Chapter 1
July 1976, Forward Brigade.
After a torrential downpour, the South enters the Lesser Heat period, and the days become hot, with the rice paddies turning golden in succession.
As the midday sun sets, it casts a bright light on the earthen-walled, tiled houses built against the mountain. There are three houses side by side, with a slightly lower woodshed to the right of the two main houses.
This place is remote, and you can only see other houses from a great distance. The educated youth who came from the city to work in the countryside lived here.
The tiled houses were very quiet; the only place with any noise or smoke was the woodshed.
The woodshed was small, with piles of chopped firewood in one corner. Next to the firewood was a wood-burning stove made of mud bricks, with flames crackling and burning inside, and the walls almost blackened by smoke.
He He pursed her lips, her face showing displeasure as she walked into the woodshed and stood beside the man.
A tall, slender young man stood in front of the wood-fired stove. He looked thin, but his hands, wielding the spatula, were steady and strong as he stir-fried the vegetables.
After harvesting rice for several days in a row, He He felt sore and unwell. She was also unhappy and said in a blunt tone, "Chen Jingbai, you can help me with the work this afternoon."
The young man looked straight ahead and did not respond.
He He was annoyed by his silence, but she quickly deflated. She almost forgot that Chen Jingbai was hard of hearing, so she could only reach out her fingertips and tug at his sleeve in a disgusted manner.
She disliked Chen Jingbai, not only because his family was intellectuals, but also because he did bad things.
She doesn't need to be nice to bad people!
He He raised her voice: "Chen Jingbai, did you hear me? If you finish my work this afternoon, I'll give you lotus flower cakes tonight."
She gave him lotus flower cakes in exchange for his help with chores; that was more than enough.
The sound of the spatula clattering against the wok drowned out He He's voice. Chen Jingbai only noticed someone standing next to him after his clothes were tugged at.
He has hearing loss due to an accident, and he can only hear clearly if people speak loudly enough.
Chen Jingbai found it somewhat ridiculous that He He, who always disliked the woodshed for being dirty, was willing to come in just to order him to do chores for her in the afternoon.
His long eyelashes concealed the indifference in his eyes, and he stared unblinkingly at He He's deceptively charming face.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, He He pouted and muttered, "What are you looking at, you deaf man?"
As soon as she finished speaking, He He's slender body swayed, and her head spun for a moment.
The sound of pages turning, seemingly coming from nowhere, rang in He He's ears.
A beautifully bound book appeared before her, its cover bearing the four large characters "The Book of the World." As she turned the pages, the vibrant words on the page caught He He's eye.
With each page turned, He He's round eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
The book says that this world is made up of many period novels, and the protagonist of each novel follows a sweet and beautiful upgrade path, ultimately achieving success in both love and career.
And He He, is a female supporting character shared by this world, or a vicious female supporting character despised by everyone.
As a villainous supporting character, she passed by the male and female protagonists of the world and courted her own demise.
These strange and ancient things overturned He He's understanding.
She was born in a government compound. Her mother, Cheng Fenghua, passed away from illness when she was six years old. Her father, He Zhongguo, remarried a few months after Cheng Fenghua's death.
Two years later, He Zhongguo brought back the daughter he had adopted when his mother was still alive from his grandparents' home in the countryside.
After her adopted sister He Shuying arrived home, her stepmother Wang Fangrong clearly treated He Shuying better.
Later, Wang Fangrong gave birth to a son, which made He Zhongguo even more pleased, and He He's situation at home became even worse.
She was constantly framed by He Shuying, and all the bad things that happened in the family were her doing. She was also influenced by Wang Fangrong's pillow talk, which made her a naughty child in her father's eyes.
When she was little, she didn't understand why, she just felt sad. Later, one time she couldn't bear it anymore and went back to her maternal grandparents' house to cry to her maternal grandmother and aunts for the first time. Only then did she realize that what her stepmother and adoptive sister did was wrong.
Her grandmother and several aunts also told her that no matter what happens in the future, she should not keep anything to herself. If she realizes something is wrong, she should bravely speak out, even if the words are harsh.
Her maternal grandparents had four maternal uncles and several cousins who were more than ten years older than her. After she finished crying, they came to her house to support her.
They came in a menacing manner, and He Zhongguo didn't dare to offend his maternal grandfather and uncle. He grabbed Wang Fangrong and repeatedly assured her that he hadn't deliberately treated her differently, and promised to treat He He well in the future.
Urged on, Wang Fangrong also gave He He a red envelope as an apology gift, and He He was ten years old that year.
From then on, no one dared to bully her openly. When she asked for money, she would confidently reach out to He Zhongguo and ask for it directly. Wang Fangrong didn't dare to stop her and had to pretend to treat everyone equally on the surface.
As they grew up, He Shuying often acted one way in public and another in private, and He He was often plotted against by this foster sister.
In the eyes of the neighbors, He Shuying was gentle and proper, while He He was rude and impolite. In contrast, He He appeared to be a vicious person.
The people in the compound are so fragile; she just likes to speak the truth.
An aunt in the compound was showing off her new dress when He He, who was passing by, was grabbed by the aunt and asked what she thought of it. He He told the truth that it looked bad, and the aunt scolded her for speaking rudely.
The director of the Women's Federation said in the compound that her son studied hard and had good grades at school, so he would definitely get into high school. She also belittled He He for having poor grades and being at the bottom of the class.
He He heard this and went over to say that Zhang Qiang was the last in the class and would change his grades in the classroom every time the test papers were handed out, while she was at least fifth from the bottom, which was better than Zhang Qiang's grades.
Then the director of the Women's Federation went home in a fit of rage, and for several days in a row, the sound of rattan and bamboo stir-frying meat could be heard coming from her house.
The other women in the compound said she should speak to the head of the Women's Federation privately and point out her true intentions.
Uncle Wang next door also has a wife in the countryside. After she found out, she kindly told Aunt Wang.
Wang Shu's house was in chaos. People in the compound said she was vicious and deliberately tried to break up a couple.
So in the government compound, everyone said that the He family had two daughters, one in heaven and one on earth. Even Ye Minglang, who used to follow He Shuying around before she came, saw through her true colors and ended up with He Shuying.
In this book, He Shuying and Ye Minglang are the male and female protagonists.
He Shuying, the female lead who successfully rose to power as a stand-in, won the hearts of her father and childhood sweetheart, causing He He to be disliked by her father and called vicious by her childhood sweetheart. She even set a trap to make He He go to the countryside in her place, and accompanied her childhood sweetheart who admired He He with the image of a kind and understanding innocent flower.
Against the backdrop of He He's down-on-his-luck return to the city, He Shuying finally wins the heart of her childhood sweetheart, Ye Minglang, and marries him as she wishes.
He He's life ended tragically.
After finishing her scenes in the city, she replaced He Shuying and went to the countryside to work in the Qianjin Brigade, entering a period drama with Chen Jingyi and Cheng Sulin as the main characters.
As a villainous supporting character, she frequently appears around Cheng Surin, interfering not only with the relationship between the male and female leads, but also often ordering the male lead around and bullying the female lead's younger brother.
Chen Jingyi mistakenly believed that He He and Cheng Surin liked each other. No matter how much she liked Cheng Surin, she didn't dare to take the first step. Her mood fluctuated because of He He. In the end, the two cleared up the misunderstanding and their bittersweet feelings came together.
Cheng Surin, a poor student, was able to get into university with the help of Chen Jingyi, a top student. After they all got into university and left, she wasted several years in the countryside and failed to get into university. In the end, her maternal grandparents used their connections to bring her back to the city.
However, due to long-term depression, overwork, and overeating, he did not enjoy his good life back in the city for long before he fell seriously ill and died.
He He felt that the world treated her like a clay brick, moving her wherever she was needed.
Cheng Surin is her cousin's son, which means she's her nephew. Why was such an absurd plot arranged for her?
He He initially doubted the authenticity of the book, but then felt that such bizarre events couldn't be fake; the things described in the book were things she had experienced before going to the countryside.
The book doesn't provide much information, just a general overview, but He He believes that everything in the book is true.
Thinking of her tragic end, He He felt dizzy and almost couldn't catch her breath. She glanced at Chen Jingbai and saw that he was still cooking with peace of mind.
Even the way Chen Jingbai cooks looks like a movie, while He He clenches her fist and bites her lower lip.
I was a little jealous.
The man standing in front of me, Chen Jingbai, is the younger brother of the female lead, Chen Jingyi. He is also the male protagonist who makes a comeback in a male-oriented historical romance novel. He suffered a tragic childhood and was bullied by female educated youths when he went to the countryside. He was easy to bully on the surface, but in reality, he was ruthless and vengeful. After returning to the city, he was able to grow into a big shot in the industry step by step through his own efforts.
She was the vicious educated youth who bullied Chen Jingbai in the countryside, whispering in his ear to tease him, threatening and ordering him to do chores for her, and bickering with his future brother-in-law—offending him in every way possible.
Chen Jingbai's family had a bad political background, and his elders were sent down to the remote Northwest. Even he and his sister Chen Jingyi were sent down here. They were so poor that they had to share their dinners, and they had to rely on her to help them so they wouldn't starve.
Even though life is so hard, he can still act indifferent.
She disliked Chen Jingbai's indifferent, dead-like demeanor, his silence even when insulted by the gang of scoundrels, as if he didn't care.
He He kept her gaze fixed on Chen Jingbai. While she was distracted by receiving those messages, Chen Jingbai completely ignored her, finishing stir-frying the vegetables and plating them. Now he was starting to make sweet potato porridge.
She couldn't discern Chen Jingbai's emotions, but she could sense that his aura was colder than when she had first entered.
It seems to be because of her earlier comment about being deaf.
Chen Jingbai couldn't hear her voice, but he could read her lips.
He He bit her lip.
What to do? According to the book, the future big shot has already been thoroughly offended by her.
She never expected that the college entrance examination could be reinstated. Her grades were poor, and Cheng Sulin's grades were also poor. Even if she started preparing now, she didn't believe she could get into university on her own.
After all, the book says that she failed the exam three times. Without tutoring from someone with good grades, studying on her own was simply not enough.
Having offended Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi, both high achievers, no one could tutor her to get into university.
She didn't want to experience the things described in the book, and building a good relationship with the future bigwig was essential.
She not only wanted to get into university and return to the city, but also didn't want to be a villainous supporting character; she wanted to be the female lead.
Chen Jingbai is the male protagonist of a male-oriented historical fiction novel, but the book doesn't mention that he has a girlfriend. If she could become Chen Jingbai's girlfriend, could she also become the female protagonist?
He He's brown eyes blinked repeatedly as she tried to recall her past interactions with Chen Jingbai.
She wasn't too harsh on Chen Jingbai, except for calling him deaf. But she wasn't wrong; Chen Jingbai is deaf. And she wasn't the only one who called him deaf; many members of the team had also called him deaf, and he never cared. There's no reason for her to hold a grudge against him.
Besides, she was quite good to him. Every time she asked him to help her with chores, she would give him a reward. Every time he helped, she would give him enough food to fill his stomach.
The food in the countryside is bad. In the past two years, Chen Jingbai has eaten a lot of food from her. He shouldn't be so petty as to hate her just because she said a few things about him being deaf.
He He placed her fingers in front of her stomach and twisted them back and forth.
Chen Jingbai shouldn't be a petty person. Besides, after two years of getting along, Chen Jingbai certainly wouldn't care about her casually mentioning that she was deaf.
There's still a possibility that she could win Chen Jingbai's heart and make him fall in love with her.
But before that, she had to make sure Chen Jingbai didn't dislike her.
He He hesitated for a moment, then casually asked Chen Jingbai, "Hey, Chen Jingbai, do you hate me?"
Her long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, a little afraid that Chen Jingbai would say he disliked her.
A note from the author:
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The story begins! Here comes Hehe and Xiaobai's wedding invitation! [Laughing]
Are there any little angels here? [pats head]
My next book is "The Original Wife Abandoned by a Historical Fiction Master". Please add it to your favorites if you like it!
Copywriting:
Shen Yunzhu dreamed that she was the first wife of the male protagonist in a period novel who was about to be divorced.
Startled awake, she looked at Zhou Weiquan, who was fast asleep beside her but whose hand was firmly around her waist, and recalled the blind date where he had offered her help in her time of need.
The young man in military uniform, with a cold and stern look in his eyes, said to her, "If you find someone you love in the future, we can get a divorce."
In the book, Zhou Weiquan's sweetheart actually appears. The usually aloof Zhou Weiquan smiles only at her, and in dangerous moments, he chooses her as his partner.
After struggling for a while, Shen Yunzhu didn't want to wait any longer. She packed her bags, took what she was entitled to, and took the initiative to file for divorce.
But before she could even step out of the room, Shen Yunzhu was dragged back.
＊
Zhou Weiquan found himself out of control.
He speaks coldly to his wife but shows great care and concern for other women.
Between his wife and other women, he watched helplessly as he walked towards another woman.
With bloodshot eyes, Zhou Weiquan slashed himself repeatedly in a fit of rage to gain a brief moment of clarity. After tending to his wounds, he pulled his beloved wife back into his arms, comforting her again and again and begging her not to leave.
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People in the military compound thought Shen Yunzhu and Zhou Weiquan were getting a divorce. One was delicate and sweet, the other was tall and aloof; they seemed like an ill-matched couple. Now, they were arguing over another woman, making their chaotic life even more unbearable.
Who knew what would happen later...
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