Li Yang, with her eyes tightly shut, still seemed unable to recover from the previous explosion.
A sharp, harsh voice sounded not far away, making her head ache terribly. She gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to lash out, and suddenly opened her clear, bright eyes.
“Bah! What an unlucky wretch. Even if she really hanged herself, you still have to carry her to Director Song’s house.”
Seeing that the girl hadn’t died, Li Xiuqin felt relieved and immediately began cursing arrogantly outside the ward.
Early in the morning, she had been badly frightened by that good-for-nothing Li Yang. Before dawn had even fully broken, the little brat had sneaked into her room.
Good heavens! How could Li Xiuqin not hate her?
Even in death, that shameless girl wanted the relatives and neighbors to point fingers at her, an old woman!
The three-foot white silk had already been tied to the beam. If she hadn’t suddenly woken up needing to relieve herself and accidentally bumped into Li Yang, who had already hung herself…
By now, the rumor that a grandmother had forced her granddaughter to death would have spread throughout the entire compound.
A gentle male voice, though helpless, was still trying to persuade.
“Mom, Yangyang is still young. Why are you forcing her to marry? And the other party… the other party is a fool!”
Li Xiuqin’s tone was utterly cold and ruthless.
“I don’t care. Between your daughter and your elder brother, I’ll choose your elder brother. That useless girl can help him—your whole family should be grateful.”
“Who told your wife she couldn’t bear a son and only gave birth to that worthless girl? When you’re old, you’ll still have to rely on your nephews to take care of you.”
“Think about it yourself.”
“Plenty of people want to marry into Director Song’s family and enjoy a life of luxury, but they don’t have that luck.”
“If your elder brother hadn’t arranged it, and if the Song family hadn’t taken a liking to Li Yang’s pretty face, do you think you could become in-laws with Director Song?”
Li Xiuqin looked at her dull second son with obvious disgust.
“They’re willing to give a bride price of one thousand yuan and even help your elder brother get promoted… such a perfect deal, yet you still don’t get it?”
“When that dead girl wakes up, persuade her properly not to make trouble. I’ve already taken the bride price—this matter is settled!”
After hearing this conversation, a flood of unfamiliar memories suddenly surged into Li Yang’s mind.
In the scene, a young girl who looked exactly like her was feeding chickens beside the coop. From the west room, a slightly older, delicate-looking girl walked out and sneered:
“You really are lucky, you little slut! You’ll soon marry into Director Song’s family and live in comfort.”
“If it weren’t for the fact that marrying you off would help my dad get promoted, and that the one thousand yuan bride price could help me get into the cultural troupe… I would never let such a good opportunity fall to you.”
Hearing her cousin Li Yao speak such calculating and heartless words, the original owner was so shocked that the scoop of chicken feed fell from her hands.
“But… but I’m already engaged to Brother Tianci. If anyone is to marry, it should be you!”
The usually meek girl finally showed anger.
“Give up. You’re only fit to marry a fool.”
“You’re just an uneducated girl who didn’t even finish middle school—how could you be worthy of Brother Tianci? He said he likes someone like me—bold and humorous. We’re cousins anyway. The Chu family just wants to repay Second Uncle’s life-saving favor. Marrying me, Li Yao, is the same.”
Hearing those vicious words, the suppressed emotions Li Yang had endured for over ten years erupted. Panicked and afraid, she pushed Li Yao with all her strength. Li Yao’s head struck the high threshold, and she immediately fainted.
Her aunt, Ma Limei, rushed out and went mad with fury. She pounced on the frail girl, sat on her, and slapped her face mercilessly again and again.
“You damned vixen! How could you be so vicious? If my daughter’s face is ruined and she can’t enter the troupe, I’ll come back and ruin yours!”
Her grandmother, Li Xiuqin, also stepped forward and kicked the girl several times. While cursing her as a worthless girl, she helped up her elder granddaughter. Ignoring Li Yang lying on the ground, the two carried Li Yao to the clinic.
The scene shifted. After finishing washing the dishes for the whole family, Li Yang was about to return to her room when she overheard her grandmother scolding her parents, saying she would marry her off to a fool…
Her mother, Zhao Wanrou, argued firmly, “If anyone is to marry, let Li Yao go. Don’t even think about targeting our Yangyang.”
“Li Qinghui, is your wife rebelling? Don’t forget—if it weren’t for me and your elder brother raising you, you wouldn’t even be alive. And the Chu family wants an exchange marriage. They value your elder brother more—they want Li Yao…”
Before hearing the rest, Li Yang turned back to her small room. Her foolishly filial father would never be able to resist her grandmother and uncle. In despair, filled with hatred, she went into the old woman’s room that night and hanged herself.
