Xu Xinglin was staying in a private hospital room.
The lights were already off, making it the perfect opportunity for her to enter her space.
The moment she stepped inside, she ran straight into the villa.
She had spent so much time with Lu Shijia today—there had to be some new reward.
Filled with anticipation, she searched the entire first floor.
Nothing seemed different.
Casually, she muttered,
“Take me to the newly unlocked area.”
The next instant, she was teleported directly to the walk-in wardrobe on the second floor.
“…!”
It nearly scared her to death.
She hadn’t been mentally prepared at all.
What greeted her eyes was an enormous collection of fabrics, covering nearly two hundred square meters.
She swallowed.
She had been too embarrassed to admit it, but ever since arriving in this era, she had never gotten used to its textiles.
They were simply too rough.
Whenever she wore them for long, they left itchy red marks all over her skin.
Excited, she stepped forward and gently touched the reward she had earned through all her painstaking efforts getting close to Lu Shijia.
This was the reward for her acting skills!
The first bolt she picked up was camel wool.
Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
This was premium material.
It was three times warmer than ordinary wool while remaining incredibly lightweight—perfect for someone with sensitive skin like hers.
She couldn’t even imagine how comfortable it would feel in winter.
Next came silk interwoven with golden threads.
It was unbelievably smooth, though far too eye-catching.
She wouldn’t dare wear it outside.
She reached for another bolt.
Cashmere.
Superfine cashmere.
Then came every imaginable kind of silk, cotton in various thread counts, modal, bamboo fiber…
By the time she finished looking around, she was dazzled.
She had to admit…
The space was astonishingly comprehensive.
It even stocked popular fabrics of the era, like corduroy, dacron, twill, and khaki cloth.
Suddenly, a bolt of military-green cotton fabric caught her attention.
She walked over and touched it.
Visually, it looked coarse and perfectly ordinary.
But the moment her fingers brushed against it, it flowed like water—silky smooth.
Could it be…
Had the space intentionally prepared fabrics that both matched the aesthetics of this era and still felt luxurious enough for her to wear comfortably?
How thoughtful.
Nowadays, buying fabric required not only money but also ration coupons.
And even then, most fabrics were scratchy.
With these materials, she no longer had to worry.
After handling fabric for so long, she was getting tired.
She had also looted quite a bit of fabric from the Xu household today.
But now that she had the space’s collection, she planned to give those away to someone else.
The Xu family’s things…
She thought they were filthy.
After inspecting her new territory, she planted all the seeds she had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative into the black soil.
Since planting wasn’t automatic yet, she only sowed a little of each variety to test the results.
Looking at the fertile black earth, she sighed.
This body tired out after doing even a little work.
If only the next reward were an automatic farming system…
After indulging in that pleasant fantasy, she headed straight for her crystal-and-diamond bathtub and enjoyed another luxurious soak.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something important remained unfinished.
Before leaving the space, she casually changed into one of her favorite outfits.
Only after lying on the hospital bed did she finally remember.
There was still one matter she hadn’t dealt with tonight.
Wu Chi.
In the original novel, he had ruined the original Xu Nianchu’s life.
Even after she had transmigrated, he had still tried to prey on her.
She took a deep breath.
Earlier, she hadn’t understood why the police had searched her home but hadn’t investigated Wu Chi.
Was his authority simply too great?
Was he beyond their reach?
She clenched her fists.
Ever since arriving here, the only influential person she knew was Old Master Lu.
She had no choice.
For something like this…
She needed someone powerful backing her up.
Summoning her courage, she left the hospital.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far from the Lu residence.
The summer night echoed with the chirping of crickets beneath a sky bright with moonlight and scattered stars.
She hadn’t seen such a beautiful night sky in many years.
The young guard at the military compound looked surprised when he saw her.
“It’s you? Why are you here so late?”
She took a handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket.
“Could you help me notify the Lu family?”
The young soldier pushed the candies back.
“No need. Old Master Lu already gave instructions.”
“You can come in anytime now without reporting first.”
Xu Nianchu didn’t stand on ceremony and walked straight inside.
Truthfully, she felt nervous.
It was already so late.
If she disturbed Old Master Lu’s sleep, that wouldn’t be good.
She secretly hoped she’d run into Lu Beichen instead.
She paced back and forth outside the front door several times before finally gathering the courage to knock.
Just then—
The door suddenly swung open.
A hand seized her wrist and pinned her against the wooden door.
The sensation felt strangely familiar.
On the first day she’d arrived in this world…
He had restrained her exactly like this.
His grip was powerful, locking her wrist in place and forcing her palm upward.
She was completely under his control.
“Ah—it’s me.”
The instant Lu Beichen grabbed her, he realized it was Xu Nianchu.
Even in the darkness, he could make out the faint tear stains on her face.
“What are you doing wandering around someone else’s doorstep in the middle of the night?”
“What happened?”
He slowly loosened his grip.
The moment he released her wrist, Xu Nianchu instinctively pushed against him.
The movement thrust her full chest forward, pressing directly against him.
Only after letting go did Lu Beichen realize…
He had just been bumped into.
Soft.
Warm.
Heavy.
He clenched his fist and immediately stepped back.
Tears welled up in Xu Nianchu’s eyes again.
“Lu Beichen…”
“Please help me.”
Hearing his name spoken in her soft voice, something stirred inside him.
He looked directly into her eyes.
“Why should I?”
The overwhelming pressure radiating from him left Xu Nianchu at a loss.
She answered quietly,
“Aren’t our families connected by a childhood engagement?”
Lu Beichen remained unmoved.
“Wasn’t that already called off?”
“Or have you fallen for my nephew?”
Xu Nianchu bit her lip, racking her brain.
She completely failed to notice the peculiar tone in his voice.
“Hm?”
She hesitated guiltily for a moment.
She certainly valued Lu Shijia because getting close to him unlocked new functions in her space.
But if you asked whether she actually liked him…
He still felt a little too immature.
“Not really…”
Outside the bedroom, she preferred refined, dangerous, mature men.
In the bedroom, younger, energetic types seemed more suitable.
Unfortunately…
Men like that were incredibly rare.
Lu Beichen leaned in a little closer.
“If you don’t even like my nephew…”
“Then who do you like?”
Instinctively, Xu Nianchu pushed against him.
Only then did she realize the muscles beneath her palm were burning hot and firm.
“Y-you…”
“You’re not wearing a shirt!”
Hearing the tremble in her voice, Lu Beichen was annoyed to discover the changes in his own body again.
He had always prided himself on his self-control.
Yet lately…
It seemed to be growing weaker and weaker.
The veins along his forearm stood out.
His voice grew slightly hoarse as he forced himself back into his usual cold demeanor.
“What happened?”
Remembering why she’d come, Xu Nianchu resumed her pitiful, tearful expression.
“My scumbag father tried to send me to Wu Chi’s bed tonight.”
“He tied up my younger brother and beat him.”
“I escaped with him.”
“Of course, I didn’t let them off easily. I reported all three of them to the police.”
“But Wu Chi is still out there without facing any consequences.”
“I was wondering if…”
Lu Beichen immediately caught the key point.
“You already reported it to the police today?”