“Sister-in-law, wake up, wake up!”

Su Linlang was sleeping soundly when a sweet voice from a little girl rang in her ears: “Ah, Sister-in-law, wake up, it’s time to get up!”

She slowly opened her eyes and finally adjusted to the new body she had inhabited after crossing over.

…

Su Linlang was originally a general in the PLA of the interstellar era. During a combat mission, she personally detonated a nuclear bomb, and her body was blown into pieces, expected to be obliterated.

But when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the body of another Su Linlang, this time in the 1980s on Earth.

This Su Linlang lived on a state-run farm in the mainland, her mother had passed away early, and her father was a disabled veteran who had participated in the War.

She had been living with her father since childhood.

Although she was beautiful, Su Linlang was slow to react, had a cold personality, and though capable of manual labor, she always appeared foolish.

Not long ago, her father fell ill with an incurable disease.

He knew he wouldn’t live long and had no one to entrust his daughter to.

He remembered an old acquaintance in Hong Kong who was a wealthy man and had once saved his life. So, he wrote a letter asking the wealthy man to look after his daughter.

This wealthy man, after years of hard work, had become the richest person in Hong Kong.

The wealthy man not only remembered the life-saving debt but also recalled a verbal agreement made between them years ago regarding a marriage arrangement for their grandchildren.

As the mainland opened up and the benefactor’s life was nearing its end, the rich man sent his eldest grandson, He Puting, to the farm to take care of him.

He Puting, as the eldest grandson of the richest family, came to the mainland for the first time. Instead of flaunting his wealth, he was humble, polite, and approachable. He personally took care of Su Linlang’s father until his passing, ensuring he was laid to rest properly.

Seeing the poor conditions of the farm and the dilapidated roads, He Puting generously donated money and goods, even paved new asphalt roads for the farm.

Afterward, he took Su Linlang back to Hong Kong.

…

“Sister-in-law, are you… spacing out?” A little girl was leaning on the side of Su Linlang’s bed, looking at her with concern.

Su Linlang touched the girl’s face and said, “I’m fine now, Sister-in-law is okay.”

When she first arrived, she was still in the mainland, and the original Su Linlang was emotionally detached and slow-witted.

She had only a fragment of her soul left, so the two souls merged as one.

At first, the two souls were incompatible, and Su Linlang could only utter simple sounds, appearing dull and slow. This was what the little girl had referred to as “spacing out.”

It was during this period of soul integration that her father passed away, and He Puting brought her to Hong Kong.

Upon arriving at the He family home, the elderly patriarch immediately began discussing marriage.

He had promised Su Linlang’s father many years ago that Su Linlang would marry into the He family and become their eldest grandson’s wife.

As the richest man, he kept his promises, and to ensure his benefactor’s spirit could rest in peace, he arranged a grand celebration, inviting guests and organizing a large-scale event to marry Su Linlang to He Puting.

Su Linlang didn’t know He Puting’s attitude toward the marriage, but he treated her with great care. He was gentle, thoughtful, and kind, like an older brother taking care of a little sister.

The first pack of sanitary pads Su Linlang used after arriving in Hong Kong was bought by He Puting for her.

They married three days ago.

But since the wedding, He Puting had not come back.

This morning, Su Linlang woke up feeling particularly clear-headed, her mind sharp.

She sensed that she had fully adapted to her new body and intuitively felt that something had happened to He Puting.

The little girl by the bed was He Puting’s younger sister, He Bingyan, who was also the person Su Linlang had become closest to since arriving at the He family.

Sure enough, the girl said, “Sister-in-law, Brother… something happened to Brother!”

Su Linlang asked, “Bingyan, what happened to your brother?”

Little Bingyan, who was only five years old, was still a little stutterer and often forgot things, stumbling over her words.

She handed Su Linlang a piece of Dolphin candy and said, “Sister-in-law, eat this, don’t cry.”

Su Linlang popped the candy into her mouth; it had a sweet and refreshing orange flavor.

She was about to ask little Bingyan what had happened when a knock on the door interrupted her.

She opened the door to find her mother-in-law, Xu Wanxin, whose eyes were swollen like peaches. Without saying anything, she just glanced at Su Linlang and walked away.

The maid accompanying her, Aunt Mu, said, “Young Madam, hurry up and get dressed, something’s happened, the patriarch is coming soon!”

Su Linlang nodded and said, “Okay, Aunt Mu, please go help my mother.”

