21
Smash Your Opening Red: Sister is a Social Sister
Unfortunately, Wang Tiejun had no idea his biological daughter had changed from the inside out, making it impossible for him to decipher her motivations.
Wang Xiao’s habit of pushing others was merely incidental—she simply couldn’t stand seeing people ignore money lying on the ground without bending to pick it up. If she pointed it out and they still refused, she’d let it be but would instinctively keep her distance. After all, those with different paths shouldn’t conspire together.
The person she truly pushed was herself.
After successfully earning 75 yuan by acting as a purchasing agent for 500 large meat buns (travel expenses covered as business costs by the soap factory), she was about to embark on selling recipes.
Hey, ever heard of Secret Phoenix Claws and Mao Roast Duck? They’re the latest hits at Jinning Grand Hotel, along with Rattan Pepper Chicken and Braised Chicken Feet—all pretty tasty.
She planned to sell them in Xin County, pocketing some extra cash along the way.
Early Sunday morning, Wang Xiao, who treated her working life like an entrepreneurial venture, boarded the long-distance bus laden with bags.
Thankfully, she had her sidekick Tang Yicheng to rely on; otherwise, hauling all that luggage would’ve been a nightmare.
Once on the bus, Wang Xiao unusually refrained from mentally refining her money-making plans and instead closed her eyes to nap. She’d worn her soles thin running around lately and was utterly exhausted, needing rest.
As she drifted in and out of sleep, sudden shouting jolted her awake. Her eyes snapped open to find several blobs of mud splattered across the bus’s front windshield.
The bus had stopped for some reason, and the yelling came from outside. The driver muttered under his breath while fumbling for a button.
Wang Xiao shuddered, blurting out, “Don’t open the door!”
But it was too late.
In this era, buses picking up passengers mid-route was common. Those boarding halfway paid less than ticketed passengers, and it was an open secret that drivers and conductors pocketed the difference.
The driver had already opened the door.
Several young men stormed aboard, immediately punching the driver: “You bastard, for not opening up!”
Wang Xiao had been sitting in the aisle seat, avoiding the cold window she couldn’t lean against.
Now, Tang Yicheng, sensing trouble, tugged her arm, signaling her to switch to the inner seat.
But the intruders barked, “Don’t move, damn it! Nobody moves! Drive, you turtle spawn, drive! You hear me?”
Blood trickled from the driver’s nose as he tremblingly started the bus.
Wang Xiao and Tang Yicheng exchanged glances, but before they could whisper a plan, the five men brandished gleaming knives: “Stay put! Hand over all your money. Everyone better behave!”
The entire bus of passengers froze like quails, Wang Xiao’s blood rushing to her head.
Damn, she knew security was bad, which was why they’d specifically taken a morning bus—since robberies typically happened at dusk or night, especially on remote roads.
Their situation defied all conventional patterns.
It just showed that crime, like sexual assault, had nothing to do with what the victim wore or whether they’d been drinking.
Wang Xiao had previously decided to sleep during the bus ride, so she and Tang Yicheng took seats toward the back. The robbery upfront had already begun—a bespectacled teenager who looked like a student cried out in a choked voice, “I have no money—” only to be punched so hard his head slammed against the bus window, blood gushing out.
Passengers on the bus gasped in shock, and some broke into sobs.
But even crueler acts followed. One robber forced a young woman to take off her clothes, insisting on thoroughly checking if she had any money hidden. Her male companion, who had been all over her since boarding—whether boyfriend or husband—shrank back without uttering a word.
Damn it, her fists were itching to throw a punch!
Before transmigrating into this novel, Wang Xiao had once encountered an old pervert harassing a young woman at a late-night barbecue stall. When the woman refused to give him her WeChat, he grabbed her and tried to shove her head into a boiling pot of maoxuewang that had just been served. Without hesitation, Wang Xiao smashed a beer bottle over the creep’s head. Even when his accomplice kicked her to the ground, she didn’t back down—instead, she grabbed a stool and went berserk.
Later, when they were all taken to the police station, she remained unfazed. She had never planned to rely on a government job, so a mark on her record meant nothing to her. As for potential lawsuits, bring it on—as a top influencer earning millions monthly, she had both the money and energy to fight back. The bigger the scandal, the more attention and traffic it would generate.
In short, she had never been one to cower.
In the blink of an eye, before she could even think about intervening (not that she had the ability), a robber was already in her face, brandishing a knife and leering at her. “Come on, take off your clothes. Let big brother give you a proper inspection.”
