Chapter 2

“Ahem, Host, you’re not Wu Song. Fighting tigers or wild boars is risky business. Sure, you’ve got the strength to match a boar, but what about speed? And don’t forget—I’m the Anger Value Critical Hit System. I work best when emotions are running high.

Once your opponent’s anger value reaches sixty, you can strike back for rewards. Verbal retaliation only earns you points, but physical retaliation can drop random cash and special rewards—like a Strength Pill that lasts thirty minutes, or a Mind-Reading Card for half an hour. You can even unlock the System Mall for cross-world trading, but that takes points to open.”]

Zhang Xiyue sneered. “Then I’ll start fighting back. Yang Guihua beat the original me to death—this debt will be settled slowly, but first I’m getting a big payout. She’s a temp at a clothing factory; I’ll make her cough it up. I’m going to pretend to be dead by the river, and when my family shows up, I’ll demand compensation.”

She picked up a wooden stick, walked up behind Wei Zhiguo, and struck the back of his neck. He collapsed instantly. Strength really was a wonderful thing. She then headed to the river, to a spot where people often passed by, took off her coat, and, seeing someone in the distance, quickly lay down.

Without the coat, the cold bit into her.

Zhang Qiaozui screamed, hurried over to check, and after feeling for breath under Zhang Xiyue’s nose, cried out, “Someone, help! This is terrible! Li Hongmei—your daughter’s dead!”

She ran back to the village to call people. Before long, the riverbank was packed. Li Hongmei’s voice was hoarse as she roared, “No! That’s impossible—my daughter, Xiyue! Xiyue, Mom’s here!”

Li Hongmei clutched Zhang Xiyue, calling to her again and again without response. It was still early February; everyone wore thin cotton jackets, and Xiyue’s body felt ice-cold, like a corpse.

“Mom, her hands are cold—let me carry her home,” Zhang Wenhai said sadly, touching his sister’s hand.

She’d been smiling just this morning… who could’ve guessed this would happen?

Li Hongmei’s eyes were red. “No! My Xiyue told me this morning she was going to make me a new set of clothes. The fabric she bought with the money she earned sewing for others is still on my nightstand. Xiyue… open your eyes… look at Mom… Xiyue…”

“Big brother, don’t say nonsense—your little sister is fine. She’ll be fine after she sleeps,” Li Hongmei said stubbornly.

When Zhang Wenhai stepped forward to lift Xiyue, Li Hongmei shoved him away. “Go! You and your wife can’t stand to see Xiyue do well. She’s alive—don’t you touch her!”

Then she noticed blood on the back of her daughter’s head, and on her clothes. She cried out, “Don’t move her! No one move her! Xiyue must’ve been attacked—who was it? Who did this? I’ll bury them with her!”

Zhang Wenhai stared at the wound, stunned. “Mom, she was definitely hit by someone. Who could’ve done it? Let’s call the police. They’ll get justice for us.”

His eyes swept over the crowd. “Best confess now—you might get a lighter sentence. Otherwise, when the police come, you’ll be eating lead.”

In the crowd, Yang Guihua’s sturdy frame trembled, the sack hidden under her clothes shifting slightly.

She’d heard Zhang Xiyue had been found dead by the river and came to gawk—how had things turned into this?

The villagers began to persuade Li Hongmei to give up.

“Hongmei, pull yourself together. Xiyue’s gone—let her rest in peace.”

“That’s right. The police won’t find anything. No one saw who did it.”

“Why don’t you take her home first?”

“Yeah, we’ve got work in the fields—we can’t keep standing here.”

Zhang Xiyue decided it was time. She opened her eyes and whispered, “Mom…” If she waited until they took her home, the show would be over.

Li Hongmei heard the faint voice and hugged her tighter. “Thank goodness! Xiyue, you’re alive! Are you hurt? Tell Mom who did this to you—say the word and I’ll send them to the labor farm.”

She wanted to check the wound but was afraid of hurting her. By now, most of the villagers had arrived, and the Zhang family showed up late—there had been a hunting event, and today everyone went to the drying yard to divide the meat.

The Zhang family crowded around her, fussing. Zhang’s father said angrily, “Thank goodness you’re alright! Now tell me—who hurt you? I’ll beat them to death!”

Xiyue lifted a hand with effort, pointing toward the crowd, her gaze pausing on Yang Guihua. “It was Aunt Yang’s third son, Wei Zhiguo. I overheard them plotting to make it look like I’d been trafficked, then tie me up in the mountains so I’d miss tomorrow’s recruitment exam.

Wei Zhiguo hit me on the back of the head with a thick wooden stick—didn’t expect there was a nail in it, nearly killed me. I played dead, and after a while I woke up and heard them planning to grab a sack, tie me to a big rock, and dump me in the river. Dad, Mom—call the police and have him arrested.”

She wanted Wei Zhiguo himself to name Yang Guihua as the real culprit. Once that happened, whatever little maternal affection he got would be gone. If he stayed home, his life would be hell; better he go eat sand in Beidahuang.

Wei Zhiguo had just woken up and followed the noise to the riverbank. To hear Xiyue call him a would-be murderer stunned him. This wouldn’t do—it wasn’t his fault!

Though he’d felt a little guilty at the time, for the sake of his future, what couldn’t he do?

He saw all eyes on him and shouted back, “It wasn’t me—it was my mother! Zhang Xiyue, you’re lying! You’re framing me because we’re competing for the same job!”

He was young, and his body shook with nerves.

“Everyone knows what kind of person I am! Zhang Xiyue is lazy and arrogant—sure, she’s got slightly better grades, but I’m the one who works hard and knows how to treat people right.”

Xiyue raised her voice. “If you doubt me, search Wei Zhiguo and Yang Guihua. They might still have the sack. They fed me something, which is why I’m still weak. And Aunt Yang has one yuan on her—it’s the thank-you fee for Yang Tiantian.

Tiantian saw me leave my house and tipped off Aunt Yang and Wei Zhiguo.

I went to Lin Shanshan’s house to get fabric so I could finish my mom’s clothes. When I left her place, under the camphor tree not far away, they knocked me out.

The idea to kidnap me came from Yang Tiantian—she planned to have someone report Wei Zhiguo for kidnapping me tomorrow, taking both me and him out of the competition. That way she could win without lifting a finger. Tiantian’s only slightly worse than us in the exams.”

“This time, all three of us—me, Tiantian, and Wei Zhiguo—passed the first round. They’re only hiring two people, and the factory director’s daughter is also in the running. That leaves just one spot for the rest of us. Ten people are still in the competition.”

At this, the crowd understood—the director’s daughter was basically guaranteed a spot. The remaining slot would be a fight to the death.

Village head Zhang Daguai and women’s director Yang Rong searched them personally and indeed found the sack and the yuan.

Zhang Daguai’s face darkened. “Wei Zhiguo, got anything to say now? This is no different from murder—Xiyue nearly died! You ‘played dead’ so you could throw her in the river? Have you forgotten our village’s three-day wake custom?

My great-great-grandfather once ‘died’ and woke up the next day—lived another six years!”

He wasn’t about to smooth things over. “You’ve lost your minds—just to avoid going to the countryside for work, you’d disregard human life?”

Li Hongmei was shaking with rage. She lunged at Yang Guihua, raining blows. “You poisonous woman! You almost had my daughter dumped in the river! You’re a murderer, a kidnapper—you deserve to be shot!”