Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as Shen Yuduo stared blankly at her hand. The stinging pain in her cheek told her that she had just slapped herself.
Hadn’t she been downstairs watching the commotion when a couple fighting upstairs threw pots and pans out of their apartment, hitting her on the head and killing her? What was going on now?
“Shen Yuduo, don’t think I’ll give Brother Haoxuan up to you just because you do this!”
Shen Yuduo looked up in surprise.
Haoxuan? Zhou Haoxuan!
Wasn’t he a character in the historical novel she’d just finished reading?
In the story, the male lead was a battalion commander who had been transferred to the Beijing Military Region after distinguishing himself during a mission. Before leaving, he returned home to visit his family and fell in love at first sight with the female lead, Wu Rourou.
After they married, he brought Wu Rourou to Beijing, where they lived a life that everyone envied.
As for the supporting female character, Shen Yuduo, she played a crucial role in the story. She was Wu Rourou’s cousin and would eventually become her personal servant.
Years of emotional manipulation had convinced Shen Yuduo that she didn’t deserve happiness and that nobody could ever love her. As a result, she spent her entire life serving Wu Rourou, even treating Wu Rourou’s children as if they were her own.
Yet when Shen Yuduo eventually fell ill, nobody cared for her. She died alone in a rented room barely twenty square meters in size. It wasn’t until the stench of her decomposing body filled the room that her neighbors called the police and her death was discovered.
After finishing the novel, Shen Yuduo had been so furious that she’d nearly jumped out of her seat. She couldn’t believe anyone could live such a miserable, spineless life. Even more unbelievable was the fact that parents could actually disown their own daughter.
At the time, she’d thought that if she were in Shen Yuduo’s shoes, she would definitely…
And then she’d transmigrated into the story herself.
Well, that taught her not to speak carelessly!
Seeing that Shen Yuduo remained silent, Wu Rourou grew impatient. She reached out to shove her.
“Shen Yuduo, can’t you hear me talking to you?”
Before Wu Rourou could even touch her, Shen Yuduo had already dropped to the ground.
Wiping the corners of her eyes, Shen Yuduo said pitifully, “Cousin, I’ve already told you that I won’t fight you for Comrade Zhou.”
“You think you’re worthy of competing with me? Just look at yourself! What kind of person are you?”
Wu Rourou’s shrill voice rang through the courtyard. Combined with Shen Yuduo’s silent sobbing, the scene made it obvious to anyone watching that Wu Rourou was bullying her again.
“They’re cousins, for goodness’ sake. How can Wu Rourou be so cruel to her own cousin?”
“She always acts so gentle in front of us. Who would’ve thought she’d behave like this in private?”
Hearing the onlookers whispering, Wu Rourou panicked. She didn’t even dare look in their direction. Instead, she crouched down and tried to help Shen Yuduo to her feet.
“Yuduo, what are you doing? If you really like Brother Haoxuan, I’ll give him to you.”
Shen Yuduo lifted her eyes and glanced past the two women at Zhou Haoxuan, who was standing not far behind them.
“Cousin, Comrade Zhou has feelings of his own. He likes you, so how can you simply give him away? Does that mean he’s nothing more than an object to you, something you can hand over to anyone you please?”
As she spoke, Shen Yuduo seized Wu Rourou’s wrist. Once she was back on her feet, she tightened her grip.
Wu Rourou winced in pain and yanked her hand away. She raised her palm, intending to slap Shen Yuduo across the face.
Shen Yuduo flinched, shrinking back like a frightened little bird.
Before the slap could land, Zhou Haoxuan stepped forward.
“That’s enough, Rourou! Yuduo is your younger cousin. How can you raise your hand against her?”
Wu Rourou hadn’t expected him to be there. Stammering, she avoided his gaze.
“Brother Haoxuan, that’s not what happened! My cousin grew up in the countryside, so she doesn’t know how to behave. Besides, her parents are no longer around. I was only trying to teach her how to behave. I didn’t hit her at all! If anything, she was the one who hurt my wrist. But never mind. I know Yuduo didn’t mean to do it.”
