A night without dreams, Chi Qiushui felt refreshed all over when she woke up. She stood by the window and did some exercises.
She had also received a copy of the Yishu Thirteen Classics, but the original owner's body really wasn't in particularly good shape. She could only practice up to the beginning of the second posture before she couldn't continue, breaking out in a sweat.
But the feeling of sweating was good, it was exhilarating. She took a fragrant shower in the bathroom, and after coming out, took a semi-prepared corn from the fridge and heated it in the microwave.
Then she opened her phone to check Weibo. As soon as she entered, there were tens of thousands of replies and private messages. Chi Qiushui clicked into the backend; most of the replies were from people arguing with her. Because she had gone to sleep after cursing them out, many people had been provoked to the point of losing their composure, with some even @-ing her several times.
Chi Qiushui paid no attention to this. She marked them all as read with one click, then checked the hot search list. Just as expected, the top few trending topics were all about the Zhuge family and Chi Qiushui.
#Zhuge Group's entire management apologizes to Chi Qiushui#
#All Zhuge Group accounts post collectively welcoming the eldest young miss's return#
#Focus on Zhuge Chairman's interview testing life's questions#
#Zhuge Mo'er turns out to be an impostor#
These were just the top ones. There were even more hot terms in the following spots and topics rising from below.
Chi Qiushui sneered, clicked into the "Zhuge Chairman's interview testing life's questions" topic, downloaded the video inside, and sent it to the Transmigrators chat group for her friends to marvel at this spectacle together.
[1960s Boxer Xiang Qianlan: Oh my, if only such a person were born in the Qin Dynasty, his face would be thick enough to build the Great Wall.]
[Whole Family Transmigrated to ABO Wen Wan: The plot development is getting more and more explosive. It's truly shocking that a person can be so shameless!]
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Starting a beautiful day with a weirdo, my lungs are about to explode from anger.]
[The Wrongly Swapped Real Heiress Qin Suyuan: On my way to class, I was feeling a bit drowsy, but now I'm wide awake from sheer fury.]
The group chattered back and forth, and Chi Qiushui read it with glee. After tidying up the room, she checked the appointment bookings for nail art on the mini-program, confirmed the arrival times with the clients, finished her corn, and took the trash downstairs to throw away.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a girl squatting by the entrance at a glance—the expensive luxury goods and those two rainbow-colored twin tails. Even without makeup, one could still instantly recognize who it was.
Chi Qiushui inwardly scoffed. She was sure that in over a decade by Zhuge Mo'er's side, the original owner had never seen her look so pathetic. Without the enhancement of heavy makeup, Zhuge Mo'er sat pitifully by the door, looking all too similar to a certain nursery rhyme from before Chi Qiushui's transmigration.
Chi Qiushui hummed a tune as she stepped around her, locked the door, and headed downstairs.
"A little pug dog, sitting by the big door..." The melody drifted through the air, and Chi Qiushui grew happier the more she sang.
Seeing herself being ignored, Zhuge Mo'er also stood up and ran after her. Next to the trash bin, Zhuge Mo'er reached out to block Chi Qiushui's way.
"Chi Qiushui, you're going to be recognized and return to your family now, aren't you feeling smug? Because you're going back, everyone dislikes me, everyone is abandoning me. Are you happy?" Zhuge Mo'er spoke through tears.
"Are you thinking, 'So what if I bullied you before? I'll have plenty of chances to get back at you later'?"
She had learned she wasn't the Zhuge family's biological daughter when she was only ten. Deeply shaken at the time, she went to seek help from Xu Cuiping, who had always been the kindest to her.
Unexpectedly, Xu Cuiping said she was her real birth mother. Back then, Xu Cuiping had said many, many things. Thinking back now, Zhuge Mo'er only remembered two sentences: one was that she was Chi Qiushui's whetstone, and the other was that if she wanted to maintain her current status and position, she just had to be obedient, sensible, and never defy anyone in the Zhuge family.
She even had to curry favor with them; only then would they like her. Even that Zhuge Shan, who clearly harbored those unspeakable thoughts about her—she couldn't show the slightest hint of disgust.
So for all those years, even though there were many times Zhuge Mo'er wanted to talk back to the Zhuge family members, she didn't dare. She could only secretly vent all her anger on Chi Qiushui.
But Zhuge Mo'er truly hadn't known that Chi Qiushui was the Zhuge family's real daughter. Had she known that, she would never have treated Chi Qiushui that way.
This was what Zhuge Mo'er regretted most, and what she resented most. Why was Chi Qiushui so lucky! How could she be the real heiress?
