Chapter 1: “Your Grandfather Arranged a Childhood Engagement for You. Will You Marry?”

Summer, 1972.

The scorching heat of July engulfed Xitang Town, with cicadas chirping endlessly on the trees. The rolling waves of heat outside the window made the air feel even more stifling.

A large crowd gathered near the propaganda board of Xitang’s state-owned textile factory. Their discussions were even more heated than the summer sun.

“Ye Zhi, did you sign up for the anniversary cultural performance later?”

“Yes, I did.” Ye Zhi smiled casually and nodded.

At the sound of her name, the entire crowd turned to look at her.

Ye Zhi was undeniably beautiful—the recognized factory belle.

Her skin was as delicate as snow, her bright eyes twinkled like stars, and her long, jet-black hair was neatly braided over her shoulder. Her small, delicate face, paired with her rosy lips, made people mesmerized at first glance.

Someone nearby teased, “Comrade Ye Zhi is the face of our textile factory. Of course, she signed up!”

“You don’t know, do you? Tonight’s event isn’t just any event. I heard from our department head that the infrastructure company next door is also sending representatives.”

“Rumor has it that Ye Zhi has her eyes on the new deputy director of the infrastructure company. Someone saw her visiting his residence a few days ago!”

“No way! Ye Zhi is so gorgeous. She has plenty of men to choose from. Why would she willingly become someone’s stepmother?”

“Oh, come on! He’s an engineer. Which man in this town can compare? Even if she has to be a stepmother, it’s worth it!”

The crowd’s curiosity about the new engineer grew as they gossiped.

…

Ye Zhi paid no mind to the idle chatter and continued walking toward the event venue.

The town’s textile factory in the 1970s carried an air of age and history. The streets were lined with low red-brick, blue-tiled houses, their walls painted with large red slogans reading “Serve the People.” The rhythmic hum of machinery echoed in the air.

The men passing by wore dull-colored Dacron shirts with blue or black pants, while the women tied their hair into twin braids and dressed in similar shirts and trousers—giving off a strong vintage vibe.

It was at this moment that Ye Zhi fully accepted the fact that she had transmigrated into a novel.

However, what she could not accept was the miserable fate of the original character!

She had entered a 1970s-era novel, where the original ‘Ye Zhi’ was merely a tragic supporting role—a stepping stone for the male lead’s success.

Due to an accidental injury, the original ‘Ye Zhi’ was rescued by the male lead. From that moment, she devoted herself to him.

When he lost his wife and was left with a child, she willingly became the stepmother, taking care of him and his home.

When he worked hard to pass the college entrance exams, she supported him by handling all the housework, ensuring he had no worries.

She thought she had finally made it when they moved to the city together—only for his first love to return and say a single sentence that led to her being thrown out.

All the original Ye Zhi got in return was the male lead’s indifferent words: “Sorry, we have nothing in common.”

Worse still, after all those years together, she had been foolish enough never to register their marriage.

With no legal ties, she had no excuse to stay. She was directly kicked out.

Unable to bear the heartbreak, the original ‘Ye Zhi’ turned bitter and became a villainess—only to meet a miserable end soon after.

—Who could accept such a fate?

When Ye Zhi transmigrated, the story had already progressed past the accident. At this point, the original ‘Ye Zhi’ had fallen for the male lead and insisted she would marry no one else.

Just days ago, she had even rejected the childhood engagement her grandfather had arranged for her.

That engagement had been set up before her grandfather passed away.

However, due to various circumstances, their family had moved, and over time, they lost contact with the other party.

It wasn’t until last week that her father received a telegram from her grandfather’s old comrade, finally reconnecting them.

The message was straightforward: Did the childhood engagement still stand or not?

However, the original host, who only had feelings for the male lead, immediately rejected the marriage as soon as she heard she had a long-standing childhood engagement.

Ye Zhi truly felt that the original host was blind!

Even though it was a childhood engagement, her fiancé was at least a military officer—someone who would never have to worry about food or clothing!

Yet, the original host chose to reject a dependable soldier and instead ran off to be someone’s stepmother?

Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

However, the telegram rejecting the engagement had already been sent by her father yesterday.

Which was exactly one day before Ye Zhi transmigrated.

At this moment, Ye Zhi felt like crying but had no tears left!

She had thought she would transmigrate into a wealthy and beautiful young lady, but now all she had left was beauty.

And in this era—the 1970s, where labor was glorified—being beautiful without wealth wasn’t exactly an advantage.

Ye Zhi was indeed beautiful, and at first, many suitors came to propose. However, with her high standards, she dismissed the robust men from the town, only fancying cultured city boys.

So, when she first met the male lead from the city, she was immediately smitten.

Ye Zhi didn’t want to be a stepmother, so that path was out of the question.

