As Ji Xinyu was leaving the Ji Group building, she received a call from Ren Pingyi.
The call connected, but Ren Pingyi on the other end refused to say a single word. Unlike the original owner of this body, or the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis' household in her past life, Ji Xinyu had no patience for humoring a child. She hung up the phone directly.
She hadn't walked more than a few steps, before Ji Changyuan's driver had even brought the car around, when Ji Xinyu received another call, this time from Ren Jialin. For this sister-in-law, she was still quite willing to spend some effort to coax and humor.
Ren Jialin had once been infatuated with a gold-digging man during her naive and ignorant years. However, in the previous two lifetimes, after freeing herself from that man, Ren Jialin had become deeply devoted to both the original owner and the Marquis' daughter-in-law.
After their deaths in those past lives, Ren Jialin never gave up on investigating the cause. But as an illegitimate daughter not valued by the Ren family, raised only to spend money, shop, and chase celebrities, she held no real power apart from receiving her one percent share of dividends.
She had done everything she possibly could for the original owner and the Marquis' daughter-in-law.
Ji Xinyu had always been lenient towards girls, and especially so towards those with good character.
Moreover, she was very curious to know how Ren Jialin of this lifetime would treat her.
The two agreed to meet at a nearby mall. This mall was built by the Ji family and called "Fairytale Town." Its architectural style was inspired by the picture books of childhood—red-tiled roofs, white walls, red walls, blue walls, a vibrant and brilliant array of colors. The entire town was filled with a European fairytale aesthetic.
Dumbly cute pumpkin carriages, red, yellow, and blue ones clustered together like little mushrooms.
In her memories, this was built by Ji Changyuan when the original owner got into the best middle school in Xiacheng, to fulfill her wish.
Many years had passed. Although it had become a commercial district, Ji Changyuan still spent a considerable amount of money on its upkeep.
In earlier years, the shops setting up shop in Fairytale Town were all famous domestic and international luxury brands. Later, with the rise of the internet, the unique charm of Fairytale Town became known to more people, attracting many tourists who were drawn by its reputation.
Ji Changyuan keenly sensed this flow of people. Amidst the high-end brands in Fairytale Town, he introduced affordable luxury brands. He also designated a separate area for food stalls and even specially built some photogenic structures.
This measure successfully retained that customer base. From then on, Fairytale Town leapt to become an internet-famous check-in spot for many out-of-town tourists, while also becoming the preferred shopping destination for many white-collar workers.
Of course, due to its good discounts and comprehensive selection, many wealthy socialites and young ladies from prominent families also enjoyed shopping here.
Ji Xinyu hadn't waited long before Ren Jialin arrived. She was now twenty-three, in the prime of her youthful beauty. Dressed in a white blouse and a pink pleated skirt, with fair skin, pretty features, and long legs, she and Ji Xinyu stood together, each beautiful in her own way.
With a familiar and unconstrained ease, she linked arms with Ji Xinyu—a habit Ren Jialin had formed in her previous life. Though reborn, and even though her sister-in-law wasn't yet the one who cared for them in every matter like in her past life, Ren Jialin still treated her as that same sister-in-law from before.
The two walked into Fairytale Town, starting from the first shop, buying everything they liked. Although Ren Jialin only received a one percent share of dividends after coming of age, that one percent amounted to no small sum each year; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to afford her celebrity-chasing habits.
The gold-digging man who had deceived her affections was a thirty-eight-tier (i.e., very minor) celebrity.
He had just begun to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry but was remarkably bold, using Ren Jialin as a stepping stone to find other prospects.
After browsing around, the two headed back. Their purchases would be delivered to their homes by specialized staff.
Afterwards, they went to a nearby Western restaurant for dinner. While waiting for the food to arrive, Ren Jialin looked at her glamorous and radiant sister-in-law sitting across from her, and her mood suddenly grew heavy.
The four siblings of the Ren family in this generation actually had a very poor relationship.