Aunt Mu turned back and saw Xu Wanxin walking unsteadily, so she rushed to assist her.

But in her heart, she was puzzled.

Su Linlang had just arrived from the mainland and had always been slow and unresponsive.

She didn’t like meeting people and rarely spoke. Even when she did, she spoke with a thick mainland accent and didn’t know Cantonese.

But today, she was speaking Cantonese fluently and sounded sharp and articulate.

Her demeanor had changed; no longer was she the awkward, clumsy person she used to be. Instead, she seemed distant, composed, and graceful.

Aunt Mu couldn’t help but glance at Su Linlang again.

…

For an interstellar general, learning a foreign language was easy.

Su Linlang only needed to align the language logic in her memories, and she could speak Cantonese fluently.

Closing the door, she was thinking about what clothes to wear when, unexpectedly, a flood of information about the future surged into her mind.

The mainland Cinderella marrying into a Hong Kong aristocratic family, from then on sailing smoothly to a life of wealth and glory, that would be the fairy tale.

But her life was no fairy tale.

Moreover, not only did she travel through time, but she also traveled into a book.

According to the book, her husband and father-in-law were attacked by bandits on their wedding night. One of them was severely injured and fell into a coma, while the other was abducted by the bandits, both facing disaster.

This was the reason why He Puting had not returned home since their wedding day—he had been kidnapped!

In a family of the richest tycoons, when two heirs both encountered misfortune, it was as if a magnitude-15 earthquake had struck.

The book mentioned that although Old Master He personally intervened to take control of the situation, the damage caused by negative media reports, stock market crashes, and competitors taking advantage of the chaos, along with internal sabotage, caused the once-proud He family to quickly approach bankruptcy.

At this critical moment, the newlywed young mistress, the original owner of the body, Su Linlang, seeing her husband’s family in trouble, instead of joining forces to weather the storm, quietly fled with a large sum of money and expensive jewelry.

…

Su Linlang frowned deeply as she read this.

She was a general.

Even though her soul wasn’t fully integrated with the body, causing her to be slow in reaction, her mind was still clear.

He Puting had been very kind to her despite her cold and sluggish demeanor.

He had helped arrange her father’s funeral, donated to the farm, and promised to invest in factories on the mainland to help people there become prosperous.

Though born into a wealthy family, He Puting was a compassionate person with a strong sense of social responsibility.

He had been kidnapped! In both logic and emotions, how could she possibly take advantage of the chaos to escape with money?

This just didn’t make sense.

However, since the memory was like this, she continued to read.

The couple had once been like birds of the same forest, but when disaster struck, they flew their separate ways.

Su Linlang’s fleeing with the money perfectly illustrated the concept of ingratitude. Some even suspected she was an accomplice of the kidnappers, claiming that He Puting had been kidnapped because of her.

However, not long after she fled, He Puting somehow escaped from the bandits’ lair and returned home!

Yes, the severely injured He Puting had managed to escape from the bandits’ den.

Though he was critically injured, his legs crippled, and his vision nearly gone, after returning home, he turned the situation around and saved the He family from bankruptcy, restoring them to the top of the financial world.

Though he was confined to a wheelchair, He Puting’s business acumen and daring spirit led him to invest in factories on the mainland during the 1980s.

He built bridges and roads, accumulating vast wealth and benefiting the people, earning him great respect as a business genius.

Later, due to the lasting injuries from the kidnapping, He Puting died young, and the He family eventually went bankrupt.

But he became an immortal legend in Hong Kong’s history.

As for Su Linlang, due to fleeing with the money, she was ultimately identified as an accomplice and became a wanted criminal.

…

Well, enough of this. Time to change clothes.

She opened a special wardrobe, filled with dazzlingly beautiful clothes.

Because she was the daughter of a benefactor, Old Master He doted on her and even arranged for major international brands to furnish her wardrobe. It was filled with high-end fashion.

He Bingyan tugged at a pink gown adorned with crystals. “Sister-in-law, wear this one.”

Su Linlang gently touched the little girl’s head but chose a simple silver-gray dress instead.

While changing, she thought about what to do next.

She didn’t care much about the wealth of the richest family.

To be honest, with her own abilities and the knowledge she had gathered from the book about the historical background of the 1980s and the economic development of Hong Kong, she could live well on her own.

However, if she left now, even without taking money, people might suspect she was involved with the kidnappers.