Although Wu Rourou claimed she wanted to let the matter go, she casually rolled up her sleeve, revealing her reddened wrist.
Her eyes gleamed with calculation.
Once Brother Haoxuan saw her injury, he would surely despise Shen Yuduo even more.
Zhou Haoxuan’s attention was entirely focused on Wu Rourou, so he naturally noticed her wrist. He was just about to reprimand Shen Yuduo when he heard her apologizing.
“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ve been doing farm work since I was little, so I’m stronger than most people. I accidentally hurt Cousin.”
Zhou Haoxuan swallowed the words he’d been about to say. Instead, he turned to Wu Rourou.
“Rourou, Yuduo didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t hold it against her.”
Shen Yuduo quickly interrupted.
“No, it’s all my fault! Cousin, please punish me again!”
As she spoke, she lightly touched her still-tingling cheek.
The original Shen Yuduo certainly had a strong hand. She was also incredibly willing to hurt herself.
“What happened to your face?”
Shen Yuduo lowered her hand.
“I’m fine. Cousin didn’t mean to hit me either. It’s my fault for failing to make her happy.”
Wu Rourou immediately exploded.
“Shen Yuduo, stop talking nonsense! When did I ever hit you? You were the one who slapped yourself!”
Shen Yuduo shrank back slightly.
“Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Cousin.”
The two young women who had been watching the commotion couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Does Wu Rourou really think we’re idiots? Who would slap themselves for no reason?”
“Exactly! Didn’t Wu Rourou just say that Shen Yuduo was ill-behaved and that she needed to teach her a lesson? Isn’t it obvious that she was the one who hit her?”
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep watching. If Wu Rourou holds a grudge against us, she might find a way to get back at us.”
“Good idea. Let’s hurry!”
It was working hours, and most people had already left for their jobs. The textile factory’s residential compound was unusually quiet, so every word of their conversation carried clearly to Wu Rourou’s ears.
Normally, she would’ve argued back without hesitation. But with Zhou Haoxuan standing right there, she couldn’t afford to lose her temper.
Zhou Haoxuan looked at her disapprovingly.
“Rourou, if Yuduo does something wrong, you can correct her verbally. But don’t ever hit her again.”
Wu Rourou was so furious that she could barely breathe. Yet she had no way to defend herself.
“Zhou Haoxuan! I told you I didn’t hit Shen Yuduo, and you still refuse to believe me!”
Zhou Haoxuan glanced at his watch.
“Enough. I came today to pay a visit to your parents. Let’s go inside. I have other things to take care of later.”
Wu Rourou watched him walk away, her fists clenched tightly. As Shen Yuduo passed by her, she shot her a look sharp enough to cut.
“Shen Yuduo, just you wait!”
Shen Yuduo didn’t even spare her a sideways glance.
“You should worry about yourself first. After all, my parents are still alive and well, yet you’ve already told everyone that they’re dead.”
“Shen Yuduo, you are not allowed to tell them!”
The two returned home together.
Shen Yuduo’s father, Shen Jianguo, was a workshop supervisor at the textile factory, while her mother, Wang Fengjuan, was an ordinary factory worker. The family had been allocated a two-bedroom apartment with a living room.
Although the apartment had two bedrooms, Shen Yuduo wasn’t allowed to have one of her own. Wu Rourou claimed she wasn’t comfortable sharing a room with anyone, so Shen Yuduo had been forced to sleep on a makeshift bed in the living room.
Shen Yuduo frowned.
Wu Rourou certainly had a lot of demands. She wasn’t comfortable sharing a room? Then why couldn’t she sleep on the living room floor herself? What gave her the right to make the original Shen Yuduo sleep there?
Hmph! No matter what, she was sleeping in a bedroom tonight.
Knowing that Zhou Haoxuan would be visiting that day, Shen Jianguo and Wang Fengjuan had both taken the day off.
While her parents were busy chatting with Zhou Haoxuan, Shen Yuduo seized the opportunity to open the door to the second bedroom and walk inside.
Wu Rourou shot up from the sofa.
“Shen Yuduo, what do you think you’re doing? That’s my room!”