Shen Zhi woke up feeling that life was still pretty wonderful.
The wealthy family's bed was soft.
The wealthy family's air conditioning was heavenly.
The wealthy family's breakfast came with eight kinds of pastries.
If she didn't have to work, didn't have to go to school, and didn't have to follow the plot, it would be paradise.
Then, the moment she came downstairs, she heard Mother Shen speak gently.
"Zhizhi, the driver will take you to school today."
The xiaolongbao in Shen Zhi's hand dropped back onto her plate with a plop.
She slowly raised her head.
"School?"
Mother Shen nodded.
"You weren't feeling well yesterday, so you took a day off. You're much better today, so you should go to class."
Shen Zhi: "…"
She'd forgotten.
The original owner was only nineteen.
The fake heiress of a wealthy family.
Currently enrolled at the most expensive elite academy in the city.
Which meant that after transmigrating into the book, she hadn't dodged the real and fake daughters storyline, hadn't dodged the family's bankruptcy, and now she had to dodge 8 AM classes first.
Shen Zhi's eyes went blank.
[Why do rich people still have to go to school? Is that reasonable?]
[With this much money, couldn't they just buy a diploma outright?]
[What's even the point of being from a wealthy family?]
[Is it just to serve prison time somewhere more expensive?]
Father Shen's hand paused mid-sip of coffee.
Mother Shen nearly burst out laughing but forcibly held it in.
Shen Chi came down the stairs just in time to catch that string of inner thoughts.
He was wearing a black jacket, his hair casually tousled, the whole picture of insufferable arrogance.
"Shen Zhi, what's with that expression?"
"It's just school, not a coal mine."
Shen Zhi turned to look at him.
Shen Chi, the third young master of the Shen family.
The top-tier racing driver from the original book.
Foul-tempered, sharp-tongued, and destined to break his leg badly.
Shen Zhi immediately put on a polite smile.
"Morning, Second Brother."
Shen Chi froze mid-step.
She didn't snap back at him today?
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Sure enough, the next second, Shen Zhi's inner thoughts started chattering away.
[What do you know.]
[Coal mining might only be eight hours a day. School means getting up early, exams, socializing, and dealing with the mental pollution of a whole crowd of rich young masters and ladies.]
[Besides, elite academies are hotspots for plot events.]
[The female supporting character gets mocked, isolated, splashed with coffee, photographed at her worst—it all basically happens at school.]
[This isn't going to school. This is queuing up to run a humiliation dungeon.]
Shen Chi's brow arched.
A humiliation dungeon?
Who dared?
He was about to ask, then suddenly remembered something more important.
The broken leg.
Yesterday, her inner thoughts said he would break his leg.
He hadn't slept well all night.
His dreams were full of himself in a wheelchair, being pushed into a Board of Directors meeting by that workaholic Shen Wang.
He'd woken up and nearly kicked his pillow across the room.
Shen Chi pulled out a chair and sat down, feigning nonchalance.
"I'm heading that way today. I'll drop you off."
Shen Zhi was stunned.
"Huh?"
Shen Chi clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Huh what?"
"Old Zhou is driving me to the club anyway. We'll swing by your school first."
"Saves you from dawdling, being late, and getting the teacher calling home again."
Shen Zhi: "…"
[Heading that way?]
[The racing club is in the west of the city. The school is in the east.]
[You call that 'on the way'?]
[That's about as 'on the way' as my boss's empty promises.]
Shen Chi's face didn't change at all.
He picked up his milk and took a sip.
As long as he wasn't embarrassed, someone else would be.
Mother Shen said gently, "Then let your second brother take you."
Shen Zhi tried one last struggle.
"Mom, I still feel a little bit unwell."
Mother Shen immediately grew concerned: "Where does it hurt?"
Shen Zhi clutched her chest.
"My soul."
Mother Shen: "…"
Shen Chi: "…"
Father Shen coughed lightly.
"The soul must also receive the baptism of knowledge."
Shen Zhi despaired.
[What a cold-hearted family.]
[I'm already feeling emotionally unwell, and they still want to send me to the knowledge crematorium.]
[Leave request denied.]
[Shen Zhi, deceased.]
After breakfast, Shen Zhi, utterly dead inside, followed Shen Chi to the garage.
The Shen family garage was absurdly huge.
The luxury cars were lined up like a car show.
One glance over them, and Shen Zhi's heart started pounding traitorously again.
[That one could buy my entire past life.]
[That one over there seems even more expensive.]
[Help, could you transfer the car's ownership to me after dropping me off at school?]
Shen Chi opened the door of a black off-road vehicle.
"Get in."
Shen Zhi obediently climbed inside.
The driver, Old Zhou, greeted them cheerfully.
"Good morning, Miss. Good morning, Second Young Master."
Shen Zhi replied, "Good morning, Uncle Zhou."
Old Zhou's smile grew even kinder.
The car pulled out of the Shen residence.
Shen Chi sat beside her, wearing sunglasses, arms crossed, radiating a "don't talk to me" aura.
In reality—
His ears were perked up higher than the car's antenna.
Say it.
Hurry up and say it.
How exactly did my legs break?
A racing accident?
Did someone tamper with things?
Or did some bastard screw me over?
Shen Zhi leaned against the window, watching the scenery outside, her mind entirely on the school storyline.
[Elite academy, ground zero for the original owner's dark history.]
[If I remember correctly, Xu Manman and her group should come around today being sarcastic and passive-aggressive.]
[They love using the real daughter of a wealthy family thing to provoke the original owner.]
[The original owner would explode the moment she heard it, then throw a public tantrum, and finally get filmed and posted to their little group chat to be mocked.]
