Chapter 1

“Yun Xiang, all you lost was a job, but Lili lost her precious love!” 

Lu Yunxiang coldly stared at her self-righteous cousin, Yang Qingxue. 

In her previous life, it was exactly this way. She had been trampled underfoot by Yang Qingxue’s lofty, pure, and aloof demeanor for her entire life. 

The job she worked so hard to secure was given away by Yang Qingxue. 

Because she lost her job, Yang Qingxue deemed her idle and unproductive at home and arranged for her to be sent to the countryside. 

In the countryside, she endured countless hardships and was robbed of the ability to become a mother. 

Later, when college entrance exams were reinstated, she burned the midnight oil, sacrificing everything to be admitted into university, only to have Yang Qingxue snatch that opportunity to curry favor with others. 

When she broke down, sobbing and raging, all she got in return was Yang Qingxue’s disdainful, condescending gaze. 

“Helping others is an honor for you; you should be grateful.” 

By suppressing her and exploiting her resources, Yang Qingxue gained a reputation as a kind-hearted, virtuous, and noble person. 

And with that reputation, she married into a wealthy family. 

Meanwhile, Lu Yunxiang was vilified as a petty, unreasonable, and worthless troublemaker. 

When she reached middle age, she discovered that Yang Qingxue had been having an affair with her childhood sweetheart—her husband. 

They even had a son together, now in his twenties! 

When she confronted them, Yang Qingxue showed no remorse and even rebuked her. 

“You can’t have children. A family like yours can’t go without an heir. I’m helping you; you should thank me.” 

Her husband also sided with Yang Qingxue. 

His gaze was cold and filled with contempt. 

“If you want to blame someone, blame me. Xiaoxue never wanted to compete with you; you’re just too sensitive. Are you trying to drive her to her death with all this fuss?” 

Yang Qingxue had tormented her for a lifetime, starting the moment she married. Her husband had been protecting her cousin from the beginning. 

Her life had become a complete joke. 

Consumed by fury, her heart gave out, and she died. 

Then, when she opened her eyes, she had been reborn—back to the year she was 18. 

She had returned to the exact moment when Yang Qingxue had stolen her job to give it to Yang Lili. 

Yang Lili was Yang Qingxue’s cousin. She was dating a skilled worker at the steel plant. The young man was already a Level 5 technician, and his family, comprised of dual-income earners, was relatively affluent. However, they were very particular about Yang Lili. 

His family had made it clear that as long as Yang Lili secured a job, they would allow the marriage to proceed immediately. 

All Yang Lili lacked was a job. 

Conveniently, Lu Yunxiang had just been hired at a clothing factory. 

Yang Qingxue decided to give her job to Yang Lili. 

When Yang Qingxue saw that Lu Yunxiang remained silent, her beautiful face showed signs of impatience. 

“Lili needs this job to get married. Helping her is an honor for you; you should be grateful.” 

It was this kind of talk that had shackled Lu Yunxiang her entire life. 

In an instant, all the humiliation, repression, and pain from her previous life surged into her heart. 

She lunged forward, delivering a resounding slap across Yang Qingxue’s pretty face. 

“Smack!” 

“Grateful, huh? I’ll thank your ancestors for eight generations! This is how I show my gratitude!” 

That slap brought Lu Yunxiang immense satisfaction. She had longed to do this in her past life!

Yang Qingxue had no time to react to Lu Yunxiang’s sudden move and was sent sprawling to the ground by the slap. Her fair cheek instantly swelled up. 

Clutching her face, she stared at Lu Yunxiang in disbelief. 

“You hit me? Are you crazy?” 

Lu Yunxiang retorted sharply, “Crazy? That’s you, dear cousin! Yang Lili needs a job to get married—why don’t you give her your job? Giving her mine, oh, you’re so generous!” 

“I’m helping you! You’ve always been dull and unlikable. I’m doing good deeds on your behalf so people will like you more. How can you not appreciate it?” 

Disgusted, Lu Yunxiang couldn’t hold back and slapped her again! 

Smack!

“Yang Qingxue, aren’t you a bit too hypocritical? Can you swear you didn’t take a kickback from Yang Lili?” 

In her previous life, Lu Yunxiang only learned later that Yang Qingxue had not only handed over her job to Yang Lili but had also pocketed a 200-yuan bribe. 

So Yang Qingxue had essentially sold her job at a bargain price while using moral blackmail to accuse Lu Yunxiang of lacking kindness! 

A flicker of guilt and panic flashed across Yang Qingxue’s face. 

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I take a kickback? Don’t listen to people spreading rumors.” 

Lu Yunxiang sneered coldly. “You know very well whether you did or didn’t. Let me be clear—my job is not going to Yang Lili. You’d better think about how you’re going to explain this to her!” 

At this point, Yang Lili’s fiancé was already on the verge of breaking up with her. 

It was only due to Yang Lili’s relentless begging, with tears and snot everywhere, that he agreed to marry her on the condition that she had a job. 

Right now, Yang Lili was in a frenzy, desperate and unhinged. 

She had already given her money to Yang Qingxue. If she didn’t get Lu Yunxiang’s job, there was no way she would let this slide. 

Lu Yunxiang was curious to see how Yang Qingxue would clean up this mess! 

Realizing the potential fallout, Yang Qingxue’s face turned pale. 

She hurriedly reached out to grab Lu Yunxiang’s arm. 

But Lu Yunxiang had already anticipated her move. She sidestepped with ease and delivered a swift, accurate kick to Yang Qingxue’s stomach. 

Yang Qingxue was sent tumbling to the ground. 

Lu Yunxiang gave her a bright, mocking smile. 

“Serves you right!” 

With that, she cheerfully ran off. 

Behind her, Yang Qingxue’s voice rang out, hoarse and hysterical: “No! You can’t leave! I command you to give your job to Yang Lili. Do you hear me?!” 

In response, the only sound was the decisive slam of the door as Lu Yunxiang walked away without hesitation. 

Lu Yunxiang dashed out like a gust of wind. After slapping Yang Qingxue twice and kicking her for good measure, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest, the grievances of her past life finally dissipating. 

She ran down the road, her light and youthful body embracing the warm breeze of this era. 

This time, she vowed to live a completely different life. 

Being given a second chance made her happy, but at this point in time, only her age was beautiful—everything else was far from it. 

In her previous life, she had built the largest nationwide chain of gourmet restaurants and mastered the art of cooking fine cuisine, cultivating an incredibly discerning palate. 

But now, in this era, eating meat even once a week was a luxury. 

Let alone enjoying exquisite dishes. 

It was utterly depressing!