a book, and Jiang Ruo tossed over a link. “Qingmei jie, promise me you’ll read this overnight and curse her with me.”
The author’s name was Gu Yan.
That very night, Gu Qingmei climbed onto the author account she had long forgotten.
The comments section, which should have fallen silent after five years without updates, had a reader named Ruoshu, who had sent her thousands of comments all by herself, and the last comment was from just now.
[After tonight, the readers who hate you will increase by one!]
Online question: If the object of your crush has severely collapsed her image, can you still pursue her!
Reading guide
1. All the CPs I ship are real
2. Five years apart, older woman secretly in love with younger woman