“Stop playing dead! Take a good look at yourself. You smell like dirt from head to toe!”
“When we get to the military compound, you’d better keep your mouth shut. Don’t embarrass the Lin family!”
The shrill scolding mixed with the roaring of an old diesel engine.
Lin Wan’s eyes flew open.
Above her was a sheet of green canvas swaying violently with the jolts of the truck.
The pungent smell of cheap gasoline mixed with dust hit her like a hammer.
Her stomach churned so hard she nearly threw up.
Where am I?
Before she could make sense of anything, a face suddenly loomed in front of her.
It was her cousin, Lin Xue.
Holding a palm-sized round mirror, Lin Xue adjusted her windblown bangs while looking Lin Wan up and down with obvious disgust.
“Hey! I’m talking to you! Cat got your tongue?”
“That ‘Living King of Hell,’ Qin Zhan, may have a terrifying reputation, but he’s still a regiment commander with a bright future.”
“If it weren’t for the engagement your dead father arranged, do you think a country bumpkin like you would ever have this kind of opportunity?”
“I’m telling you now—when you meet him later, you’d better have enough sense to call off the engagement yourself. Don’t be a toad dreaming of eating swan meat!”
A flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into Lin Wan’s mind like needles stabbing her brain.
Taking a deep breath, she finally understood her situation.
She had transmigrated into a novel.
Specifically, an 1980s military romance novel, where she had become the beautiful-but-useless cannon fodder first wife.
The original Lin Wan was the Lin family’s long-lost biological daughter, raised in the countryside. Timid and lacking confidence, she’d spent her life being looked down upon.
The arrogant girl in front of her, Lin Xue, was the fake daughter who had stolen both her family’s love and her good fortune. She was also the novel’s vicious supporting villain.
This trip to the city was to fulfill the marriage agreement between the Lin and Qin families.
According to the original plot, Lin Xue would humiliate Lin Wan every step of the way until she made a fool of herself in front of Qin Zhan. She would become the laughingstock of everyone before meeting a miserable end.
Lin Wan rubbed her temples, the corners of her lips curling into an amused smile.
You want me to break off the engagement?
You want me to be your stepping stone?
Dream on.
Just then, a cold mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
[Ding! Detecting host’s mental activity. The Ultimate Gossip System is now binding…]
[Binding successful!]
[Starter Gift Pack awarded: 1 Space Capsule (contains one cubic meter of storage space), 1 Enhanced Physique Pill.]
[Newbie Mission: Successfully enjoy one high-quality piece of gossip at the entrance of the military compound.]
[Mission Reward: 10 jin of premium rice and 2 jin of pork belly.]
The moment Lin Wan heard the words pork belly, her eyes instantly lit up.
People in this era rarely had enough oil or meat in their diets, and the original owner’s body was as skinny as a bean sprout.
For that pork, she’d definitely eat this melon.
“Are you even listening? You’re like a block of wood!”
Seeing Lin Wan remain silent, Lin Xue assumed she’d been scared stiff by the imposing military compound. Her contempt only deepened.
Screech—
The green Liberation truck came to an abrupt stop.
The sudden inertia nearly sent Lin Wan crashing into the metal railing.
“We’re here! This is the military compound!”
Lin Xue squealed excitedly, quickly putting away her mirror and smoothing out her floral polyester dress.
Taking a deep breath, the sneer vanished from her face, instantly replaced by the delicate, ladylike expression of a refined young lady.
The truck’s tailgate was lowered.
Lin Xue eagerly jumped down, even striking a graceful pose the moment she landed, hoping to leave a good impression on the guards standing watch.
The act was so fake it made people’s skin crawl.
Lin Wan, however, was in no hurry.
She slowly shuffled to the edge of the truck.
Instead of panicking as Lin Xue expected, she casually dug into her worn-out bedroll and pulled out…
A tiny folding stool polished smooth from years of use.
Then she fished out…
A half-finished bag of sunflower seeds.
To everyone’s utter shock, she strolled over to the shade of a large parasol tree, unfolded the stool, and sat down with complete ease.
Crack.
The shell of the first sunflower seed landed on the ground.
Every movement was smooth and natural, radiating absolute relaxation.
Lin Xue was dumbfounded.
Even the armed sentries at the gate froze.
Was she really here to visit family?
Why did she look more like an old fortune-teller setting up shop outside the compound?
“Lin Wan! What are you doing? Get up right now!”
Lin Xue hissed under her breath, stomping anxiously.
“This is the headquarters gate! How can you sit there like some street loafer? You’re humiliating us!”
