Chapter 2 – The Mysterious Watch

Song Yun was prepared. As soon as Song Zhenzhen reached for her wrist, she grabbed Zhenzhen’s clawing hand and slapped her hard across the face—again and again, the crisp slaps echoed in the room until stars danced in Zhenzhen’s eyes.

Pushing her aside, Song Yun coldly said, “Yesterday, you shoved me into the corner of the table. The bump on the back of my head still hasn’t gone down. I now suspect that you tried to murder me to steal the inheritance my biological parents left me. Believe it or not, I could report this to the public security bureau right now—and everything you’ve done, everything you’re trying to hide, will be exposed to the world!”

It was because of that very blow to the head yesterday that Song Yun had been given this second chance at life.

Zhenzhen’s eyes, once full of hatred and fury, instantly filled with panic. But she quickly recovered her composure. Song Yun couldn’t possibly know about any of this—she must be bluffing. “You’re spouting nonsense. Making things up again. If you keep slandering me, I’ll get Mom and Dad to kick you out!”

With that, she turned and ran toward Li Shulan’s room.

Song Yun rolled her eyes. Useless coward. Can’t win with fists or words, so she runs to Mommy. Pfft.

She waited in the living room for a bit, but when neither Zhenzhen nor Li Shulan came out, she knew they were too guilty to escalate things. With a cold snort, she turned and headed toward the tiny storeroom she’d lived in as a child.

The storeroom was a tiny space separated by rotting wooden planks. It had no window and no lightbulb, so it was pitch dark. As soon as she stepped in, she bumped into a cluttered wooden shelf, banging her nose hard. A warm liquid began to flow from her nostrils.

Cursing quietly, Song Yun quickly groped around for a handkerchief to plug her nose. Just as she stuffed one into her nostril, a mechanical voice suddenly spoke near her ear:

“Valid DNA detected. System 1527 activating. Beginning binding process.”

The voice came from her wrist. Glancing down, Song Yun saw the previously old and battered watch now emitting a radiant blue glow.

She instinctively shut the half-open door behind her to block any prying eyes.

Her eyes lit up in surprise and excitement as she stared at the watch. This must be it—the legendary cheat code every transmigrator gets!

The light screen flickered briefly, then a line of text appeared:

“Binding successful! Hello, Song Yun. I am Collection System No. 1527. Pleased to work with you.”

Collection system? What the heck was that?

Before she could ask, System 1527 displayed a series of messages on the glowing screen, answering her unspoken questions.

It turned out System 1527 was a high-tech product from an advanced civilization on a higher-level planet. On that planet, natural resources had been over-exploited, leading to ecological collapse. Countless species of flora and fauna had gone extinct. In a desperate attempt to restore their ecosystem, they created these “collection systems” and sent them to ancient, low-tier planets like Earth to collect biological samples.

The collected species would then be transmitted back to their home planet through the system, completing a restoration task.

System 1527 was one of many such devices. It had been on Earth for years but, due to the planet’s lack of compatible energy sources, had gone dormant inside the mechanical watch. Unable to operate independently, it opted for a partnership with a human.

Since this was a partnership, profits would be shared. System 1527 pulled up its internal shop interface, revealing a treasure trove of items that made Song Yun’s eyes sparkle.

Of course, nothing came free.

She pointed to a bottle of “Basic Nutrient Solution” priced at 50 star coins and asked, “What are star coins?”

The screen displayed an immediate response:
“All qualified collection targets can be exchanged for star coins. Value depends on rarity.”

Song Yun was eager to give it a try. She turned to head out, but paused at the door and whispered, “Can’t you disguise yourself somehow? That glowing blue light is way too conspicuous. The moment I step outside, someone will notice.”

“Only you can see me,” the system replied.

Relieved, Song Yun opened the door and stepped out. The living room was empty. She could still hear faint murmuring from Li Shulan’s room—probably that mother-daughter pair scheming something nasty again.

Song Yun didn’t care. She went straight to the kitchen and immediately spotted Li Shulan’s market basket in the corner. Inside was just one bunch of leafy greens. She pulled them all out and scanned them with her watch.

Feeling optimistic about earning her first “fortune” post-rebirth…

But then the screen flashed a line of text:

“Scanned target is a lifeless item. Cannot be exchanged.”

Lifeless? Song Yun looked at the base of the greens—sure enough, the roots had been chopped off. Only the leaves and stalk remained.

She searched the house again but couldn’t find a single suitable item for collection. Not even a scallion with its roots still attached. She’d have to go outside.

She stuffed all the few coins the original Song Yun had managed to save into her pocket and left the house.

The moment she was gone, the scheming mother and daughter stepped out. Zhenzhen stood at the window, watching Song Yun hurry out of the textile factory’s family compound. Her eyes blazed with jealousy.

That wretched girl. Even in rough linen clothes, she couldn’t hide her seductive air. Especially that face—it looked exactly like Bai Qingxia’s: alluring and bewitching.

Zhenzhen recalled how, growing up beside Bai Qingxia, people often gave them strange looks. Some even questioned how someone who looked like her could be related to someone as stunning as Bai. The memory made her stomach twist with rage.

Wretches. All of them.

Once Song Yun had completely disappeared from view, Zhenzhen turned and said to Li Shulan, “Mom, I want to marry Jianye-ge.”

In her previous life, she’d been dragged down by Song Hao and Bai Qingxia. All three were sent to the countryside and ended up living in a cow shed. Before long, Song Hao, Bai Qingxia, and their short-lived son Song Ziyi all died from illness. Left alone, she had no choice but to marry a nasty old bachelor in the village.

Life was miserable. She toiled for years doing exhausting farm work and house chores. It wasn’t until she was over forty that she learned the truth about her identity.

She would never forget the day she reunited with Song Weiguo and Li Shulan.

Song Yun had come too—alongside her high-ranking military husband, Ding Jianye.

Despite being in her forties, Song Yun looked like she was in her twenties. Ding Jianye was not only handsome and composed, but had a flourishing military career. He carefully helped Song Yun out of the car like she was a rare treasure.

And her?

She was withered and ugly, ruined by years of hard labor and childbirth. Her husband was a notorious scoundrel in the village, and she had five children who looked like random scraps of vegetables.

Looking at Song Yun’s glamorous life, and then back at her own disgraceful fate—Zhenzhen had collapsed on the spot. When she woke up, she’d somehow gone back in time—just a few days before the disaster that ruined her previous life.

Heaven had given her a second chance. This time, she would take back everything that had been stolen from her.

Li Shulan stared at her daughter in shock. “You’ve only been back a few days. You haven’t even met Ding Jianye. Why would you want to marry him?”

Zhenzhen walked over, held her mother’s hand, and gently swayed it, acting coy. “Mom, I’m already eighteen and don’t have a job. If I don’t get married, I’ll be sent to the countryside. You know how hard it is to find work these days—marriage is the only way I can stay in the city.”

“Besides, even if I haven’t met Jianye-ge, I know he’s the most promising man in the entire neighborhood. With his abilities, he’ll definitely go far in the military. If I marry him, even Hongwei can benefit from it too.”

Hongwei was Li Shulan and Song Weiguo’s younger son—their precious little darling.