Moreover, He Puting had personally arranged for the funeral of her father on the farm and did so with great care and dignity, making sure everything was proper.

Su Linlang was also from a military background.

She owed him this debt of gratitude and couldn’t let him suffer in the hands of the kidnappers, returning home injured and near death. She couldn’t allow that.

As a woman who had fought on the battlefield, with both strength and ability, how could she just stand by?

Decision made—Su Linlang would personally bring He Puting back from the kidnappers.

After changing clothes and holding hands with He Bingyan, she said, “Let’s go downstairs and find your mother.”

The He family mansion was still unfamiliar to Su Linlang, so she needed Bingyan to lead her so she wouldn’t get lost.

Little Bingyan flitted around like a delicate butterfly, leading her through the mansion until they arrived at a flower garden.

There, her mother-in-law, Xu Wanxin, was sobbing while the maid, Ah Mu, tried to comfort her.

“It’s all because of the bad luck of the mainland girl. Young Master’s wife should send her away early,” Ah Mu said.

“Mainland girl” referred to Su Linlang.

Xu Wanxin sobbed, “Before even consummating the marriage, my husband encountered misfortune. Linlang is so unfortunate.”

Ah Mu said, “Madam, the mainland girl has a lowly fate. Our He family has immense wealth; she can’t handle it. That’s why the wedding turned into a funeral.”

“As long as Puting can come back, I’ll pay any price. I just hope the kidnappers won’t harm him,” Xu Wanxin sniffled.

Ah Mu continued to speak ill of Su Linlang, “She has a low fate. If she doesn’t leave, I’m afraid the young master might not come back.”

Xu Wanxin was swayed by this, but she sighed, “The fortuneteller said they are a perfect match.”

“Madam, birthdays can be changed. If the young master wants to marry someone, we can change the birthdate to match his,” Ah Mu said confidently. “In my opinion, her birthdate must be fake.”

Xu Wanxin seemed to be convinced but sighed again, “The mainland is so poor. She surely wouldn’t want to return.”

This was the 1980s.

Hong Kong had towering skyscrapers and vibrant nightlife, while the mainland was still impoverished, with people struggling to survive.

Everyone desperately tried to come to Hong Kong.

Who would want to go back?

Ah Mu loyally declared, “As long as Madam agrees, I’ll find a way!”

…

He Bingyan shook Su Linlang’s arm and, upon their eyes meeting, the little girl nodded eagerly.

Su Linlang finally understood why this child had come to find her early in the morning and insisted on eavesdropping.

She finally realized why she had been mysteriously accused of “fleeing with the money.”

The problem lay with her mother-in-law’s personal maid.

Seeing that the madam was still hesitant, Ah Mu cried out in desperation, “Madam, the lowly fate of young master’s wife must be disposed of. You must make up your mind quickly!”

Because her soul wasn’t fully integrated, Su Linlang could only give vague responses like “uh-huh” or “yeah,” and since Old Master He had already set the wedding date and invited guests, she didn’t oppose it, and went ahead with the wedding with He Puting.

But she had already decided that once she could express herself clearly, she would divorce He Puting if he was willing, without taking a penny—she’d leave the wealth of the richest family behind.

But now, with He Puting kidnapped and his life uncertain, this maid wanted to drive her away.

What were her true intentions?

Su Linlang would never allow a maid to set her up.

She stepped forward and asked directly, “Ah Mu said I have a low fate. Could it be that my husband is already dead?”

Seeing her suddenly appear, Ah Mu and Xu Wanxin both turned pale.

“Pah, pah, pah, the young master is fine. How could you curse him so early in the morning?” Ah Mu hastily said.

Su Linlang raised an eyebrow. “But it was you who said I had a low fate. If my husband is alive, how could you describe me, the newlywed mistress, in such a way?”

…

She raised an eyebrow again and added, “Or are you just hoping my husband will die?”

Ah Mu didn’t expect the usually quiet mainland girl to not only speak Cantonese but also to be so sharp-tongued and aggressive.

The young master’s life was uncertain, and yet, she was implying that his wife was a widow, clearly wishing for the young master’s death?

Moreover, the kidnapping was a family secret, yet she, a maid, was spreading rumors? What would Old Master He think if he found out?

Ah Mu was about to silence Su Linlang when they heard footsteps.

Turning around, they saw Old Master He’s wheelchair approaching.