“Shen An’an, don’t push your luck! This marriage is ending today, whether you agree to it or not!”
The woman’s shrill, vicious voice pierced Shen An’an’s eardrums like a steel needle.
A searing pain spread through every inch of her body before exploding inside her mind. Her muddled consciousness was violently dragged back to reality by the furious shout.
Wasn’t she already dead?
She had died in the bitter winter, frozen and starved to death after her mother-in-law and sister-in-law had thrown her into the storage room outside the house.
Before she died, she had curled up on the freezing floor like a stray dog, listening to the laughter and cheerful conversation of the Lu family coming from inside.
“Mom, the spring water in that bracelet is incredible! I only drink a little every day, and my skin has become so fair and soft. Even the people in the city say I look so radiant!”
That was the smug voice of her sister-in-law, Lu Minjun.
Her mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, laughed from ear to ear. “That was Shen An’an’s family heirloom, after all. At least that useless girl had one good use! Minjun, you have to keep it hidden. Don’t let your brother find out.”
“What is there to worry about? My brother is such a blockhead. Even now, he still thinks the jade bracelet Shen An’an gave him is just an ordinary bracelet! If he found out that it contains a space with enough room to store mountains and seas, along with a spiritual spring, he’d probably drop dead from shock!”
“Hahaha, serves that stupid Shen An’an right! She was sitting on a treasure beyond her wildest dreams and didn’t even know how to use it. She practically handed it to our family for free! Once she’s no longer useful, just throw her out. It’ll be bad luck if she dies in the house!”
…
Every word of that conversation had been like a knife stabbing straight into her heart!
So that family heirloom bracelet she had given her fiancé, Lu Jingzhou, as a token of their love was no ordinary object at all!
It actually contained a space filled with a spiritual spring and an enormous amount of supplies!
And her past self, Shen An’an, had been a complete fool!
Determined to marry Lu Jingzhou, a battalion commander in the military district, she had ignored her family’s objections and emptied her savings. She had even given the Lu family the family heirloom left behind by her grandmother, desperately trying to win their approval. She had married into their family believing that the kindness she had shown them would earn her a good life.
And what had she gotten in return?
Ten years of a sexless marriage. Cruel treatment from her mother-in-law. Scheming from her sister-in-law!
The Lu family had shamelessly sucked everything they could from her and used her precious treasure to build their fortune, all while despising and tormenting her.
In the end, they had watched indifferently as illness slowly consumed her.
And her husband, Lu Jingzhou—the man she had loved for her entire life—had remained cold and indifferent from beginning to end. Even after her death, he had never spoken up for her.
An overwhelming hatred surged through her chest like molten lava, boiling and erupting!
“Boom—!”
Shen An’an suddenly opened her eyes.
Her bloodshot eyes were filled with murderous intent!
Yet instead of the cold, damp storage room, she saw the bedroom where she had lived for twenty years.
An old-fashioned calendar hung on the wall, clearly displaying—
October 5, 1981.
She… had been reborn?
She had returned to the age of eighteen, back to the very day after she and Lu Jingzhou had become engaged, when his family had come to force her to break off the engagement!
“Shen An’an! What are you spacing out for? Cat got your tongue?”
Standing before her was a woman wearing a polyester shirt and a fashionable perm, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she glared at Shen An’an impatiently.
It was her future mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, ten years younger than she remembered.
Beside Li Xiulan stood a tall, broad-shouldered man in a military-green shirt. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was stern.
It was none other than her husband from her previous life—
Lu Jingzhou.
“Mom, say a little less.”
Lu Jingzhou spoke in an indifferent tone. His eyes fell on Shen An’an, but there was a hint of distance and impatience in them.
“An’an, I came here today because I want to talk to you about our marriage.”
“Talk?” Li Xiulan sneered, immediately cutting him off. “What’s there to talk about? Lu Jingzhou, don’t forget that you’re about to be promoted. What kind of impression would it make for you to marry a country girl? Besides, the daughter of Regiment Commander Zhou’s family has taken a liking to you. She comes from a cadre family. That’s the kind of marriage that will actually help your future!”
Her words were sharp and vicious, every sentence like a poisoned blade.
In her previous life, Shen An’an had been driven into a frenzy by the same words.
She had cried and screamed, demanding to know whether Lu Jingzhou intended to become a heartless man like Chen Shimei and whether he had forgotten that when his mother had been seriously ill, her family had spent all their savings and even given them ginseng to save her life.
