Chapter 54.1

Wang Lijuan was momentarily stumped. Jiang Suihan truly understood her. She had suffered so much injustice in front of her and Xu Zhao, was laughed at by the people in the family compound, and was even kicked out by the army. It would be strange if she could swallow this.

Not seeing any fear or anxiety on Jiang Suihan’s face only made Wang Lijuan more unwilling to accept it. She couldn’t help but retort, “It depends on my mood. You should beg me. Be nicer and beg a few more times. Maybe I’ll soften up and tell you.”

“You think I’m a fool? You’re obviously trying to trick me into your trap to satisfy your desire to humiliate me. If you don’t want to talk, then fine. But I’m curious—where do you get the confidence that everything will go as you wish just because you read that book? Who can be sure the book’s contents are true, or if it was just a dream of yours? Maybe others have seen it too, and someone could act faster than you. How can you be sure the plot won’t change or the outcome won’t be different?”

Jiang Suihan crossed her arms, watching Wang Lijuan with a sarcastic look. It was just a book. Once the butterfly starts flapping its wings, change becomes possible.

She would never leave her fate in someone else’s hands. Even if in Wang Lijuan’s dream book “she” was just a minor character destined to give way to the protagonist, in the world of minor characters, “she” was also a protagonist. No one is born a mere supporting role in someone else’s life.

If someone wants to use her as a stepping stone, they should first ask if she agrees. If there’s a pit ahead, she’ll bring a shovel to fill it. If there are stones, she’ll clear them. If someone makes her life difficult, she’ll make theirs difficult in return.

Wang Lijuan was stunned. She had never considered this question, or perhaps she had subconsciously ignored it. She was deeply resistant to the idea.

If what Jiang Suihan said were true, then what was the meaning of everything she had believed in so far? Was it all just a dream?

But how could dreams be so real?

If it were real, how could the many plot twists in the book be explained after coming to the army?

“No, you’re lying. I’m the heroine, and the heroine’s role is mine. No one can take what belongs to me. I’m going to be the Commander’s wife. You’re just jealous of me. I won’t be deceived by you.”

Wang Lijuan’s face was frantic. She clutched her head with both hands, pulling at her hair like a madwoman, repeatedly mumbling about being the heroine.

Is she… going mad!?

There were no signs at all, and no time to react.

Jiang Suihan was startled for two seconds, pulling Jiang Leyun several steps back, feeling the distance was still a bit close and not safe enough, and moved back a few more steps.

This was the first time Jiang Leyun had seen such a scene, his face pale. He tightly grasped his sister’s hand, both frightened and curious, peeking out from behind his sister.

Seeing Wang Lijuan’s current state, Jiang Suihan was hesitant to approach, worried that her madness might cause harm. She frowned, thinking about how to handle the situation.

Then, someone approached quickly. Upon closer inspection, a savior had arrived.

Wang Liying returned home and saw the door open, her heart skipped a beat. Despite her best precautions, she hadn’t been able to prevent this. Her sister was missing.

She had asked everyone she encountered on the way, and learned that her younger sister seemed to have gone to the Xu family’s house. Wang Liying, panicked and unable to think clearly, hurried over.

“Little sister, what’s wrong with you? Come back with me. We need to go home.” Wang Liying saw that her younger sister seemed off but didn’t have time to consider it further. She just wanted to get her home and avoid causing trouble for the family.

Wang Lijuan, in a daze, looked up and saw her elder sister had arrived. Ignoring her, she fixed her gaze on Jiang Suihan, staring at her intently for several seconds before saying, “Don’t you believe me?”

Jiang Suihan forced a smile, not directly answering her question. Jiang Suihan twitched the corners of her mouth and didn’t answer her question directly: “Does it matter whether I believe you or not? Just decide for yourself. If you want to believe it, then believe it. If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t believe it. As the saying goes, Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou. Who knows whether it’s true or false^[1]The saying “Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou” comes from a famous parable in Chinese philosophy, attributed to Zhuang Zhou (or Zhuangzi), … Continue reading?”

She wasn’t concerned with whether the book was accurate. She just wanted to live her life without unnecessary trouble. But if trouble came knocking, she wouldn’t be afraid.

As for Wang Lijuan, Jiang Suihan thought the girl might be deluded. Perhaps she had indeed foreseen some future events, but luck and misfortune are relative. Sometimes, what seems like extraordinary luck can change. Foreseeing the end might not be a blessing; sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Wang Lijuan thought she had received special favor from heaven, knowing what would happen in advance, viewing those around her from a position of self-righteous clarity. Little did she know, she was trapped in a self-created vicious cycle.

“Real? Fake?” Wang Lijuan mumbled these words, oblivious to her elder sister’s grim expression.

Wang Liying couldn’t wait any longer, so she grabbed Wang Lijuan’s hand and tried to drag her back. She made a decision in her mind that her younger sister’s current condition really looked a bit like a mental patient.

Returning to her hometown meant dealing with many prying eyes and gossip. If it became known that her younger sister was mentally unstable, she would definitely be the subject of ridicule in the village, and finding a marriage partner would become even more difficult. The best solution was to stay here, find a hospital, and get treated first. With so few people around here, there was less risk of being discovered.

