Chapter 1: Marrying a 90s Girlfriend
Like a wooden telephone pole from the last century, it leans crookedly against the mud wall, and in the center is a black-tiled house with exposed old red bricks, which looks less than a person's height.
The weathered wooden door was wide open, and the stove inside could be seen at a glance. The color of the window frame was a bit strange. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was not glass, but a layer of murky plastic sheeting.
Only that dilapidated telephone pole offered a semblance of modernity; all other details clearly told Ye Xiqing that even a remote mountain village in the present world couldn't possibly be the place she had traveled back in time.
Sure enough, a voice rang in my mind.
"Congratulations, host, you have been bound to the 'Refreshing Novel Female Protagonist System'. 7418 is at your service."
Ye Xiqing slowly turned her eyes.
Before transmigrating, she was a senior high school student preparing for the college entrance examination. As someone who loves reading comprehension the most, Ye Xiqing grasped the key points almost immediately.
"Congratulations?"
"That's right."
The system's voice was an exceptionally gentle male voice, speaking in my mind like a whisper in my ear, carrying a lazy ambiguity.
However, although it congratulated Ye Xiqing with a gentle tone and even used honorifics, Ye Xiqing always felt that it was not as humble as its words suggested.
In fact, it was pretty much what Ye Xiqing had thought.
As a female-oriented wish-fulfillment novel system, 7418's job is to select lucky individuals from various worlds, take them on journeys between them, give them cheat codes, create dreams for them, and let them experience a perfect life.
At its inception, as an unknowing and unfeeling intelligent life form, it had no likes, dislikes, or biases.
But as it experiences more of the world and its "personality" becomes richer, it begins to develop its own "humanity," which is—
It felt that its hosts were not worthy of respect.
If I had to use one word to describe them, it would be "unworthy of their positions."
In countless timelines, they will be loved by all the outstanding men in the story, making all women jealous. Even the most powerful male protagonist will cry and beg for their affections in the "wife-chasing crematorium." They appear glamorous and charming.
But in reality, they are able to possess all of this entirely because of this system. Not only is the moral capital they hold in the "wife-chasing crematorium" fake, but even their unparalleled beauty that makes all men fall at their feet is fake.
If all the system's halo were removed, would anyone really like them, who are so ordinary and so despicable?
At the end of every happy ending story, the system would always ask itself a question, and naturally, it would receive a sneer.
Over time, it developed only contempt for its host.
The current host is no different, of course, but out of professional ethics, 7418 would never reveal these things in front of the host, so he still spoke politely.
"That's right, you have been selected by the 'Female Lead of a Refreshing Novel' system. From now on, you will travel through various book worlds and become the only female lead in each one."
"Once you have perfectly completed all the worlds, you can choose any world you like and keep it for life. It could be a sweet campus romance world, an ancient power struggle world, or a fantasy world..."
That's enough.
Ye Xiqing is a very quiet person. Because of this quietness, others always think that she has a good personality, but in fact, the opposite is true.
Not hearing the answer she wanted, her anger rose more quickly than her patience in trying to reason with the person she was trying to understand.
His voice was flat as he said, "I mean, what are you congratulating me on? When did I allow you to bind yourself to someone?"
The system paused.
It didn't expect Ye Xiqing to ask this question. Generally speaking, the first host to be bound to the system would be more inclined to know what kind of system it is. After all, for ordinary girls, being able to become the heroine in a story is such a great fortune. Who wouldn't want to have such an opportunity?
But it's okay. It seems that there were previous hosts who made a fuss about untying themselves, but in the end, they were just little girls who said one thing but meant another. After becoming the heroine of a wish-fulfillment novel and enjoying the benefits, they never said a word of unwillingness again.
Therefore, the system continued to speak gently with an extremely inclusive attitude.
"It is your heart that is calling me."
“I know you. Your family background is very ordinary. The only thing you can be proud of is your studies, but you should know in your heart that you are just hardworking, not talented.”
"You have no charm, no friends, and during the most restless time of adolescence, no one noticed you in the corner."
"Like a shadow lurking in the shadows, have you ever envied those geniuses who can easily achieve success without effort? Have you ever envied beautiful girls who are always surrounded by people fawning over them? Have you ever longed to be the center of a story yourself?"
"I came because of this desire, and in the future, you will also achieve everything you hope for."
"Oh."
Ye Xiqing smiled.
Sometimes people can actually laugh when they're in a state of utter speechlessness, so Ye Xiqing looked at the system with a cold smile: "So, I invited you here after all?"
