[Alternate historical setting—there may be slight deviations from real history. Little cuties who click to read this story will all get rich!]
“Li Li, let’s go get our marriage certificate. I really can’t stand seeing you get hurt where I can’t see. Every time you get hurt, I wish it were me instead.”
The man by the bed looked at her with deep affection, so tender it could melt anyone.
But he didn’t get the response he wanted.
“You don’t have to worry about affecting me. Once we move to the capital, with my family’s status there, no one will dare touch you.”
“Gu Xu is right. You should marry him quickly and go to the capital. If uncle gets news, the upcoming family settlement… only the Gu family can protect you. If anything happens to you, how could uncle face your deceased parents?”
Her uncle, Shen Liren, was anxious, every word filled with concern for her.
Shen Li, however, felt a chill down her back.
These conversations mirrored a dream she had while unconscious.
In that dream, she agreed to Gu Xu’s proposal and got their marriage certificate. Before the settlement arrived, her husband and uncle colluded to empty her family’s fortune. A month later, to get a ticket to Hong Kong, they drugged her and sent her to an old man’s bed.
She was disgraced, forced into exile as a frail heiress, and died within six months from the harsh conditions.
After her death, her soul wandered to Hong Kong, watching her uncle use her family fortune to amass wealth and become the richest man in Hong Kong. Every interview he gave mentioned his short-lived niece, saying failing to protect her was his lifelong regret. He sucked her life to gain fame and became a respected philanthropist.
Her husband, Gu Xu, meanwhile, married her uncle’s daughter, Shen Man, and lived happily.
From their conversations, Shen Li realized that Gu Xu and Shen Man had been a pair all along. He married her only to seize her family’s fortune.
This vile family was now performing their act in front of her.
Gu Xu, seeing Shen Li silent, covered her hands with his own. Shen Li, a highborn heiress who had never touched anything mundane, had skin like creamy jade—soft and flawless—which made him unable to let go.
But soon, his hands were slapped away with force, leaving his hand red.
“Li Li?” Gu Xu said, surprised.
Shen Li suppressed the hatred in her eyes and frowned. “You didn’t wash your hands.”
The pampered heiress Shen Li was meticulous, especially about hygiene.
It was normal for her to disdain him touching her with unwashed hands. Gu Xu quickly despised himself—how could he be so easily controlled by Shen Li?
He hated her high-maintenance heiress ways: insisting on riding in a rickshaw, refusing to walk even a kilometer, demanding only top-quality silk for her clothes, and even using a pure silk handkerchief.
In front of him, she was no ordinary lady, constantly issuing demands. If he didn’t comply, she would scold or hit him like just now.
In her presence, he felt like a subordinate, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
“Xiao Xu, Li Li just woke up. She doesn’t know how frantic you were when you found out she jumped in to save someone. Don’t take it to heart,” Shen Liren reminded him.
Gu Xu recalled his true purpose and gritted his teeth, continuing to act affectionate. “Li Li, everything you said is right. If I upset you, it’s my fault.”
“Li Li, it’s not that uncle wants to speak against you. Your life is precious. How could those mud-legged men be worth risking your life for?”
Thinking that if Shen Li had died in the accident, the inheritance her parents left in the bank would have vanished, he felt a pang of fear.
Shen Li had fallen ill after saving a drowning child. She didn’t judge people by social class like Shen Liren did.
Moreover, a year later, the mud-legged man would be a noble soldier.
She was also glad she saved the child; otherwise, without this illness, how would she have realized she was just a minor, tragic cannon fodder in a period drama novel?
“Li Li is right. She can do whatever she wants. As long as I’m here, I’ll handle all these dangers.”
“See? Xiao Xu treats you so well. Only he can tolerate your spoiled personality—you’d better appreciate it.”
In her dream, she had learned a modern term: PUA—used to describe Shen Liren belittling her while elevating Gu Xu. Every past time she was blamed, Shen Liren would speak this way, making her doubt herself.
“Even the greats said to learn from Comrade Lei Feng. Where am I wrong? I don’t understand. Uncle, can you clarify?”
Of course, the greats couldn’t be wrong. In these sensitive times, a single misstep could be dangerous. Shen Liren flushed but couldn’t speak a word.
“If I’m not wrong, why does uncle’s every word sound like blame? People might think Gu Xu is your real nephew.”
Shen Li’s words made Shen Liren flustered, shouting, “Nonsense!”
“I only fear you’d miss a good marriage, especially at such a critical moment.”
Shen Li said gently, “Uncle, don’t worry. I never said I wouldn’t marry.”
Shen Liren felt relieved but still cautious. Having persuaded her so many times before, she had refused. Tentatively he asked, “Have you finally realized?”
Shen Li smiled sweetly. “Gu Xu is so good. How could I refuse? I’m just worried the dowry is too little, and the Gu family might look down on it.”
“Uncle, I’m about to get married. Shouldn’t my parents’ dowry and household register be given to me?”
Shen Liren blurted out a refusal, but seeing her dark, steady eyes, he quickly added, “Those things are complicated. You’re young and wouldn’t manage them well. Besides, if anything goes wrong at this critical time, it’ll be noticed.”
Her dowry was meant to be transferred to Hong Kong as startup capital. He wouldn’t hand over the visible assets. He had arranged for his daughter’s boyfriend to marry Shen Li only to access her father’s hidden funds in the bank. His hateful, short-lived brother had demanded that Shen Li could only claim the funds after marriage with the marriage certificate—otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited this long.
“I’m not afraid. I just want to see for myself, to have peace of mind. Otherwise, if I’m looked down upon after marriage, I’d rather not marry.”
“Besides, uncle has been so good to me. I can’t let others gossip about you.”
Shen Liren: “Who would gossip?”
Shen Li fixed him with a gaze, speaking clearly, word by word: “They’ll say you hoarded your brother’s inheritance, bullied your young niece, are cruel at heart, and might even report you to the Red Committee, leading to your public struggle session.”
The Red Committee was just forming. People were already fearful, and it would only get worse.
Hearing this, Shen Liren went pale.