Chapter 2 : The Deceived Girl in the 1970s: Fake vs. Real Daughter Story (2)

This time, the original host once again chose to step aside, even splitting half of the family assets with the man.

She felt that since she couldn’t have children and they were already together, she should just let them be—consider it for the sake of that innocent child.

Later, she lost all interest in running the business. She sold the hotel and left that city, moving to a remote, quiet little town to live.

The scenery there was beautiful and peaceful, and the locals were simple and kind. Ye Xiaoxiao liked it.

Perhaps she felt her personality was more suited to such a calm and tranquil life? Or maybe she was just too disillusioned with life and chose to escape.

If that had been all, it would’ve been fine—at least the rest of her life would be her own, finally living for herself.

But what was the reality?

The man and Li Huimei were not business-savvy. Adding to that, the original host had sold off her share of the restaurant, so with poor management and new competitors, they had no choice but to shut down.

The money was gone, and they were in debt. The man couldn’t find work, and as for Li Huimei—forget it. She had gone to university for nothing and had no intention of finding a job.

Her ex-husband had been decent, but once he saw that the original host’s man had money, she left him, cheated, and divorced. Naturally, there was no going back.

She’d successfully snatched the original host’s man, only to end up bankrupt, even worse off than her ex-husband’s family.

The two of them fought at home—but that wouldn’t produce money, would it?

The Li family’s elderly couple had once gone to a labor farm, and their health deteriorated soon after returning. They had since passed away and couldn’t help her anymore. Their son, having grown up in a household that favored the daughter, didn’t like Li Huimei.

Now that the old couple was gone and Li Huimei wasn’t his biological sister, he wouldn’t care about her.

The Ye family was just a working-class household. They had been laid off, so they couldn’t help Li Huimei either. The two younger brothers had no emotional bond with her and certainly wouldn’t lend a hand. So, Li Huimei abandoned the child and ran off.

The man thickened his face and came to the original host, carrying the child, begging for forgiveness every day on his knees.

He said he had only wanted a child and that he was now divorced from Li Huimei.

But he didn’t mention the bankruptcy or the debt, nor did he say that Li Huimei had run off and left the child behind.

Instead, he said the one he’d always loved was the original host. He just wanted a child too badly and made a mistake.

Now that they had the child, he had immediately divorced to come back to her.

With people who didn’t know the full story and both sets of parents urging her, the original host really did forgive him. Even after learning she’d been deceived, she helped repay the debt and even raised the child.

Later, when Li Huimei fell ill and came back, kneeling to beg forgiveness, even the child begged, so she forgave her.

She even took care of Li Huimei like a nanny, giving both money and effort.

The adoptive parents were also taken care of by her. After a lifetime of hardship, they died early.

On their deathbed, someone else said, “She really is a good person.”

Ye Xiaoxiao looked at this storyline—how could she not feel stifled?

The original host’s saintly glow was enough to move heaven and earth. She was always sacrificing herself to help others.

Now that she had transmigrated into someone like this, Xiaoxiao just wanted to drop dead on the spot.

When it was time to get off the bus, Xiaoxiao followed her female colleague like a walking corpse.

She already knew this comrade’s name now—Wang Xiuxiu. A fellow educated youth who had gone to the countryside with her but later married there and never returned to the city.

By the time Xiaoxiao came back to her senses, they had arrived at the educated youth spot.

She followed everyone’s arrangements to eat, wash up, and sleep. She thought maybe after a nap, she’d wake up back home?

She hadn’t even taken in her surroundings, still in a daze. It was Wang Xiuxiu who explained to everyone that she wasn’t feeling well.

Maybe the unfamiliar environment just didn’t allow her to sleep peacefully. Listening to the snores from the bed beside hers, along with the frog calls and cicada songs outside, Xiaoxiao realized she was probably really going to stay here.

She wasn’t going back.

“System? Space? Shop? Spirit spring…”

She called out every cheat she could think of, but aside from the frogs outside and the snores in the room, there wasn’t a single sound.

Xiaoxiao couldn’t help slamming her fist on the bed. She’d been doing just fine—why did she have to transmigrate? Fine, she transmigrated, but where’s the cheat code?

Damn green train. She never wanted to ride one again. Why did she even get sentimental about it?

What a jinx. The sooner it’s scrapped, the better!

Then, suddenly, Xiaoxiao appeared in the train compartment she had been sitting in earlier. Glancing around—all the luggage was there, everyone’s, but not a single person.

Xiaoxiao suddenly felt scared. Tears fell.

Let me go back, wuwuwu~~

She was terrified.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted her mom and father.

She’d be obedient from now on, never sneak off again, and willing to go on blind dates if they asked.

Wuwuwu~~

But she didn’t go back. Instead, she returned to the bed at the educated youth spot.

She would rather not accept this fate, but she had no choice.

She was just an ordinary, barely popular web novel writer. She didn’t like traditional jobs, occasionally wrote novels or took freelance writing gigs to earn some living expenses, or traveled around for inspiration.

Her only real annoyance in life was her parents constantly forcing her to go on blind dates.

She wasn’t against marriage; she just hadn’t met the right person. She had dated a few times; some cheated, some weren’t suitable, or she felt they weren’t right, so they parted naturally.

Her attitude was pretty laid-back. If it worked out, great. If not, move on.

No settling. No “charity dating.” That was her philosophy.

She’d never imagined she would transmigrate, and right when she was heading back to the city after New Year’s.

Her mom had even told her to call home to let them know she was safe. What was going on in that world now?

Sigh. They must be worried sick.

Would someone replace her?

That compartment had been the one she was in. Her suitcase was still there. She couldn’t be mistaken.

She’d been scared earlier, but now that she had calmed down, she wasn’t so afraid anymore. How bad could things get?

Xiaoxiao thought of the compartment again, and sure enough—it reappeared in her mind.

Could this be the reason she transmigrated? Did she ride a possessed train?

Or… was this her cheat?

Whatever it was, she’d treat it as her cheat for now.

First, she looked at her two large suitcases. She tried opening them, and sure enough, all the contents were intact. Everything her parents had packed for her to bring back to the city.

There was a whole suitcase of cured meat, sausages, and pork trotters—over a hundred pounds.

Luckily the suitcase was sturdy and had wheels, and she’d gotten help boarding the train.

The other suitcase held clothes, snacks, and specialty products.

She also had a backpack with two books she was reading, a laptop, a charger, and a big bag of snacks she had prepped for the train ride.

Her shoulder bag had her phone, wallet, jewelry, and makeup.

Xiaoxiao finally felt a little relieved. Sigh. At the time, she had complained her mom packed too much and that she was trying to kill her with labor. Now she regretted not bringing even more.

Looking around the compartment, there were quite a few suitcases.

Well, it made sense. Everyone was returning to the city after the New Year. Who didn’t travel with loads of stuff? Parents always packed way too much, worried they’d forgotten something.

Just like her. If she hadn’t already been overloaded, she would’ve packed more. Her mom had even said to call home once she finished the food. If she liked it, they’d mail more, or she could just come home to get some.

She tried opening a backpack, and sure enough, it was packed with snacks, including spicy strips.

She then tried the combination lock on a suitcase, but it didn’t open. It looked like she needed the password, or else she’d have to destroy it.

She tried putting some codes in, and that worked too.

Xiaoxiao finally let out a sigh of relief. It looked like she could survive after all.

 Notes:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Green-skinned train – Refers to older-style, slow, green-painted trains that were common in China from the 1950s onward.