Ye Xiqing's sarcastic and unpredictable manner was somewhat beyond the system's expectations.
But it doesn't matter, the system is still confident, because soon Ye Xiqing's attention will no longer be on it.
Sure enough, a group of people poured out of the dilapidated brick house shortly afterward.
The person in front of her was a very pretty, but inexplicably gaudy, young girl. Her expression immediately changed when she saw Ye Xiqing enter.
After a few moments of turmoil, she suddenly turned around, grabbed a man's hand, and pulled him out the door.
In an instant, she began to feign pitifulness and shed tears in a contrived manner towards Ye Xiqing.
"Sister, I know you're the one engaged to Pengfei, but we truly love each other. Please, please, give him to me, okay?"
The man she had pulled looked extremely embarrassed, but he secretly glanced at Ye Xiqing before finally lowering his head and remaining silent without refutation.
The system watched from the sidelines, a smile playing on its lips.
Nothing attracts a woman's attention more than "beating up a mistress".
Which woman wouldn't instantly fly into a rage if she saw a pretentious, manipulative woman pulling a man who "presumably her fiancé" in front of her and provoking her?
Presumably, Ye Xiqing will soon be able to get into her role.
Sure enough, Ye Xiqing shifted her attention from the system and slowly looked at the person in front of her. The system also took the opportunity to transmit the plot to Ye Xiqing.
This is a period novel called "Swapping Marriage in the 90s," and Miao Shuangshuang is the villainous female supporting character in the story.
Miao Shuangshuang was born during the strictest period of the one-child policy, so she could have been an only child who was showered with love and affection.
But she never expected that her mother's youngest sister, at such a young age, would become pregnant out of wedlock, give birth to a daughter, and then her boyfriend would run away.
Her maternal grandparents and uncles all felt ashamed and told her to throw the girl away or give her away. Only her mother, who was kind-hearted, couldn't bear to see her aunt crying and took the girl home to raise herself. This girl was Ye Xiqing.
Children are at the age when their possessiveness is strongest. Even their parents can't stand it when their older sister is separated from them, let alone their cousin. That's why Miao Shuangshuang has disliked Ye Xiqing since she was a child.
When she was little, if she ate half a bowl of rice, she wouldn't allow Ye Xiqing to eat a whole bowl. If she fell down, she wouldn't allow Ye Xiqing to just stand by and watch; she would run over crying and beat her up too.
This hatred, accumulated since childhood, may seem light and fragile, but it is deep and enduring, clinging to them until they grow up. In short, no matter what it is, Miao Shuangshuang will not allow Ye Xiqing to have anything better than her.
Ye Xiqing had long ago come to understand what it meant to be dependent on others, and whatever it was, she silently accepted it.
So when it came time for them to get married, faced with two marriage proposals presented at the same time, Miao Shuangshuang did not hesitate to choose Lu Jing'an, the son of the local richest man.
Gu Pengfei, a poor college student who was also divorced and had a child, was dumped by his cousin Ye Xiqing, whom he disliked.
Miao Shuangshuang married into the Lu family, which owned a winery.
It was around the 1990s, an era when having 10,000 yuan was considered a great achievement. The Lu family had already built a two-story villa covering 300 square meters, and their cars were luxury vehicles that would be considered impressive even by today's standards. Their family's wine was even served on the Spring Festival Gala.
Marrying into such a family, Miao Shuangshuang was naturally very proud and content to be a wealthy socialite. Every day, she either shopped or had her husband spend money on her so she could "pursue her dream in the entertainment industry".
But she didn't expect that the Lu family would go bankrupt not long after she married into the family.
The Lu family's liquor was originally famous throughout the country, but like many companies that have only been around for a short time in the tides of the times, a large part of the Lu family's senior management was a makeshift team that came to power through personal connections. They acted on a whim and lacked respect for brand quality control.
In order to save costs, some high-level executives began to mix grain liquor with alcohol-based liquor and sell it. After discovering that it was indeed more profitable, they started to do it on a larger scale.
I initially thought it was nothing serious, but reputation is something that gets destroyed faster than built; money may not be the primary driver, but orders will.
After sales declined, one day, an unexpected little thing triggered an unimaginable chain of terrifying events, and all the hidden dangers were exposed.
Not only did Lujia Liquor declare bankruptcy, but Miao Shuangshuang's father-in-law was also arrested.
If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the Lu family went bankrupt, Miao Shuangshuang could still live better than ordinary people thanks to the wealth they had accumulated.
