Tang Yue had gotten up early and was already busy in the kitchen.
If she wanted to get her hands on the antiques in Grandma’s room, she naturally had to make herself useful and establish her presence in front of Grandma before being sent down to the countryside.
After spending several hours making Cai Jinhe’s favorite traditional pastries, she went back to her room to change.
When she came back out, she saw Tang Youyou rushing inside as if a dog were chasing her.
Seeing her completely unladylike appearance, a smug look filled Tang Yue’s eyes.
Grandma hated people who had no manners.
“What happened?” she asked, pretending to be concerned.
Tang Youyou stopped.
Her eyes lit up.
*Perfect. I can use this to test her.*
She smoothed her hair and said angrily, “I ran into a crazy man when I went out. He actually tried to scam me. Luckily, I ran fast enough.”
Tang Yue led her toward Cai Jinhe’s room as she listened.
Then she exclaimed, “How can you be sure he was trying to scam you?
“Maybe he really needed your help.
“Cousin, Grandma has taught us since we were little that we should be kindhearted and help people in trouble. Did you forget?”
Tang Youyou’s mouth twitched.
Every word Tang Yue said was dripping with a kind of pure, crystal-clear stupidity.
*Could she be reborn?*
*She hasn’t experienced the corruption of human nature in the modern world yet?*
Tang Yue knocked on Cai Jinhe’s door.
“Come in,” Cai Jinhe replied.
Tang Yue pushed the door open and deliberately raised her voice.
“How can you ignore everything Grandma taught you?”
Tang Youyou stepped over the threshold with her right foot and immediately saw Cai Jinhe’s dark expression.
*Damn!*
*So I’m the stupid one after all.*
*No wonder this transmigrator/reborn woman was ruthless enough to push me out to take the fall for her.*
*She wants to compete with me in scheming?*
Tang Youyou immediately cried out in surprise.
“Yue’er, how could you think that way?
“Yes, Grandma taught us from childhood to be kindhearted and help others.
“But Grandma also taught us that as young women, we have to respect ourselves and protect our reputations.
“That crazy man clearly looked like trouble. He even threw himself at me without caring about anything. Was I supposed to just stand there and let him ruin my reputation?
“If that happened… if that happened…”
Tears welled up in her eyes, the corners turning red.
She looked as though Tang Yue had bullied her terribly.
Plop!
A tear finally spilled down her cheek.
Tang Youyou couldn’t hold it in anymore and threw herself into Cai Jinhe’s arms.
“Grandma… it really… it really scared me just now.”
“Ow!”
Cai Jinhe was knocked backward when Tang Youyou threw herself at her, and her back hit the edge of the bed.
Fortunately, the mattress was thick.
She was just about to push Tang Youyou away when she heard what came next.
“Grandma, don’t you think the way Yue’er was talking… could it be that she’s already been bullied by some crazy man?”
“What?”
Cai Jinhe glared furiously at Tang Yue.
Tang Yue hurriedly waved her hands.
“I didn’t…”
Tang Youyou sniffled and looked at Tang Yue pitifully.
“Then why did Yue’er say I should make a selfless sacrifice?
“Grandma, I remember you telling me that when you were young, there were even hooligans who deliberately targeted wealthy young ladies because they wanted to take a shortcut in life.
“Once those ladies’ reputations were ruined, they had no choice but to marry those men with a generous dowry.
“If that happened to me… I-I really don’t even want to think about it.”
Cai Jinhe shouted,
“How dare he?!”
Ruining Tang Youyou’s reputation was one thing.
But if it affected the reputation of the Tang family, that was absolutely unacceptable.
Cai Jinhe glared angrily at Tang Yue.
Tang Yue was completely dumbfounded.
*Wasn’t she supposed to be putting Tang Youyou in a bad light in front of Grandma?*
*Why did she end up getting framed instead?*
*When did Tang Youyou become this smart?*
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
Cai Jinhe squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.
Tang Yue’s heart sank.
She nervously took two steps backward.
