"In ancient times, food was precious. If you don't eat, you'll starve for a day."
No chili peppers?" Wen Yan, who loved spicy food, was nearly on the verge of collapse. The bowl of noodles had a rough texture, tasting only slightly salty with a hint of bitterness and wild onions.
"Nope. Chili peppers won't be introduced for several hundred more years. You’ll have to wait," Fang Zhiyi teased, clearly enjoying her frustration.
Grumbling, Wen Yan forced the noodles into her mouth. As soon as she put the bowl down, an elderly man came to hurry her off to the fields.
"Your father’s here," Fang Zhiyi reminded her, amused.
Wen Yan took a deep breath, silently cursing Fang Zhiyi a few times.
"I can hear you."
After a whole afternoon of toiling under the sun, Wen Yan felt utterly drained. Her hands were blistered, and she’d barely managed to plow half an acre. She complained loudly, but Fang Zhiyi simply watched without comment.
It took a grueling five days before Wen Yan and her father finally finished plowing the field—thanks only to her prior knowledge of farming.
"I’m getting old. Soon, I won’t be able to do this anymore," the old man sighed, rubbing his aching back. "If only your elder brother were still here..."
His sorrowful expression softened Wen Yan’s irritation. Silently, she stepped forward and began massaging his shoulders. Fang Zhiyi was surprised—this supposed "villainess" didn’t seem so malicious after all.
The old man chuckled. "In a couple of years, you’ll be married off. I’ll miss you dearly."
Wen Yan pouted. "I’m not getting married."
"Don’t talk nonsense. All girls must marry when they come of age."
Wen Yan opened her mouth to argue—she wanted to talk about free love—but Fang Zhiyi quickly warned, "Careful now. This is a feudal society. Those words would be considered treasonous."
Fuming, Wen Yan swallowed her retort.
"Still, gotta admit, the original host’s parents are unusually progressive for not favoring sons over daughters."
Wen Yan didn’t argue with that.
"Can’t you actually help with something? Or are you completely useless?"
Fang Zhiyi repeated his usual line: "Preventing you from doing something stupid is help enough."
"What’s so stupid about me?"
"Shh. Someone’s coming."
Wen Yan looked up to see a woman from the original plot stride into the courtyard, followed by several children.
The woman’s haughty demeanor made Wen Yan reluctant to engage. In the story, this sister-in-law was cruel and vicious.
Hearing the commotion, Wen's Father and Wen's Mother emerged from the house.
At the sight of Sun Yuwei, their expressions darkened. Wen's Mother frowned. "What are you doing here?" She hadn’t forgotten how this daughter-in-law had caused her son’s death—if not for her recklessness, he wouldn’t have fallen off the cliff.
Wen's Father forced a strained smile at the children.
Sun Yuwei scoffed, sweeping a disdainful glance around. "I’m here to make it clear that Sun Yuwei—and these children," she gestured behind her, "will no longer have any ties to the Wen family. They’re taking my surname now!"
"What?!" Wen's Mother was furious. "You think you can just decide that? My son hasn’t even been gone a year, and you’re already trying to cut off the Wen lineage? You heartless witch!"
Sun Yuwei smirked. "It’s not up to you. I checked the rules—after a year of widowhood, I’m free to remarry. And watch your mouth, you old hag." Though not the original host, she’d inherited the memories and knew the Wens despised her. Better to sever ties now before they could leech off her future success.
"I’ve even brought the clan elders to witness this." She motioned for the men behind her to enter. The Wen family lived in Lin Shui Village, while Sun Yuwei was from Li Hua Village. After marriage, Wen's son had stayed in Li Hua to tend her family’s land.
Wen Yan couldn’t stay silent. This woman was insufferable. Regardless of circumstances, Wen's Father and Wen's Mother were now her parents too. She stood up. "Have you no shame? First, you get my brother killed, and now you’re cutting ties? Found yourself a new man already?"
Sun Yuwei sneered. "A freeloader like you dares to lecture me?"
Wen's Father, noticing the outsiders in the yard, silenced the argument with a dark look.
Ignoring Sun Yuwei, he addressed the children. "Do you want to stay with your mother or come back with us?" He knew how harsh Sun Yuwei could be—the children often bore the brunt of her temper.
The kids glanced between him and their mother.
Fang Zhiyi quipped, "Too late!"
Wen Yan shot him a puzzled look.
Sure enough, the children chose Sun Yuwei. Wen's Mother seethed, muttering curses under her breath while shooting venomous glares at Sun Yuwei, who wore a triumphant grin.
Though resentful, the Wen elders had no choice but to formalize the severance under the witnesses’ supervision.
"Hey, isn’t there anything we can do?" Wen Yan whispered.
Fang Zhiyi replied, "Nope. The law doesn’t forbid children from taking their mother’s surname."
Mission accomplished, Sun Yuwei left with the children, tossing a final taunt: "Don’t come crawling to me when you’re in trouble."
Wen's Mother spat in disgust. Wen's Father’s face remained stormy.
"What did you mean by ‘too late’?" Wen Yan asked Fang Zhiyi once everyone had left.
Fang Zhiyi grinned. "Didn’t you notice how clean those kids’ clothes were? Sun Yuwei must’ve started treating them well days ago. Given the choice between distant grandparents and a moody aunt or a suddenly doting mother, even a fool would pick the latter."
Wen Yan’s eyes widened in realization, then she scowled. "Who’re you calling moody?" When the system ignored her, she mused aloud, "How could someone so vile change overnight?"
Fang Zhiyi answered, "Because she’s not herself anymore."
Wen Yan froze. "What?"
"She’s like you—a transmigrator."
Wen Yan’s face lit up. "So... I’m not alone?"
"Don’t get too excited."
Wen Yan huffed. "What do you know, useless system?"
But then, fragments of a dark future flooded her mind—her miserable old age, orchestrated by Sun Yuwei. She gaped in horror.
"Why? How?" she stammered.
Fang Zhiyi said simply, "No reason. Haven’t you heard? In a foreign land, the first person to distrust is your own kin."
"But..." The visions left Wen Yan shaken. Then, a realization struck. "You! You betrayed me too!"
Fang Zhiyi feigned innocence. "Don’t blame me. That wasn’t my doing."
"What?"
"Otherwise, why would you get a second chance?" Fang Zhiyi said. "Think about it."
Over the next few days, Wen Yan settled into her role, dutifully tending the fields—until her restless mind sparked another idea.
"What if I made soap to sell?" she proposed, inspired by books she’d read.
Fang Zhiyi doused her enthusiasm. "Bad idea."
"You're useless and won't even let me try?" Wen Yan retorted defiantly. "It's just oil and alkali, isn't it?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