But she never expected that Lu Jing'an was a heartless person.
After the Lu family fell from grace, she sensed the situation was dire and quickly acted before the eldest and second sons could, making a fortune off the Lu family and pulling Lu Jing'an away to live separately, so as not to implicate her side.
Lu Jing'an, however, disliked her for being greedy, for being dramatic, for being inhumane, and for being annoying. He argued with her every day, and eventually, he was never home.
Miao Shuangshuang knew he was definitely having an affair, and in a moment of despair, she threatened him with divorce. To her surprise, all she got in return was a simple "Fine, let's get a divorce." Miao Shuangshuang was completely stunned.
At first, she was defiant, claiming that she could marry someone better even without Lu Jing'an.
But time waits for no one. She was no longer the beautiful girl who, even if she was sharp-tongued, could be forgiven mindlessly because of her beauty. And the wealthy husband she had hoped for did not like her.
She dreamed of making big money by acting, but she was able to enter the entertainment industry because of the Lu family. How many people have entered this glamorous circle with fantasies? One generation after another, what is she compared to them?
She hated the Lu family, hated everything, but after leaving the Lu family, she realized that she was nothing.
After being divorced and left with nothing, she tried to maintain a respectable appearance by carrying a fake bag and wearing fake jewelry when she returned to her long-lost home, only to witness an unexpected scene.
Her cousin, dressed in glamorous attire, was helped out of a luxury car by a gentle-looking man. Her demeanor was elegant, just like a true noblewoman.
It was then that she realized that Gu Pengfei, the poor boy she had once looked down upon, was no longer the same person he used to be.
After Ye Xiqing married him, Gu Pengfei worked hard for his wife and children, quitting his comfortable job to start his own business.
After years of hard work, he finally built his business from scratch and became the new richest man in China.
His ex-wife's child also grew up under Ye Xiqing's care and treated Ye Xiqing as his own mother. They also had their own child.
Miao Shuangshuang was stung by what she saw.
Why?! Why?! Why does Ye Xiqing live a better life than her?!
Her heart was filled with intense hatred, and she never expected that she would be reborn!
This time, she was reborn before she had made her choice. When she saw the pair of marriage proposal options offered again, Miao Shuangshuang made her choice without hesitation.
This time, it's her turn to marry Gu Pengfei!
Ye Xiqing endured the onslaught of the forced information flooding her mind.
As expected of such unimaginable high technology, she seemed to truly experience the love-hate entanglement between the sisters Miao Shuangshuang and Ye Xiqing.
After learning everything, Ye Xiqing looked at Miao Shuangshuang and naturally asked, "What is the meaning of her rebirth?"
"Heh." The system chuckled softly.
"Some people are reborn to succeed, while others are reborn perhaps just to prove why they failed so badly."
Miao Shuangshuang blamed all her misfortunes on choosing the wrong person, but is it possible that it was not others who brought her misfortune, but she who brought misfortune to others, and whoever chose her would become unhappy?
"Character determines destiny, and one can only be responsible for one's own destiny, but you..." the system whispered gently in Ye Xiqing's ear—
Whoever you choose will become lucky!
"In both lifetimes, whoever chose Miao Shuangshuang became unhappy, and whoever chose you became lucky. What does this mean?"
It was rare that this artificial intelligence system, which couldn't understand human speech, would want to interact with her in any way, so Ye Xiqing turned her gaze forward.
Amidst the noise, another male protagonist also made his appearance.
Lu Jing'an, who was disliked by Miao Shuangshuang, watched the farce unfolding before him with indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him.
The setting sun shone on his handsome face, giving his roguish charm a touch of mystery. As if drawn by fate, Lu Jing'an's gaze fell directly on Ye Xiqing.
Ye Xiqing is not a caveman; when she is under a lot of academic pressure, she reads various novels to relax.
So she immediately realized that her cousin, who was all smiles and acted like a clown, was probably just a spice in the broth.
The "winner from a past life" standing to the side with his head down, and the nonchalant "loser from a present life," are the main course.
Ye Xiqing's gaze lingered on the two men for a while, comparing them and pondering for a moment, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her.
"This proves that both of these men are unlucky, and I, this stupid pig, have had my luck sucked away by them for two lifetimes."
The system originally did not want to be like a gossipy woman, arguing with the host.
But the quickest way to get closer to a girl is, of course, to gossip with her, so the system followed suit, saying, "Yes..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized what Ye Xiqing had said, and the mainframe crashed for a moment.
"No... what are you talking about?"
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