The spring sun was warm and gentle, the atmosphere elegant and bright; March in the capital was as beautiful as a painting.
The family of Marquis Zhongyong had just returned from a banquet at the Duke of Ying’s estate. As soon as the group entered their residence, they slammed the main gates shut and refused all visitors, as if they were about to handle a scandalous private matter within the household.
Lin Shu’s head was spinning, and her face burned with a fiery pain as if she had been slapped hard. She was currently being dragged forward roughly.
She had been too hungry today, unable to use her monstrous strength. This had led to a careless mistake while fighting zombies, causing her to get hit. It wouldn’t be long before the zombie virus spread through her entire body, and she would descend into becoming an ugly zombie herself.
Her companions had never been soft-hearted toward those infected by the virus.
Once she completely lost her mind, her head would be chopped off by a comrade and her remains would be burned to ashes by a fire…
Although Lin Shu lived a very tiring life, she hadn’t lived enough; she didn’t want to die.
With a thud, she was forced onto her knees.
“You wretch! If your cousin hadn’t discovered it in time, the reputation of my Marquisate would have been completely disgraced by you! To frame your own sister and insult her chastity—such a vicious heart does not deserve to be the daughter of my Marquisate any longer!”
An angry roar made Lin Shu’s heart tremble.
She looked up blankly and saw a tall, middle-aged man with a majestic face and an expression of pure rage.
Behind the man, an elegant and noble-looking woman was covering her face and weeping softly.
Lin Shu looked at the attire of these two people, scanned the room filled with ancient-style furnishings, and finally lowered her head to glance at her own clothes.
Before she could think further, a sharp pain shot through her brain as countless memory fragments flooded in.
She had transmigrated into a book.
Entertainment was scarce for humans in the apocalypse, so she had read a novel when she was bored.
The novel mainly told the story of the bittersweet and twisting romance between Lin Yao, the real daughter of Marquis Zhongyong’s household, and Gu Yi’an, the heir of the Duke of Ying.
In typical “real vs. fake heiress” novels, if the real daughter is the protagonist, the fake daughter is either the foil or the villain. This book was no exception.
The originally selfish and arrogant fake daughter had suffered a mental breakdown after learning she was a fake who had usurped another’s place. She engaged in various schemes to win favor and cause trouble, making the real daughter suffer quite a bit. However, the real daughter was kind and resilient. Despite the fake daughter’s endless tricks, the real daughter only gained more and more affection from others, while the fake daughter ended up being loathed by everyone.
However, the female lead’s kindness and simplicity were merely a facade. She was so formidable because she was a reborn character! She was a ruthless person who believed in settling every grudge.
After confirming that her childhood friend, the heir of the Duke of Ying—who was also the male lead—would marry no one but the female lead, the fake daughter completely blackened. During the sixtieth birthday banquet of the Duke of Ying’s Dowager, she plotted to feed the real daughter an aphrodisiac and then found a burly guard to ruin her chastity.
Unexpectedly, the female lead turned the tables, leading the male lead to see through the poisonous plot and exposing the fake daughter’s hideous face to everyone. The Marquis was furious, and the Marchioness, who had always doted on her, was utterly disappointed, finally giving up on her.
In the final ending, the fake daughter was sent away to a rural manor in the outskirts of the capital, where she went insane, self-mutilated, and died. Meanwhile, the real daughter and the male lead lived a happy life after overcoming their misunderstandings.
As luck would have been it, Lin Shu had transmigrated as this vicious fake heiress.
Worse still, it was too late to save the plot because the story was already nearing its end. She was about to be sent to the manor. It could be said that she had just gained a new life only to immediately receive the “grand finale” of the book.
Recalling the trouble the original owner had caused throughout the book, Lin Shu felt her vision go dark.
There was no way to wash this clean; the original owner was a truly vicious supporting female character.
Being sent to a manor was actually a sign of the Marquisate’s magnanimity, as someone would provide food and drink. For Lin Shu, coming from the apocalypse, even getting a full meal was difficult.
The Marchioness’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. After the Marquis finished shouting several insults, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “Shu’er, how has Yao’er ever wronged you that you would harm her like this? Two years ago, when I learned you weren’t my biological child, I was heartbroken, yet I never let you suffer the slightest grievance. I only told outsiders that Yao’er was your elder sister raised at a rural manor. What else were you unsatisfied with? Why couldn’t you tolerate her?!”
