Zhong Suian had been working overtime just a second ago when her vision suddenly blurred. The office desk in front of her disappeared, replaced by a classroom desk.
A malicious voice rang out.
“Yo, Miss Zhong, got yourself another new necklace?”
She looked up to see a red-haired boy leaning lazily against her desk, two lackeys standing behind him. It was obvious they had come looking for trouble.
“And it’s even a designer brand…”
He deliberately dragged out the last words, prompting the surrounding students to burst into laughter.
Amid the jeers, the red-haired boy bent down and narrowed his eyes at the necklace around Zhong Suian’s neck.
“How much did this cost? Such a nice piece… Why don’t you let me borrow it for a while?”
As he reached out to grab it, Zhong Suian felt a pounding pain in her temples. Countless fragments of unfamiliar memories crashed through her mind.
She slapped away his wandering hand. Fighting off the dizziness, she answered casually,
“It wasn’t expensive. ¥9.90 with free shipping. Want the link?”
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Three seconds later, someone in the back burst into laughter, followed by the entire class roaring with amusement.
“¥9.90? Are you insane? That necklace only costs eighty or ninety cents at the boutique!”
“You keep talking about ¥9.90. Have you ever even seen that much money in your life? You’re hilarious!”
The boutique? Eighty or ninety cents?
Wasn’t the cheapest bus fare nowadays already over a yuan?
Was everyone suddenly speaking a different language?
Zhong Suian touched the silver chain around her neck. It was an authentic Tiffany classic necklace, worth around ¥8,000.
Frowning in confusion, she said,
“Isn’t it just ¥9.90? That’s not even enough for one meal. Have you people never seen money before?”
Her rebuttal only encouraged them even more.
“Quit pretending! That much money could pay for ten years of instant noodles!”
“Exactly! You think you’re some rich heiress like Qiaoqiao?”
Qiaoqiao? Ye Qiaoqiao?
The familiar name caused the scattered memories in her mind to finally connect.
She had transmigrated into a novel.
And not just any novel—it was one of those melodramatic stories about switched-at-birth daughters from wealthy families.
In the original story, Ye Qiaoqiao was the real daughter, only reunited with her family when she turned eighteen.
The switch had been nothing more than an accident. The most reasonable solution would have been for both girls to return to their rightful families, receive compensation, and move on with their lives.
But Ye Qiaoqiao refused.
She pretended to ask Zhong Suian to stay, while secretly plotting her revenge.
At home, she acted gentle and generous on the surface while constantly sowing discord behind the scenes until everyone in the Ye family hated Zhong Suian.
At school, she quietly encouraged classmates to isolate and bully her.
And the red-haired boy standing before her was one of Ye Qiaoqiao’s most loyal followers.
…
Zhong Suian glanced toward the back of the classroom.
Sure enough, Ye Qiaoqiao was sitting there, smiling smugly, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Seeing Zhong Suian remain silent, the red-haired boy became even more arrogant.
“Oh, come on,” he sneered sarcastically.
“Our Miss Zhong makes several yuan in the blink of an eye. How could poor people like us compare?”
Unlike the original owner of this body, Zhong Suian wasn’t someone who would quietly endure humiliation.
She let out a cold laugh.
“If you’re broke, then go sell yourself. What’s the point of whining here?”
“You guys have it easy anyway. Front or back, you can make money either way.”
The red-haired boy’s grin instantly froze.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
“What the hell did you just say? Say it again!”
Zhong Suian wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. She crossed her arms and leaned back comfortably.
“What? I even gave you career advice, and you’re still unhappy?”
“You… you…”
He trembled with rage.
Although he desperately wanted to insult her back, he was too tongue-tied to come up with anything coherent. All he could do was clench his fists until they cracked.
At that moment, the classroom door slammed open.
A middle-aged man walked inside.
Looking at the noisy classroom, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
“What’s all this commotion? Class is about to begin!”
Seeing Professor Wang enter, the red-haired boy could only swallow his anger and reluctantly return to his seat.
Professor Wang placed his laptop on the podium and clapped his hands.
“Before class starts, I have an announcement.”
The classroom immediately quieted.
“Regarding the short film project we discussed last time, the class committee suggested renting a villa as the filming location.”
He adjusted his glasses.
“I looked into it. It would cost about eight-tenths to one-tenth of a yuan per day. Since we’d have to use class funds, I’d like everyone’s opinion.”
Eight-tenths? One-tenth?
Zhong Suian frowned, wondering if she’d misheard.
The classroom immediately erupted into discussion.
“One-tenth of a yuan?” a boy in the front exclaimed. “Split among everyone, that’s four li per person! That’s almost two days’ worth of my meal money!”
“Exactly! And that’s before we even count the other expenses!”
Watching her classmates argue so passionately over a few li, Zhong Suian felt the whole situation was absurd.
Just then, someone raised a hand.
“Professor Wang! Doesn’t Qiaoqiao’s family own several villas? Why don’t we just borrow one from her?”
“Yeah! Qiaoqiao’s so nice. I’m sure she’d let us use it!”
Immediately, every pair of eyes turned toward Ye Qiaoqiao.
Professor Wang coughed lightly.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Even if her family owns villas, they’re still private property. We can’t just take advantage of her generosity.”
“It’s alright, Professor Wang.”
Seeing everyone’s disappointed expressions, Ye Qiaoqiao gracefully brushed her hair aside.
“My parents just bought me a new house in Palm Bay. Everyone can come over. Let’s call it a housewarming party.”
“Palm Bay?!”
The classroom erupted with gasps.
“You mean that luxury residential area that just opened recently?”
“Wow, Qiaoqiao! Your parents spoil you so much!”
“I heard the villas there start at several hundred yuan!”
Basking in everyone’s admiration, Ye Qiaoqiao shot Zhong Suian a smug glance out of the corner of her eye.
That villa had originally been purchased as Zhong Suian’s eighteenth birthday gift.
But now that she had returned as the real daughter, everything naturally belonged to her.
Just then, another voice interrupted.
“Wait a second.”
The red-haired boy tapped his desk with his pen, flashing Zhong Suian a malicious grin.
“If I remember correctly, someone also claimed last semester that she owned a house in Palm Bay.”
The classroom fell silent.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Zhong Suian.
Satisfied with the effect, the red-haired boy raised his voice even higher.
“So why aren’t you saying anything now? Don’t tell me you just made it all up to save face.”
Zhong Suian slowly lifted her head and calmly met his gaze.
Her expression was tranquil, yet for some reason it sent a chill down the back of his neck.
He hurriedly looked away and cleared his throat.
“In that case, why don’t we shoot at Palm Bay next week? It’ll be the perfect chance for us to… see these villas for ourselves.”
He deliberately emphasized the last few words.
Someone immediately joined in.
“Great idea! We can film at both villas in turns. That’ll look really impressive!”