The corners of her lips lifted into a beautiful curve…
Binjiang City. At a top financial magazine, the editorial team was cheering and celebrating because the renowned entrepreneur Fang Yi had agreed to an interview.
“Fang Yi is very low-profile and never appears in the media. He originally didn’t want to accept our magazine’s interview, but the moment we switched the interviewer to Ji You, he agreed immediately. Ji You, this is your achievement.”
The editor-in-chief, placing great importance on this interview, said to Ji You, “Make sure to write a heavyweight piece you’ll solidify your position as the chief financial reporter.”
“Fang Yi is our city’s richest man. Chief Ji, why do you think he agreed to your interview? Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Ji You lifted her head, revealing her bright, flawless face. She had the reputation of a financial beauty in the industry, someone who could earn such a title naturally possessed both skill and looks.
The excitement of those around her had nothing to do with Ji You. She answered coolly, “I need to prepare the interview outline.”
No one knew that Ji You had once had a brief marriage with Fang Yi, a marriage that began with a swap and ended in disaster.
To prepare for the interview, Ji You had to revisit the faded, eroded memories of that time.
It was 1988. Ji You had just graduated from university and was set to have a formal engagement with her childhood fiancé. All the guests were present, but everyone was stunned by a shocking announcement: the man couldn’t attend the engagement ceremony because he had run off with Ji You’s stepsister.
The bride, Ji You, dressed in her finest, was struck dumbfounded. Her childhood fiancé had been arranged by the family, and the engagement had been organized by them as well. She was merely following the proper process. Yet the man hadn’t said a word about wanting to cancel it was one thing to refuse, another to abscond from the ceremony and elope!
Ji You felt it was an outrageous humiliation.
Her stepsister also had a childhood fiancé Fang Yi. At that time, Fang Yi was still a poor young man living in a remote valley. Her stepsister, with her head in the clouds, despised him and instead took Ji You’s fiancé.
Ji You wanted the best of everything, whether people or possessions, and she wanted it all.
Her family advised her to marry Fang Yi.
In a fit of anger, Ji You ran to Lincheng, a small city, entered the valley, and married Fang Yi.
Because of this bizarre elopement that humiliated her pride and dignity, the sisters had effectively swapped fiancés.
During their brief marriage, Ji You and Fang Yi never developed any affection. She was capricious and demanding; she disliked him for being rough, for not knowing how to handle things at night, and for being taciturn and unrefined.
Of course, Fang Yi likely found her spoiled and arrogant as well.
Later, Ji You’s recklessness escalated and she terminated her pregnancy, seriously damaging her health. Divorce became inevitable, and she returned to Binjiang City.
“Ji You, this is an exclusive interview. You should prepare at least seven or eight questions about Fang Yi’s private life. Readers are most interested in this. If you include this in the article, our anniversary issue sales will likely double.”
The editor-in-chief’s voice brought Ji You back from the cobwebbed ruins of her memories.
She stated her opinion plainly, “I don’t want to ask about Fang Yi’s private life. He’s very secretive, and as a journalist, there’s no need to pry.”
Ji You didn’t wish to invade Fang Yi’s privacy.
Putting aside her personal grudges, objectively speaking, Fang Yi was wealthy, powerful, and handsome, a good man with a loving family.
Why would a former wife listen to him describe a happy family and love?
And why would he agree to an interview with her wouldn’t he want to humiliate her for her past disdain?
However, Ji You never got to interview Fang Yi. She received the news of his death.
The lawyer’s voice was emotionless: “Mr. Fang has left all of his estate to you.”
Her fingers clenched instinctively, the thin, fair hands revealing veins, the interview outline crumpled in her grasp. The edges of the paper cut into her fingertips, a piercing pain.
The lawyer pushed over a thick stack of documents, his voice cautious and precise: “Ms. Ji, according to Mr. Fang’s last will, all of his real estate, cash, jewelry, properties, shares, and securities are inherited by you.”
He, like her, had never remarried.
All the memories blurred with the passage of time. She couldn’t even picture him now, never having seen him one last time yet he left everything to her.
Why did he leave her all of his assets?
Ji You, at forty, didn’t naïvely think it was out of love.
But as they say, where the money is, so is the love.
Soon, Ji You was embroiled in litigation. Fang Yi’s cousins and brothers came to contest the inheritance. Ji You found it amusing. Even without a will, did his wealth have anything to do with them?
The lawsuits were handled by lawyers and didn’t trouble her much.
When these people were defeated and left in embarrassment, Ji You began spending lavishly. Back in her luxurious, spacious mansion, she laughed out loud. Was there anything happier than being a single wealthy woman?
The days of reckless spending didn’t last long. Nephews and nieces frequently came to see her, praising her and sweet-talking her, then presenting pre-written wills for her to sign.
“Aunt, I’ll be your son. Your health isn’t good, so you should prepare early for the future.”
