Wang Guizhi hugged her daughter tightly, sobbing with relief now that she had finally woken up. Standing by, Shen Fugui also looked worried, but then his face changed as he noticed something alarming. His wife’s elbow seemed to be pressing on their daughter’s stomach.

“Hey, old woman, stop crying for a second! You’re crushing her! Look, she can barely breathe!”

“Huh?” Wang Guizhi jumped, realizing her mistake, and quickly let go, stepping back. Seeing Shen Meng struggling to breathe, she wrung her hands in distress.

“My poor child, why has your life been so hard? Marrying into that family, where they swore to treat you like a daughter. And yet look at them—your so-called loving mother-in-law and in-laws leave you lying alone while they feast! You’re so naive, letting yourself be played, treating them like good people. And now, look at the price you’ve paid! Hit by the village’s cow, yet they couldn’t even bothered to fetch a barefoot doctor. I swear, I’ll make a scene at the commune!”

Shen Meng was in pain but hid it. She realized she had taken over the body of Wang Guizhi’s daughter. Her new “parents” hovered over her, worried but unaware that their real daughter was gone, replaced by an outsider’s spirit.

“Enough talk for now, wife,” Shen Fugui said. “You stay here with her. I’m going to get the doctor. If we delay any longer, we’ll lose her.”

“Yes, yes, hurry and go! We’ll pay anything—we just want Meng safe!” Wang Guizhi said, dabbing her tears and urging her husband to leave. Fugui shot his daughter one last concerned look, then hurried out the door.

Once he was gone, Wang Guizhi poured a little water and tried to get Shen Meng to drink it. Shen Meng didn’t want to—her head felt like it was splitting open—but her new “mother” was trembling with worry, so she managed a sip to reassure her.

As Wang Guizhi sat beside her, quietly sniffling, Shen Meng’s head suddenly exploded with pain, as if her brain were being flooded. Images and memories rushed in all at once, overwhelming her senses.

She realized she had landed in a novel she’d read called “Jiaojiao Koi is Pregnant, Rough Man Pinches Her Waist to Love Her”. In the story, she was the classic “villainous side character.” While the original Shen Meng had been beautiful, she was petty and manipulative. As soon as she was old enough, she learned to charm adults to secure benefits for herself.

Although many sought her hand in marriage, Shen Meng had set her sights on Lu Zhenping, a man from Lu Village who was a soldier. Though unmarried, he already had three children. Few women were willing to marry a man and become a stepmother to three kids, but Shen Meng volunteered, winning over Lu Zhenping’s heart in a calculated move. Instead of promising to love his children, she had simply handed him a handful of roasted peanuts to give them, and her gentle, unassuming nature charmed him.

Once married, Lu Zhenping was called back to the military soon after. Initially, Shen Meng treated the children well, but with time, she grew more and more resentful. She became pregnant herself, and her in-laws and sisters-in-law all took fancy to the allowance she had and fawned over her, making her feel self-important. She lost her ability to think. Not only did she subsidize this and that, she also beat and scolded her children. By the time her own child was born, her life had become chaotic and miserable.

Just when things seemed unbearable, her husband’s youngest brother got married. The new bride was the novel’s protagonist, a sweet and pretty woman who quickly won everyone’s hearts. Blessed with incredible luck, she always stumbled upon wild game, valuable herbs, or solutions to communal problems. She saved a young man who later became a powerful figure in the city and she transitioned from farm labor to a position in a textile factory, eventually becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The male lead, with the heroine’s luck by his side, prospered and became a business mogul, known for his love and loyalty to his wife. He and the female protagonist had three children.

As for those who have a good relationship with the male and female protagonists, they are all harmonious and happy and have achieved some success.

Shen Meng’s character, however, was less fortunate. She was marked as a villain simply for not lending the heroine money to repair her house or providing extra food coupons. The original owner, who had always disliked the heroine, watched her reputation being gradually ruined, and she was even more angry. She gradually began to fight back, but the result of the counterattack was that her reputation became even more terrible. When she was thrown mud by the village children again, she ran to chase them in anger, but accidentally fell into the river and drowned.

As for her stepchildren, they suffered as a result of her neglect. They grew up without guidance and were eventually used to contrast the heroine’s children. Their tragic fates were the novel’s cautionary tale. The eldest son became a gloomy and cunning street urchin, often getting into fights, stealing, and molesting young wives. Because of his vicious methods, he eventually offended someone and was beaten to death. The second son was sentenced to decades in prison after falling in with gangsters. The daughter, consumed by vanity, married an older man for money, only to be abused until her death. And the youngest, bullied by the heroine’s children, died from neglect after catching a fever.

Finally, Lu Zhenping himself, after returning from the military, could do nothing to save his broken family. One day, he was ambushed by the heroine’s supporters when his second son was reported and arrested. The blow left him mentally impaired, and he wandered the village in confusion searching for his children and wife until he fell into the river one winter, holding Song Meng clothes.

Shen Meng felt a surge of frustration and helplessness. What monstrous acts had the original Shen Meng committed to warrant such a fate for her and everyone around her? She realized why the original character had loathed the protagonist so much, driven to rage and despair.

The last part of her memories showed that the original character was injured this time because she had awakened her own consciousness after being reborn. She’d wanted to push the protagonist into the river, but was suddenly knocked over by an old yellow cow that came out of nowhere, hitting her head. Unfortunately, she didn’t survive more than two days after this awakening. Thinking back, it really was pitiful.