Wang Lijuan did not resist and was dragged by Wang Liying towards home. After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned back to look at Jiang Suihan, opened her mouth as if to speak, hesitated for a second, and then closed it again, ultimately saying nothing.

The incident had dampened Jiang Suihan’s mood, leaving her feeling down and quite frustrated.

Anyone would be unsettled knowing they were about to die soon. Remaining calm in such a situation was the hallmark of someone lacking empathy.

Jiang Leyun, who had overheard the conversation, was confused and dazed. After hearing Wang Lijuan curse his sister, he was on the verge of losing his temper and charging at her, but his sister held him back. Their family had already been annoyed by Li Zili taking his toy tank, and now his aunt was even worse, with a heart full of malice.

“Sister, how can there be such irritating people in the world?” The child clenched his fist and said indignantly.

“In this world, as long as you live long enough, you’ll encounter all sorts of people. Today’s events are quite normal. There’s no point in arguing with someone who is clearly mentally unstable; you can’t be crazier than her,” Jiang Suihan said, pouring half a cup of water into each of their glasses and handing one to Jiang Leyun. “Anyway, I haven’t lost anything, and I actually got some unexpected news, which is an unintended gain.”

She sipped her water slowly but was pondering what kind of “accident” Wang Lijuan had mentioned that led to “her” death. Since she mostly stayed in the military, it should not have been an incident that occurred there. Therefore, it must have happened outside. However, she couldn’t hide in the military for the entire year out of fear—she would go stir-crazy.

She liked quiet, but being cooped up at home, even being forbidden to go out to buy something, was too stifling.

After much thought, she figured if staying at home for too long became unbearable, she might want to go out occasionally. She could wait until Xu Zhao was on leave. With him around, it should be safer.

However, for the sake of her own life, it was still safer to stay in the military. After all, the military was full of soldiers, which provided a strong sense of security.

“Sister, what are you thinking about? Why aren’t you speaking?” Jiang Leyun expressed his thoughts and then noticed his sister staring blankly ahead. Unable to help himself, he waved his hand in front of her face.

“Oh, nothing. What were you going to say just now?” Jiang Suihan deflected the question and responded with a counter-question.

“I was saying, if Brother-in-law were at home, he definitely wouldn’t let you be bullied. You just have too good a temper and don’t take things to heart. Sister, there’s a saying that a kind person is often taken advantage of. You need to be more assertive. If someone hits you, hit them back. If you can’t win, run away and tell Brother-in-law when you get home. A gentleman takes revenge even if it takes ten years.”

Jiang Leyun’s eyes sparkled with excitement and enthusiasm as he spoke, eager to instill these ideas into his sister’s mind.

He thought that being too gentle was not good for a girl, as it made her prone to being bullied. When he grew up, he would definitely marry a girl with some temperament, though she also had to be as good-looking as his sister.

Jiang Suihan was unaware that her brother was already fantasizing about his future wife. Children’s thoughts were always changing.

“Got it, little housekeeper. You must not tell anyone about today’s events, not even your Brother-in-law. Can you manage that?”

Jiang Suihan smiled as she pinched her brother’s cheek, reminding him not to disclose anything. This matter was indeed hard to understand, and she had yet to decide whether to reveal it to Xu Zhao.

“Men’s faces shouldn’t be pinched.” Jiang Leyun leaned back, trying to avoid his sister’s teasing hands.

“You haven’t even grown up yet, and you’re talking about being a man. Who did you learn that from? When you were little, I even changed your diapers. Is it so hard for me to pinch you a little?” Jiang Suihan mischievously pinched him again, and seeing his little furrowed brows and helpless resistance, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Brother Xiaojun said that.” Jiang Leyun gave up struggling, his face turning slightly red. He couldn’t face the mention of diapers and wanted to tell his sister not to bring up his embarrassing moments from childhood. But he knew that, given his sister’s love for teasing him, she would never agree to stop and would only intensify her teasing.

Every day, he wondered when he would finally grow up.

“Go wash your face and take a nap.” Jiang Suihan waved him away, sending him off.

“Okay.” Jiang Leyun responded and went to get some water.

The surroundings were very quiet, but Jiang Suihan was restless, her mind racing. She turned in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

With Xu Zhao away, there was no one to discuss or seek advice from.

She felt frustrated.

She got up, took a few sips of water, and returned to bed, her mind blank, trying to drift into sleep.

Jiang Suihan knew she was dreaming, her consciousness clear, but her body was immobile. She dreamed that her kindness had led her into a trap where she was lured to a deserted place, knocked unconscious, and woke up in a car with her hands and feet bound. She heard the human traffickers excitedly discussing selling her and others to the mountains to make a profit. She waited for an opportunity to escape but, as luck would have it, the traffickers pursued her relentlessly. She fell off a cliff and was crushed to death.

Then she became a ghost, desperately wanting to return to Xu Zhao. When she finally got back to the Xu family, it was the day Xu Zhao and Wang Lijuan were getting married. The two were gazing at each other lovingly while the guests congratulated them, having forgotten all about her. She stayed at the Xu family home, watching the couple’s affectionate life. They had a boy and a girl, and Wang Lijuan asked Xu Zhao if he loved her. Xu Zhao smiled and said he did.

“Ah, ah, ah, I’m so angry! Xu Zhao, I’m going to kill you!”