Lin Wan lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced at her as if looking at an idiot before continuing to crack sunflower seeds.
Why stand when you can sit?
Why sit when you can lie down?
It was the golden rule she’d learned in her previous life as an overworked office worker.
At that moment…
The imposing iron gates of the compound slowly swung open.
A group of soldiers in uniform walked out.
Leading them was a man in his fifties with a square face, sharp brows, and piercing eyes. The two gold stars on his shoulders gleamed brilliantly beneath the sun.
One look was enough to tell he was a powerful leader.
Behind him followed two perfectly upright guards with solemn expressions.
“C-Com… Commander!”
Lin Xue turned deathly pale.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably.
She adored status and wealth, but the highest-ranking officer she’d ever seen was a regiment commander.
Someone of this level?
Never.
She hurriedly lowered her head, twisting her hands together, hardly daring to breathe for fear of offending such an important figure.
Meanwhile, she cursed Lin Wan a thousand times in her heart.
It’s over! That idiot is sitting there like a bum! She’s going to drag me down with her!
Lin Wan also looked up, squinting slightly.
So this is the legendary commander?
Looks pretty imposing.
Suddenly, the system in her mind began flashing red frantically.
[Ding! An earth-shattering piece of gossip detected!]
[Target locked: Commander Zhao Guobang, twenty meters ahead.]
[Loading gossip content…]
Still munching on sunflower seeds, Lin Wan curiously read the information appearing on the system panel.
The next second, her eyes widened.
Her inner thoughts, usually calm, became unusually animated from sheer amusement.
Completely unaware of it, the system’s special ability was broadcasting every one of her thoughts to everyone within a twenty-meter radius.
Heh. So this is the decisive Commander Zhao? Looks intimidating, but he’s actually a world-class henpecked husband.
No wonder he’s limping slightly even in this heat. He’s hiding his secret stash of money inside his left sock.
Two hundred yuan! Stuffed underneath a thick cotton sock. Isn’t he worried his foot sweat will make the money stink?
Last time he hid it inside a vase in his study, and his wife confiscated the whole stash. This time he actually came up with this ridiculous hiding place.
Oh dear… he’s doomed. His wife seems to be watching from the second-floor window of the family quarters with a pair of binoculars.
Looks like someone’s going to be kneeling on the washboard tonight if she finds out.
The air froze.
Commander Zhao, who had been striding confidently toward his inspection, suddenly stumbled.
The iron-blooded veteran who had commanded thousands of soldiers without batting an eye…
Almost tripped over his own feet on perfectly flat ground.
His two guards immediately reached out to steady him.
But Zhao abruptly regained his footing.
His face cycled from red to white, then white to green.
His tiger-like eyes widened in horror as he slowly turned around.
His gaze locked directly onto Lin Wan, who was still sitting beneath the tree holding half a sunflower seed.
He looked at her as though she’d transformed into some terrifying monster.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan was still wondering to herself.
What’s wrong with the commander? Did he trip on level ground?
Was that two hundred yuan so thick it made his foot uncomfortable?
If that money really smells like sweaty feet, I wonder if the clerk at the supply store will refuse to take it.
Commander Zhao instinctively bent over, clutching his left ankle tightly.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
The humiliation of having his secret completely exposed—and the terror of facing his wife’s punishment—instantly shattered his composure.
He couldn’t even maintain the dignified image he’d built before his subordinates.
“Commander? Are you…”
One of the guards began to ask if the commander was feeling unwell.
But before he could finish—
Commander Zhao spun around and sprinted toward the family quarters faster than someone running the hundred-meter dash.
As he ran, he lowered his voice and shouted anxiously,
“Quick! Retreat! Back home! I have urgent military business to attend to!”
“No matter who comes looking for me, tell them I’m not here!”
The two guards exchanged bewildered looks.
They had absolutely no idea what had happened.
But orders were orders.
They hurried after him.
In the blink of an eye, all that remained at the gate was a cloud of dust.
Lin Xue stood there completely stunned.
The sentries at the gate were equally dumbfounded.
Only Lin Wan remained seated, still holding her sunflower seed with a puzzled expression.
What’s wrong with the commander? Desperate for the bathroom? Why’s he running so fast?
Guess being a top leader is pretty stressful. His kidneys probably aren’t in great shape.
She shook her head, popped another sunflower seed into her mouth with a loud crack, and continued eating happily.
She had absolutely no idea that, in those few brief moments, she’d nearly turned the entire military compound upside down all by herself.