Just then, Nanny Gui, a servant by the Marchioness’s side, came to report, “Madam, Yao-jie’er has recovered from the drug and fallen asleep. But the doctor said… said that the drug Yao-jie’er took this time was too potent and wasn’t cleared in time. It damaged her body, and there are fears it may hinder her ability to have children in the future. She needs to be carefully nursed back to health.”
“What?!” The Marchioness stumbled, her head spinning.
How important was offspring to a woman!
Lin Shu was stunned: The female lead was truly ruthless. To expose the fake daughter’s true colors, she had actually consumed that potent aphrodisiac.
The last trace of motherly affection remaining in the Marchioness completely vanished. She glared at Lin Shu and slapped her hard.
Lin Shu’s current body couldn’t dodge in time and took the hit squarely.
She hissed in pain.
It hurt! This body was just like her own—unable to tolerate pain.
The Marchioness scolded, “Are you satisfied with this result?! Lin Shu, I truly raised you for sixteen years in vain, only to have you turn into such a vicious and ruthless villain! Go to the manor in the western suburbs; do not come back for the rest of your life. I don’t want to see you again!”
She hardened her heart, her expression turning cold as she mocked herself, “A fake is a fake; it’s rotten from the root. I should have sent you back when I discovered the truth two years ago instead of letting you continue as the daughter of the Marquisate and letting Yao’er suffer everywhere. It’s all my fault…”
In the book, this sentence had sent the original Lin Shu into a frenzy, but for this Lin Shu, it sparked a flash of inspiration.
While a manor provided food and drink, it restricted personal freedom. It would be better to return to the original owner’s hometown to farm. The world is wide, and one can be self-sufficient.
Searching through her memory fragments—good heavens, it was actually a small mountain village in the Southwest region!
She was very familiar with the entire Southwest! In her previous life, as the “violent delicate flower” of the Southwest Base, she had followed her team everywhere to scavenge for supplies. Later, when food was scarce, she had roamed the mountains and waters, tasting every edible wild flower, weed, and fruit. When it came to gathering from the wild, she was definitely an expert!
Lin Shu’s eyes sparkled with two bright lights. Her body suddenly slumped, collapsing to the ground. Large, pearl-like tears fell one after another. She wept like a pear blossom in the rain, looking incredibly pitiful. “Mother, Father, your child was wrong.”
Eh? Even her voice was the same?
She knew her own voice best—it was soft, sweet, and sounded particularly easy to bully. Combined with that face, she had the innate “White Lotus” physique, making her a master at manipulating people’s sympathy.
After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Shu continued her confession, “Waaa, I was wrong. I was blinded by greed. Father and Mother love Sister Yao more than me, my brother is closer to her than me, and even Brother Yi’an has shifted his affections to her. Everyone likes her more than me, so I was driven mad by jealousy and birthed such a wicked idea. I’m sorry, boo-hoo…”
This time, the Marchioness’s heart was made of iron. “Enough! You think this is the only wrong thing you’ve done? I’ve already had Nanny Gui investigate, and every single thing you’ve done makes my heart grow cold!”
The Marquis was also unmoved. “Speaking more is useless. From now on, you are no longer the legitimate daughter of Marquis Zhongyong. Whether you choose the green lanterns and ancient buddhas of a nunnery or to spend the rest of your life at the manor, pick one for yourself.”
Lin Shu gave a tragic smile, swaying like a white camellia in the wind. “How can I have the face to beg for your forgiveness? I have truly woken up. The Marchioness is right; two years ago, when I learned I was the fake daughter who had been switched at birth, I shouldn’t have shamelessly stayed in the Marquisate. I should return to where I came from.”
When the title “Marchioness” came out, the woman couldn’t help but clutch her chest, feeling a dull ache.
Even though Lin Shu wasn’t her biological child, she had doted on her for sixteen years!
Even during the initial period after bringing Lin Yao back, her heart had been biased toward Lin Shu.
“Madam, you cannot be soft-hearted again. You have already wronged Yao-jie’er too many times because of Shu-jie’er…” Nanny Gui reminded her in a low voice.
The Marchioness’s hand slowly tightened around her silk handkerchief. She said in a deep voice, “Nanny Gui, help Shu-jie’er pack a few changes of clothes. Send her to the manor early tomorrow morning. Dispatch two coarse-working nannies to watch her; do not allow her to run around.”
“Rest assured, Madam. This old servant will certainly have people keep a close eye on Shu-jie’er to ensure she can never come out to cause trouble again.”
Lin Shu: …
This old nanny’s words were laced with a certain ruthlessness.
