Night fell quickly.
An eerie stillness settled over the surroundings.
Aside from the occasional shouts of Pei Jin’an drifting in from the neighboring courtyard, the deep-autumn night—amid dense rural hills and forests—was genuinely unsettling.
Inside the narrow room, under dim candlelight, Song Shiyu felt uncomfortable for the first time since arriving.
She missed every household appliance from modern society with an aching intensity.
As long as there was proper lighting, she wouldn’t feel afraid.
But in this kind of environment… it was practically lethal.
There was no helping it. She could only try to fall asleep as early as possible.
Unfortunately, she’d slept too much during the day. Now, lying on the wooden plank bed, even forcing her eyes wide open didn’t help—she simply couldn’t fall asleep.
Forget it!
No more torturing herself!
If she couldn’t sleep, then she wouldn’t.
If she was scared, she’d go find someone to talk to.
After all, there were people next door who were still awake. She’d go chat with them—humans were, after all, social animals.
If she had a computer, video games, or even a storybook, she could pass the time. But now… she could only endure.
She pushed the door open.
Dark shadows loomed over the surrounding mountains and forests, twisted branches resembling ghostly figures.
Late autumn nights were bitterly cold, utterly different from the daytime scenery.
Suppressing her fear, Song Shiyu quickened her steps and dashed toward the neighboring room where light was still on.
Knock, knock, knock!
She knocked briefly—and without waiting for permission, pushed the door open and walked straight in.
“Second Miss Song?” Pei Qinhuai rose quickly when he saw her burst in. “Is something the matter?”
Song Shiyu cleared her throat.
“I… I slept too much during the day. I can’t really fall asleep.”
As she spoke, she walked straight toward the table.
Inside the room were also Pei Jin’an and Pei Jinxi. The moment the two children saw Song Shiyu, their expressions changed.
Pei Jin’an looked disgusted.Pei Jinxi looked frightened.
Seeing that his sister was clearly scared of Second Miss Song, Pei Jin’an hurriedly comforted her. “Sister, don’t be afraid! I’m here—this bad woman won’t dare bully you!”
Song Shiyu: “……”
Sorry about that.
This was all the original owner’s fault. She was completely innocent by association—wrong person, wrong body.
Pei Jinxi was more mature than Pei Jin’an. She glanced at Pei Qinhuai, thought for a moment, then patted Pei Jin’an on the arm.
“Don’t say that about Second Miss Song. She’ll be our Third Aunt in the future.”
“We’re all family. You shouldn’t talk like that.”
With that, Pei Jinxi took the initiative to walk up to Song Shiyu. Half afraid, half well-behaved, she spoke softly:
“Third Aunt, don’t take An’an seriously. He didn’t mean it.”
Song Shiyu: “……”
The original owner really wasn’t human.
To bully such a kind, pretty little girl—completely unforgivable.
Song Shiyu smiled gently. “I’m not your Third Aunt yet. Third Young Master and I aren’t married. You don’t need to call me that anymore—just call me Second Miss Song.”
Pei Jinxi raised her brows in surprise.
Second Miss Song… why would she say something like that today?
In the past, she’d always been vicious and arrogant, never giving her a good look.
She’d hurt her over trivial matters—twisting her arm, hitting her with a stick.
And she’d warned her not to tell Third Uncle.
She’d said that she would sooner or later become their Third Aunt, and if they didn’t listen, they shouldn’t even think about staying by Third Uncle’s side in the future.
After being threatened several times—and beaten a few times, though not severely—Pei Jinxi had a pretty good grasp of what kind of temper and character Second Miss Song had.
But now…
She looked like an entirely different person.
“…Okay.”
Feeling puzzled, Pei Jinxi said nothing more.
As for Pei Jin’an, he already disliked Song Shiyu and had even less interest in interacting with her now.
And the older one—Pei Qinhuai—had completely ignored her ever since she entered, acting as if he hadn’t seen her at all. That left Song Shiyu feeling awkward.
But awkward as it was, it was still better than going back alone to face that terrifying room.
She’d just stay here and endure.
So Song Shiyu dragged over a chair and sat down.
Outside, the wind howled like wailing ghosts.
Looking at the two children’s faces—and at Pei Qinhuai’s tall, reassuring figure—Song Shiyu felt far less afraid.
Spotting several books on the table, she picked one up and flipped through it casually to pass the time.
They turned out to be Di Tian Sui, San Ming Tong Hui, Taiyi Divine Numbers, Qi Men Dun Jia—dense, ancient texts that looked unbearably dry.
Song Shiyu thought she wouldn’t understand a word.
But once she opened them, her eyes widened.
They were all books on fate and divination.
And surprisingly—not as dull as she’d imagined.
She still remembered her own birth date and time from her modern life. She’d once converted it into the Eight Characters and even had a fortune-teller take a look.
Finding it interesting, she’d memorized it.
Hmm… born on a Geng Metal day in the You month.
Flipping through and comparing, she realized—
She had a Yang Blade configuration.
“So fierce?” Song Shiyu muttered.
She read for a long time. Yang Blade configurations were described as extremely inauspicious. Thinking back, it wasn’t surprising—she had faced plenty of misfortune growing up.
“What’s fierce?”
Just as those words left her mouth, Pei Qinhuai’s voice sounded beside her.
She didn’t know when, but the man was already standing next to her.
Song Shiyu cleared her throat. Seeing that he had a brush and some scrap paper in hand, she casually wrote down her Eight Characters.
“I was reading about the Yang Blade configuration. My chart fits perfectly—Geng Metal born in the You month. Looks extremely dangerous. Figures my fate isn’t great.”
The original owner’s birth date happened to be the same as hers.
Looks like her tragic death as a side character was also… destiny.
Hearing how outrageous her conclusion was, Pei Qinhuai quickly interrupted.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Let me see.”
He lowered his head to examine her chart, then narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly.
“It’s fine. Your fate can be salvaged. You’re destined for rank and status—capable in both civil and martial pursuits, with exceptional talent.”
“Since ancient times, wealth and honor are sought through danger. Though there are ominous signs, that doesn’t mean it’s severe. On the contrary, it’s an extremely prosperous fate. You’ll just need to wait a few years—once you enter your Wealth and Authority cycle, you’ll truly enjoy life.”
“You still have sixty years of good fortune ahead. You’re worrying for nothing.”
Whether Pei Qinhuai was deliberately humoring her or actually telling the truth—who knew.
But hearing it made Song Shiyu feel inexplicably pleased.
It seemed that as long as she didn’t offend Pei Qinhuai, the original owner’s fate was actually pretty good.
That only strengthened Song Shiyu’s resolve—
Once her foundation was stable enough, she absolutely had to sever ties with this future top scholar as cleanly as possible.
Only then could she truly keep her life intact.