Gu Li watched with great interest as the woman standing in the doorway performed the classic routine of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.
“Oh, heaven help me! I raised you for nothing. You’re leaving just like that? Fine! I’ll hang myself right here today. If you drive me to my death, let’s see who’ll dare marry you in the future!”
Her adoptive mother, Liu Zhaodi, tossed a rope over the ceiling beam and tied a noose. Standing on a stool, she slipped her head into the loop and put on a dramatic display, looking ready to hang herself at any moment.
“Hurry up then. If you’re going to hang yourself, do it. If not, go back to your room and stop disturbing my sleep.”
Gu Li let out a huge yawn.
She had stayed up all night with her best friend arguing with readers who had left negative reviews.
After pulling an all-nighter, she opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of this tearful spectacle.
She had transmigrated into a novel and inherited the original owner’s memories.
It was yet another switched-at-birth story.
One child had grown up in the capital, the other in the countryside. By all logic, the truth should have remained buried forever.
So why had it suddenly come to light nineteen years later?
Because the original owner had accidentally discovered correspondence between her adoptive parents and the fake heiress living in the capital.
Only then did she learn that the identity swap had been planned all along.
The family had deliberately exchanged the children so their biological daughter could grow up in a wealthy household and support them in the future, allowing the entire family to benefit from her good fortune.
After learning the truth about her origins, the original owner decided to travel to the capital to find her biological parents.
But just as she stepped out the door, someone shoved her from behind.
She struck her head against the large stone slab outside the house and fell unconscious.
That was when Gu Li arrived at her place.
Based on those memories, Gu Li could confidently conclude that she had transmigrated into The Story of the Troupe’s Star Performer and Her Ninety-Nine Admirers.
The original female lead was the fake heiress.
She, meanwhile, was the real heiress.
The real cannon fodder.
By the time the original owner recovered and made her way to the capital, the fake heiress would already have received the news and would simply be waiting for her to walk into the trap herself.
Her ending would be mental collapse, followed by being committed to an asylum by her own biological parents.
From childhood onward, the adoptive parents had either beaten or scolded the original owner.
Now they had indirectly caused her death as well.
…
The injury on her head was actually minor.
At first, there had been a large bump, but it had already gone down.
Perhaps she was simply tougher than the original owner.
The white bandage wrapped around her forehead had been tied there deliberately. She wanted these people to lower their guard and believe she was seriously injured, making them less likely to interfere with the fake heiress’s impersonation scheme.
Seeing that the stubborn girl wouldn’t respond to threats, Liu Zhaodi switched tactics and spoke earnestly.
“Li’er, I’m worried about you. You just injured your head, and now you want to take a long-distance trip. Your body won’t be able to handle it. What if you faint on the way?”
“Exactly! Mom’s only doing this for your own good. That’s why she’s not letting you leave right now.”
Gu Xin spoke anxiously.
She was worried that if this piece of trash, Gu Li, found her biological parents, her older sister would be driven out of the wealthy family, affecting her own future standard of living.
Gu Xin was the younger sister of the fake heiress, Su Baozhu. She had also spent years bullying the original owner.
Gu Li laughed.
“Since you’re all so concerned about me, how about slaughtering that old hen outside and making me some soup to help me recover?”
“In your dreams! Why should we nourish your body? You worthless piece of trash! You’ve eaten our food and lived in our house all these years, and you still dare make demands?”
“Heh. Feels good finally saying what you really think, doesn’t it? Stop pretending to care. It makes me sick.”
Gu Li made an exaggerated gagging motion and shot Gu Xin a sharp, cutting glare.
Startled, Gu Xin stumbled backward.
Gu Li seemed completely different from before.
Not only was she talking back, but perhaps learning her true identity had made her think she was somehow superior.
“You are staying in Gu Family Village. If you dare leave, I’ll break your legs!”
The original owner’s adoptive father, Gu Dajun, had remained silent until now, but the moment he spoke, everyone else was stunned.
Everyone except Gu Li.
She was an office-worker, a veteran of endless overtime and workplace battles.
“Are you sure about that?”
Gu Li looked at Gu Dajun sideways.
What kind of monsters were these people?
They casually talked about beating and crippling someone they had lived with for nineteen years.
Forget nineteen years.
Even if they’d raised a cat or dog for that long, there should have been some affection.
If the original owner were still alive, she would probably be heartbroken.
Her identity had been stolen from birth.
She had suffered endlessly.
After finally discovering that her biological parents lived in the capital and finding a glimmer of hope, she wasn’t even allowed to reunite with them.
The original owner had secretly hidden one of the letters exchanged between her adoptive parents and the fake heiress.
With that letter, she could easily go to the village secretary and obtain the necessary documents to leave Gu Family Village.
Today, Gu Li not only intended to leave, she planned to leave with money and ration coupons as well.
“Why don’t you first check whether something’s missing?”
Liu Zhaodi immediately abandoned her plans to hang herself.
She jumped off the stool and hurried away with her literate younger daughter to search for the hidden letters.
Sure enough, one letter was missing.
And it happened to be the most important one.
It was the letter sent when their biological daughter in the capital was eight years old, informing her of the truth about her identity.
After that, they maintained regular correspondence.
Their biological daughter frequently gave them advice, instructing them to mistreat Gu Li, force her to work in the fields every day, and make her handle all the household chores.
Gu Li’s hands had become rougher than Liu Zhaodi’s own.
Yet despite all that labor, her face had only grown more stunning with age, soft and beautiful like a temptress.
She resembled her biological mother by seven or eight parts.
Covered in sweat, Liu Zhaodi hurried back and stood on tiptoe to whisper a few words into Gu Dajun’s ear.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Clearly, he had never expected his usually dull and obedient adopted daughter to possess such foresight.
The next moment, his expression darkened.
“You little brat! Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. I’ll break your legs today and lock you up for the rest of your life. Let’s see if you still dare rebel!”
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscular arms, grabbed a wooden stick from nearby, and prepared to teach the disobedient girl a harsh lesson.
Gu Li rose from the bed.
Her hands moved behind her back, her fingertips brushing against the sickle she had hidden earlier.
Immediately, she felt more confident.
She raised her eyes and swept a cold gaze across the room.
Her adoptive mother and so-called younger sister stood off to one side, unable to hide the gloating satisfaction and mockery on their faces.
Seeing this, Gu Li curled her lips into a faint smile and sneered.
“You’d better think carefully. If I don’t appear outside tomorrow, that letter will be delivered directly to the village secretary’s house.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Gu Dajun froze.
The hand gripping the stick loosened slightly.
He would be lying if he claimed he wasn’t afraid.
If the village secretary learned what was written in those letters, a man of his character would certainly report the matter to higher authorities.
When that happened, not only would Gu Dajun end up in prison, but his biological daughter would be implicated as well.
Their comfortable lives would be over.
Noticing his reaction, Gu Li’s eyes turned colder.
Her grip on the sickle tightened.
“If you don’t believe me, take one more step forward and see what happens.”
She had already made up her mind.
If Gu Dajun dared approach her, she would fight to the end.
Taking down one of them would be breaking even.
Taking down two would be a profit.
And if she could drag the third one down as well, that would be perfect.
The family of three stared into Gu Li’s eyes.
The murderous determination burning within them made their scalps go numb.