"Psycho. If others don't like you anymore, try looking for the reason within yourself, okay?" Chi Qiushui had two sets of standards for dealing with situations, internal and external.
When others didn't like her, Chi Qiushui would consider that those people had some issues—either blind or brain-dead. This was mainly reflected in her attitude towards her ex-boyfriend's mother, Wang Jinzhi, from before her transmigration. She never looked for reasons within herself unless she genuinely believed she was wrong.
The second application of this standard was her attitude towards Zhuge Mo'er. Honestly, this was the first time Chi Qiushui had said something like this to a young girl. Though a bit harsh, Chi Qiushui felt Zhuge Mo'er deserved this treatment.
Large teardrops fell from Zhuge Mo'er's eyes. Her plain features seemed to grow even uglier from crying.
Just as Chi Qiushui was about to step around Zhuge Mo'er and move on, someone came sprinting over, bringing with him a wave of high-end cologne so strong it was nauseating in the summer heat.
"Chi Qiushui, don't hurt Mo'er! I'm telling you, even if you are the Zhuge family's real eldest young miss, I won't like you either. The one I love has always been Mo'er! I won't marry you. Even if you bring up the engagement from ten years ago, I still won't. I advise you not to harbor any wishful thinking!" Duanmu Xiu's familiar words floated into Chi Qiushui's ears.
Watching Duanmu Xiu's little mouth blabbering on non-stop, she directly slapped him across the face.
The touched expression on Zhuge Mo'er's face didn't even have time to fully form before it was replaced by a startled shriek from Chi Qiushui's slap.
"Damn it, I wanted to slap you last time when you used your greasy words to harm me. I was going to let it go, but you just had to come here looking for a beating. What, the mental hospital can't contain you, you human grease stain?"
"And 'even if you bring up the engagement from ten years ago, I still won't marry you'? Who the hell are you insulting! 'Don't let me harbor wishful thinking'? I'm not thinking about your damn mother's hammer." Chi Qiushui said as she served Duanmu Xiu several more slaps across the face.
Duanmu Xiu, a man standing 190cm tall who usually spent his time bodybuilding, swimming, and fencing, found himself being overpowered and beaten by Chi Qiushui, unable to fight back at all.
With the boost from the Strength Pill, a few hard slaps later, Duanmu Xiu's face was already swollen and red. Zhuge Mo'er had covered her mouth and retreated to the other side.
"Who on earth gave you the confidence? Do you think everyone likes you, you chauvinist pig? Do you think you're gold, beloved by all?" Chi Qiushui grew angrier as she spoke, delivering a kick to Duanmu Xiu's stomach. Instantly, he was sent flying and landed heavily on the ground.
Zhuge Mo'er let out a timely scream, as if providing accompaniment for Chi Qiushui. That shrill voice was truly enough to give anyone a headache.
Chi Qiushui looked at her coldly. "You should thank your little lover. Otherwise, I would have definitely arranged this beating for you. I'm utterly sick and tired of seeing you swanning around in front of me, spouting your nonsense."
"Zhuge Mo'er, let me tell you, my patience with you has reached its limit. From now on, if you dare to hover around me again, today's Duanmu Xiu will be your example of what's to come."
Frightened by the coldness in Chi Qiushui's eyes, Zhuge Mo'er took a step back. Chi Qiushui then turned her gaze to Duanmu Xiu, who was struggling to get up.
"Duanmu Greaseball, this is the first and last warning from me. I'm not one of those women who swoon over you just because you smirk or squint. If you come to me again spouting that meaningless drivel, the outcome won't be as simple as today's." 'Duanmu Greaseball' was the nickname Chi Qiushui had given Duanmu Xiu; she felt it was extremely fitting.
No wonder people always said that while names can be given wrongly, nicknames are never mistaken.
Chi Qiushui walked up to Duanmu Xiu. "I know that as the heir of the Duanmu family, you understand human language. I hope you remember what I said today."
After delivering her ultimatum, Chi Qiushui turned and walked away. Looking up, she saw Ouyang Xiuming standing on the rooftop. She rolled her eyes and headed upstairs.
She already knew that Ouyang Xiuming had bought this building outright. Chi Qiushui was already considering moving. Although Ouyang Xiuming was now somewhat a business partner, the man was clearly a lunatic. Any sane person would keep their distance from a madman.
Just as Chi Qiushui reached the stairwell, she heard a muffled, indistinct exclamation from behind: "You shill, you're nod my wall..."
Chi Qiushui couldn't help but laugh twice. The way Duanmu Xiu said it, if one didn't listen carefully, it sounded like he was speaking the once-popular Martian text from Earth's dimension.
Chi Qiushui went upstairs. Ouyang Xiuming was already waiting at her door.