They weren't even from the same mother. Ren Jialin's mother was Ren Pingzheng's English tutor. She was□□ (assaulted) by Ren Jialin's father when she came to teach three-year-old Ren Pingzheng English.
Later, when she became pregnant with Ren Jialin, her father forbade an abortion, insisting that the child be born despite her mother's anguished emotions. After giving birth, her mother went abroad and never returned, never seeing her again.
As a child, Ren Jialin didn't understand why her mother abandoned her. Only when she grew up and gradually became more sensible did she realize her mother didn't love her.
Putting herself in her mother's shoes, she wouldn't have come back to acknowledge her either. She thought, to her mother, she was a stain on her life, a lifelong disgrace, and perhaps even a nightmare she dared not recall for the rest of her life.
For a period, Ren Jialin deeply loathed herself, so she poured most of her emotions into empty pursuits.
Like chasing celebrities, like flaunting wealth. But the emotional feedback gained from these things was only temporary. After brief satisfaction, all that remained was overwhelming emptiness.
She knew the so-called love from that 38th-tier minor celebrity she was involved with was just empty words he casually uttered. He had probably said the same things to dozens of different women.
She was clearly aware that he was deceiving her, only after the money in her pocket. But emotionally, she was unwilling to wake up. She had told herself countless times, just let it be. Finding someone who could humor her was better than finding a man like her father.
In her previous life, it was her sister-in-law who pulled her out of that quagmire and even introduced her to a man very suitable for her. Throughout her marriage, she never suffered any grievances.
"Sister-in-law, if possible, you should divorce my brother." Ren Jialin's voice was soft and gentle, almost inaudible in the Western restaurant playing soft music.
"Why do you say that?" Ji Xinyu poured a glass of red wine for Ren Jialin.
How could Ren Jialin explain? She felt Ren Pingzheng was simply not worthy of Ji Xinyu.
In her previous life, it was only after her sister-in-law was gone that she learned Ren Pingzheng had many women outside. Some had children with him, some didn't.
This made Ren Jialin feel disgusted enough to vomit. She felt it was utterly not worth it for Ji Xinyu. Reborn and seeing Ji Xinyu, vibrant and passionate in red, she finally realized how lifeless and gloomy Ji Xinyu had been in her previous life, always wearing either light-colored or dark-colored clothes.
Thinking carefully, Ji Xinyu wasn't that much older than her. Why did she like such clothes so much? It must have been her extremely controlling older brother who forced her to wear them.
With this thought, Ren Jialin's disgust for Ren Pingzheng deepened another layer. Of course, her feelings towards her other two brothers were the same.
Ren Pingyi goes without saying, he's just a simple-minded creature who only knows how to bully and pick fights, suppressed by Ren Pingzheng he can't accomplish anything, not daring to go west if Ren Pingzheng points east.
Ren Pingxuan is different. They say the dog that bites doesn't bark, and Ren Pingxuan is exactly that kind of biting dog that doesn't bark.
Only his face looks somewhat harmless, deceiving millions of fans into liking him, while inside he's actually utterly rotten.
"Sister-in-law, stay away from Ren Pingxuan. He's not a good person." Ren Jialin didn't have much interaction with Ren Pingxuan in her previous life. They grew up in the Ren family together, but they mutually detested each other.
In her previous life, Ren Jialin hadn't detected Ren Pingxuan's lustful desire for Ji Xinyu, but last night, during dinner, she keenly sensed it.
This kept Ren Jialin awake all night. She got up in the morning, and only relaxed when she found Ji Xinyu wasn't home. After dealing with that thirty-eight-tier gold-digging actor, she finally had time to look for Ji Xinyu.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Jialin." Ji Xinyu's voice carried a smile.
She felt the lifelong kindness of the original host and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis's household was still useful. At least among the three people they treated with utter sincerity, one was genuinely good to them.
She believed those two kind-hearted souls would be very happy to know about this.
After finishing the Western meal, Ji Xinyu went back with Ren Jialin. She went straight to her own family's villa. Ren Jialin watched the car carrying her drive away, sincerely hoping Ji Xinyu could break free from the quagmire that was the Ren family.
