THD Chapter 4

Ye Xiqing didn’t want to pay attention to any of this. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The walls, dilapidated from years of neglect, were cracked open. Inside, there was only a large earthen bed covered with a dirty straw mat. Everything told Ye Xiqing that she was no longer in her original world.

Was she doing well in her original world? Was there anything in her original world worth cherishing? She hadn’t thought about these questions in her original world, and she couldn’t find the answers in this new one. But ultimately, this world was irrelevant to her. Ye Xiqing coldly observed everything, her heart heavy with despair.

The onlookers had all left, leaving only the Miao mother and daughter, and the mess on the ground. Ye Shiying, having endured for so long, finally couldn’t hold back and launched into a tirade against her daughter “What the hell are you trying to do! Have you lost your mind! You’ve ruined such a wonderful marriage for the Lu family!”

“Do you know how many people envy this marriage? Do you know how many people laughed at you during the day?!”

“Even if you didn’t want to, you should have told me beforehand! What are you trying to do by making such a scene?!”

Miao Shuangshuang, thoroughly berated by her mother, stood on the ground, arms crossed, silently seething with resentment. The stark contrast of her past life was still vivid in her mind. Now, reborn, she had expected a glorious ending, but instead, she had crashed at the very first step. Where did things go wrong? This was nothing like what she had imagined!

Miao Shuangshuang racked her brains and finally realized the problem. Turning to Ye Xiqing, who seemed indifferent, she asked coldly, “Why don’t you marry Lu Jing’an!”

In the countryside, it’s customary to fold blankets and place them at the end of the kang (heated brick bed). The walls of the Miao family’s house didn’t inspire any desire to lean against them, so Ye Xiqing leaned against the pile of blankets, coldly observing everything. Hearing Miao Shuangshuang’s question, Ye Xiqing’s thoughts stirred from the deep gloom, and she tilted her head to look at her: “Why should I marry him?”

Was there even a question? She had stolen her Gu Pengfei; of course she had to steal her Lu Jing’an! Lu Jing’an was so good, why wouldn’t she steal him! Why wouldn’t she steal him!

Miao Shuangshuang was about to explode with anger, but she could only suppress her temper and pretend with Ye Xiqing. “Sister, I’m only thinking of you. Although Brother Pengfei likes me too, he’s still your fiancé. I’ll take one from you and give you one back, isn’t that perfect? How about I have my mom go to the Lu family tomorrow and ask you to marry Lu Jing’an in my place? That way we’ll each have our own place, Mom, and you won’t have to worry about the Lu family’s dowry anymore.”

Ye Shiying: ?

Miao Shuangshuang’s amazing brain drove her own mother crazy. Fortunately, before Ye Shiying could get angry, Ye Xiqing had already smiled first. “No.” She was already in a bad mood, so she was happy to cause trouble for others. She looked up at Ye Shiying, then at Miao Shuangshuang, and smiled slightly.

“You may want to marry Gu Pengfei, but that doesn’t mean I want to marry Lu Jing’an. However, I don’t actually want to marry Gu Pengfei either. If you like him, it’s fine to give him to you, but have you and Gu Pengfei agreed on how much dowry to give?”

Miao Shuangshuang: ?

She was determined to push Ye Xiqing to marry Lu Jing’an, who was destined to go bankrupt, but she never expected Ye Xiqing to steer the conversation this way.

Ye Shiying, who was furious and ready to unleash her fury, suddenly calmed down upon hearing Ye Xiqing’s words. Right! Because Miao Shuangshuang’s actions today were so unexpected, she was too busy scolding Miao Shuangshuang to consider why her daughter had suddenly changed her mind. Now, thinking back, just a short while ago, her daughter was overjoyed at being proposed to by the Lu family, completely disdainful of Gu Pengfei. How could she have suddenly changed her mind?

After calming down, a thought slowly surfaced in Ye Shiying’s mind: Could it be that Gu Pengfei was deliberately seducing her daughter?

Upon realizing this, Ye Shiying was instantly filled with rage. Of course, her daughter was only eighteen years old; what could she know? Her husband died young, and over the years, she had seen countless shameless men; she knew best what kind of creatures men were. He acts like a perfect husband at home and a good man outside, but when no one’s around, he flirts with every woman he sees and takes the opportunity to grope her. He tells others he’s henpecked, that his wife controls everything at home, but in reality, his eyes practically pop out of his head when his sister-in-law comes in.

She initially thought Gu Pengfei, with his clean-cut appearance and honest demeanor, and being a college graduate, would be different from those sleazy men from the fields, but she turned out to be completely wrong. He was a scoundrel!