Wang Xiao put on a pitiful face, trembling as she removed her coat. Then, without warning, she flung it over the heads of both robbers.
In that split second, Tang Yicheng moved like a character from a wuxia drama, leaping from the inner seat with what seemed like the Supraclavicular Divine Skill. His feet struck left and right, landing squarely on the necks of the two robbers.
The men only managed a choked grunt before collapsing onto the bus seats, unconscious.
Unsurprisingly, Wang Xiao heard a chorus of “Ahhh!” screams.
Honestly, at that moment, her intolerance for stupidity flared up.
Scream, scream, scream your ancestors eighteen generations away! What’s the point of screaming and playing dead now? Stop yelling and start kicking or punching! Do you need the robbers to strip you all naked and throw you under the bus wheels before you’re satisfied?
She couldn’t care less about accidentally harming bystanders. In a life-or-death situation, nobody owed anyone anything. Even if everyone on the bus died, as long as she survived, she wouldn’t feel an ounce of guilt.
Without half a second’s hesitation, Wang Xiao delivered a Groin Kick, aiming to end the robber’s lineage, directly striking the one who had collapsed onto the auntie across from her.
Tch. The robber, who had just been startled awake by the screaming, turned pale, clutched his crotch, and slumped back down, immobilized.
Tang Yicheng had already rushed to the middle of the bus, punching the robber assaulting the young woman in the back of the neck and knocking him out instantly. He then engaged the remaining two robbers in a fierce struggle.
Wang Xiao tugged at the bag on the luggage rack, sending a lunchbox of red oil Phoenix Claws crashing onto the head of another robber who was groggily coming to. Damn, these aluminum lunchboxes nowadays are really solid. With the winter fog on the train windows and the dim light inside the carriage, even Wang Xiao couldn’t tell whether the red on the robber’s head was blood from the blow or sticky red oil.
Miraculously, the aunt who had been screaming at the top of her lungs suddenly seemed to snap back to her senses. She used the square scarf tied around her head to wrap around the neck of the robber who was clutching his lower body, all while shouting “Ah! Ah!” and tightening her grip with all her might. She was screaming so loudly that Wang Xiao suspected her eardrums would give out before the robber passed out from the choking.
Meanwhile, the two men nearby were acting like fools. Even though the robber doused in red oil Phoenix Claws had already collapsed, they could’ve easily finished him off by stepping on his face. Instead, they just played dead, clutching their bags without moving a muscle.
This allowed the robber to struggle back to his feet, grab his knife, and lunge at Wang Xiao.
Poor Wang Xiao could only instinctively raise the backpack she was holding against her chest.
Seriously, at that moment, she doubted she had truly integrated into this world. Because in such a tense situation, her first thought was: Damn it, the big meat buns in this bag are ruined—they’ve been punctured, and the rich aroma of the meat juices is so strong.
There were forty of them in that bag, a whole big load, and the 18 yuan she’d spent on them had gone straight down the drain.
Then, she pushed the backpack forward with all her strength, and the fragrant, savory meat buns tumbled out from the torn bag.
Just then, a grandma nearby also snapped out of it. Summoning her courage, she lifted the can in her hand and smashed it hard against the robber’s head. The robber, probably dizzy and disoriented, stepped on one of the meat buns, slipped, and fell flat.
If this were a movie, Wang Xiao would’ve died laughing.
What’s instant karma? This was a textbook example.
Unfortunately, being in the middle of it, she couldn’t laugh, because the direction of the robber’s fall sent him hurtling straight toward her.
She instinctively dodged toward the empty inner seat, but her body was jolted by the force. The back of her head went numb—whether she’d hit the window glass or a sharp corner of the seat, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was that everything went black, and she passed out.
Passing out was good. Maybe when she opened her eyes again, she’d be back where she came from.
Sigh, she should’ve used that over ten thousand yuan to buy some Monkey stamps or something, at least leaving the old Wang couple something that would appreciate in value.
After all, given the original owner’s lovesick tendencies, even if the old couple worked themselves to death, they wouldn’t be able to fill the financial hole she’d dug.
Sigh, the saying “parents who love their children plan deeply for their future” was a load of crap.
Loving anyone else was never as important as loving yourself. In this world, no one mattered more than you.
Even if they were your own flesh and blood, if they turned into vampires, you had to cut ties in time, let go of the savior complex, and respect their fate. Adult children were independent—however they chose to mess up their lives was their own business. No one should morally blackmail anyone else.