She had made such a scene that everyone had heard about it, using the debt of gratitude and public pressure to force Lu Jingzhou into marrying her.
But in the end, she had only driven herself down a path of no return.
Remembering all of this, Shen An’an slowly curved her lips.
The bloodlust in her eyes faded, replaced by an icy emptiness.
Her gaze passed over the arrogant Li Xiulan and landed directly on Lu Jingzhou.
She asked, word by word, with absolute clarity,
“Lu Jingzhou, you want to break off the engagement too, don’t you?”
Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure that instantly silenced the noisy room.
Lu Jingzhou froze.
There was something different about Shen An’an today.
Whenever she had seen him before, her eyes had always been filled with shyness and admiration, like a docile little rabbit.
But now, her gaze was as cold as ice.
The emotions churning within those eyes somehow made him feel a faint sense of unease.
“I…”
Lu Jingzhou pressed his thin lips together and avoided her gaze.
His voice was stiff as he said, “An’an, we’re not suitable for each other. I’m stationed in the military most of the year and won’t be able to take care of a family. If you marry me, you’ll suffer.”
What a noble-sounding excuse!
It was exactly the same as in her previous life!
Shen An’an sneered inwardly.
Not suitable?
Then why hadn’t he said they weren’t suitable when he came to propose?
Why hadn’t he said they weren’t suitable when he accepted her family’s life-saving money and family heirloom?
Now that he was about to be promoted and had a better option, he was using “we’re not suitable” as an excuse?
Scumbag!
“Heh.”
Shen An’an let out a soft scoff, the sound filled with endless mockery.
“What are you laughing at?” Li Xiulan immediately exploded as though someone had stepped on her tail. “Shen An’an, let me tell you something. Our Jingzhou is already a battalion commander with a bright future ahead of him! You only want him because you’re hoping to follow him to the city and enjoy a comfortable life, don’t you? Let me tell you, forget it! A toad dreaming of eating swan meat!”
Shen An’an could not even be bothered to look at the vicious woman again.
She simply stared at Lu Jingzhou, her gaze growing colder.
“Lu Jingzhou, I’ll ask you one more time. Are you absolutely determined to break off this engagement?”
Lu Jingzhou felt extremely uncomfortable beneath her piercing gaze, as though she could see straight through him.
He frowned and said heavily, “Yes! This marriage was arranged by my mother when she wasn’t thinking straight. I never agreed to it in the first place!”
“Fine!”
Shen An’an abruptly stood up from the bed.
The single word was firm, decisive, and powerful.
Not only Lu Jingzhou and Li Xiulan, but even her stepmother, Wang Xiulian, and stepsister, Shen Rourou, who had been standing at the doorway watching the spectacle, were stunned.
No one had expected Shen An’an, who had always been hopelessly devoted to Lu Jingzhou, to agree so readily.
In her previous life, she had fought desperately for this man and sacrificed everything for him.
In this life, she only felt disgust.
Shen An’an walked toward Lu Jingzhou step by step.
She lifted her chin, her gaze sharp as a blade.
“Fine, we can break off the engagement! But…”
She paused, then the corners of her lips curled into a cold smile.
“Everything I gave your Lu family—return every single thing to me!”
The moment those words fell, a sudden “buzz” sounded inside Shen An’an’s mind, as though something had been activated.
The next instant, a vast and ethereal space suddenly unfolded within her consciousness.
The space was shrouded in mist, but its central area was clearly visible.
A gigantic modern supermarket stood quietly in the middle.
Its shelves were packed with countless goods, from fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy products to rice, flour, cooking oil, snacks, and drinks. Everything imaginable was there!
Beside the supermarket stood row upon row of enormous warehouses stretching as far as the eye could see.
Each warehouse bore a label:
“Clothing Warehouse.”
“Medicine Warehouse.”
“Hardware Warehouse.”
“Weapons Warehouse.”
And at the very center of it all was an ancient spring, bubbling continuously with water overflowing with spiritual energy.
A space containing billions worth of supplies!
This… was the space inside that bracelet?!
It had actually been reborn with her!
And it was now inside her body!
Shen An’an’s heart clenched violently before being overwhelmed by a mixture of ecstasy and boundless hatred.
Wonderful!
Absolutely wonderful!
The Lu family!
Lu Jingzhou!
Lu Minjun!
Everything you owe me—
I’ll make you pay it back a thousand times over!