“Give one house to your nephew as a marital home. You divorced early and have no children. The property and money will end up with them anyway.”
Ji You felt confused. Did they maintain a good relationship because she was young-minded and open, unlike their parents who lectured?
No, they were after her money.
She was only in her forties. Did she need a will?
Wanting her wealth, they wouldn’t even play along pretending to respect her until she was sixty?
She threw the wills into the shredder, her face pale with anger, chest heaving, and shouted at the young men: “Don’t even think about my money. I’ll spend it all, even if it burns in a fire. Not a single cent for you. Get out now, and never set foot in my house again.”
Ji You always did things as she pleased. In a rage, she kept only one villa and enough to secure her future. She used the rest of the money to establish a foundation to fund the education and living expenses of 200,000 underprivileged children until high school graduation.
Sweet revenge!
Relatives who coveted her wealth got nothing!
In her dreams, Ji You read a period novel and realized she lived in the book’s world.
The male and female leads were her stepsister and former fiancé. They defied arranged marriages, overcame obstacles, and lived happily.
Ji You was the ultimate antagonist, eccentric, extreme, and manipulative whose aim was to obstruct the leads. Soon, she would suffer betrayal and humiliation, losing her mind.
But this world had a small difference. Fang Yi was a major “bug.” He should have been the source of her regret and shame, yet he hadn’t remarried, died young, and left everything to her.
Flipping through the book roughly, Ji You only had one thought: she would remain the villain, but what’s with losing her mind?
Memories surged like a tidal wave. She suddenly missed Fang Yi’s firm chest and rough fingers.
When she woke again, Ji You was not in the luxurious villa but in a simple room. The walls were dingy, the bed narrow, the sheets old and blackened. She thought she had fallen into a nightmare again.
Her belly held a five-month-old child, and she was at an illegal clinic, about to abort.
She had gone to university, had money, and would normally go to a legitimate hospital. But aborting there required Fang Yi’s signature. She didn’t want to consult him, wanting only to solve the problem quickly, so she came to the town’s private clinic.
This abortion had been costly, marking a turning point in her life.
Her body was severely damaged, losing fertility, and for a long time, she remained weak. Morning after morning, she had to struggle to rise, supporting herself with hands and feet.
Walking, squatting every movement was painful.
After a long rest, her body gradually recovered, but her voice never returned to its former state. She had been a broadcaster and had to leave the job she loved.
She sometimes wondered: if she hadn’t had the abortion and her body hadn’t been damaged, she would still be a broadcaster, still passionate about her work.
For years, Ji You relived the nightmare. Doctors prescribed medication, but she struggled out of bed, trying to escape. In the dream, doctors in white coats reached out with black claws, always catching her, followed by a vivid, bloody scene.
Her figure was delicate. The five-month pregnancy hadn’t made her bulky just a slight curve in her lower abdomen. She moved swiftly.
She repeated the actions from her nightmare: climbed out of bed, grabbed her bag, left the room, ignoring the approaching doctor, and hurried to the courtyard.
“Hey, you were going to abort. Why are you out? Go back inside and take the medicine!” the doctor shouted in surprise.
Ji You had already stepped into the yard. The sunlight fell on her pale, exquisite face. She felt the difference this time. The previous dreams had been cold and damp. Now, she felt bright, warm sunlight.
Surely she had been reborn?
The doctor followed, but his hands were not black claws—he was merely scolding her.
From the shouting, she discerned “abort.” Ji You backed away warily, “I’m not aborting. Doctor, please refund my payment.”
Compared to health, money was nothing. But this was a shady clinic that had harmed her body.
The doctor, over forty, lips drooping, frowning, snapped: “You think this is a market? You can come and go as you please. How much trouble have you caused me? A refund? Forget it.”
Afraid she’d disrupt business, he waved impatiently: “Changed your mind? Then leave. Don’t take up space here. Plenty of people specifically seek me out. You won’t get treated here again if you return.”
He didn’t try to stop her. Ji You again realized she had been reborn.
She knew her situation clearly. In such a place, she was at their mercy. The smartest move was to leave.
She took a deep breath, looked down at the slight curve hidden under her loose coat, and walked toward the door without turning back.
She exited the alley, turned onto the main road, and finally could no longer see the clinic. Ji You had escaped the nightmare.
Spring was mild. The sky was blue, clouds sparse, the wind warm.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. She wiped it away and felt immense joy. Her body was healthy. She could stride forward with a five-month pregnancy.
Having health was wonderful.
The corners of her lips curved beautifully. She was reborn.
Her steps light, Ji You felt she was walking into a new life.
The person rushing toward her surely Fang Yi. As before, he would stride toward her with solid steps.
Ji You looked up, voice bright: “Fang Sihuo.”
Given this chance at rebirth, Ji You thought of it as a gift of life. She wanted to rewrite her fate as a villain with Fang Yi by her side.