Chapter 1: Strange Words Appeared Before My Eyes

In the year 1973, at the Haicheng Steel Factory Family Compound.

“Zheng Qingning! I’ve had enough of you! How many times do I have to say it? Jiao Jiao and I are siblings! Stop making trouble out of nothing!”

Ye Yunzhou wrapped his arm around Zheng Jiaojiao as he glared fiercely at the woman lying on the ground.

In his arms, Zheng Jiaojiao cried pitifully as she wiped her tears. “Brother Ye, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have come back to the city from the countryside. That way, sister wouldn’t hate me, wouldn’t bully me, wouldn’t lock me out or deny me food. Wuwuwu…”

Ye Yunzhou’s anger boiled as he glared at the woman on the ground. “Zheng Qingning, I want to break off our engagement! A petty and jealous woman like you, who refuses to be kind to her own sister, isn’t worthy of being my wife!”

Zheng Qingning, who had hit her head on a rock, felt dizzy and nauseous.

Just moments ago, on her way to the post office to check on her job offer letter, she had been pushed from behind by her sister Zheng Jiaojiao. Her instinctive reaction was to slap her, but before she could even process what had happened, her fiancé Ye Yunzhou shoved her to the ground, causing her head to hit a stone by the road.

Holding her bleeding head, Zheng Qingning struggled to sit up, dizziness nearly knocking her back down.

With one hand braced against the ground, she forced her trembling body upright. When she opened her eyes, a string of strange, glowing text floated in front of her.

[That supporting girl is so annoying, always going against our precious main girl. The male lead only loves our girl. Supporting girl, get lost!]

[What’s the rush? The supporting girl hasn’t even given up her job offer, golden finger, or reputation yet. We still need her as contrast.]

[Shipping hard! The male lead spoils our girl so much.]

[Don’t forget, it’s today! The supporting girl gets accepted into the art troupe of the male lead’s unit. He delivers the offer to our girl himself. She’s so happy, she gives him her first kiss.]

[Right! Today’s the day! Our girl’s going to be a superstar. Male lead, hurry to the post office to get the supporting girl’s letter!]

Zheng Qingning shook her head, thinking the head injury had caused hallucinations. But when she looked again, the floating text was still there.

[Am I the only one who thinks the supporting girl is pitiful? She didn’t even do anything wrong, so why does she deserve all this?]

She finally realized this wasn’t a hallucination.

She could see everything clearly.

From what she could tell, Zheng Jiaojiao was the heroine, Ye Yunzhou the male lead, and she Zheng Qingning was the supporting character.

Worse yet, she was just a stepping stone for Zheng Jiaojiao, a character meant to hand over job opportunities, give away golden fingers, and help the heroine look better.

Why?

Years ago, it was her grandma who wanted to take her back to the village, but her parents had refused.

After all, the Zheng family only had two daughters. Her grandparents, envious, wanted to show off by bringing a granddaughter back to the village.

All these years, Zheng Jiaojiao lived a life of luxury in the countryside fair-skinned, delicate hands without calluses, dressed in the best-quality Dacron.

When she returned to the city, her relatives sent her off with piles of luggage that filled the Zheng family’s living room.

Meanwhile, Zheng Qingning, who lived in the city, had been cooking and doing laundry since she was five. Beatings were routine. If not for her good grades, her parents would’ve made her quit school after primary and glue cardboard at home to earn money.

Later, when the neighbor’s son returned from military service and gave her a candy, she didn’t hesitate to agree to the marriage proposal when the matchmaker came.

She thought marrying him would save her life.

She secretly used the money she earned from gluing cardboard and saving from daily expenses to travel to his military unit and apply for a spot in the art troupe. She saw him from afar but was afraid of distracting him and left quietly.

She never told anyone, worried she might not pass.

When Ye Yunzhou returned from the army, Zheng Qingning did the math the job offer should arrive around now.

To avoid any mishaps, she went to the post office every day, hoping to secure her future before Ye Yunzhou returned to the army.

But the result…

Ha.

A supporting character.

Doomed to live a poor and miserable life, and die early?

No. She wasn’t going to accept that. She was only 18 her life had just begun.

She thought back to the strange text she saw:

Superstar.

If Zheng Jiaojiao could become a superstar, why couldn’t she?

And that offer letter meant for her was going to be given to Zheng Jiaojiao by Ye Yunzhou?

In the past, she might have let him go fetch her mail.

Because she had believed he was her savior.

But now…

Not anymore.

From this moment on, she would be her own savior.

Ye Yunzhou, after coaxing the girl in his arms, looked at Zheng Qingning with disdain. “Zheng Qingning, aren’t you going to apologize to Jiaojiao?”

Zheng Jiaojiao, still nestled in his arms, looked at Zheng Qingning with a triumphant, provocative gaze.

Just wait, Zheng Qingning.

She would take back everything that should have been hers.

