“Sister, Dad has always treated you like his own daughter. Saying that really chills people’s hearts.”
Shen Man walked in gracefully, her Suzhou qipao outlining her slender figure like a bright moon over the sea. Gu Xu stared at her, eyes practically glued to her.
Shen Li cursed herself inwardly for being blind. The sparks that flashed between Shen Man and Gu Xu when their eyes met—how had she never noticed before?
But perhaps it wasn’t entirely her fault. She had always treated Shen Man as her own sister. When she was five, her mother had died giving birth to Shen Man. After Shen Man moved into the small Western-style house, Shen Li gave her the best of everything.
The outfit Shen Man was wearing today—there were barely a hundred bolts of that silk in the entire country. It was extremely precious, something her mother had left specifically for her. Shen Man had cried, begged, and acted spoiled until Shen Li reluctantly gave it to her.
Giving it to that ungrateful wretch would’ve been worse than throwing it into the sea.
Shen Man was the female lead of the period novel Shen Li had awakened into. She was a transmigrator, holding both the script and a system.
Every time Shen Li was injured or met misfortune, Shen Man was behind it. Shen Man’s system siphoned Shen Li’s luck. The more miserable Shen Li became, the more fortunate Shen Man grew.
In the dream, after Shen Li died, Shen Man had someone retrieve her corpse, preserve it in a special liquid, and have it beaten daily. She even hired a master to set up a soul-severing formation so Shen Li couldn’t reincarnate. By draining her luck, Shen Man became a wealthy businesswoman in Hong Kong, bore Gu Xu three sons and a daughter, and lived happily ever after.
Gu Xu and Shen Liren were hateful—but the most despicable was Shen Man, the one Shen Li had treated sincerely.
“You’ve all treated me well. I just don’t want Uncle to bear the reputation of occupying another’s nest. Uncle, what do you think?”
Shen Li had always cared about face. The more she resisted, the more aggressive they became.
And Shen Liren couldn’t tell whether her earlier words had been a threat.
“Li Li, don’t misunderstand. This is your home. The family property is naturally yours. Uncle has only been keeping it for you, never thinking of taking it. It’s just inconvenient to move your dowry right now. But Uncle can give you the inventory list so you’ll feel reassured. Once you and Xiao Xu are married, I’ll hand over both the household register and your dowry. How about that?”
Shen Li’s household register was separate, yet it was in Shen Liren’s hands. In this era, many matters required it.
Holding the register meant holding Shen Li. Besides, once she married Gu Xu, the property would circle back into his own hands anyway.
Shen Li hadn’t expected to get everything back today. She was merely testing Shen Liren’s attitude.
Getting the inventory list was already useful.
The paper was old, dated ten years ago—the year her father passed away.
It was folded. When she opened it, it stretched to dozens of pages.
Gold and silver jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, silk and satin, sea cucumber and deer antler—everything needed for clothing, food, housing, and transport. Every single item was priceless.
Even with the Shen family’s wealth, gathering all this would have required immense time and effort. It was all her parents’ love.
Yet it had fallen into Shen Liren’s greedy pocket.
Shen Li swore she would reclaim everything.
“I’m hungry.”
She needed to change clothes before going downstairs to eat, so Shen Liren and the others left first.
Outside the door—
“Does Shen Li know something?” Gu Xu asked worriedly.
“Impossible. That’s just her temperament. What I’m worried about now is her mother’s family.”
Shen Li was foolish and easy to fool—otherwise how could they have slowly devoured the Shen family under her nose?
Her maternal family had been century-old capitalists, but they were undergoing political struggle and exile.
“Dad, don’t worry. I’ll mention something to the Red Committee. They won’t have an easy life in Heilongjiang. When people can’t even manage their own lives, who has time to care about a relative?” Shen Man, armed with the script, didn’t regard the Li family seriously.
In the novel, someone from the Li family would survive the political struggle and later seek revenge for Shen Li. But by then, Shen Li was already dead, and Shen Man’s family had become untouchable in Hong Kong. In the end, the Li family was destroyed by them as well.
Shen Man hated persistent flies. She had already arranged for people to deal with them and wouldn’t let them survive the year.
Shen Liren relaxed slightly. “Have you arranged everything with the Red Committee?”
“Yes. There won’t be any accidents.”
“Even if Shen Li learns the truth, it won’t matter. If she dares report us, she’ll be in my territory. I’ll make her regret being born.”
Shen Man’s words reassured Shen Liren. He rubbed his forehead, not understanding how he had been frightened by a brainless, pretty little girl like Shen Li.
So Shen Man wanted to enter the Red Committee.
In the coming years, it would become one of the most terrifying forces.
And the purge of the Li family would be Shen Man’s stepping stone.
Shen Li had trusted Shen Man completely, with no guard or reservation. Shen Man had extracted information from her and sold it to the Red Committee, giving them an excuse to target the Li family.
Shen Li’s eyes reddened, especially after learning the full plot in her dream.
Her uncle’s family had survived the struggle and, upon learning of her tragic death, mobilized money and influence to avenge her. But Hong Kong was already Shen Man’s domain. In the end, they died miserably abroad.
And now Shen Man even planned to send people to kill them.
No. She had to protect her uncle’s family.
The Red Committee?
She would never let Shen Man get her way.
Shen Li pushed open the door. Shen Liren and the others had finished talking. Seeing her, they smiled warmly.
“Your aunt made lots of delicious dishes for you.”
“Of course. Aunt loves Li Li the most.”
“Sister, Mother treats you even better than me. I’m getting jealous.”
Look how perfectly they acted in sync. This was how Shen Li had once been deceived.
When she reached the first-floor dining room, the strong smell of chili hit her, making her cough.
“You’re finally down. The food’s getting cold. Li Li, your body is weak—don’t push yourself again next time.”
She had only coughed from the chili fumes, yet in Aunt Zhong Shuhua’s mouth, it became proof she was weak from recklessly saving someone.
Shen Li glanced at her cousin Shen Mingtang, who was devouring the food heartily.
“I just recovered from a serious illness. I can’t smell or eat spicy food.”
“It’s not that spicy. Just rinse it in water and you can eat it. I’ll get you some plain water,” Zhong Shuhua said perfunctorily.
The Shen Liren family loved spicy food. Most meals were spicy. Shen Li had always rinsed the dishes and forced down a few bites.
But now—who was going to indulge them?
“Clear the dishes. Make a new set.”
Shen Mingtang quickly grabbed a few pieces of meat and pulled the dish toward himself protectively. “I’m warning you. Don’t touch my food.”
“Xiaotang is still growing. He loves spicy food. Or just wait. After everyone finishes, I’ll cook you a bowl of noodles,” Zhong Shuhua said dismissively.
Zhong Shuhua bought groceries using Shen Li’s family money. Without a maid, she was paid 150 yuan a month.
An eighth-grade technician in this era earned only 100 yuan.
The money was paid, yet she received neither service nor respect.
Shen Li strode forward, grabbed the tablecloth, and yanked hard. Bowls and plates crashed to the floor.
“If I can’t eat, then no one eats.”