Originally, she thought her life couldn’t get any worse. Although she lived in a first-tier city, her family had little money, and she had no special skills.
Her parents were ordinary workers who had been laid off and had been running a breakfast stall for years. Despite rising early and working late every day, they could only earn a modest living. Now in their fifties, they still worked tirelessly. Compared to others their age, they were indeed hardworking.
Because she didn’t want her parents to continue struggling in their later years, she worked herself to exhaustion. Yet with only a regular undergraduate degree, in a world where “out of ten bricks thrown down, eight are undergraduates,” her qualifications were nothing special.
Naturally, that meant she wasn’t destined for anything remarkable.
She worked in marketing at a shopping mall, spinning around every day like a top. She had somehow climbed to a small leadership position in her department, but her monthly take-home pay was still modest.
She was far from the financial freedom she dreamed of, the ability to let her parents enjoy their later years without worry…
Even so, her previous life had been much better than her current situation.
Even if she never had any big opportunities or made a fortune, with the family’s hard work, she could probably move to a new house in a few years.
She wouldn’t get rich, but with effort, she could achieve a comfortable middle-class life.
It would still be better than her present circumstances…
According to the book, the original Jiang Yiyan’s ending was suffocatingly tragic.
She wanted to go home, she would never complain about her mother’s nagging again, nor grumble about her unreasonable boss. Boo-hoo.
But naturally optimistic Jiang Yiyan only emo’d for a short while before suddenly feeling reinvigorated.
Even though the book’s Jiang Yiyan met a bad end, she was not that Jiang Yiyan.
The Jiang Yiyan in the book ended up that way because she had done many morally reprehensible things, things a straightforward and upright person like her—raised under the red flag—would never do.
Everything has cause and effect; if she didn’t plant the seed, how could the fruit come about?
With that realization, Jiang Yiyan immediately regained her fighting spirit.
She couldn’t be discouraged; she had to think positively. Perhaps after a good night’s sleep, she would return to her world.
Even if she couldn’t go back immediately, she would live well in this world.
After this mental preparation, Jiang Yiyan decided to make the best of her situation.
She opened the original body’s wardrobe, picked out the plainest outfit, changed, and went downstairs.
Now that she understood her circumstances, she felt surprisingly calm.
The villa had three floors, and Jiang Yiyan’s bedroom was on the second floor. As she reached the staircase, she spotted “her daughter” Meimei lingering at the bottom, peeking expectantly upstairs.
Seeing Jiang Yiyan appear, the little girl froze, then instinctively ran away rather than approaching.
Jiang Yiyan suddenly recalled the harsh words she had muttered to her mother before going to bed… Words could not be spoken carelessly; she had spoken them, and they seemed to have come true.
Although she was not exactly a stepmother, it was clear she wasn’t the girl’s biological mother either.
However, temporarily inhabiting her mother’s body and seeing how adorable and well-behaved the girl was, Jiang Yiyan resolved to get along with her.
Having read Beloved, Jiang Yiyan knew that after her mother in the story passed away, the only people who genuinely cared for her were Feng Ma and Meimei.
Perhaps because the consciousness of the real Jiang Yiyan had not completely faded from this body, she instinctively felt a sense of closeness to Feng Ma and Meimei.
Fortunately, her husband was not home, giving Jiang Yiyan a temporary reprieve.
In the book, Wen Mochuan and Shu Yao were childhood sweethearts and first loves. Wen Mochuan, despite not winning Shu Yao’s heart, was a devoted male supporting character with crucial story involvement.
His characterization was just as intelligent and composed as the book’s true male lead. Jiang Yiyan worried he might see through her if she revealed her true self.
Following the principle of “less trouble is better,” she wanted to coexist peacefully under the same roof with him.
Since Wen Mochuan was absent, Jiang Yiyan could first catch her breath and adapt to her new life without exposing herself.
With Wen Mochuan away, she felt relaxed.
Sitting on the living room sofa on the first floor, she saw that Meimei was still hesitant to approach. Jiang Yiyan smiled and said, “Weren’t you looking for me?”
Feng Ma, observing carefully, finally nudged the little girl forward.
Wen Meimei obediently stayed by her mother, looking at her with expectant eyes.
“It’s the last parent-child meeting before the holiday, and Meimei wanted you to come,” the little girl said with a smile, a hint of coaxing in front of her mother, which made Jiang Yiyan feel oddly uneasy.