Why should Zheng Qingning enjoy years of city privilege while she suffered in the countryside?

“Brother Ye, Sister is still your fiancée. Let it go. I… I’m used to being wronged.”

Thinking of all the grievances Jiaojiao had endured, Ye Yunzhou’s hatred for Zheng Qingning deepened.

“Are you deaf? I told you to apologize to Jiaojiao!”

But Zheng Qingning had only one thing on her mind: the offer letter.

She forced herself up, ignored the yelling behind her, and ran out of the compound.

With blood streaming from her head, she charged through the streets like a madwoman her only destination: the post office.

“Hey! What’s with that girl? She bumped into someone and didn’t even apologize. No manners!”

Nearby, two soldiers in uniform were watching the scene. One, with a babyface, mumbled under his breath.

Next to him, a tall officer with sharp features and a noble aura frowned as he stared after the girl.

“You go back to the guest house first. I’ve got something to take care of,” said Nangong Ye.

“But Commander, we’re out of time! We have to hey! Commander!”

The baby-faced soldier, named Zhao Bing, was tagging along as they passed through Haicheng after visiting a village superior. They had just left a state-owned restaurant and were heading back to pack for the train.

Meanwhile, Zheng Qingning rushed into the post office, handed over her ID, and took the letter amid the surprised looks of the staff.

Tears welled up instantly.

This job belonged to her. No one would take it from her.

“Hey don’t die in here, alright?!”

After the emotional rollercoaster and blood loss, Zheng Qingning collapsed the moment the tension left her body.

She fell backward into a warm embrace just before losing consciousness.

[Wait… what’s happening?! Why did the supporting girl get the letter? Can the main girl still chase her dreams of stardom?!]

[The male lead brought her here. Maybe he can snatch the letter back?]

[Why is the supporting girl up and running? Wasn’t she too injured to move, leaving the letter task to the male lead, who then gives it to the main girl and brings her to the unit?]

[If the letter’s in the supporting girl’s hands, can the main girl still get into the unit?!]

Zheng Qingning woke up from her coma, head pounding, her eyes stinging with fatigue.

Fragments of memory flashed everything that had happened before she fainted.

She shot up and reached for her pocket. Her hand felt the hard envelope.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the exhaustion hit. She lay back and looked around.

A hospital?

“You’re awake. The doctor said you have a mild concussion and need bed rest. How do I contact your family?”

A cup of warm water was handed to her.

She looked up and saw a man in a military uniform standing by her bedside cold and distant.

“Thank you… for bringing me here.”

Nangong Ye helped her drink the water and placed the cup on the bedside table. “The doctor says you’re malnourished and lost a lot of blood. You need to eat properly or you’ll get sick.”

“On the way here, we ran into a couple who said they were your fiancé and your sister. But they were acting suspiciously close and you were covered in blood, so I didn’t hand you over. Do you want me to notify them?”

Just as Zheng Qingning was about to speak, she saw those floating texts again.

[Isn’t that the male lead’s superior? The main girl’s first love who dies young. Years later, she still cries whenever she thinks of him.]

[The novel said he got injured on duty and might not be able to have kids, which is why he avoids romance.]

[If only he didn’t die! Perfect background, skills, and personality. My ideal man.]

[But he had to die… to make way for the male lead.]

[The main girl is crying now. So heartbreaking.]

[Her parents are plotting to ruin the supporting girl’s purity and marry her off to a crippled old man. That’s the beginning of her tragic fate.]

[Without being “tainted,” how else could the male lead break off the engagement? Honestly, I think her parents are doing the right thing. The main girl deserves her perfect life.]

[The supporting girl will have triplets, then seven kids by year five. Doesn’t do farm work, just stays home with the babies. Not too bad.]

Zheng Qingning shivered as she read.

From childhood, she had always known her parents didn’t love her.

When her brother broke the law she got beaten.

When he cried she got beaten.

When he fell she got beaten.

When he failed his exams she got beaten.

When he refused to eat she was starved for a whole day.

When his clothes were torn she was made to stand outside in the freezing cold.

She had survived all that but now they wanted to destroy her completely?

Heh…

Hahaha…

What had she done to deserve such a miserable life?

Nangong Ye watched her laughing and crying, and his cold face twitched.

Had she… gone insane?

“Comrade, are you okay?”

When she didn’t respond, he rushed out to call the doctor.

Soon, the doctor came and examined her.

“She’s experiencing short-term hallucinations due to blood loss and malnutrition. Just feed her well and she’ll recover.”

But Nangong Ye was still worried. “Please check her thoroughly again.”

“I’m fine,” Zheng Qingning said firmly. Other than a headache, she was fully aware.

After the doctor left, Nangong Ye told her to rest and then walked out.

Zheng Qingning didn’t mind. She had thanked him and right now, she didn’t have the ability to repay anyone. Better to stay silent than make false promises.