Chapter One: The Discarded Impostor Heiress

A sudden sense of vertigo swept over her. Su Xiaoyun’s ears were still ringing when a deep male voice droned in her ear, “Xiaoyun, did you understand what I just told you?”

“Jinyue isn’t in good health. This time, you’ll be working with her—help her out with her tasks, too.”

The man before her was tall, dressed in coarse linen, his skin tanned a wheat-brown by the sun. Even the way he spoke betrayed a rural accent.

Jinyue? That name sounded familiar. Wasn’t she the vicious supporting character in the novel she’d been reading before falling asleep?

“Zhou Xuejun?” Su Xiaoyun ventured, trying out the man’s name.

Zhou Xuejun frowned. “What’s wrong? Su Xiaoyun, were you even listening to what I just said?”

Now Su Xiaoyun was certain: she had transmigrated into a book. She had become the fake daughter Su Xiaoyun of a family saga.

After the Su family found their real daughter, her adoptive parents forced the original Su Xiaoyun to give up her job to the true daughter, and sent her off to the countryside as a substitute, where she remained for five whole years.

The man before her was Zhou Xuejun, whom she’d met on her way down to the countryside. Zhou Xuejun had been so poor he could barely eat. Seeing she had ration coupons, he cozied up to her, seeking favors and free meals.

The original Su Xiaoyun, having just been abandoned by her family and sent away with no one to rely on, mistook Zhou Xuejun’s calculated kindness for genuine warmth, and fell head over heels for him.

Zhou Xuejun dangled her along, shamelessly enjoying her devotion, yet refused to make anything official, all the while carrying on with Yang Jinyue, the production team leader’s daughter.

The original was truly a love-fool, blind to any sign between Zhou Xuejun and Yang Jinyue. She toiled away, doing the work of three people without complaint, convinced that everything was for her own good. In the end, she gained nothing, was cleaned out of every penny, and fell sick from exhaustion. Without money for medicine, she died miserably in the countryside.

But as for her—she wasn’t born yesterday. Trash like this man should be kicked to the curb as soon as possible!

Zhou Xuejun, seeing her silent, urged, “I told you before, if you meet 999 of my conditions, I’ll agree to be with you.”

“You’ve only met 97 so far. If you help me and Jinyue with our work, I’ll count it as two more.”

Nine hundred and ninety-nine? Did he think he was some kind of magic pill, warm and comforting?

“Help you two with your work? Why not just have me stand lookout for your trysts as well?” Su Xiaoyun let out a cold, furious laugh. “With that scrawny body of yours, you’re not even man enough to please her once.”

“Su Xiaoyun, what nonsense are you spouting! I’ve always seen Jinyue as my sister—it’s nothing like what you’re thinking!” Panic flashed in his eyes. Could she have found out?

How dare this wretch insult his manhood!

Zhou Xuejun had never imagined that the always-obedient Su Xiaoyun would talk back to him like this. His face darkened, as if he’d lost his own father.

Enraged and humiliated, Zhou Xuejun threatened, “If you won’t help Jinyue with her work, I won’t be with you! The 97 you’ve done so far don’t count!”

He’d already bragged to Yang Jinyue that he’d have Su Xiaoyun completely at her beck and call, but if Su Xiaoyun didn’t go along, how would he explain himself to her? If Yang Jinyue got angry and told her father, the production team leader, he’d be finished!

His voice was loud enough to draw a crowd of curious villagers.

“Don’t make me sick!” Su Xiaoyun rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the heavens. “Stay away from me, you worthless man!”

She couldn’t wait to get rid of this deadweight.

What?

Zhou Xuejun was stunned. What had gotten into Su Xiaoyun today? Without her, who would do his work for him, who would earn him money and ration coupons?

Flustered, he reached out to grab her arm, but Su Xiaoyun nimbly dodged.

She said, “Since you want to cut ties, then return everything I’ve given you.”

With the villagers watching, Su Xiaoyun methodically listed off everything the scoundrel owed her.

The original Su Xiaoyun had a habit of keeping careful accounts, always carrying a small notebook in which she’d recorded every detail—including all she’d given to Zhou Xuejun.

Flipping through the notebook, Su Xiaoyun read aloud, “In these five years in the countryside, I gave you a ration coupon every so often; the work points in the team, I put most under your name and only a little under mine. Altogether, I’ve spent over a hundred yuan on you. Pay all that back, and we’ll call it even.”

The crowd of villagers was stunned, whispering among themselves:

“Wasn’t Su Xiaoyun always crazy about Zhou Xuejun? What’s gotten into her today?”

“Maybe she’s making it up. Jinyue said Su Xiaoyun’s money and coupons were all stolen—dirty money. She can’t even support herself, how could she have given money to Zhou Xuejun?”

“I don’t believe she’d ever really cut ties—she’s dreamed of marrying him!”

Zhou Xuejun sneered. Su Xiaoyun’s reputation in the village was already in tatters; who would bother with her but him? He was certain this was just another of her ploys for his attention.

Clearly, he’d been too lenient with her.

“Su Xiaoyun, your tricks for getting my attention are getting pathetic,” he scoffed. “From now on, I won’t spare you another glance—unless you come crawling to beg my forgiveness!”

With that, he turned and strode away.

He was sure it wouldn’t be long before Su Xiaoyun came begging. When she did, he’d have her not only do all the work for him and Jinyue, but make her kneel and admit her wrongs.

The villagers waited eagerly to see Su Xiaoyun make a fool of herself. After all, every time they fought before, she’d always come carrying bags of gifts to beg Zhou Xuejun’s forgiveness. Everyone had seen it happen, and this time seemed no different.

As noon approached, Su Xiaoyun’s stomach rumbled with hunger. She reached into her pocket and found not a single coin.

Recalling the entries in the account book, she realized the original had left herself only half a yuan each month, giving all the rest—money and ration coupons—to Zhou Xuejun.

And Zhou Xuejun had used those to curry favor with Yang Jinyue.

Yang Jinyue accepted the benefits and still spread rumors about her. The original was too weak to defend herself, letting everyone trample over her, never daring to speak out. Zhou Xuejun pretended not to know, letting the gossip fester until things reached this point.

If she didn’t want to starve, she’d have to go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables.