THD Chapter 10

"Ah—!"

Miao Shuangshuang let out a sharp screech. How could she have forgotten something so important?

As a result, when Miao Shuangshuang returned, she not only brought back the installers for the television and telephone, but also a child.

Everyone: ...

A child?

The most shocked person was Ye Shimei. She hadn't grown up here—this was her sister's and brother-in-law's home. Since she wasn't familiar with the local relatives, she asked in confusion,

"Whose child is this?"

Miao Shuangshuang looked away and replied casually,

"A friend asked me to look after their child for a few days..."

Ye Shiying immediately exploded, putting down the tool in his hand.

"You're talking nonsense! That's clearly that brat from the Gu family!"

Miao Shuangshuang: ...

Everything had gone so smoothly after her rebirth that she had almost forgotten what she was actually supposed to do after being reborn.

Only after calming down did she realize that she had left the future richest man hanging for three whole months!

When she finally marched toward the Gu family home, she was terrified that Gu Pengfei might have already remarried.

Fortunately, that hadn't happened.

After all, nobody here knew that Gu Pengfei would become the future richest man, so he wasn't particularly sought after yet.

Even so, Gu Pengfei was still furious about being stood up. After all, it had been Miao Shuangshuang who pursued him first.

Gu Pengfei was the only college graduate in the area. In those days, college graduates were highly respected, and he had been assigned a teaching position at a high school immediately after graduation.

In this region, high schools were considered the most prestigious educational institutions. Teachers enjoyed stable salaries, social respect, and excellent prospects for promotion. With his educational background, Gu Pengfei was the envy of many, and numerous young women wanted to marry him.

However, no one expected the times to change so quickly.

Education gradually became less valuable, while everyone became obsessed with making money. Compared to a high school teacher, those wealthy businessmen who entered the private sector became far more admired.

Unable to resist temptation, Gu Pengfei's wife eventually ran away with a rich businessman from the south, abandoning both her husband and child.

After suffering such a blow, Gu Pengfei had no intention of remarrying right away.

Unfortunately, reality did not give him that luxury.

The child was still young and cried constantly. His mother was in poor health and unable to help, while his sister-in-law refused to take care of the child. Day after day, the household was filled with noise and chaos, making it impossible for him to focus on work.

After enduring this situation for some time, Gu Pengfei came to a painful realization:

His household simply couldn't function without a woman.

Through a matchmaker, he set his sights on Ye Xiqing from the Miao widow's family.

Ye Xiqing was considered a beauty in the surrounding villages. She was honest, hardworking, and disliked flashy clothing. Many people remarked that marrying her would be a bargain.

Furthermore, she was an illegitimate daughter with a less-than-respectable background. Given her circumstances, she supposedly had no reason to reject a divorced man with a child like Gu Pengfei.

With the matchmaker leading the way, Gu Pengfei personally visited the Miao family to propose marriage.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

He was handsome, educated, and held a respectable job. Widow Miao was extremely satisfied with him.

What he hadn't expected was that Widow Miao's own daughter would also become interested in him.

Otherwise, he never would have fallen for Miao Shuangshuang's advances so easily.

After all, he was a scholar and possessed a certain scholarly pride. Deep down, he despised the nouveau riche behavior displayed by Lu Jing'an.

Recently, both families had been proposing marriage, making comparisons between him and Lu Jing'an unavoidable. People naturally favored wealth, so Gu Pengfei often found himself ridiculed.

Although he understood that poverty was looked down upon in this era while wealth excused nearly everything, he stubbornly refused to accept it.

Then Miao Shuangshuang extended an olive branch to him.

He never imagined that in such a materialistic age, a young woman would willingly abandon wealth and status to choose him so resolutely.

To him, it felt like the stories of Hong Fu Nu eloping for love or Zhu Yingtai defying social convention.

How could he not be moved?

And Miao Shuangshuang had been so brave.

How could he retreat?

All he could do was feel guilty toward Ye Xiqing and firmly grasp Miao Shuangshuang's hand.

Yet he never expected that after making a grand appearance before the engagement, Miao Shuangshuang would immediately disappear afterward.

At first, he comforted himself.

Perhaps Widow Miao was deliberately separating the lovers and had sent Miao Shuangshuang away on purpose.

He could wait.

After all, sincerity could move mountains.

But three months later, he was utterly devastated.

His household was in complete disarray.

He had believed that a capable mistress of the house would soon arrive to manage everything, yet Miao Shuangshuang remained nowhere to be found.

If he had known things would turn out this way, he would rather have stayed out of the whole affair and simply married Ye Xiqing from the beginning.

Because of this, Gu Pengfei couldn't help feeling resentful whenever he saw Miao Shuangshuang.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Miao Shuangshuang hurried to coax him. Her words were sweet, and with the added effects of the Beauty Pill, Gu Pengfei's anger gradually subsided.

