Chapter 1

After Lin Qian took care of her paralyzed mother-in-law until her death, it had been less than a month since the funeral.

Lin Qian, the daughter-in-law who worked like a mule for the Lu family after her marriage, ended up in the ICU soon after.

Her husband, Lu Zhanting, never showed up.

It was Bai Aiyun—Lu Zhanting’s white moonlight—who brought her two children to Lin Qian’s hospital bedside.

But the mother and her two children weren’t there to offer comfort—they came to send Lin Qian to the afterlife. The two siblings pulled out Lin Qian’s oxygen tube together.

With a hypocritical look of sorrow, Bai Aiyun stood over the dying Lin Qian and scolded coldly,
“Qian Qian, I really didn’t want to say anything, but you’ve gone too far. As Zhanting’s lawful wife, not only did you fail to give him a child, you even cheated on him once. And now? How could you let Huo Xiujin be the one to send you to the hospital?

You should know—after that shameful incident between you and Huo Xiujin, Zhanting never blamed you, but he got kicked out of the military because of you. Now that he’s living a miserable life out there, how could you still have the heart to use his money to pay for this fancy ICU room?”

Lin Qian wanted to fight back, but she couldn’t speak anymore. Her face twisted in pain as she struggled to breathe.

In her whole life, she had been a good daughter and a good daughter-in-law. The neighbors always praised her for being kind, hardworking, and filial.

But after being diagnosed with infertility, Lu Zhanting never touched her again. Then, three years ago, she had mysteriously ended up in bed with Lu Zhanting’s comrade, Huo Xiujin.

She never understood why fate had treated her so cruelly. All she ever wanted was to build a peaceful, happy home after marriage.

“Just accept your fate, Lin Qian. Don’t struggle.”

Seeing how strong Lin Qian’s will to live was, Bai Aiyun dropped the act. She picked up a pillow and pressed it down on Lin Qian’s face.

Lin Qian finally stopped breathing—but her soul drifted out of her body, still conscious.

She watched, stunned, as the always gentle Bai Aiyun burst out laughing beside her corpse.
“Zhi Min, go tell Zhanting—your father—that Lin Qian, the Lu family’s free maid, is finally dead.”

“Okay, I’ll go now.”

Lin Qian, still in soul form, was shocked—then saw a stream of thoughts floating above Bai Zhi Min’s head:

“I’m not my mom Bai Aiyun’s adopted daughter—I’m her biological daughter with Lu Zhanting. Lin Qian was a total fool. My mom was always Zhanting’s one true love. And this idiot always believed everything the Lu family told her, working like a slave for them. When I grow up, I’ll make sure I never marry a scumbag like my dad.”

Lin Qian was dumbfounded. So, after they got married, Lu Zhanting had secretly fathered a child with Bai Aiyun?

She had always thought Zhi Min was Bai Aiyun’s late cousin’s orphaned daughter.

So Lu Zhanting had been cheating on her the entire time!

She had once suspected something between Lu Zhanting and Bai Aiyun, but the Lu family always swore up and down that there was nothing between them. For the sake of Lu Zhanting’s military career, she had never made a fuss.

She never imagined this disgusting pair were playing her like a fool the entire time.

All those years she spent in the Lu household, silently enduring everything, like a maid—taking care of Lu Zhanting’s paralyzed grandfather right after marriage, then his crippled father and bedridden mother. She’d been scammed so badly.

Then Bai Aiyun said to her son,
“Zhi Qiang, remember—you’re your father’s eldest son. Go start preparing for our wedding. Even though your dad and I haven’t gotten our marriage license yet, I want a big, grand wedding. It’ll be a good way to cleanse the Lu family’s bad luck.”

Lin Qian then saw more thoughts floating above Bai Aiyun’s head:

“My life is really amazing. When I was 18, I pretended to be a colleague who died and became Lu Zhanting’s lifesaving benefactor. That’s when my good fortune began.
Because he was a deputy company commander in the army, I decided to get close to him. Later, I used his connections to meet his superior, a battalion commander. I set up a fake ‘rescue’ situation and married the battalion commander out of guilt.
Too bad he died young. But I always had Lu Zhanting wrapped around my finger.
The elders in the Lu family never liked me and were afraid I’d marry into their family. So I suggested Lu Zhanting marry a woman in name only to take care of them. I tricked that woman into being diagnosed as infertile, and Lu Zhanting never touched her since.
Now that all the Lu elders are dead, and Lu Zhanting has just been promoted to regiment commander, it’s finally time for our grand wedding.
As for Zhi Qiang and Zhi Min—they’re not even his kids. Lu Zhanting can’t have children, but he’ll never know.”

Lin Qian laughed through her tears. She was heartbroken at how thoroughly she’d been used all these years—but at the same time, she found it almost satisfying to realize Lu Zhanting had been nothing more than a puppet to his so-called white moonlight.

Hahaha.

As Bai Zhi Qiang opened the hospital room door, Lin Qian’s soul was pulled outside with him.

Then she saw thoughts floating above his head too:

“My mom is the luckiest woman on earth. On paper, I’m the son of regiment commander Lu Zhanting, but in truth I’m the biological son of this hospital’s director.
Lu Zhanting publicly dotes on me, while my real dad secretly paves the way for my future. I really am the luckiest guy alive.”

Lin Qian’s soul drifted through the hospital hallway, noticing that she could now see thoughts floating above everyone’s heads.

But right now, she didn’t care about anyone else.

Her soul kept drifting outward until she reached the hospital entrance, where she saw Lu Zhanting arrive in his military uniform.

He had just been promoted to regiment commander in Ning City and looked full of pride as he walked in, thinking:

“Finally, Lin Qian is dead. I can be with Aiyun openly at last.”

Seeing the smug look on his face, Lin Qian was suddenly reminded of an old saying:
“Promotion, wealth… and the wife dies.”

She felt sick to her stomach.

She had spent her final days still blaming herself for not doing enough for the Lu family—when in fact, all she had ever been to them was a free maid.

Too bad she could no longer do anything. She wished she could strangle that scumbag with her own hands.

Her soul floated further until she reached a house near the hospital.

There stood a man in a black suit—Huo Xiujin.

She remembered now. Three years ago, after they were caught in bed together, he was dishonorably discharged from the military. Shortly after, Lu Zhanting got promoted.

Just a few days ago, she had collapsed in the street—and it was Huo Xiujin who had sent her to the hospital.

Then she saw words floating above his head too:

“It’s all my fault—I dragged her down. That bastard Lu Zhanting slowly poisoned her over the years. I haven’t made money fast enough in Port City… If only I had, maybe she could’ve been saved.
I’ll wait just a little longer. Once Lin Qian dies, I’ll avenge her.”