Chapter 3: Discovering the Realm

Zhou Yongxin swore a vicious oath in front of Zhong Xiao. Zhong Xiao seemed a little calmer, not as agitated as before.

Yang Yuehe seized the opportunity, immediately pulling Du Ying’er over and pressing her to meet Zhong Xiao.

After all, her image in Zhong Xiao’s eyes had always been that of a perfect stepmother who loved Zhong Xiao more than even her own daughter.

“Ying’er! Apologize to your sister at once. Tell her you didn’t mean to push her down the stairs! Otherwise, I’ll beat you to death today!” As she spoke, Yang Yuehe gave Du Ying’er a hard pinch, signaling her to be sensible—right now, the priority was to placate the young lady. Suffer a little now; once their plan succeeded, there would be plenty of good days to come.

Du Ying’er’s eyes were full of hatred, a mix of loathing and envy directed at Zhong Xiao. But with Du Huacheng and Zhou Yongxin watching from the front, and Yang Yuehe watching from behind, Du Ying’er had no choice but to lower her head to Zhong Xiao.

“Sister Zhong… it was my fault… I didn’t mean it. My hand just slipped that day…”

“Is that so?” Zhong Xiao’s voice was icy as she stared at her. “If your hands are so useless, then cut them off.”

Du Ying’er froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. She lifted her head and glared poisonously at Zhong Xiao.

Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe immediately began to plead on the sidelines.

“Xiaoxiao, your sister truly didn’t mean it. She’s apologized—please forgive her…”

“Xiaoxiao, whatever you want, I’ll make it up to you, alright? Your sister is young and doesn’t understand. Do it for my sake, alright?”

Du Huacheng had always played the perfect father in front of Zhong Xiao. Aside from the outburst just now when Zhong Xiao slapped Yang Yuehe, Du Huacheng had never so much as raised his voice at her.

This was why, in her previous life, Zhong Xiao had trusted Du Huacheng and never suspected her own father would harm her.

But now—

Relying on the things Du Huacheng held over her, Zhong Xiao forced herself to show a kinder face.

She bit her lip and said, “I want money. I want ten thousand.”

She needed money now. Whether for handling matters or finding people, everything required money.

Du Huacheng was startled. “Xiaoxiao, why… why do you need so much money?”

Zhong Xiao sneered inwardly.

With all the Zhong family’s assets, nearly everything had been liquidated and transferred by Du Huacheng. Not to mention the houses, gold, and jewelry—even just the factories her grandfather had held brought in over a hundred thousand in dividends each year.

All of this had belonged to her mother and grandfather.

And now, when she asked Du Huacheng for ten thousand, he had the nerve to ask why?

Zhong Xiao lifted her gaze to Du Huacheng, concealing her hatred, leaving only a sheen of tears swirling in her eyes.

“Why do I need money, Dad? Just look at me—a girl without a mother. Other children have their mothers to indulge them, but I only have you, my one and only father. Didn’t you say you’d make it up to me? Give me the money, and it means you still care about your daughter—that you’re not playing favorites.”

“Didn’t you give Du Ying’er a watch worth over ten thousand for her birthday? I don’t want a watch; I just want the money. Otherwise, I won’t speak to you again!”

Zhong Xiao was strikingly beautiful. Her looks took entirely after her mother, not a trace of Du Huacheng in her features. Her eyes were alluring, her delicate oval face exquisite and well-defined, as if sculpted from jade.

Such a face, even when throwing a tantrum, inspired sympathy—how much more so when she feigned weakness, tears welling up, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.

But Zhong Xiao paid close attention.

As she wept and played the victim, only Zhou Yongxin seemed taken in by her act. On Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe’s faces, she saw only guilt.

Especially at the words, “my one and only father,” Du Huacheng’s eyes visibly flickered away.

Zhong Xiao lowered her face, frowning imperceptibly. A bold suspicion began to surface in her mind, startling her even after living a second lifetime.

There was something amiss here.

Yet Zhong Xiao’s performance was enough to convince Du Huacheng. To quell her anger and grievance, he became quite generous.

“Xiaoxiao, since your father promised to make it up to you, I will. I’ll give you twenty thousand! Ten thousand for a new watch, and the remaining ten thousand can be your pocket money, alright?”

Hearing this, Zhong Xiao took a deep breath.

Very well. The first round would end here.

With twenty thousand in hand, she would slowly, bit by bit, reclaim the rest.

Everything that belonged to the Zhong family—she would protect, preserve, and take back.

Everything that Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe had taken over these years, she would make them return, every last bit.

Zhong Xiao stood up and wiped away her tears.

“Everyone out. I’m tired and have a headache. I’m going to sleep.”

“Alright, alright,” Yang Yuehe replied, “Our good girl, have a good rest. We won’t disturb you.”

Just as everyone was about to leave Zhong Xiao’s bedroom, her voice sounded again.

“Wait.”

The group turned back, all wary. What did this young mistress want now?

But Zhong Xiao, expressionless, only said, “Bring me two more bowls of braised pork. I want lean meat, not fat.”

-

Food is life’s foundation. In her past life, she had starved to death. In this life, no matter what happened, filling her stomach would always come first.

Good health was her only true asset!

Zhong Xiao ate the two bowls of braised pork alone in her room, then set the empty bowls aside.

She locked the bedroom door, drew the chain, and crawled under her bed. From a hidden compartment beneath, she retrieved a jade box.

Never mind what was inside—the box itself, made of fine jade, was worth hundreds of thousands.

Zhong Xiao carefully opened it. Inside was a jade pendant, crystal-clear and smooth, its texture as silky as satin.

She took out the pendant.

The instant it lay in her palm, she felt a rush of clarity throughout her body, as if a mysterious energy was unfurling in her chest, leaving her calm and tranquil.

She remembered her grandfather’s trusted aide’s words when handing her the item:

“Miss, this is a treasure from the Kangxi and Qianlong era, consecrated by the monks of the Baohua Hall. It’s priceless.”

“For safeguarding your life in the future, keep this with you and you’ll rise again from any setback. Miss, money is but worldly possession—nothing else matters as much as your well-being. As long as the green hills remain, there’ll always be firewood. This pendant will surely protect you.”

The pendant was indeed priceless. In her last life, Zhou Yongxin had used just such a pendant to become a rising star in Hong Kong, amassing a fortune of millions.

Zhong Xiao carefully put the pendant back, but as she withdrew her hand, she accidentally scratched her finger on the sharp edge of the box.

Her skin was delicate, and blood welled up instantly.

A drop fell onto the jade pendant. Zhong Xiao panicked and was about to fetch a kerchief to wipe it clean when suddenly, a dizzy spell overtook her, forcing her to shut her eyes.

When she opened them again—

Zhong Xiao’s eyes flew wide.

She found herself in a completely unfamiliar space—an endless expanse of fertile black earth, stretching as far as the eye could see, with no buildings in sight.

She had never seen such a wondrous place.

Frowning, she walked several steps forward, but still could not find the boundaries of this place; from every direction, it was boundless.

Just then, she spotted a huge wooden chest in the distance, half as tall as a person.

She doubted she could open it. But as soon as her fingers touched it—

The chest unfolded on its own, the wooden panels flattening out to reveal the contents within.

It was a chest full of gold!