Ren Jialin turned and entered the house. Just as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Ren Pingxuan standing in front of the bamboo grove, looking all respectable and proper. Ren Pingxuan's biological mother was a female celebrity from the entertainment industry.
Over twenty years ago, most female celebrities in Xiacheng were beautiful, and Ren Pingxuan's mother was no exception. However, compared to Ren Jialin's mother, Ren Pingxuan's mother willingly followed her father.
His mother, relying on the Ren family's resources, became hugely popular domestically, a triple-crown actress known for her acting skills, reputation, and body of work.
Not long after her father and his legal wife died in a plane crash, Ren Pingxuan's mother immediately remarried, wedding a wealthy European man, said to even hold a title of nobility.
She paid no mind to her son, Ren Pingxuan.
Ren Jialin used to think Ren Pingxuan was pitiful, but facts proved her wrong. Ren Pingxuan is a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike!
"Sister-in-law didn't come back?" As a top idol, Ren Pingxuan's looks and voice are both excellent. Standing there in white under the bamboo grove, if his fans saw him, they would surely scream incessantly.
All sorts of cloying poetry about gentlemen being like bamboo and unparalleled jade-like beauties would probably dominate the charts.
"Her returning to her own family is something I can control?" Ren Jialin said, carrying her things and going inside.
She still has a bit of money on her now. She needs to quickly consolidate her assets and buy some real estate, preferably outside Xiacheng. In her previous life, she never worried about clothes or shelter, but only after marrying did she understand the benefits of owning property.
She doesn't plan to marry in this lifetime, but it's still possible to secure some assets for herself.
Watching Ren Jialin's retreating figure, Ren Pingxuan's face instantly darkened. He found Ren Jialin rather strange.
If he remembered correctly, at this time, Ren Jialin should be passionately involved with that minor celebrity, and she made quite a scene for a while when Ji Xinyu broke them up.
Could it be that this period has already passed? Ren Pingxuan really doesn't remember clearly. At this point in his previous life, Ren Pingxuan didn't put any of the Ren family members in his eyes.
Since he didn't regard them highly, of course he wouldn't pay them much attention.
Since Ji Xinyu wasn't coming back, he turned and walked outside.
He wants Ji Xinyu, but he doesn't want to bear the consequences of an illicit affair between brother-in-law and sister-in-law. What he wants is for Ji Xinyu to obediently come to him and then bear all the public pressure of this scandal alone.
And he? He would just be the innocent one seduced by his elder sister-in-law.
"Mom, what you mentioned before, I agree." Ren Pingxuan called his mother, who was far across the ocean. His mother, overjoyed after the call, grabbed her documents and went out.
She had been with Ren Xudong for nearly thirty years, waiting for precisely this day.
Who wouldn't want to be the actual controlling shareholder of a Fortune Global 500 company!
...
When Ji Xinyu arrived home, her mother Xu Ruozhi was already back, sitting on the sofa with a dark expression. Seeing Ji Xinyu, she called her over.
The household staff stood in a row. Her mother's personal assistant and work assistant were holding notebooks, meticulously checking the jewelry laid out on the table against their lists from across the living room.
Ji Xinyu from before her transmigration had seen this scene many times—once when her grandmother passed away, and once before her grandfather passed away.
Ji Xinyu glanced at the obviously nervous and uneasy staff and asked Xu Ruozhi, "Mom, what's going on?"
Xu Ruozhi's expression was extremely grim. There's a saying: when you find one cockroach in the corner, there's actually already a nest of them.
They had overly trusted the expensively headhunted butler, which led not only to him stealing from his post but also fostered a nest of thieves who took whatever they could.
Ji Changyuan and Xu Ruozhi were a very loving couple and doted on their only daughter. Over the years, Ji Changyuan had bought them countless pieces of jewelry.
