Chapter 05 

The Zhao family ran a hotel business, while the Jiang family focused primarily on daily-use cleaning and maintenance products, as well as furniture upkeep. Naturally, the two families had formed a long-standing trade partnership.

For the Jiang family, the Zhao family was a major source of profit. Even though Father Jiang cared a great deal about saving face, at this moment he had no choice but to swallow his pride and come to apologize in person.

The Zhao family had only one son, Zhao Ming. Now that his lower leg had been fractured by Jiang Lisheng, everyone in the Zhao household was furious. Father and daughter waited at the door for quite some time without anyone coming out to greet them, clearly a move meant to put them in their place.

After waiting so long, Father Jiang was starting to feel humiliated.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lisheng stood with both hands in her pockets, her posture lazy and completely indifferent.

Seeing her so undisciplined and unpresentable, Father Jiang was once again filled with anger. “Jiang Lisheng, can’t you try learning from your sister? You can’t stand properly, can’t sit properly, and day after day, you do nothing but cause trouble. You can’t accomplish anything important at all!”

Jiang Lisheng raised an eyebrow at his words. “Dad, what major thing do you want me to accomplish?”

Father Jiang pressed his fingers to his forehead in frustration. “Hmph, what major thing could you possibly accomplish? If you can get Chairman Zhao to forgive you, that alone would count as doing something that satisfies me.”

As the father and daughter spoke, the Zhao couple finally arrived, fashionably late.

Father Jiang immediately put on a flattering smile and stepped forward to greet them. “Chairman Zhao, it’s been a while. I hope our sudden visit today hasn’t disturbed you.” After speaking, he signaled for the driver to bring over the antique gift they had prepared.

Chairman Zhao cast a glance at it but did not take it. His gaze swept coldly past Father Jiang and landed on Jiang Lisheng.

Madam Zhao also came down the stairs, her smile polite yet faintly laced with contempt. “Not at all. We were tied up in meetings and didn’t have time to properly receive Director Jiang.”

Father Jiang gave an awkward laugh. “Actually… I came this time to apologize, about my daughter injuring your son…”

“Save it.” At the mention of this, Chairman Zhao’s anger surged to his brow. “You Jiang sure are something. Even your daughter is extraordinary. Without a word, she broke my son’s leg. Even if you get down on your knees and beg me, this matter can’t be brushed aside so easily!”

Hearing this, Father Jiang panicked at once and quickly stepped forward. “Chairman Zhao—”

Before he could finish, Jiang Lisheng, standing behind him, suddenly launched a flying kick followed by a sweeping strike at his feet. Off balance, Father Jiang stumbled and dropped straight to his knees in front of the Zhao couple.

Father Jiang: “!”

The entire Zhao household: “!”

Taking advantage of everyone’s shock, Jiang Lisheng stepped forward, pointed at her temporarily downed father, and said to the couple, “My dad got down on his knees and begged you.”

Father Jiang: “…”

The Zhao couple: “…”

Chairman Zhao truly hadn’t expected such a scene. His upper eyelid twitched as he looked at the elderly Father Jiang kneeling at his feet. It felt inappropriate to keep a cold face, so he walked over and helped him up. “Old Jiang, I was just speaking in anger. There was no need for this.”

Father Jiang’s kneecaps throbbed with a dull pain, and he was so furious that his head nearly turned sideways. But he couldn’t lash out now. He could only silently jot this down against Jiang Lisheng in his heart and force a smile. “Perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding. Why don’t we have your son come out, and I’ll have my daughter apologize to him in person. What do you think, Chairman Zhao?”

The couple exchanged glances without speaking, then led them to the sofa in the living room and took a seat.

Father Jiang waited nervously. After a short moment, Chairman Zhao finally gave in and waved for someone to go upstairs and fetch the young master.

Jiang Lisheng stood off to the side, waiting.

Soon, a housekeeper came out of the elevator, pushing a wheelchair.

The young man in the wheelchair had a cast on his left leg. His features were passable, and he looked about the same age as Jiang Lisheng, but his expression was sour, his mood clearly unpleasant.

He lifted his gaze and spotted Jiang Lisheng at once.

The memory of that day was too humiliating. The moment his eyes landed on her, it was as if a floodgate had burst open. The entire scene came rushing back to his mind in an instant.

Zhao Ming and his group of second-generation rich kids weren’t exactly good people to begin with.

His usual hobby was riding his motorcycle up and down the roads. About a week ago, while passing a convenience store with a bunch of his cronies, he happened to see Jiang Lisheng walking out.