She didn’t comment, only instinctively reaching out to gently ruffle her daughter’s hair as a gesture of affection.
In the book, Jiang Yiyan’s appearances were minimal, mostly to advance the plot. Whenever she appeared, Shu Yao would too.
Hence, her daily life and interactions with her daughter or husband were barely described.
So at this moment, Jiang Yiyan knew nothing about Meimei’s kindergarten experiences.
She still didn’t understand the timeline fully, nor what the original Jiang Yiyan had done to harm Shu Yao.
Whether she could make amends was uncertain.
Thinking this, she approached her daughter with a purpose, and since children were innocent and asked questions directly, she gathered a lot of information.
For example, Meimei was nearly five and would move to the middle class in kindergarten for the second half of the year.
Based on Meimei’s age, Shu Yao hadn’t returned from studying abroad. If Shu Yao hadn’t returned, the original Jiang Yiyan’s malicious actions hadn’t yet occurred.
At most, there were only childhood grudges between them, minor teasing or exclusion—not enough to cause her tragic end.
With this realization, Jiang Yiyan breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was still salvageable.
As long as she avoided conflict with the main characters and lived her own life, she could have a decent outcome.
Optimistically, the hand she held was quite favorable. Her maternal family was wealthy, a typical white-rich-beautiful background, though estranged from her family due to certain events, blood ties meant she could still inherit some wealth.
Even if the relationship wasn’t fully restored, she could still gain some inheritance from the Jiang family.
Even if it was just a small portion, it would suffice to live comfortably for generations.
The Wen family were top-tier tycoons in Jiang City. Wen Mochuan, while not the heir to the Wen family, was capable and responsible, with his own business and a high annual salary. Moreover, he held shares in Wen Corporation, providing her with substantial yearly income.
Even if they divorced in the future, as long as it ended amicably, she could gain a considerable fortune from Wen Mochuan.
The more she thought, the more confident she felt that her life could be manageable.
It was June 19th, the same as her previous world’s timeline. Meimei’s kindergarten parent-child meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the 20th, meaning tomorrow.
It was already evening, leaving less than a day.
There was still enough time. With the internet, information was easy to find. Even though it was her first time attending as a parent, she assumed it would mostly involve accompanying her child, eating, and playing—nothing too difficult.
At home, besides Feng Ma, there was a young maid, Fangfang.
While Jiang Yiyan talked with her daughter, Feng Ma and Fangfang were busy in the kitchen.
By around six o’clock, dinner was ready.
Since Wen Mochuan wasn’t home, it was just mother and daughter, so there were fewer dishes than usual.
Even so, the dinner was still considered lavish to Jiang Yiyan.
Feng Ma and Fangfang did not sit with them; they stood by to serve and assist.
Jiang Yiyan, like Lin Daiyu entering the Rong Mansion for the first time, observed everything at the table, careful not to say too much.
Luckily, with Wen Mochuan absent, any oddities in her behavior would go unnoticed.
In the bustling international metropolis of Jiang City, at a five-star conference hotel, Assistant Xu waited by the car. Spotting President Wen in the crowd, he immediately opened the rear door.
After a long industry conference lasting seven to eight hours, Wen Mochuan looked tired and pale.
Assistant Xu noticed but said nothing, quietly closing the door and moving to the front passenger seat.
“President Wen, shall we head to the airport?” Although the return flight had been booked, the original plan was to leave directly after the conference.
Having worked with Wen Mochuan for years, Assistant Xu could tell from his expression that things hadn’t gone smoothly, and plans might change.
As expected, the man in the back seat said, “Cancel the return flight. Go back to the hotel first.”
Xu was unsurprised and promptly replied, “Understood,” then discreetly observed him in the rearview mirror.
Wen Mochuan wore a custom-made ash-gray suit, his signature gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Usually loose strands of hair were now neatly slicked back into a classic back-comb, giving him an even sharper aura alongside his refined and elegant demeanor.
Retracting his gaze, Xu decided to report on the situation in Deep City.
“Madam hasn’t made any moves, but tomorrow afternoon, Miss Wen Meimei has a parent-child meeting at her kindergarten,” Xu reported briefly.
Jiang Yiyan had not made any moves, which surprised Wen Mochuan, but his thoughts were more on his daughter Meimei.
According to the original schedule, he could have attended her kindergarten parent-child meeting, but now…