Diamonds, jadeite, gold, silver, pearls, zirconia—he bought them all. He rarely looked at the price when buying these things; most of the time, if he saw something and liked it, he bought it.
Because there were so many, Xu Ruozhi and her daughter casually placed them in boxes on the jewelry stands in their dressing rooms.
Xu Ruozhi had never paid much attention to the quantity of jewelry before. It wasn't until today, when Ji Changyuan brought her back and she was taking off her jadeite earrings, that she suddenly remembered a pearl hair ornament Ji Changyuan had brought her years ago.
That pearl hair ornament was made of five round, grape-purple freshwater pearls. Because she liked it so much, she had always kept it inside the cabinet.
She hadn't worn it many times over all these years. But in Xu Ruozhi's memory, she used to see that pearl hair ornament often. She just didn't know when it started, but whenever she opened the jewelry cabinet now, she could no longer find it.
Already furious about Song Ping wearing her daughter's clothes and sleeping in her daughter's bed, Xu Ruozhi was now incensed.
She directly summoned her assistants to start cleaning out and taking inventory.
"Where's Uncle Zhou?" Ji Xinyu asked, already knowing the answer.
This Uncle Zhou was the butler the Ji family paid a hefty headhunter's fee to acquire.
"During the inventory just now, the jadeite pendant your grandmother gave me was missing. He and all personnel with access to my room have been detained. I've already called the police; they'll be here soon."
Ji Xinyu recognized that pendant. Back then, Xu Ruozhi had wanted to give that pendant to the original owner as part of her dowry. Because the pendant held such special meaning for Xu Ruozhi, she had declined it.
If that pendant were to be taken to an auction, the starting bid would easily be in the tens of millions.
Ji Xinyu never imagined that telling Xu Ruozhi to tighten the reins at home would expose such a major thief within their own household.
She sat beside Xu Ruozhi, her eyes glancing over the visibly nervous Song Ping, a slight smile curling her lips.
If there were any staff members with sticky fingers in this house, Song Ping definitely topped the list.
After all, if she was already wearing the original owner's clothes, how could she resist wearing her jewelry too? Those less valuable pieces of the original owner's jewelry were probably all gone by now.
Ji Xinyu picked up a glass of water and took a sip. This Song Ping was really like Ali carrying Pinru's entire wardrobe.
Two hours passed before the jewelry was finally fully inventoried.
The police had arrived long ago. They took the theft case at the Ji family very seriously, especially since the initial report had estimated the loss at over ten million.
"Ms. Xu, you are missing eight pieces of jewelry, including the jadeite pendant. The total estimated value is around fifty million. Ji Xinyu is missing eighteen pieces, valued at approximately two million."
This figure made not only the police but even the long-time staff of the Ji family gasp in shock.
Fifty-two million! It was more money than any of them had seen in their entire lives.
Song Ping's body swayed slightly.
After confirming the missing items, the police took the Ji family staff away for questioning. Uncle Zhou was escorted out from the kitchen. His usually impeccably combed hair was disheveled, and the glasses on his face were cracked like a spiderweb.
As the victims, Ji Xinyu and Xu Ruozhi also drove, following behind the police cars.
They didn't speak in the car. After learning of Song Ping's betrayal, neither Ji Changyuan nor Xu Ruozhi dared to trust any of the family vehicles anymore.
After all, every single one of these cars had been driven by Uncle Song at some point. Over the years, it wasn't a one-time occurrence for Song Ping to have Uncle Song chauffeur her around. Who knew if listening devices had been planted in the cars?
While Ji Xinyu was cooperating with the police investigation, Lin Xi from the Earth dimension had already used the system to convert all the gold, silver, and treasures she had earned from tasks or received as gifts from the group into Chinese Yuan.
Because the quantity of items was so vast, even after the system deducted a ten percent service fee, the amount that landed in her bank account still exceeded nine figures.
The bulk of this sum came from those brightly colored, beautifully varied stones sent over by Ahuahua.
Lin Xi had counted and recounted the string of digits in her account over a dozen times, yet she still couldn't believe it.