Normally, he had no interest in girls as skinny as a monkey, but when someone mentioned she was the older sister Jiang Nuonuo’s family had just found, he took the chance to go over and mess with her.

He called it flirting, but in reality, he was just picking a fight.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Lisheng to grab him by the hair and give him a brutal beating. Zhao Ming couldn’t swallow that humiliation. Without thinking, he jumped on his motorcycle to chase after her, but he lost control of his speed and was flung into the air along with the bike when it crashed.

The indignation was suffocating.

Even his breathing became difficult.

“Jiang Lisheng, you’ve got some nerve showing your face in front of me. I’m telling you, even if you get down on your knees and beg me, I still—”

Before he could finish, Jiang Lisheng suddenly took a running start and slid into a kneel. Her knees glided across the floor for a short distance before stopping precisely at his feet.

Jiang Lisheng gripped his injured leg with both hands and gave it a slight squeeze. A cry of pain rang out above her head.

However, Zhao Ming’s cry of pain was no match for how fast Jiang Lisheng began to wail.

“Young Master Zhao, I’m so sorry—!”

Her voice was filled with anguish, tears streaming as she cried out.

Zhao Ming’s pain was so intense his eyes nearly rolled back.

Everyone nearby was stunned by her sudden performance. No one even noticed the change in Zhao Ming’s expression.

As Jiang Lisheng spoke, she clung tightly to his calf. Her tears fell like beads, dripping down one after another.

Right now, she felt immensely grateful.

Over the years, countless outsiders had possessed her body. Because floating around was unbearably boring, she had taken the opportunity to learn each one’s particular strengths.

For instance, the tears she shed this very second were a technique she’d learned from a certain small-time actress.

“It was… it was my fault… Young Master Zhao, I’m sorry. When you cursed my dad and said he should die, I talked back to you. I shouldn’t have stopped you from sending my dad to his death. To show my sincerity, I brought my dad here.”

Father Jiang froze. “???”

What did that mean?

Was he supposed to go die now?

Zhao Ming felt his vision going dark again and again.

He struggled desperately to free himself from Jiang Lisheng. If he hadn’t moved, it might’ve been fine, but the moment he resisted, a jolt of pain shot through his injured leg, draining all the strength from his body.

Zhao Ming doubled over in pain, gritting his teeth. “Jiang Lisheng, what the hell is wrong with you? Let go of me!!”

The Zhao family wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Hearing Jiang Lisheng’s tearful account, they quickly picked up on the crux of the matter.

Chairman Zhao frowned. “Young lady, explain clearly—what exactly did this boy do?”

Jiang Lisheng sobbed and sniffled as she cried. “It was my fault, I was in the wrong. Young Master Zhao saw me alone late at night and was concerned about me. He wanted to take me to a hotel on his motorcycle to find me a place to stay. He saw I was wearing too much and was worried I’d overheat, so he very thoughtfully tried to help me take off my clothes.”

She went on. “Young Master Zhao saw me leaving by myself and was afraid I’d be in danger, so he came after me. It’s all my fault for being ignorant. I’m the reason you got into a crash and injured your leg.”

Jiang Lisheng cried out with each sentence she spoke. Her words were vivid, her descriptions so detailed it was like watching a scene play out in front of them.

Zhao Ming noticed his father’s face growing darker and couldn’t worry about anything else. He yanked Jiang Lisheng away and pointed a finger at her nose, shouting angrily, “Jiang Lisheng, stop talking nonsense! Look at your face—why the hell would I sexually harass you?!”

Jiang Lisheng wasn’t angry. She nodded in agreement. “Yes, I’m plain and ugly, of course I’m not worthy of catching Young Master Zhao’s eye, so it was all my wishful thinking that made me misunderstand your kindness. You heard I was being mistreated at the Jiang family and even stood up for me by cursing out my parents. I was the one lacking sense and tact. In short, everything was my fault.”

Zhao Ming: “…”

Wait, hold on.

Something didn’t seem right.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Zhao Ming had a bad feeling about all this.

As he sat there dazed, he suddenly felt an intensely dangerous gaze fall upon him.

With a trembling heart, Zhao Ming slowly turned toward it—and met his father’s dark, weighty stare.

The corner of Zhao Ming’s mouth twitched. “Dad, no, listen… let me explain, I didn’t—”

Chairman Zhao clenched both fists. “I was wondering about that. How could a big guy like you end up with a broken leg from a little girl? So it turns out you were out racing again!”

Zhao Ming was still in high school, and he didn’t dare let his family know he’d been drag racing. So he and his cronies had cooked up a story, claiming that Jiang Lisheng had hit him with an electric scooter.

