“Hello, babies! This is our simplified version of sweet-and-sour spare ribs. It’s perfect for all you lazy foodies out there!”
Gu Xiaoxiao was in the middle of a cooking livestream while also promoting products.
She had recently founded a new company and was buried under countless responsibilities. As a result, she hadn’t slept for three days and three nights.
Her complexion looked terrible.
Even though she had covered it with a thick layer of foundation, the dark circles beneath her eyes were still visible.
The livestream chat immediately filled with comments.
[Is Xiaoxiao feeling unwell? She looks so exhausted.]
[I noticed it too! I heard Sister Zhen just started a company. She must be busy with work.]
[If you’re tired, Sister Zhen, please get some rest. Don’t wear yourself out.]
Reading the concerned messages, Gu Xiaoxiao smiled warmly.
She had been a streamer for three years.
During those three years, she had received so much love from her fans.
Their support genuinely warmed her heart.
“I’m fine, babies. I’ll get some rest after this. Don’t worry about me. Love you all!”
The moment she finished speaking, a sharp pain suddenly exploded in her chest.
Her heart felt as though it were being squeezed.
She couldn’t breathe.
The comments instantly erupted.
[What’s wrong with Sister Zhen?!]
[Sister Zhen—!]
Gu Xiaoxiao felt dizzy.
The world spun around her.
Then she collapsed onto the floor.
The last thing she heard was a series of hurried footsteps.
“Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao! Don’t scare Grandma like this!”
What was that voice?
Grandma?
But her grandmother had passed away years ago.
How could she possibly hear her grandmother’s voice?
Slowly, Gu Xiaoxiao lifted her heavy eyelids.
The sudden brightness made her uncomfortable, causing her to close them again before reopening them carefully.
Above her was a roof made of rough wooden planks.
Beside her sat an elderly woman.
Her hair was streaked with white.
Her skin was dark from years of labor.
Deep wrinkles lined her face.
Gu Xiaoxiao stared at the old woman in a daze.
Was that…
her grandmother?
She had been raised by her grandmother since childhood.
Her parents had died in a car accident long ago.
Her grandmother had been her only family.
And in the end, even Grandma had left her.
Tentatively, she called out:
“Gra… Grandma?”
The old woman’s eyes immediately lit up with joy.
“Oh, my precious granddaughter! You’re finally awake! If you hadn’t woken up soon, I would’ve followed you to the grave!”
Only then did Gu Xiaoxiao notice the woman’s clothing.
Coarse linen fabric.
Patch upon patch sewn everywhere.
Her brows furrowed as she glanced around the room.
Something wasn’t right.
Very wrong.
Had she been kidnapped?
No…
Even if she’d been kidnapped, why would people be dressed like this?
These were ancient clothes!
Wait.
Ancient?
Could this actually be…
the past?
Had she transmigrated?
Weakly supporting herself upright, Gu Xiaoxiao surveyed the room.
The house was beyond shabby.
Other than the bed she was lying on and an old wardrobe in the corner, there was practically nothing.
The wardrobe looked as though it would collapse at any second.
In short—
the entire place was painful to look at.
Suddenly, a violent headache struck.
She clutched her head as countless unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.
When the memories finally settled, the pain disappeared.
Only then did Gu Xiaoxiao realize the truth.
She really had transmigrated.
She had arrived in Qingmu Village, part of Chang’an Town in the Xinglan Kingdom.
The village sat between mountains and the sea.
Logically, it should have been prosperous.
Yet somehow, it was even poorer than neighboring villages.
The Gu family was a perfect example.
In fact, they were the poorest family in the entire village.
Gu Xiaoxiao felt devastated.
Her life in the modern world had only just begun.
Why did she have to start over again in a place like this?
Was Heaven playing a joke on her?
Her expression shifted constantly.
One moment she frowned.
The next she stared at the ceiling.
Then she looked ready to burst into tears.
Across from her, Old Madam Gu became increasingly alarmed.
Could her granddaughter have lost her mind?
“Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao! What’s wrong? Don’t scare Grandma!”
Only then did Gu Xiaoxiao remember that the old woman was still sitting beside her.
This was the original owner’s grandmother.
Someone who adored her immensely.
Actually, not just her grandmother—
the entire family spoiled her rotten.
Unfortunately, that excessive pampering had turned the original Gu Xiaoxiao into a tyrant.
She frequently bullied the village children.
Sometimes she even stole their food.
The reason she was lying here now was because she had tried to snatch a steamed cornbread bun from another child.
When the child refused, the original owner beat him up.
Feeling threatened, the child shoved her away in desperation.
She fell backward.
The back of her head struck a rock.
And that was the end of her.
Only then had Gu Xiaoxiao’s soul taken over the empty body.
The original owner had truly done every bad thing imaginable.
This was probably karma.
But why did she have to inherit such an embarrassing reputation?
Gu Xiaoxiao’s face crumpled miserably.
Old Madam Gu panicked.
“Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao! Say something to Grandma!”
Finally snapping out of her thoughts, Gu Xiaoxiao looked at the elderly woman whose appearance resembled her own grandmother so much.
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
“Grandma, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Old Madam Gu looked skeptical.
“Really?”
“Really. My head just hurt a little all of a sudden. That’s all.”
To make her lie more convincing, Gu Xiaoxiao held her head and pretended to be in pain.
As expected, Old Madam Gu immediately believed her.
“Oh dear! Then lie down quickly and stop talking.”
The old woman carefully tucked the blanket around her granddaughter and remained seated by the bedside, waiting for her to fall asleep.
It had been a long time since Gu Xiaoxiao had felt a grandmother’s love.
After her grandmother passed away, she had been completely alone in that world.
She never imagined she would get to experience this warmth again.
And now she even had an entire family that loved her.
Thinking about it that way…
perhaps this wasn’t so bad.
Since she had no idea how to return home anyway, she might as well try to live well in this world.
With that thought, she gradually drifted off to sleep.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then, suddenly—
light appeared.
A house materialized before her eyes.
Gu Xiaoxiao was shocked.
Wasn’t this her home from the modern world?
Had she somehow transmigrated back?
Besides the house, there was also a vast stretch of land surrounding it.
When had her home ever had such a huge grassy field nearby?
Just then, a mechanical voice sounded.
“Congratulations, Host. You have successfully bound to Warehouse No. 8.”