When Wang Xiao groggily opened her eyes again and saw a blurry, enlarged face in front of her, she really wanted to ask, “Comrade, what year is it now?”
She’d been transmigrated for over a month and had no idea how chaotic her account management had become. She really hoped she hadn’t lost a large number of active followers. Zombie followers could only maintain appearances—only the active ones supported her with real money.
Hmm, would anyone believe her if she said she’d transmigrated into a book? It might attract followers, but if she were accused of spreading feudal superstitions and got her account banned, the losses would far outweigh the gains.
She still wanted to strive for her next ten million followers.
Wang Xiao was lost in thought when a sudden scream jolted her back to reality.
Doctor Chen burst into tears with a loud wail: “You foolish girl, you’re going to be the death of me! Who told you to charge forward like that?”
Well, no need to wonder anymore—she hadn’t traveled back in time.
Startled out of her daydream about the next ten million, Wang Xiao very practically turned her attention to the few dozen yuan at hand. She had to painfully remind Madam Chen Yanqiu: “Mom, the buns—460 buns I was supposed to deliver to the soap factory.”
Five hundred buns were no small quantity. At three liang each, they had both weight and volume. They couldn’t all fit in the large suitcase, so she and Tang Yicheng had carried an additional 40 and 60 buns respectively. The 40 in her bag were ruined, but the remaining 460 might still be salvageable.
At 15 fen profit per bun, 460 buns would amount to 69 yuan. Even after deducting the 18 yuan loss, that still left 51 yuan.
Hmm, the business wasn’t at a loss.
If not for her critically weakened state, Doctor Chen’s professional ethics would have given way to slapping some sense into this troublesome child. What timing—not even considering her own condition, still obsessing over meat buns.
“Buns, buns, buns! Are you starving for a bite?”
Wang Xiao reasoned with her: “I promised the soap factory I’d bring them. They’ve been waiting for days.”
Like most industrial areas worldwide, the county’s factories were clustered together. After word spread about her last delivery of Jinning Big Meat Buns to the soap factory workers, employees from other factories had eagerly sought her out through acquaintances.
On one hand, her carrying capacity was limited; on the other, scarcity increased value—moderate hunger marketing was necessary. Otherwise, she could easily transport a thousand big meat buns in one trip.
After keeping them waiting so long, as a supplier, she had to deliver the goods even if knives were raining from the sky. Otherwise, her reputation would be ruined, and how could she win consumers’ trust next time?
With a thud, the hospital room door swung open.
The soap factory director and office manager, sweating and panting from running, rushed to the bedside. With tear-filled eyes, they reached for Wang Xiao’s hand: “Engineer Wang, we know your heart is always with the soap factory. On behalf of all our workers, we thank you.”
See? What a dedicated comrade, still thinking of the soap factory workers at such a time, afraid they might be even slightly dissatisfied.
Wang Xiao was so startled she forgot her dizziness, nearly leaping up from the bed like a carp.
What was this? She was just making some side money—no need for such dramatics.
Doctor Chen cried even more bitterly: “You foolish girl, why are you so stubborn? If someone wants to rob you, just give them the money!”
Wang Xiao couldn’t move without feeling nauseous, and now the crying was making her head explode. She managed a weak protest: “It’s not about the money.”
If losing three to five hundred yuan could solve the problem, she wouldn’t risk her life. But robbery was like the enemy invading the village—often accompanied by rape and murder, so of course she had to resist when possible.
A series of hurried footsteps sounded nearby, and suddenly a person with a microphone inexplicably appeared by Wang Xiao’s hospital bed.
Her head was spinning badly, and she couldn’t see the other person’s face clearly. She only heard their voice—it was a young woman, with a strangely sweet tone: “Comrade, you said it wasn’t about the money. So what was it that made you step forward at the critical moment, rise up in resistance, and save the lives of everyone on the bus?”
Wang Xiao was completely dumbfounded.
A microphone?
Who carries a microphone around these days?
Oh my god! A reporter, that’s what this is.
She was going to be on TV, wasn’t she?
In 1990, television was the most influential and widespread medium of communication.
Good heavens, if she had known that even in a transmigration novel she’d end up on the path to fame, she would have definitely stuck to daily yoga practice to ensure she appeared on screen in her best form.
What a disaster! Thank goodness it was winter now—otherwise, the extra little bit of flab on her belly would definitely have affected her ability to attract fans.