The military residential compound was divided into several sections. Song Chutong’s grandfather lived in the innermost, quietest area—and his house was the largest.
He lived there alone. Her eldest and second uncles were both married and had their own homes, only coming back occasionally. Her youngest uncle, though unmarried, served in the navy and was often away on missions, so he rarely returned either.
Her grandfather had fought in wars and earned great merit—that was how he achieved his current status.
Song Chutong suddenly remembered the worn, grief-stricken look on her grandfather’s face after learning of her death in prison. In the dream, he hadn’t lived long after that—the doctor had said it was heartbreak.
And she knew… it was because of her.
She held back her tears as she called out, “Grandpa!” and ran inside, nearly kicking her shoes off into Wei Ying’s face.
“That girl…” Wei Ying muttered as he bent down to pick them up. But as he placed them aside, he frowned slightly and glanced at the soles.
Size 37?
He clearly remembered her wearing size 36 before. Had her feet grown?
That didn’t make sense—she hadn’t gotten any taller.
Inside, Old Master Wei had just seen off Old Master Jiang. The moment he heard his granddaughter’s voice, he stood up, smiling warmly.
“Our Tongtong finally decided to come visit her grandpa?”
Song Chutong felt even more guilty.
Lately, she had spent all her time chasing after Jiang Zhixing. Since his family lived in the same compound as hers, she had been going home more often—counting it up, she hadn’t visited her grandfather in nearly a month.
She took his hand and said sweetly, “From now on, I’ll come see you every week.”
“Every week?” Old Master Wei’s smile widened. “Alright then—I’ll prepare your favorite food every week and wait for you.”
He said it happily, but deep down, he didn’t quite believe her.
The performance troupe only had one day off per week. If she remembered to visit twice a month, that would already be impressive. Most likely, she’d end up running back home again for that Jiang boy.
Song Chutong said seriously, “It’s a promise, Grandpa!”
That house… had never truly had room for her.
Her father was also someone else’s father. When her mother was still alive, he had treated her well enough. But ever since Bai Qingcui and Song Weiran entered the household, he had grown more and more dissatisfied with her.
She used to think it was because she was too spoiled, and with Song Weiran as a comparison, her father felt disappointed in her.
Now, she realized how naive that was.
She hadn’t suddenly become spoiled overnight. The truth was, she had simply gotten in the way of their happy little family of three—and that was why her father disliked her.
It didn’t matter anymore.
All she needed to do was find proof that Song Weiran was her father’s biological daughter. As for that house… she didn’t want to go back anyway.
Dinner was exactly what Song Chutong loved. After eating two full bowls of rice, she went for a walk with her grandfather, listened to the radio for a while, and finally returned to her room.
When she turned on the light, she paused for a moment.
The bright white bulb illuminated the room clearly. In her dream, she had seen a future filled with all kinds of colorful lights and strange electrical appliances she couldn’t even name yet.
But in the present—the 1970s—even having a light this bright was rare. In fact, in the entire residential area, only her bedroom had one. Her grandfather had gone out of his way to have it brought in from overseas, worried about her eyesight.
Her room was spacious. As the only girl in a family full of men, she even had her own bathroom.
Taking a set of comfortable sleepwear, Song Chutong walked into the bathroom.
Standing before the mirror, she pinched her cheek lightly.
“Hello there… villainess.”
At this point, she could finally accept that title.
She didn’t particularly like the words “villainous” or “supporting character.” She was self-aware enough to admit her personality wasn’t great—but she certainly wasn’t truly malicious. If she had been, she wouldn’t have been so easily manipulated by someone like Song Weiran.
The truth was, she hadn’t been thoughtful before—that was her biggest flaw. She had always been carefree, never dwelling on small things, unable to see through other people’s pretenses and schemes. She spoke bluntly, which only made her seem foolish and mean by comparison.
As for being a “supporting character”… she still found it irritating.
But if the male lead was Jiang Zhixing, then she’d rather stay a side character.
Who would want to be the heroine for a man like that?
Song Chutong had never thought highly of him—calculating, ambitious, wanting everything, and discarding people once they were no longer useful.
If she had to be a villainess, then so be it.
But before, she had only been a foolish one.
Now that she was going to be “villainous”… she might as well do it properly.
A faint smile curled on her lips as she went to take a shower.
Her easygoing nature worked in her favor here—she quickly shook off the weight of the dream.
What hadn’t happened yet wasn’t worth worrying about.
Since she was already labeled “villainous,” she might as well live however she pleased. Why hold back?
The man she loved wasn’t hers. Her father had effectively become a stranger.
The only thing left to restrain her now… was her own conscience.
And unfortunately—
her conscience only had room for herself… and the entire Wei family.