Her emotions were complex. Just six months ago, she was an ordinary office worker struggling to pay off tens of thousands in debt. And now, in what felt like no time at all, she had already earned a small fortune?
She had pinched herself several times, and her thigh was now red from the effort.
She sat at the front desk of the guesthouse, her eyes vacant.
"Ding dong~" A notification sound accompanied by vibration came from her phone. Lin Xi took out her phone; it was a headline news push from her browser.
"Eldest Granddaughter of Macau Gambling King, Ji Xinyu, Tragically Dies in Car Accident!"
Seeing the familiar name, Lin Xi clicked into the browser. A photo of the gambling king's eldest granddaughter, Ji Xinyu, appeared before her eyes.
The most striking feature was her pair of ice-blue eyes. Her delicate, sculpted face wore a faint smile, making those ice-blue eyes appear even more captivating.
The browser editor detailed the achievements Ji Xinyu had attained since childhood, each one beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
After reading carefully, Lin Xi scrolled to the comments section below. They were all filled with remarks about how amazing the sister was and regrets about not having met her while she was alive.
She gave those comments a like. Returning to the browser homepage, she saw it was flooded with similar news stories these past few days.
One particular headline caught Lin Xi's attention, and she clicked in to read it carefully.
Then she took a screenshot and sent it to Ji Xinyu.
At that moment, Ji Xinyu had just stepped out of the police station, waiting for Ji Changyuan to bring a new car to pick them up.
Seeing the screenshot Lin Xi sent, Ji Xinyu laughed: [I've been dead for so long, and the news of my death is only spreading now?]
Ji Xinyu had been in this world for over half a month, which would be about a week on Earth, right? Was the news really that slow?
Ji Xinyu felt that ever since that famous entertainment paparazzo got caught, today's entertainment journalists were becoming increasingly incompetent.
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Yes, there was no news at all before, and today it's all coming out at once. Xinyu, sis, did you really donate all the assets under your name to the country?]
Lin Xi was utterly incredulous. She had just read the news; Ji Xinyu's funds amounted to several hundred million US dollars!
Converted to Chinese Yuan, how much would that be? Lin Xi never dreamed in her wildest dreams that Ji Xinyu was so patriotic.
[Wealthy Family Eldest Daughter-in-law Ji Xinyu: Yes. Anyway, I don't plan on getting married, let alone having kids. Rather than leaving the assets to my younger siblings, I'd rather donate the money to the country. Though I didn't donate everything; I kept a portion for my mother. Whether she can hold onto it depends on her own capability.]
To be honest, Ji Xinyu wasn't an overly patriotic person. She even considered herself a refined, self-interested capitalist through and through.
Playing with hedge funds, who hasn't survived a few assassination attempts? From the moment Ji Xinyu stepped into this profession, she had stopped caring about such things.
The reason she embarked on this career path was precisely to seek thrill and stimulation.
After earning her first pot of money, she had immediately sought out a top-tier law firm on the mainland. Under their supervision and in the presence of government officials, she drafted her will.
Her decision to leave the money to the state was primarily driven by her deep fascination with the Chinese military.
It all started that year when she and a few friends, seeking adventure, traveled to a war-torn region. Their bodyguards ran into trouble, and they were captured by rebel forces and held for about a day.
The reason they were released so quickly was that the Chinese UN peacekeeping forces learned there were individuals with Chinese nationality among those kidnapped.
Ji Xinyu was, in some ways, like a madwoman—selfish and cold-hearted, her thinking often reflecting the self-serving detachment of a capitalist. Yet, at other times, her heart held a surprising purity.
After returning from the war-torn country, Ji Xinyu specifically researched many materials about Chinese soldiers. As a capitalist, she couldn't comprehend the Chinese military's philosophy of serving the people wholeheartedly.
But as one of the people who had been protected, being shielded by such a group of brave and fearless individuals, her heart felt a moment of peace.
And in her will, she had specifically stipulated that the Chinese side must use this sum of money as military research funding; otherwise, the will would be invalid.