In the original owner’s memory, she hadn’t made an enemy of this Nanny Gui.
Hiding her face slightly with her sleeve, Lin Shu looked at her “cheap” parents with watery, shimmering eyes. “How could I dare to trouble Father and Mother again? A vicious female… girl like me doesn’t deserve to stay in the manor and enjoy good food and drink. It would be letting me off too easily. I should be kicked back to my original hometown to dig in the dirt for the rest of my life! I’ve realized it now; I occupied Sister Yao’s fine clothes and delicacies for sixteen years, and it’s time to pay it back. There’s no need to wait until tomorrow morning; I’ll pack my bags and get lost tonight. I only hope that Father and Mother, seeing that I am sensible, will allow me to take a small amount of travel money so I don’t starve to death on the road, boo-hoo-hoo…”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.
Nanny Gui looked at her as if she had seen a ghost.
The Marquis was astonished, his expression showing a hint of being moved.
The Marchioness cried out directly, “Are you mad? You want to go back to that tiny mountain village where Yao’er was born?!”
Lin Shu smiled gently, crystal droplets still hanging from her crow-feather-like long lashes. “Mother, that is also the place where I was born. I should have gone back two years ago. It was my greed for the Marquisate’s glory and wealth that made me abandon my own biological parents. Now that I think about it, how could I be so heartless and selfish? Sister Yao fulfilled filial duties for my parents for fourteen years; from now on, it’s my turn to go back and show my own filial piety.”
The Marchioness’s heart, which had finally hardened, showed signs of softening again.
Seeing this, Nanny Gui immediately put on a kind and amiable expression and sighed, “Madam, if Shu-jie’er is telling the truth, then she has truly grown up and become sensible. Why don’t we let it go this time? After all, Yao-jie’er was only almost defiled; she didn’t actually lose her chastity. Even if her body is weakened by the potent aphrodisiac, if she is nursed carefully for a few years, it won’t be a problem for her to marry and have children later.”
Before the Marchioness could change her expression, Lin Shu said through gritted teeth, “Nanny Gui, rest assured, I truly intend to return and fulfill my filial duties to my biological parents. I am not acting pitiful to win the sympathy of the Marquis and Marchioness.”
Nanny Gui curled her lip and stopped speaking, but the disdain in her eyes showed she didn’t believe a word Lin Shu said.
Hmph, what a performance. For all these years, this dead girl Lin Shu had used this weak and harmless act to wrap the Master and Madam around her little finger!
Just as Lin Shu was thinking of how to show her determination, the Marquis, who had been playing the role of the strict father, suddenly spoke: “Have you thought this through? Do you truly want to go back?”
Lin Shu said decisively, “Yes, Father, my mind is made up. I know where Sister Yao came from and how impoverished it is, but that is where I belong.”
The Marquis nodded. “Fine. Rest in the residence for one night and leave tomorrow morning. It is a long journey; I will have people escort you. Consider it the final act of our sixteen years of father-daughter relationship.”
“Thank you, Fa… thank you, Lord Marquis.” Lin Shu bowed deeply to him.
The Marquis’s lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing more.
The Marchioness remained silent for a long time, her expression dazed.
Lin Shu bid farewell to her “cheap” parents and withdrew on her own.
Because of today’s plot, the original owner hadn’t eaten much at the banquet. After the recent turmoil, she was currently starving. But since her “vicious female supporting character” mask had been torn off, she truly didn’t have the face to ask the kitchen to make her a late-night snack. So, while the night-watch nanny was dozing off, she quietly snuck into the kitchen.
Heavens! Big white steamed buns!
In the apocalypse, eating a big white steamed bun was a luxury. Lin Shu’s mouth watered with craving.
She glanced back, then immediately picked up a big white steamed bun and began to munch on it.
Although it was a bit hard after cooling down, the texture was still great. In fact, after chewing carefully, she could even taste a hint of sweetness.
In the iron pot, there was warm water. Usually, it was kept boiling so that if any young lady or master needed hot water, it could be brought to them promptly.
Lin Shu unceremoniously used a water ladle to scoop a bowl, soaking the bun in the water to eat. Before long, one big white steamed bun was in her stomach.
Burp~
Lin Shu let out a satisfied burp, her face full of contentment.
It had been so, so long since she had eaten this much; it felt wonderful!
However—
She actually got full after eating just one bun?!
Lin Shu was shocked, and then wildly ecstatic.
In the apocalypse, because she had awakened monstrous strength, she was barely eighty-percent full after eating ten buns in one meal.