She’d been incredibly good to Gu Pengfei; because of the Lu family’s generosity, and because Qing’er wasn’t her biological daughter, she didn’t want the stigma of “raising a niece only to sell her,” so she didn’t ask for a dowry. She never expected that even so, Gu Pengfei wasn’t satisfied. Marrying her niece wasn’t enough; he also wanted to seduce her own daughter!

Fine, fine, did Gu Pengfei think that by instigating her daughter to ruin the marriage with the Lu family, she would reluctantly marry her own daughter to him? Dream on! She’d rather raise her own daughter for life, even if it meant raising her to old age, than let such a lowlife get away with it!

Having figured it out, Ye Shiying stopped scolding, gave a cold smile, and looked at Miao Shuangshuang again: “That’s right, didn’t you say your Pengfei brother likes you? How much dowry did he give you?”

“The Lu family gave 38,800 yuan in dowry alone. Your Pengfei brother’s amount couldn’t be less than that, could it?”

Miao Shuangshuang: …

How could the Gu family afford that now! As the villainous female supporting character in this book, Miao Shuangshuang was certainly not the kind of person who would be so noble as to refuse a dowry for love. In fact, when she married into the Lu family in her previous life, she asked for more than anyone else. But the problem was, now it wasn’t Gu Pengfei begging her, it was her begging Gu Pengfei! What if someone ran away with Gu Pengfei? He was the future richest man in the country!

Miao Shuangshuang was so angry her teeth were practically bleeding. Why did Ye Xiqing have to say this? She clearly didn’t want her to have a good time! But no matter how much she hated her, it was useless. Ye Xiqing hadn’t done anything out of line the whole time, and her mother didn’t remember anything, only focusing on disciplining Miao Shuangshuang. And no matter how much Miao Shuangshuang was reborn or how much she knew the future, she couldn’t directly break ties with her mother. She could only argue with her own mother while pulling her own hair, and no one had time to pay attention to Ye Xiqing anymore.

The system was still hoping Ye Xiqing would see the error of her ways. The Miao mother and daughter were classic villainous characters: one jealous, fighting with her sister for her brother-in-law after being reborn; the other greedy, always talking about money. These were characters that easily aroused anger. It was originally thought that after spending time with them, Ye Xiqing would change her mind, but she remained unmoved.

Realizing there was no possibility of following the original plot, the system could only grit its teeth and say, “Then, host, after changing the plot, do you have any new ideas? You can’t just live a life of idleness in this world until the end, can you?”

Why not? Ye Xiqing leaned lazily against the pile of blankets. The Miao mother and daughter were arguing loudly, but because the topic was singular and they were repeating the same things over and over, it eventually became a weak background noise.

Ye Xiqing, listening to the system’s words, asked somewhat strangely, “Isn’t this the question I should be asking you? You’re a system, and a wish-fulfillment system at that, you haven’t given me any cheat codes besides your talk, have you? You said it yourself, I’m just an ordinary high school student. What can an ordinary high school student do? If you have cheat codes, hurry up and give them out. I’ll decide what kind of plot to follow based on the situation. If not, then forget it.”

System: ?

It had considered everything Ye Xiqing might say, but this was the last thing it expected.

Could it be that Ye Xiqing, after arguing with it for so long at the beginning, still considered it a system?

Ye Xiqing propped its head up, waiting boredly for the system’s reply. Otherwise, if it wasn’t a system, then was it?

The stalemate between the two lasted for a long time, until finally the system conceded defeat. Forcing a smile, it said, “I thought you meant you were refusing the system’s help when you said that before. Turns out you still need me.”

“Of course you have a cheat code, but to avoid disrupting the world’s balance, the system won’t grant you the ability to transcend the mission world. Just like this world, besides rebirth, doesn’t have any other fantasy elements, the system shop won’t sell you any mystical abilities. The world you’re in now is the most basic and simplest world; you’ll need to explore it yourself. Don’t expect the system to provide overly powerful cheat codes.”

Hearing the system’s words, Ye Xiqing finally showed some interest: “Shop? So you need to buy things? Not only do they sell real-world items, but they also sell mystical abilities?”

The system paused, then suddenly became excited, snapping its fingers: “That’s right, the system shop is all-encompassing and has everything, but there’s a condition: you need points to redeem it.”

“This is also why the system suggests you follow the original storyline. Our program is broadcast live; the better the viewership, the more points you’ll earn. Points can not only be used to purchase items in the store to help you complete tasks more easily, but also, after you decide to stay in a certain world or return to your original world, points can be exchanged for the most valuable currency in that world at a ratio of 1:100.”