Ji Xinyu had initially been a bit worried, but upon seeing Lin Xi's screenshot, she was quite satisfied with the staff from the Chinese public sector.
The two of them discussed the matter for a while, and Lin Xi asked about the progress of things in her current dimension.
Ji Xinyu got into the back seat of Ji Changyuan's car: [I'm about to execute a very thrilling, very interesting plan. I'll tell you via live stream in a bit.]
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Okay.]
Ji Xinyu gave Lin Xi a time, and Lin Xi was very much looking forward to it.
You have to understand, among all the many friends in the group, only Ji Xinyu carried out every task with an air of mystery.
Mysterious people are particularly good at attracting others' curiosity. Even though Ji Xinyu wasn't in the group chat right now, the topic of conversation was all about the dimension she was in.
Having nothing else to do, and with the guesthouse's cleaning and such not requiring her attention, she opened the drift bottle feature. There was no reply to the drift bottle yet.
She read the group chat, replied to a few messages, and then clicked to fish for a bottle.
A scroll appeared and unfurled before Lin Xi:
[Drift Bottle Message: I pray to all gods and buddhas, please protect me, let me survive safely in the next instance! ---From an Infinite Flow World.]
Lin Xi knew about infinite flow worlds. She clicked to reply. After the scroll was rolled up and stuffed back into the bottle, Lin Xi thought it would take a long, long time to receive a reply, just like with the magic world. Surprisingly, a reply came not long after.
[Drift Bottle Message: My world here is a game instance world. The instance contents are all horror-themed. I've already been through three instances. It's said that with a hundred million points, you can return to reality. ---Anonymous info from an Infinite Flow World.
--Are you also a transmigrator? ---From Earth Dimension.
--No, I am a Chosen One. The chosen people come from all over the world. Are you from the Earth Dimension? What kind of world is that? Is it like in the textbooks, with mountains, water, and plants? ---Anonymous info from an Infinite Flow World.]
The information revealed in these few short sentences was substantial. This anonymous player from the infinite flow world, their so-called "reality" world was not Earth.
Their world had no mountains, no water, no plants, and they mentioned Earth being in textbooks.
This meant that the drift bottle feature wasn't just targeting transmigrators from various worlds, but countless dimensions.
Thinking of the information sent by Ares from the magic world, her heart grew even more excited.
She replied to this anonymous player from the infinite world. After finding the delivery method, she sent them a bowl of rice noodles from outside the door and some green vegetables she had in her storage space.
Only then did Lin Xi send the physical characteristics of Lin Zhongxun to that anonymous player.
This was purely a case of casting a wide net. After they agreed over there to help look for the person, she fished for another bottle. This time, she hauled up an orange-red starfish.
This starfish could be taken or released. Lin Xi had heard that starfish were edible, but she had never tried it. Besides, she wasn't short on food now, so she simply released the starfish.
Lin Xi had added WeChat contacts for several charity foundations these past few days. After chatting with them and arranging to be notified for their next activities, Lin Xi leaned on the reception desk, watching the raindrops fall outside the guesthouse.
Late March, around the Qingming Festival, the rain gradually became more frequent. After the downpours came continuous drizzles that wouldn't disperse.
On the mountain behind the opposite side of Linjiatang, a thin layer of mist rose from halfway up the slope.
Lin Xi simply picked up her camera and went to the viewing balcony on the second floor to take several photos of the outside.
The camera perfectly captured the colors the world should have. The photos she took were perfect enough without needing any filters.
She exported these photos and uploaded them to the homestay's booking platform. As the weather warmed up, tourism in Yunnan Province began to welcome visitors from other regions. Lately, Lin Xi's homestay had been receiving frequent inquiries.
Whether guests were planning to stay or just asking out of curiosity, Lin Xi always replied promptly.
By evening, the rain outside showed no sign of stopping. After talking with Yao Yuran, Lin Xi put on her jacket, picked up an umbrella, and left.
