“Sir, catching a cheater requires evidence. Where’s your proof? Oh no, oh no, you’re not just throwing a tantrum because you can’t handle losing, are you?”
Su Nuannuan covered her mouth, feigning disbelief.
Lu Mingyuan rubbed his temples, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose with a bitter smile. “She wasn’t cheating.”
“Impossible. How could she keep winning without cheating?” Ji Xiao refused to believe it.
“She’s using mental calculation. We underestimated her memory. She only needs to see these cards once to remember their positions. If she wants, she can get any card she desires.” Lu Mingyuan’s gaze burned as he looked at Su Nuannuan, as if beholding a rare treasure.
“Comrade Su is exceptionally intelligent. I feel inadequate before you. Might Comrade Su be interested in joining the military? On behalf of the 36th Regiment of the Southern Military District, I invite you to enlist.”
Ji Xiao stared in shock. “Lu Mingyuan, have you lost your mind? You want a woman who’s never undergone training to join the Southern 36th Regiment?”
Lu Mingyuan’s eyes shone with determination. “I’m perfectly sane. The military district needs more than just combat strength; intellectual prowess is equally important. With Comrade Su’s instantaneous memory and crisis simulation abilities, she is fully qualified to serve as a military staff officer.”
She was a living map.
“Special talents can be recruited through exceptional channels. Comrade Su, are you willing?”
Ji Xiao fell silent, his eyes complex.
Who would have thought that the madcap girl who only knew how to cause trouble and obsessed over pinning him down all day actually possessed a photographic memory.
A pearl buried in dust—the Ji family’s sins ran deep indeed.
Su Nuannuan stretched lazily, listening to the System announce the completion of her mission, and yawned sleepily. “No.”
Her time was precious; she had no patience for training.
“Regiment Commander Ji, one last thing. I want you to go home now and retrieve my parents’ compensation. We’ll set off as soon as you bring it back.”
The first light of dawn crept in, golden-red sunlight slowly rising from the east as the quiet city gradually stirred to life.
Sounds of scolding children, pots clanging, cooking sizzles, and neighbors chatting filled the air with the noisy vitality of daily life.
Ji Xiao wiped his face. “Fine, you’re my ancestor now. I’ll go get your bankbook right away.”
Su Nuannuan leaned back against the headboard, smiling faintly. “Go on then, grandson. Have a smooth journey.”
Ji Xiao: …
This crazy girl was really pushing her luck.
With the sound of the door opening, only Su Nuannuan and Lu Mingyuan remained in the room.
Despite playing cards all night, Lu Mingyuan’s clothes remained neat and his expression clear. If not for the red veins in his eyes, no one would guess he had stayed up all night.
His tall figure stood by the bed, quietly watching her, hesitating as if wanting to speak.
Su Nuannuan closed her eyes and spoke lazily. “If you have something to ask, just ask. No need to hem and haw.”
“You…” Lu Mingyuan pursed his lips, his fingers tightening, a fine layer of sweat forming in his palms. “Do you have a red plum birthmark on your body?”
“No.” Su Nuannuan, drowsy and muddled, had completely forgotten she now inhabited a different body.
Lu Mingyuan’s breath hitched, a wave of intense disappointment washing over him.
It seemed he had been mistaken.
Of course, a young woman who had just come of age, suddenly facing such an ordeal—how could she possibly play cards as if nothing had happened?
His clenched hand relaxed, his voice dry and strained. “Rest first. I’ll go prepare breakfast.”
“Mm, thanks.” Her voice drifted, detached and indifferent, utterly lacking the playful charm she had shown in front of Ji Xiao.
Lu Mingyuan frowned deeply and gave her a long look. “Joining the military is the best choice for you. I hope you’ll consider it carefully.”
He turned and left.
Listening to the sound of the door closing, Su Nuannuan rolled over, hugging the blanket and facing the wall. [System, open the real-time footage of the Ji family.]
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the task. Physique Points +20]
[Current Beauty Points: 30]
[Physique: 40, curvaceous and well-proportioned]
[Voice: 50, soft and alluring]
[Health Points: 32, vitality restored]
[Combat Power: 10, Bronze Martial Artist]
[Current accumulated Luck Points: 600]
[Opening real-time footage requires deducting 200 Luck Points. Please choose whether to proceed, Host.]
Su Nuannuan: [Proceed.]
[Ding! 200 Luck Points have been deducted. Footage transmission starting!]
A massive light screen materialized.
Su Nuannuan rested her head on her arm, crossed her legs, and watched leisurely.
On the screen, Mother Ji clutched a bankbook, so angry she felt like vomiting blood. “Ji Xiao, have you lost your mind? You can’t touch this money.”
“Mom, let go. This is the compensation for Nuannuan’s parents. It was temporarily kept by the Ji family because she was too young back then. Now that she’s an adult, the money should be returned to her.”
Ji Xiao was frantic. The departure time was getting closer, and he needed to hurry back.
Mother Ji gripped the bankbook tightly, her vision darkening. “Give it to Su Nuannuan? Why should she get it? This is what I deserve. I raised her for eight years—did I do it for free? Ji Xiao, if you dare take this bankbook today, don’t call yourself my son!”
This ungrateful wretch, siding with an outsider—this was like cutting flesh from her body.
Mother Ji wailed and sobbed, but afraid Ji Chuan might hear, she gritted her teeth to stifle her cries, tears streaming down her face.
Ji Xiao’s temples throbbed. In over twenty years of life, this was the first time he realized his mother could resort to such hysterics.
Glancing at his wristwatch, his expression darkened. “Mom, if you keep making a scene, I’ll tell Dad about that matter. Let go.”
Mother Ji was momentarily stunned by her son’s icy tone.
Seizing the opportunity, Ji Xiao snatched the bankbook and strode away without looking back.
“You… you unfilial son!”
Mother Ji clutched her chest, collapsing weakly to the floor. Her face turned pale, her lips purple, and she finally closed her eyes and fell unconscious.
Su Nuannuan curled her lips and closed the light screen.
“Since you enjoy pretending to have a heart condition, I’ll let you experience the real thing. Mrs. Ji, don’t you dare die just yet. This is only the beginning—I haven’t had enough fun.”
The pink piglet trembled. The Host was ruthless. Killing someone outright was one thing, but she preferred to torture them slowly.
Instead of delivering a fatal blow, she deliberately left them clinging to life, letting them recover slightly before striking again, forcing them to struggle on the brink of death.
Hugging its little body tightly, it wondered silently: Had it ever done anything to wrong Su Nuannuan?
Wah… so scary. It wanted to go back home.
…
After the meal, Su Nuannuan took the household register and bankbook Ji Xiao handed her, tucking them into her inner pocket. She felt the brick-like stack of money and frowned. “I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ji Xiao said hastily.
“No need.”
Su Nuannuan quickly walked out of the courtyard.
If he followed her, how could she deliver another blow to Mother Ji?
She slipped an anonymous letter into an unattended mailbox.
Su Nuannuan deposited some of the money, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a spool of fishing line, a needle, and a small knife.
Glancing at the watches in the display case, she frowned slightly. She had money but no ration coupons.
“Want one? Which one?” A deep, pleasant male voice sounded behind her.
Su Nuannuan turned around and met the man’s smiling peach blossom eyes.
“No need, I can buy it myself.”
Lu Mingyuan stepped forward to stand side by side with her, pointing to the most expensive ladies’ watch inside. “How about this one? Your wrist is slender, your skin delicate and fair. This watch has an exquisite dial—it should suit you perfectly.”
After finishing his words, he looked up at the salesperson behind the counter. “This one, please. Take it out.”