“The original storyline created by the system for you has been tested countless times in the market and is the most popular script available. Following it will help you earn more points!”

Back to the original world...

Ye Xiqing slowly emerged from the pile of blankets, as though a wandering spirit had finally returned to its body.

“How many points do I have now? And how can I return to my original world?”

The moment it heard Ye Xiqing's question, the system felt a surge of triumph.

It knew it! No host would truly reject the system—they simply didn't understand the benefits yet!

Smiling, it replied, “As long as the host obtains an A-rank or higher evaluation in more than ten worlds, the system will send you back to your original world. You will also be able to take all the points you've accumulated with you.”

“However, because the host has not completed the tasks according to the system's requirements, you currently have no points.”

“But since you're a newbie, the system has prepared a beginner's gift pack. Would the host like to open it now?”

Naturally, Ye Xiqing agreed without hesitation.

The system happily snapped its fingers again.

“Congratulations, Host. You have obtained one Permanent Beauty Pill and 100 points. Points can be used to redeem items from the system shop, but they cannot be exchanged for currency in mission worlds. Once all missions have been completed, the host will gain the right to redeem points in the real world.”

“You can use the Beauty Pill immediately. As a permanent item, it will permanently increase your beauty stat by 100 points. This effect will not be removed when a world resets. Its original price in the system shop is 8,888 points, but it is being given away for free as a beginner benefit.”

Ye Xiqing browsed the system shop that had just been unlocked for her.

It was far larger than she had imagined.

Not only were there real-world items, but there were also things like Beauty Pills, Pregnancy Pills, and Charming Auras...

Looking at the Beauty Pill priced at 8,888 points and the pitifully small number “100” displayed in her points balance, Ye Xiqing roughly understood how this shop worked.

Holding the most expensive item in the shop in her mind, she asked, “What does an increase of 100 beauty points actually look like?”

The system grinned.

“The difference between a beauty and a top-tier beauty may be only the slightest change. With this bonus of 100 beauty points, you'll be taking a step toward becoming a peerless beauty.”

“Even if your actions today have caused Lu Jing'an to harbor some resentment toward you, when you meet again and he sees your enhanced appearance, he will unconsciously submit to your charm.”

“8,888 points may seem precious to you right now, but as you complete more and more worlds, you'll eventually treat that amount like pocket change.”

“You'll possess an increasingly beautiful appearance, and just like your points, these improvements can be carried back with you when you return to your original world.”

“So, Host, are you feeling more motivated to complete missions now?”

Lu Jing'an actually resented her?

The system had said a great deal, but that was the only sentence Ye Xiqing truly heard.

She had never paid much attention to Lu Jing'an. Even when she called him unlucky, it had merely been out of spite toward the system and a simple statement of fact. It had nothing to do with Lu Jing'an himself.

To her complete surprise, Lu Jing'an actually harbored ill will toward her.

The turbulent emotions that had finally settled after hearing she could return to her original world were instantly stirred up again.

Looking at the Beauty Pill glowing mysteriously within the system space, Ye Xiqing sneered.

"You dislike me, yet you expect me to become prettier just to please you?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"You don't deserve it."

---

Early the next morning, Miao Shuangshuang crawled out of bed.

Technically, she had slept. In reality, she and her mother had spent half the night lying face-to-face, arguing on and off. She didn't even know when she'd finally drifted off.

Still groggy, her hair a tangled mess and her appearance completely disheveled, she splashed some water on her face and picked up a mirror.

Without even looking into it, she already knew how terrible she must look.

Then—

"Ahhh!"

Ye Shiying had been awake for quite some time already. She was in a foul mood and still angry with her daughter. Hearing the scream, she immediately stormed into the room.

"What are you yelling abou—"

"AHHH!"

The two shrill screams jolted Ye Xiqing awake.

She hadn't slept well either. Between the noise and her lingering irritation from the night before, she was already on the verge of losing her temper.

But the moment she saw Miao Shuangshuang's face, her anger vanished.

Overnight, the Beauty Pill had completely transformed Miao Shuangshuang.

Her skin was as smooth and pale as fresh milk. Her hair cascaded down her back like thick black seaweed. Even the contours of her face had become so flawless that the finest cosmetic surgeons in the world would have struggled to recreate them.

Anyone who saw her would be stunned.

Even a blind person would probably want to compliment her beauty.

The irritation Ye Xiqing had felt over Lu Jing'an's inexplicable dislike instantly faded in the face of the supporting female character's astonishing appearance..

The self-important male lead and the system that specialized in selling cursed merchandise might both be complete idiots.

But she had to admit one thing.

The system's items worked far better than she had expected. 

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