However, he left the child with her.

"Shuangshuang, things have been chaotic at home lately, and we really can't take care of the child."

He gently placed the boy into her arms.

"Could you help me look after him for a few days?"

Then he added meaningfully,

"This child's mother is gone. From now on, you'll be his mother. This family will be relying on you."

Miao Shuangshuang: ...

She hated children.

Every child in the village was afraid of her.

And now she was supposed to raise someone else's kid?

But what choice did she have? She still needed Gu Pengfei. She couldn't exactly refuse him.

Holding the child stiffly in her arms, Miao Shuangshuang turned hopefully toward Ye Shimei.

"Auntie..."

Ye Shimei: ...

She actually liked children. But after hearing her elder sister explain everything over the past few days, she finally understood the absurd mess surrounding this engagement.

She wasn't particularly upset about her daughter's broken marriage arrangement, but the more she heard about Gu Pengfei, the more unpleasant memories surfaced.

Without hesitation, she declined.

"Shuangshuang, I'm busy."

She gestured toward the brewing equipment.

"Your mother, your sister, and I are all occupied making wine. I don't have time to help you. Ask someone else."

Immediately, Miao Shuangshuang turned toward another target.

"Sister Qingqing..."

Ye Xiqing looked up and smiled.

"I'm making wine too."

After a pause, she added innocently,

"Besides, I'm still a child myself. I don't know how to take care of children."

Miao Shuangshuang: ...

What?!

When she didn't need help, everyone was eager to support her. Now that she actually needed something, they were all pretending not to see her!

Especially Ye Xiqing.

What kind of child are you?

Weren't you amazing with children in my previous life?!

Unfortunately, no amount of complaining would help.

The true head of the family—Widow Miao—finally spoke.

Nearby, Ye Shiying sneered while continuing his work.

"Why are you looking for other people?"

"If you enjoy being a nanny so much, then raise someone else's child yourself."

"I really don't know how I ended up giving birth to such a shameless daughter."

"You have a perfectly good life ahead of you, yet all you want is to become someone's stepmother."

"I don't care anymore. And don't drag the rest of us into your mess."

"If you want to raise him, then raise him yourself for the rest of your life!"

Miao Shuangshuang: ...

Who was she doing all of this for?

Everything she did was for this family!

She was working so hard to please Gu Pengfei for their future, yet nobody appreciated her efforts. Instead, they mocked her.

Heartbroken, Miao Shuangshuang made up her mind.

Fine.

She would raise the child herself.

When Gu Pengfei became the richest man in the country one day, she would see whether these people regretted misunderstanding her.

Unfortunately, reality rarely follows one's plans.

Miao Shuangshuang had only been babysitting for a few days when a phone call arrived from Xin'an.

The caller was Wu Chunhua.

After several months of interaction, Miao Shuangshuang had left a very favorable impression on her. As a result, Wu Chunhua recommended her to a friend who was preparing a new television drama.

The project was a martial arts adaptation.

The original novel's female lead was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world—a peerless enchantress who walked the line between righteousness and evil.

The character had been incredibly popular during serialization, but the production team had struggled to find an actress who matched the image.

Then Wu Chunhua showed them Miao Shuangshuang.

The director's eyes immediately lit up.

Without a second thought, he agreed.

Now Miao Shuangshuang was in a dilemma.

She looked down at the crying child in her arms, then at the three cold-hearted people around her who clearly had no intention of helping.

What exactly were they trying to do?

But when it came down to it, Miao Shuangshuang always prioritized herself.

How could she possibly miss such an opportunity?

So even though currying favor with the future richest man was critically important, she still left without hesitation.

Before departing, she made a special trip to the Gu family.

There, she showered Gu Pengfei with sweet words, made countless promises, and even reluctantly handed over some money.

Only then did she leave.

Watching Miao Shuangshuang's retreating figure, the System felt completely numb.

Why was it not only the female lead?

Even the supporting female characters were abandoning the original plot!

With a disgruntled expression, it turned to Ye Xiqing.

"Do you really think this is worth it?"

"Even if you're working hard now, how can it compare to marrying the male lead and enjoying a ready-made life?"

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"Is that so?"

Ye Xiqing adjusted the newly purchased equipment in front of her.

Although much of the money she had earned had been spent on installing telephones and buying a color television, she had still managed to save enough to improve her brewing setup.

With better equipment came better efficiency.

And with better efficiency came more time to experiment with new recipes—and chat with the System.

She smiled faintly.

"Compared to waiting for someone else to become rich in the future..."

"I think becoming rich myself is much more satisfying."

Then she paused and casually added:

"And besides..."

"Doesn't your male lead go bankrupt in three years?"

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