“Shang Lu, you pushed Ranran down the stairs, and now she can never dance again. How could you be so vicious?”
“Shang Lu, you’ve disappointed me so much!”
“I’m giving you two choices now. First, take this card with 300,000 yuan and leave the Yan family on your own. From now on, you’ll have no connection to the Yan family, and you’re forbidden to mention them. Second, you can stay in the Yan family, but your legs will have to be broken too.”
Shang Lu regained consciousness from the intense pain and heard a group of people speaking. The last voice belonged to a middle-aged man, his words laced with disgust.
She looked up and realized she was kneeling on the ground. In front of her sat a middle-aged couple, and the man who had just spoken was the middle-aged man.
He had a square face, wore a Zhongshan suit, and his expression was completely blank.
“Shang Lu, which one will you choose?”
The beautiful woman beside him looked indignant upon hearing this.
“Our Ranran’s legs are already broken, and you’re just going to kick her out? Even though Ranran isn’t our biological daughter, we’ve raised her for 20 years. If she knew about this, how heartbroken she would be!”
Yan Ranran wasn’t their biological daughter? Then what about Shang Lu?
Suddenly, memories from two people flooded into Shang Lu’s mind, and she finally understood what was happening.
The 28-year-old Shang Lu came from a military family but had defied her family’s wishes to become a director in the entertainment industry.
However, with no connections, no resources, and her family’s obstruction, her path in the entertainment world was difficult. Fortunately, her mentor took her under his wing, allowing her to gain experience.
But she accidentally witnessed the male lead forcing himself on a young girl. Righteous as she was, she immediately chose to report it to the police, only to be retaliated against by the male lead, which cost her her life. After death, she transmigrated into a Mary Sue novel called The Entertainment Circle’s Beloved Actress.
Sixteen years ago, the Yan family’s two-year-old daughter went missing, and everyone assumed she was dead. So, they adopted a girl named Yan Ranran, who became the novel’s female lead.
Everyone in the Yan family, from the parents down to the two older brothers, doted on her excessively. The eldest brother even harbored feelings for her that went beyond sibling love.
Surrounding her were also a gentle and refined childhood friend, a domineering business tycoon, and a sincere, passionate rich second-generation “puppy.” Pampered all the way, she entered the entertainment industry, became a film queen, and even brought glory to the country.
As for the true Yan family heiress, Shang Lu, she was the novel’s most malicious female antagonist. She was found and brought back at the age of 18, but her crude behavior earned everyone’s contempt. Even her family looked down on her and refused to let her reclaim her real name.
Shang Lu thus turned to the dark side, opposing the female lead at every turn and even pushing her down the stairs, causing the female lead’s legs to break.
Her father, Yan Defang, could no longer tolerate it. Unable to accept that such a vicious girl was his biological daughter, he drove the original host out, leaving her to fend for herself.
Naturally, the malicious female antagonist continued to cause trouble everywhere, even entering the entertainment industry herself. She struggled all the way until the end, when the male lead sent her to a madhouse to end her miserable life.
The scene before her was precisely the moment when the original host’s misdeeds were discovered, and the Yan family was about to expel her.
The mother, Xu Youqin, had never liked the original host. Upon hearing she was to be driven out, her first reaction was joy. But seeing the original host leave unscathed left her dissatisfied, so she specifically hired someone to break the original host’s legs.
The transmigrated Shang Lu simply couldn’t comprehend this plot. A biological mother breaking her biological daughter’s legs—was this really the storyline of a Mary Sue beloved actress novel?
Her face was pale, her figure thin, but her eyes were clear and bright, seeing right through Yan Defang’s schemes.
“Xu Youqin, are you really going to break my leg? You’re such a fool! To drive your own daughter away for your husband’s illegitimate child—you’ve been deceived for twenty years. You’re nothing but a joke!”
Shang Lu directly revealed the biggest secret in the novel: the female lead, Yan Ranran, was not only the daughter of Yan Defang’s first love but also his illegitimate child!
Yan Defang’s pupils contracted. How did she know about this?
The two Yan brothers standing nearby were even more confused, but at that moment, they couldn’t tell whether Shang Lu was speaking out of anger or telling the truth.
Xu Youqin, however, refused to believe it. In her eyes, Shang Lu was a habitual liar, always jealous of Ranran. Now she was even uttering such malicious words—her heart was truly wicked!
“Ranran was personally chosen by me from the orphanage. How could she be an illegitimate child? Even now, you show no remorse. Ranran even pleaded for you to stay in the Yan family, yet you still try to harm her. How shameless can you be? How could I have a daughter like you?”
As she spoke, she raised her hand to slap Shang Lu, her readiness to resort to violence clearly a familiar habit.
Shang Lu, of course, wasn’t about to stand there and take it. She dodged immediately, all the while continuing to berate her.
“You fool, you absolute fool! Yan Ranran looks more and more like her mother every day, and you still can’t see it?”
No wonder Xu Youqin would later be deceived so thoroughly and even driven out of the house.
Shang Lu no longer wanted to be involved in the Yan family’s affairs. She picked up the bank card on the table.
“Yan Defang, I choose the first option. From now on, I have nothing to do with any of you. We go our separate ways, with no further ties.”
Yan Defang was infuriated by her casual use of his name, his breathing growing rapid. But then he remembered she shared half his blood and felt he shouldn’t push her to the brink.
“Think carefully. Once you step out of this door, you’ll have to earn your own living.”
“What does that matter to you now that we’re no longer related? I’m going upstairs to pack my things. I’ll move out today. At least let me take a few clothes, won’t you?”
She brushed her hair back, revealing a carefree smile—a smile so sharp it made Eldest Brother Yan frown, while the second brother lowered his head, lost in thought.
On her way upstairs, Shang Lu ran into Yan Ranran. “Lulu, please stay. How will you support yourself if you leave alone?” she sobbed softly, as if genuinely heartbroken.
The Yan family immediately gathered around to comfort her.
Shang Lu couldn’t be bothered with her. She returned to her room and packed all her belongings. The original owner was pitiful—aside from a few clothes, she only had a smartphone.
As Shang Lu stepped out of the Yan household, she felt an immediate sense of relief. The original owner had lived with the Yan family for two years and was only twenty years old, still in college and unlikely to find a decent job.
Shang Lu headed straight to a shopping mall to use the free Wi-Fi. She opened her phone to get a sense of the times.
But the date displayed on her phone startled her: 2020? Had she traveled back in time?
No, upon closer inspection, Shang Lu realized this world seemed more like a parallel universe. China’s military and economy had already surpassed the United States, but its cultural and entertainment industries were shockingly underdeveloped.
She watched a few of the most popular shows—they were either war-themed or historical dramas.
Dull and insipid, full of lofty ideals and righteousness. Although the director’s filming skills were decent, the plot remained obscure and hard to understand, leaving viewers with a headache.
Although the TV show was boring, Shang Lu grew more and more excited as she watched. What was this? This was a blue ocean for melodramatic soap operas—you could always trust the market for melodramatic soap operas!
Everyone watches TV for relaxation and enjoyment. Who wants to watch such tedious content? Melodrama is king!
Shang Lu immediately thought of the palace intrigue dramas, household intrigue dramas, and mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ethical dramas from her past life.
No, filming these would require a lot of money. Although she had the 300,000 yuan Yan Defang gave her, she couldn’t spend it all at once. Thinking of this, she suddenly typed a few large characters into her phone’s memo: The Temptation of Returning Home.