The more Chairman Zhao thought about it, the angrier he got. “You’ve completely disgraced me!”

That line sounded awfully familiar.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Lisheng glanced at Father Jiang and saw that he was still in a dazed state.

“So what now, you planning to go full criminal like those punks on the street? I can’t control you anymore, is that it?”

It wasn’t just Chairman Zhao—Madam Zhao, who had always doted on her son, also looked visibly displeased.

Zhao Ming was frantic to defend himself. “Dad! I didn’t—!”

Jiang Lisheng chimed in beside him, shouting, “Uncle, he didn’t do it!”

Irritated and flustered, Zhao Ming shoved her roughly. “Shut up! What does this have to do with you?!”

Jiang Lisheng took full advantage of her delicate and pitiful persona.

She fell to the ground in sync with the push, eyes brimming with tears. “Uncle Zhao, please don’t misunderstand Young Master Zhao. With someone like me, how could he possibly be interested? He was just concerned about me, really. I even have a video.”

Video?

Father Jiang finally snapped out of his daze. “What video?”

Jiang Lisheng stood up. “May I borrow the television for a moment?”

Without waiting for their permission, she walked straight to the TV, cast the surveillance footage from her phone onto the screen.

The footage was in crisp 1080P HD.

It clearly showed the front of the convenience store. As Jiang Lisheng walked out after making her purchase, she was surrounded by Zhao Ming and his gang.

The audio was even included.

“So you’re Jiang Lisheng, huh?”

The voice was unmistakably Zhao Ming’s.

“Out alone this late at night?”

His tone was clearly laced with bad intentions.

Jiang Lisheng held up her phone, doing her best to widen her peach blossom eyes to look more pitiful. “Uncle, Auntie, please look—Young Master Zhao was just concerned about me.”

“You’re wearing so much. Aren’t you hot? Take it off and let the guys have a look.”

Jiang Lisheng said with certainty, “Young Master Zhao was worried I might be too warm.”

“Don’t go. There’s a hotel up ahead. We’ll give you a ride.”

She grew even more resolute. “He was worried it wasn’t safe for me to be alone and even offered to help me find a hotel.” As she spoke, Jiang Lisheng showed a grateful expression. “Young Master Zhao, you’re truly a good person.”

The video ended there, and Jiang Lisheng stopped the screen casting.

“In short, I misunderstood Young Master Zhao. The footage proves his innocence. Uncle, Auntie, please, I beg you, forgive me. Don’t make the same mistake I did and wrongly accuse Young Master Zhao.”

Forgive?!

Forgive your ass!

Anyone with eyes could see who was in the wrong.

The Zhao couple had indeed suspected that this might be one of Jiang Lisheng’s little tricks. But her gaze was so sincere, and just as she had claimed, her clothing and appearance were plain and unremarkable. She genuinely seemed to believe that someone like Zhao Ming wouldn’t be interested in a girl like her.

She was young, and word had it she’d grown up in a rural town. A bit of naivety was understandable.

But aside from Jiang Lisheng, everyone else present was a seasoned player. Who would believe Zhao Ming’s intentions had been entirely innocent?

What’s more…

Chairman Zhao could no longer force a smile. With some difficulty, he pulled the corners of his mouth upward. “Young lady, about that surveillance footage…”

Jiang Lisheng looked completely puzzled, feigning ignorance of their implication. “Uncle, the footage has backups that can be verified. I absolutely didn’t tamper with anything.”

Upon hearing that, the Zhao couple once again felt their vision go dark.

Meanwhile, the system that had been quietly watching the chaos unfold in her mind suddenly reacted as well. [Wait, Host, when did you get that surveillance footage?]

Jiang Lisheng: [The day after it happened. I paid the shop owner for it.]

Jiang Lisheng wasn’t stupid.

Zhao Ming and his group didn’t dress like people from ordinary families. Just to be safe, she had gone to the convenience store the very next day and paid the owner to buy the surveillance footage.

She had spent the only five hundred yuan of loose change she had on her, which was why she had ended up so penniless afterward.

What she hadn’t expected was that just a few days later, her consciousness would be stripped away, and the transmigrators who took over her body afterward would forget all about the video.

Jiang Lisheng calmly looked at the Zhao family.

From the beginning, she had known her parents couldn’t be relied on. No one could be. So no matter the time or place, she always made sure to leave herself a way out.

Now the question was, how exactly would the Zhao family deal with this evidence that “proved” Zhao Ming’s innocence?