“I didn’t! Grandma, you have to believe me. I’ve been at home all day today. Oh, right! I made your favorite pineapple cakes—the ones you and Grandpa both loved. I’ll go get them for you right now.”
She put particular emphasis on the word *Grandpa*.
Cai Jinhe’s body trembled.
Her anger instantly disappeared.
Tang Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she was extremely frustrated.
*Why can’t I stand seeing Tang Youyou doing well?*
*Why do I always feel the need to suppress her?*
Anyway, Tang Youyou was about to marry into the Qin family and suffer.
As for her, because she had the excuse of having received a “message from Grandpa in a dream,” even if Grandma favored her younger brother, she would still think of her.
When Tang Yue returned, she had already composed herself.
Tang Youyou was sitting beside Cai Jinhe and speaking in an innocent, coquettish tone.
“Grandma, you don’t have to praise me. I always remember what you taught me.
“After all, my biological mother passed away only a few days after I was born. If Grandma hadn’t raised me…
“Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll definitely take good care of you and repay your kindness in the future.”
Cai Jinhe was completely won over by her attitude and had even forgotten about the pain in her lower back.
“It’s just…”
Tang Youyou continued.
“Grandma, I might not be able to help the Tang family after all.
“My dad… he hit me yesterday when I went home. He said he wouldn’t let me swap marriages with Yue’er.”
Crash!
The entire plate of pineapple cakes fell heavily to the floor.
Cai Jinhe shot Tang Yue a furious look before hurriedly turning to Tang Youyou.
“Why does your father get to decide?”
“Exactly!”
Tang Youyou clenched her tiny fists.
“He didn’t give birth to me, and he didn’t raise me. Why does he get to control my life?
“I already promised you, Grandma. If my dad won’t allow it, I’ll have no choice but to… marry into the countryside.”
“How dare he!”
Cai Jinhe cursed angrily.
“The Tang family isn’t his to decide! There’s still this old woman here. What right does he have to oppose it?
“Youyou, my good girl!”
She grabbed Tang Youyou’s hand and spoke earnestly.
“Your father is an idiot. He doesn’t even realize that Zhou Ping has bewitched him.
“When you were just born, he insisted on naming you Tang Youyou with the character for *worry*, saying that you were born to kill your own mother and that you were nothing but a burden.
“He almost threw you out.
“Luckily, I found out in time and stopped him.
“Until you were eight, they always made you eat leftovers.
“You were such a skinny, tiny little girl, and you were always wearing clothes Tang Jiaojiao didn’t want anymore.
“Every year when the family bought lychees, they wouldn’t even let you have a single one.
“They even made you drop out of junior high just so Tang Jiaojiao could attend nursing school and get a good job.
“Tell me, how unlucky were you to end up with a biological father and stepmother like that?
“Now things are finally better. You’re about to get married and enjoy a good life, and he still wants to stop you.
“Youyou, don’t be afraid. Grandma will protect you.”
Tang Youyou desperately suppressed the twitching at the corners of her mouth and buried her head against Cai Jinhe’s shoulder.
She sobbed softly, repeating over and over,
“Grandma is still the best… Grandma loves me the most…”
But inwardly, she could only sigh.
*Cai Jinhe’s little psychological-manipulation routine…*
*The original owner must have heard this speech at least a hundred times growing up. If not a hundred, then definitely dozens.*
Yet she’d never once questioned whether any of it was true.
She’d even brought these things up countless times whenever she argued with Tang Hao.
No matter how Tang Hao explained himself, she simply refused to listen.
It was practically straight out of a melodramatic romance drama.
Of course, in the age when short-form videos had exploded, netizens were incredibly good at making fun of scenes like this.
Whenever Tang Youyou occasionally saw clips like those, she’d laugh until her stomach hurt while muttering,
*“This female lead is so stupid.”*
And now…
After transmigrating herself, she finally realized that the stupid one had actually been her.
*Ahem!*
No.
It was the original owner’s lack of common sense.
But…
*Can someone please tell me?*
*The original owner was the idiot, so why am I the one suffering this social death?!*
*Oh my God!*