Suppressing her shock, Li Yang wondered—had she followed the trend and transmigrated into a novel?
Before she could process that shock, a mechanical voice sounded in her mind.
“Hello, host. As your death in the plane accident occurred while secretly escorting a national treasure back to the country, the Central Intelligence System Bureau grants you a reward: one chance at revival, and compulsory binding to the ‘Patriotism Cup’ points system.”
Even without explanation, Li Yang instantly understood the system.
As long as she did good deeds beneficial to the country and its people, she would earn points.
The points store was filled with countless items—she could exchange points for money, supplies, even top-secret research materials from various fields…
She could even purchase skill points.
After checking the exchange prices, Li Yang suppressed her excitement.
Such a good deal?
She hadn’t expected that transmigrating into a novel would come with such a powerful advantage. No matter where she lived, she would survive. Now, she felt even more confident about starting from scratch in the 1980s.
The ward door opened, and footsteps approached. Li Yang quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Zhao Wanrou looked at her still-unconscious daughter and gently tucked the blanket around her.
“Hui… what did your mother say?”
Her voice was filled with grievance and worry.
“She still refuses to give in.”
Zhao Wanrou raised her voice in anger.
“Are you really her son? Does that old woman only feel satisfied if our family is destroyed?”
“Your elder brother is blinded by greed—he has no ability himself, so he sets his sights on his niece!”
“Have you even looked at what kind of person that so-called only son of the director’s family is?”
“A three-hundred-pound fool who takes pleasure in beating people! Locked at home all day, eating, sleeping, and when bored, beating his own parents…”
“I don’t care how you want to be filial, but if you dare harm my daughter again, I’ll drag all of you down with me!”
The more Zhao Wanrou spoke, the more agitated she became, nearly fainting.
Li Qinghui quickly supported her. “Calm down. If you collapse, who will take care of our daughter?”
“Don’t worry—I won’t let her marry that fool…”
Zhao Wanrou leaned against the bed, silently crying.
Li Qinghui felt miserable as well. “Xiaorou, take care of Yangyang. I’ll go back and think of a way to persuade Mom and my brother to return the money.”
If things followed the plot, her father would now go home to plead for her.
But the foolishly filial Li Qinghui would still be manipulated by his mother and brother, convinced of their hardships…
In the story, the original owner was ultimately married off to that three-hundred-pound fool. Her mother fell ill from anger. Within a month, the original owner was beaten to death, and her mother died from vomiting blood.
In the end, even the honest Li Qinghui was abandoned after being drained of value, dying drunk under an overpass.
Meanwhile, her cousin Li Yao married the ideal husband meant for Li Yang, rising in status.
The uncle’s family prospered, while no one cared about the early deaths of Li Qinghui’s family.
But why?
Now alive was Li Yang from the 23rd century—a superstar. For Li Yao to step on her corpse to rise? That was nothing but a dream.
Having survived more than a decade in the entertainment industry, Li Yang had seen all kinds of plots. She quickly adapted to her new identity.
What she needed to do now was stop her father from making a foolish decision.
“I don’t agree!”
Li Yang suddenly spoke, startling both parents.
Li Qinghui rushed to her bedside. “My dear daughter, you’re awake! Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? I’ll call the doctor.”
Thinking of her earlier words, he quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, we won’t marry you off to a fool…”
Li Yang stared at him coldly.
“Do your words even matter?”
“Your whole life has been a joke. When you came of age, you were tricked by your elder brother into joining the army in his place, suffering for years.”
“After finally returning, the state gave you housing and a job. But with a few words, you gave everything to your brother.”
“Later, you were lucky to meet Mom. With her help, you learned to write. But you buried yourself in writing and ignored her suffering in that household.”
“After I was born, your vicious mother made life difficult for her, forcing her to quit her job and serve your family like a slave for decades.”
“And me!”
“How cruel can you be? They want to marry me off to a fool…”
Li Yang choked with emotion.
“Do you want to watch me and Mom die before you wake up?”
Even Zhao Wanrou was stunned.
Their daughter seemed completely different after waking up.
They had no idea that the soul inside her body had changed—and Li Yang could not tolerate injustice.
In her previous life, she had been adored and successful. Here, she would be the same.
Suppressing the strangeness, she still called out:
“Dad.”
“I’ll give you a choice. Either you strangle me right now on this hospital bed.”
Zhao Wanrou slapped her back in shock. “Are you crazy?!”
Li Qinghui was deeply shaken.
“If we still matter to you, then agree to one request.”
Seeing her serious expression, he asked:
“What request?”