[Tsk, so undignified.]
Shen Chi frowned.
Xu Manman?
That sharp-tongued one from the Xu family?
He made a mental note.
Shen Zhi kept thinking.
[I'm not going to argue.]
[Fighting is exhausting.]
[With that time, I'd rather figure out how to avoid the plot where Shen Chi breaks his legs…]
Shen Chi instantly sat up straight.
Here it comes!
Finally, it's coming!
But Shen Zhi was suddenly drawn to a breakfast shop by the roadside.
[That place's soy milk looks delicious.]
[Too bad I just ate.]
[Whatever, I'll buy some next time I'm running away and pass by.]
Shen Chi: "?"
That's it?
Say something about the legs already!
Why do you care about soy milk!
Shen Chi held it in for a long time before finally speaking up.
"Shen Zhi."
"Do you have anything you want to tell me today?"
Shen Zhi turned back, bewildered.
"No?"
Shen Chi hinted: "About me."
Shen Zhi was even more bewildered.
"Second Brother, you look handsome today?"
Shen Chi: "…"
While that was true.
It wasn't what he wanted to hear right now.
Shen Zhi added sincerely, "The car is handsome too."
[The person, forget it.]
[His mouth is too insufferable.]
[Before breaking his legs, he was still running around everywhere, like a walking red flag, practically begging the villain to notice him.]
Shen Chi's face darkened.
Red flag?
Who's a red flag?
Who's running around everywhere?
Just say the villain's name already!
The car soon stopped at the school gate.
The elite academy's entrance was built like a European castle.
A row of luxury cars was parked at the gate.
Students in matching uniforms walked in, in twos and threes.
Before Shen Zhi got out, Shen Chi suddenly stopped her.
"Hey."
Shen Zhi turned around.
Shen Chi awkwardly looked away.
"If anyone bullies you, just drop my name."
Shen Zhi blinked.
"Will that actually work?"
Shen Chi sneered.
"Try it and see."
Shen Zhi nodded.
"Thanks, Second Brother."
[I didn't expect Shen Chi to be such a decent guy.]
Shen Chi's lips were just about to curl up.
The next second.
[Too bad good guys don't get to keep their legs.]
Shen Chi: "…"
He nearly choked on his own breath.
Shen Zhi walked into the school with her bag on her shoulder.
The moment she stepped into the small plaza in front of the teaching building, she felt several gazes land on her.
Gazing with scrutiny.
Gazing with excitement.
And with a kind of gleeful anticipation, as if to say "the drama's finally here."
Shen Zhi sighed inwardly.
[Here we go.]
[The campus dungeon is open for business.]
Sure enough, a girl in an exquisite uniform came strutting over in little leather shoes.
Two sidekicks trailing behind her.
Xu Manman.
The Xu family's daughter.
One of the original owner's plastic besties.
They used to go shopping and have afternoon tea together, but behind her back, Xu Manman had never missed a chance to laugh at the original owner.
Xu Manman crossed her arms and smiled sweetly.
"Zhizhi, you're finally here."
"Why did you take the day off yesterday? Don't tell me you heard some news and went home to cry?"
The surrounding students immediately slowed their pace.
Gossiping is human instinct.
Even at an elite academy.
Shen Zhi looked up.
"What news?"
Xu Manman feigned surprise.
"You still don't know?"
"I heard the Shen family's real daughter is about to be found."
"She's genuine Shen family blood, after all."
She deliberately emphasized the word "real."
"Zhizhi, shouldn't you be stepping aside soon?"
The girls nearby laughed along.
"That's right, fake is fake."
"When the real daughter of a wealthy family comes back, certain people are going to be so embarrassed."
Shen Zhi looked at them.
Completely calm.
She even felt like yawning.
[That's it?]
[And here I thought the cannon fodder at an elite academy could come up with something new.]
[Same old real-fake-fake-real song and dance. Even a household registry can't keep up with their mouths.]
Xu Manman waited for Shen Zhi to blow up.
In the past, the mere mention of the real daughter always set Shen Zhi off.
At best, she'd throw a fit.
At worst, she'd smash things on the spot.
They'd even prepared their phones today.
Just waiting to film Shen Zhi losing control.
But Shen Zhi only slowly adjusted her backpack strap on her shoulder.
Then she asked, "Xu Manman."
Xu Manman froze.
"What?"
Shen Zhi looked at her seriously.
"You're so concerned about my family's household registry—are you trying to marry my dad or my brother?"
The air went dead silent.
Someone nearby burst out laughing.
Xu Manman's face changed.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Shen Zhi blinked innocently.
"Am I wrong?"
"You ambush me first thing in the morning just to study who in my family should stand where and who should step aside."
"I thought you had some special plans for the Shen family's structure."
The laughter around them grew louder.
Someone whispered, "Incredible."
"Isn't Xu Manman just butting into other people's family business?"
"Trying to marry President Shen or Second Young Master Shen, hahaha."
Xu Manman's face turned bright red.
She hadn't expected Shen Zhi to neither cry nor rage today, but instead turn the topic straight onto her.
"Shen Zhi!"
Her voice went shrill with anger.
"What are you so pleased about? You're nothing but a fake daughter of a wealthy family usurping someone else's place!"
Shen Zhi nodded.
"Mm-hmm."
"Anything else?"
Xu Manman got even angrier.
What she hated most was how Shen Zhi refused to take the bait.
Like punching into cotton.
No.
Like punching into cotton full of thorns.
She gritted her teeth and finally blurted out, "Just wait until Qingli comes back—you'll get what's coming to you!"