The temperature in their area wasn't high; when it rained, you had to wear two layers.
When she got home, Chi Xiangping was in the kitchen making dinner.
"Are we having red bean hot pot today?"
"Sounds good." She knew her grandma had soaked the red beans last night.
Lin Xi walked to the kitchen door with her umbrella, left it outside, and entered. The lights were on inside. The fire pit, unused for some time, was burning again.
The red bean soup on the tripod was bubbling, its thick, sandy-textured broth gurgling, occasionally burping out a bit of red bean paste.
"You added pork belly and chilies?" Lin Xi's eyes lit up.
Sour soup red bean was delicious, and the pork belly cooked in the red bean soup was an absolute perfect match. Adding a few crispy, slightly charred chili flakes and a bit of salt and MSG completed the red bean soup hot pot.
"Added, added. Go get the rice, quick." Chi Xiangping squinted her eyes, placed a wooden board across the pot, and set the chili dipping sauce and washed baby bok choy on top.
A new round of vegetables had grown in the fields this season, especially these tender baby bok choy shoots. They were delicious whether stir-fried or used in hot pot.
The grandmother and granddaughter talked as they finished dinner. Lin Xi cleared the table and washed the dishes. By the time she returned home, it was just the right time for Ji Xinyu to start her live stream.
Ji Xinyu was holding a packet of medicine, showing it to the friends in the group.
"Everyone, see this? This is the legendary 'obedient water.' They say if you consume a little of this stuff, bit by bit over time, the person taking it will completely obey someone else's commands."
"I found this while cleaning out Song Ping's room." The dimensional live stream camera panned to Song Ping's room.
The thirty-square-meter room had an antique charm. The wooden canopy bed was dressed in a set of fragrant concubine-colored bedding. All the furnishings in the room were rosewood furniture.
The carvings on the wardrobe and dressing table looked exquisitely beautiful even through the live stream lens.
It had to be said, at that moment, all the friends in the group felt a pang of jealousy. Before transmigrating, as ordinary office workers, who wouldn't want such a nice living environment? Especially since they had heard Ji Xinyu mention before that her salary was a five-digit figure starting with 3.
[1960s Boxer Xiang Qianlan: Excuse me, Sister Xinyu, is your home hiring female security guards? The kind that can really fight. No other requirements, just hoping to sleep in a room like Song Ping's.] Conditions were tough in the 1960s. Even though Xiang Qianlan had taken over her mother-in-law's room, all the furniture in it combined couldn't make up a full set of "thirty-six legs."
Looking at the staff dormitory provided by Ji Xinyu's family, Xiang Qianlan wished she could soul-transmigrate into Song Ping. Working for someone is just work, right? Who wouldn't want a job like that?
[Ancient World Xu Huanhuan: Do you need professionals who can brew alcohol and make cosmetics? I'm applying.] Xu Huanhuan eyed the modern facilities in the corner of the room with great envy.
[Entertainment Industry Slacker Control Group Hang Xingyue: Compared to your home, the house I used to live in is practically nouveau riche!] Hang Xingyue had to admit that Chinese-style decoration never goes out of style for a reason; it truly has its unique charm.
At the very least, the sheer impact of that full set of rosewood furniture together, the profound heritage it conveyed, stirred something deep in the DNA of every Chinese person. Hang Xingyue used to prefer beautiful European-style decor, but now she felt Chinese style was also full of charm.
Especially since Ji Xinyu's home was so large. A Chinese courtyard blooming with roses—what girl wouldn't love that?
Seeing the messages from her little group companions, a more genuine smile touched Ji Xinyu's face: "Xingyue, you're being too modest. Your European-style villa is also extremely beautiful."
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: You provide such nice rooms for your employees?] Lin Xi was very curious.
"This was originally a triple room, but Uncle Song has worked for our family for many years, and he particularly dotes on Song Ping, so he let her have this room. Over time, it became her personal room. Since there are plenty of rooms in the house, no one minded."