"Miss Chi, I'd like to discuss some upcoming collaboration projects with you in detail," Ouyang Xiuming said. He hadn't shown up to curry favor with Duanmu Xiu and Zhuge Mo'er for two days now.
This made Ouyang Xiuming see a glimmer of hope for victory. In one of his previous rebirths, because he hadn't promptly gone to play games and race cars with Duanmu Xiu and Zhuge Mo'er, he had been reborn again the very next day.
The Zhuge family's interview video was uploaded early this morning. Regarding Zhuge Yan's claim of testing Chi Qiushui, some people agreed, while others found Zhuge Yan utterly despicable.
Many long-time fans of the Zhuge family had already unfollowed overnight. The good reputation the Zhuge family had built by profiting from Zhuge Xiong's tragedy was gone. The fanbase they had gathered over the years, largely due to Zhuge Mo'er being different from other socialites, had also dissipated by nearly half after Zhuge Mo'er's apology last night.
Among those who remained, aside from a small number of die-hard fans, were people who had gone to bed early or those who didn't frequently use Weibo.
Despite being reborn so many times, this was the first instance Ouyang Xiuming had seen where the Zhuge family's reputation was this tarnished, yet the world hadn't reset.
Chi Qiushui looked at Ouyang Xiuming. "What collaboration? What's in it for me?"
"You help me bring down the Zhuge and Duanmu families. Upon success, I'll give you eighty percent of their remaining market value as your reward."
Chi Qiushui smiled, looking at Ouyang Xiuming with sarcasm. "How can I trust that after I help you take down the Zhuge and Duanmu families, you'll actually give me that much?"
"And how can I be sure that after I help you, there will even be anything left of the Duanmu and Zhuge families?" After saying this, Chi Qiushui turned and entered her room. She packed all her important belongings into her space, leaving the unimportant ones behind.
Then, as casually as if she were heading out for her daily grocery shopping, she leisurely strolled out the door.
Going downstairs, she saw the door to Ouyang Xiuming's living room wide open, with a group of people in professional attire busily working inside in an orderly manner.
Chi Qiushui sent messages in the group chat. She had shared what happened last night with her friends. They all understood her reasons for not choosing to collaborate with Ouyang Xiuming.
Ouyang Xiuming was a capitalist. Who knew if, after helping him defeat the Zhuge and Duanmu families, he might turn his guns on her?
Moreover, Ouyang Xiuming's life had been rewound who knows how many times; his psychology was definitely not healthy. Further collaboration with such a creature was no different from making a pact with a tiger!
Chi Qiushui would be insane to get any closer to him! Besides, if her premonition wasn't wrong, the Zhuge family and the media personnel they had arranged should be about to locate this place right about now.
She had already canceled her appointments with clients. She was now preparing for a strategic retreat.
Scanning a random shared bike by the roadside, Chi Qiushui rode off, deliberately weaving through small alleys. Her canvas tote bag also contained a super-strong signal jammer produced in Yao Xiran's dimension.
She planned to check out a nearby town. First, she had heard the scenery there was picturesque. Second, it was also to test whether this world, like the domineering CEO world, had an invisible barrier surrounding it.
She followed the mountain that separated the urban village from the territory of the four major families. The scenery did get better as she went, but that road seemed endless.
It felt just like driving in Peacekeeper Elite, where the car moves normally but keeps stuttering.
With an 'as expected' expression, Chi Qiushui got off the shared bike. So this was why life was so divided by a single mountain.
On that side of the mountain was an extravagantly luxurious Mary Sue world. On this side, if no one from the Mary Sue world intruded, it was as normal as the world before she crossed over. In fact, after being away from the Mary Sue world for a while, people's hair didn't even all turn rainbow-colored chasing after Zhuge Mo'er's trend.
Chi Qiushui chuckled softly twice and took out her phone to message Lin Xi.
[Mary Sue Minor Character Chi Qiushui: Xi, I think this Mary Sue world might be similar to Bingbing's CEO world. There's a barrier between the normal world and the Mary Sue world. Do you know how to dismantle it?]
Just as Lin Xi, who had received Chi Qiushui's message, was about to reply that she didn't know, a group system notification popped up.
[System Message: Detected that group member "Mary Sue Minor Character Chi Qiushui" is requesting your assistance. Will you proceed to help? PS: If agreeing, please have group member "Earth Girl Lin Xi" bring this item [image].]
This time, the system message included a photo. The photo showed the very same objects Lin Xi had come across earlier while sorting through her father's belongings—those stainless-steel-like square pieces whose material and purpose she couldn't understand at all, and which even Yao Xiran couldn't analyze.