But now that the childhood engagement was also rejected, she was at a loss about what to do.

“Ye Zhi, come here, let me do your makeup.” The speaker was Li Xueling, a colleague from Ye Zhi’s department.

For the upcoming anniversary performance, their department had signed up for a dance performance with six participants.

But Ye Zhi knew that, according to the original novel’s plot, their department wouldn’t just fail to win a prize but would also get criticized. Worse yet, the original host would end up losing her job over it.

That was because ‘Ye Zhi’ knew that the male lead in the novel liked girls who could dance. To catch his attention, she had forced herself to perform despite an injured foot.

That foot injury came from a previous encounter when the male lead ‘heroically saved’ her.

As a result, a mistake on stage caused everyone to mess up their steps. Li Xueling even fell off the stage.

From then on, Li Xueling bore a deep grudge against her and made sure she was eventually kicked out of the textile factory.

At the same time, this incident also made the male lead notice the original host.

He was then willing to let her be the stepmother of his three children.

Oh, no—more like a nanny.

In the end, after losing her job, the original host resigned herself to becoming the male lead’s ‘nanny,’ leading to her tragic downfall.

Thinking about this absurd plot, Ye Zhi felt exhausted.

As expected of a side character—her tragic fate was unshakable.

Ye Zhi originally didn’t want to participate in the performance, but there was a cash prize for the winners.

So, she had signed up to sing instead.

Not only could she avoid the disastrous plot, but she might even win a prize.

Ye Zhi walked up to Li Xueling and said, “Sister Xueling, I can do it myself.”

To be honest, she found the exaggerated makeup of this era hard to accept—especially since she was only singing tonight.

Li Xueling smiled and said, “With your face, people won’t be able to look away even without makeup.”

“Oh, you flatter me,” Ye Zhi responded with a polite smile before asking, “Sister Xueling, you’re not upset that I backed out of our department’s performance, are you?”

Li Xueling was momentarily stunned by Ye Zhi’s beauty but reassured her, “What’s there to be upset about? I’d only be mad if you went on stage with an injured foot and messed up everyone’s steps!”

Since they worked in the same department, they saw each other often. But for some reason, Li Xueling felt that Ye Zhi looked exceptionally stunning today.

Just a simple smile was enough to brighten the mood, and her big, watery eyes were captivating.

Ye Zhi smiled and said, “Then I wish you and the team good luck!”

Li Xueling wasn’t wrong in her prediction.

If Ye Zhi had gone on stage, she would have thrown off the group’s performance, causing serious consequences.

Li Xueling chuckled and said, “You really have a sweet mouth. You should also do your best. With such a lovely voice, you might win a prize—that would bring honor to our department too.”

Ye Zhi’s eyes curved with her smile. “Alright.”

Not only was she beautiful, but her voice was also sweet.

Even though she couldn’t dance today, singing was one of her strengths.

Back in school, she had performed a solo at her graduation ceremony, and her performance was even shared by major media outlets online, earning widespread praise.

So, tonight’s anniversary gala would surely go smoothly.

Meanwhile, a group of onlookers watching Ye Zhi and Li Xueling chatting couldn’t help but sneer.

“Look at her, suddenly changing her performance just to attract the vice factory director’s attention.”

“Exactly! What’s the use of being pretty? Just wait—she’ll probably go off-key on stage. Choosing a solo performance? Clearly, she has ulterior motives.”

“Why do you care so much? If she’s desperate to be a stepmother, can you stop her?”

“The real joke is if she’s trying so hard to be a stepmother, but the vice factory director isn’t even interested in her!”

Mocking laughter erupted from the group.

As Ye Zhi passed by, she lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze sharp like a cold blade, exuding an aura of quiet authority.

Then she sneered. “I don’t know who the vice factory director likes, but… it definitely won’t be any of you.”

Li Xueling added, “That’s right! A bunch of gossiping busybodies—be careful, or you might bite your own tongues on stage!”

She shot them a glare, then linked arms with Ye Zhi and led her backstage.

The group gritted their teeth as they watched the two leave, but none dared to speak up.

After all, Li Xueling was the factory director’s niece.

Li Xueling reassured Ye Zhi, “Xiao Ye, don’t take it to heart. They’re just jealous of your beauty!”

Ye Zhi responded with a soft “Mm” and curved her lips into a faint smile.

Just as she was heading backstage, two figures—one tall and one short—appeared at the entrance of the venue.

As they slowly approached, Ye Zhi was momentarily stunned before calling out, “Dad, Mom? Why are you here?”

Her father handed her a piece of paper and said earnestly, “The telegram we sent yesterday was rejected and sent back. So I’m asking you one more time—”

“The childhood engagement your grandfather arranged for you—will you marry or not?”