"I used to wonder how the original host, a well-educated woman who even held an executive position at the Ji Group before marriage, could quit her job after falling in love with a man. Even after three years without receiving any affection from him, she obediently stayed at his home, being a full-time housewife raising his younger siblings!"
"After reading the memories of the Eldest Daughter-in-law of the Marquis' Household, I discovered that both she and the original host, after meeting Ren Pingzheng, would drink a glass of juice or milk every day. Before knowing Ren Pingzheng, they didn't have this habit."
"Earlier, from the Eldest Daughter-in-law's memories, I learned that these juices and milk were laced. This additive not only weakens a person's nerves but also makes them subconsciously obey others."
"And after the original host and the Eldest Daughter-in-law drank the laced beverages, they would always receive messages from Ren Pingzheng. Comparing the timing carefully, the messages sent around that time mostly contained instructions on what they should do, what tasks to complete."
"This afternoon, I asked a friend to look into it, and I finally confirmed this stuff originates from M Country. Obtaining a single packet requires a large sum of money."
"Moreover, this substance has astonishing effects and equally astonishing side effects. One of them is that long-term use causes certain damage to the body; a person's health declines day by day."
"This matches the fact that both the original host and the Eldest Daughter-in-law's health deteriorated afterwards. Furthermore, after the Eldest Daughter-in-law became pregnant, her health worsened even more, eventually forcing her to withdraw from the Ji Group to rest and focus on the pregnancy."
"Another side effect of this drug is that if the mother uses it long-term, the drug's side effects, like an addiction, can be passed on to the newborn."
"So that's why Ren Pingzheng showed no closeness at all when the Eldest Daughter-in-law gave birth to twins—he already knew those children wouldn't live long. Sure enough, one of the children died before even reaching its first full day."
The Eldest Daughter-in-law later committed suicide, as you all know. And I now suspect that both the original host's suicide and the Eldest Daughter-in-law's suicide had Ren Pingzheng's suggestion (manipulation) behind them.
In the vast Ji family villa, only Ji Xinyu was present at the moment. Ji Changyuan and Xu Ruozhi were in the underground garage. They had invited professionals to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all the family cars.
Besides that, the interior of the house was also being checked.
Ji Xinyu sat on the sofa, pouring half a packet of white powder into the water jug on the table.
The powder dissolved into the water, colorless, odorless, not even a hint of cloudiness.
"Everyone, please enjoy a good show." After saying this, Ji Xinyu took out her phone and played on the sofa.
Not long after, hurried and disorderly footsteps were heard. Everyone, along with Ji Xinyu, followed the sound. Ren Pingzheng, who had claimed he was going to M Country on business that morning, appeared in the living room.
He pretended to be very anxious as he sat opposite Ji Xinyu: "Xinyu, I heard the police came to the house this afternoon. Did something happen?"
It was clear Ren Pingzheng was genuinely anxious. The cool, aloof face he had deliberately maintained during the day couldn't hold up now. There was even a slight sweat on his temples.
Ji Xinyu poured him a glass of water: "Look at you, all heated. Have some water. A few pieces of my mom's jewelry went missing. The value is quite significant, so we asked the police to intervene."
Ji Xinyu's voice was indescribably gentle. Ren Pingzheng's anxious heart immediately calmed upon hearing these words.
He leaned back, resting against the sofa back, his brows relaxing.
"Oh, so that's what happened. I thought something had happened at home. I rushed back as soon as I got the news." He thought for a moment and took the water from Ji Xinyu's hand.
Ji Xinyu picked up the glass of water she had poured for herself earlier and drank it all in one go. Ren Pingzheng finally drank his too.
He had come straight from the airport to the Ji house and was indeed exhausted.
He downed it in one gulp: "Xinyu, you're not angry anymore, right? Let me tell you, I love it most when you're gentle like this..."
Before he could finish the sentence, Ren Pingzheng's eyes became vacant and glazed, like an idiot's.
Ji Xinyu took off her high heel and slapped it across his face: "Gentle your mother, you damned fool."
