Chapter 1 – Opening Move: Brutally Beating a Mediocre Man, You Think You Can Mess with Me?

March 1976, Kyoto!

The weather was fine, all things were coming back to life.

Inside an old teahouse called Red Flag Teahouse, a brawl was currently in full swing.

“I’m telling you, this slap is to teach you a lesson. Do you even know what kind of family you come from? And you dare pull a face at me?”
“My aunt already told me—From now on, you have to listen to me. If I tell you to go east, you can’t go west. Got it?”
“Tomorrow morning, you’d better obediently come with me to get the marriage certificate. Miss this chance and even if you come begging me later, I won’t want a cheap woman like you.”

The more Liu Wenwu spoke, the wilder and more worked up he became.

Xia Wanwan woke up with a sharp pain at the back of her head, only to hear this fat pig in front of her blabbering at her non-stop. Anger surged instantly—she jumped up, wanting to see which variety of mutated zombie this was supposed to be.

One glance at the noisy surroundings—the busy street outside, people coming and going, and this leisurely teahouse in the middle of the hustle and bustle—then another look at the pig beside her, and she was sure: this was not the apocalypse!

Clutching her aching head, she remembered—hadn’t she died in an explosion? Then what the hell was going on?

Other than the throbbing pain in her head, her body felt intact—no sign of that tearing pain from before. Just then, like a film reel running at high speed, memories that weren’t hers flashed madly through her mind.

She had been reborn!

Reborn into the body of a woman with the same name as her—Xia Wanwan—who had just been beaten to death.

Hah! After years in the apocalypse, where every day was either killing or saving people, now that she had taken over someone else’s body, she might as well live this life to the fullest.

This time, she would live bright and free. Life motto: Forget “good character,” embrace a shameless life; if there’s a problem, just go crazy. Why make things hard for yourself when you can make them hard for others?

Glancing down at the peace amulet mark on her wrist—thank goodness it was still there! If she’d lost all that stockpiled material, she’d have died of heartbreak on the spot.

If her space was still here, then her wood-element ability might be too. Testing it with her fingertips, she felt that faint, familiar tingle—yes!

Smiling like a blooming flower at the fat pig in front of her—you just hit me, huh? Well, now you’ll taste my wrath.

Liu Wenwu was smug. His aunt had been right—this woman needed to be beaten into obedience, and a few more hits would tame her.

Xia Wanwan narrowed her eyes—time to activate mind-reading. And… oh?

His aunt?

Er-shen Liu Simu?

In the memories, that second aunt was all sweet smiles and flattery—but behind her back, she was teaching her nephews how to “deal with” Xia Wanwan. And this marriage? It wasn’t even his uncle who had vouched for it at her house.

He’d said something about being “one family” and “taking care of each other”—yeah, right. This was fishy.

Shaking her head—she could think about that later. Right now, she couldn’t stand this pig for another second.

Her red lips curled upward, and she sent a Tiger Punch straight into his nose.

Thud!

The fat pig, chair and all, went crashing to the floor.

The teahouse went dead silent.

Every gaze turned their way. This was a popular meeting spot, and lately Xia Wanwan had become a bit of a “name” in Kyoto—one look and everyone knew what was going on.

Her father had just been taken away, her mother had even posted in the paper to sever ties with her and her sister. Whoever had set her up on this blind date clearly wasn’t aiming high.

At another table sat Lu Tingxiao, just back on a rare half-month’s leave to visit family—only to be forced by his grandfather into a blind date. The shy, demure woman in front of him only made him feel inexplicably irritable.

By contrast, the woman at the other table was striking.

A delicate, beautiful face, fair skin, well-shaped features, large expressive eyes, and full, enticing red lips. A light blue dress hugged her slightly youthful figure, topped with a white knit cardigan—fresh and comfortable.

But most captivating were those eyes—black and white as clear as glass, with a mysterious depth that drew people in… And yet, this sweet-looking girl had just knocked over a fat pig with one punch?

Truly—you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Xia Wanwan, you dare hit me?! You must not have had enough!”

Liu Wenwu clutched his bleeding nose, roaring.

“Fatty, even if I never marry in this lifetime, I’d never marry a pig like you!”
“You want to marry me? Keep dreaming!”

Hearing more of his filthy thoughts, Xia Wanwan’s cheeks flushed with fury. She lunged, pinning Liu Wenwu down and unleashing another flurry of blows.

Lu Tingxiao’s brows lifted slightly—this girl fought without the slightest hesitation. Was she even a woman? And that weakling she was pummeling—what was he?

Across from him, Huang Xiaodie hurried to whisper:

“Brother Lu, that’s the daughter of our central hospital’s director. She’s notorious for being vicious and hot-tempered. No man dares want her.”

She’d noticed Lu Tingxiao glance twice at Xia Wanwan and rushed to smear her. With Xia Wanwan’s family already ruined, he’d never go near her—better for herself.

Huang Xiaodie lifted her chin proudly, casting a disdainful look across the room. She was a clean, respectable girl from a high-ranking family—why fear someone with “bad background”?

“Help! Help! This crazy woman’s going to kill me!”

“Liu Wenwu, you little turtle spawn, still dare fight back? You think you can hit your auntie? Remember— even a starving camel is bigger than a horse! You’d better watch yourself!”

Finally, Xia Wanwan let out a long breath. If she hadn’t heard his thoughts, she’d still be in the dark.

At that moment, several policemen walked in. Liu Wenwu acted like he’d seen saviors, scrambling over to grab their legs and wail for help.

Xia Wanwan, seeing them, cursed inwardly. If she got dragged in now… what a mess.

Hearing the pig’s whining made her even more irritated. Damn it, she’d gone too easy on him just now.

Lu Tingxiao seemed to sense her predicament. Normally, he didn’t meddle in other people’s business—but this time, maybe out of respect for her fighting spirit, he decided to step in.

He stood, strode over, and showed his credentials.

“Comrades, I can testify—this man was harassing her first. She acted in self-defense.
For someone who harasses women and then twists the truth, I hope you’ll take him in for proper education.”

The officers glanced at his ID, immediately becoming deferential.

“Yes, yes, Comrade Lu is right—this kind needs to be disciplined.”

Xia Wanwan stared at the man in front of her. His features were sharp and handsome, as if carved with a knife, especially those deep, shadowed eyes that made her heart skip.

Below, his waist was lean and firm, muscles taut with power. And radiating from him was an irresistible, commanding presence.

Her instincts screamed—not someone I can afford to provoke… for now.

The police slapped shiny silver bracelets on Liu Wenwu and led him away, pausing to praise Xia Wanwan on her spirit—“a heroine among women.”

The onlookers were a bit awed. This girl was truly fierce.

Xia Wanwan racked her brain—she had no memory of this man. If she didn’t know him, why had he helped her?

It had to be for a reason.

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“You helped me—what is it you want?”