Volume One, Chapter 2: A Money-Losing Burden

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Jiang Rui reluctantly pressed the answer button. The moment the call connected, a hoarse woman’s voice came from the other end.

“Are you dead? If you’re not, transfer a hundred thousand yuan to me. Your brother wants to buy a car.”

Jiang Rui was stunned. It took her a long while to find her voice again. This was the original owner’s stepmother—arrogant, overbearing, and utterly devoid of human feeling.

That was, at least, how she treated the original owner. When it came to her own useless son, however, she was exceptionally kind.

Jiang Rui drew a deep breath and tried to suppress the displeasure rising within her.

“Dead? A hundred thousand yuan? Mrs. Wang, are you sure you’re talking to me? Do I owe you anything? Forget it, I can’t be bothered to waste my breath on you. I don’t have any money for you. As for whether I live or die, that has nothing to do with you from now on.”

“You ungrateful little wretch, have you grown bold? How dare you speak to me like that! I’m giving you five minutes. Transfer the money immediately, or just wait and see how I deal with you!”

Jiang Rui gave a bitter laugh and reached up to smooth her hair.

“Oh? You’re going to deal with me? How interesting. Mrs. Wang, aren’t you being a little presumptuous?”

Wang Li was momentarily stunned. What was wrong with this girl today? She actually dared to talk back. Had she grown tired of living?

Apparently, a few days without being disciplined had made her forget who was in charge.

“Jiang Rui, I’m warning you. If you don’t want me to come to the hospital and beat you senseless, you’d better transfer the money to me right now.”

Jiang Rui curled her lip disdainfully.

“Oh, so you know I’m in the hospital? I thought you didn’t. I have only one life to lose and one body to bleed dry, but I don’t have any money. Do whatever you like.”

Jiang Rui truly had no desire to continue arguing with her stepmother. It was pointless. She hung up.

“Hello? Hello? Hello?”

Wang Li continued shouting into the phone, only to realize that Jiang Rui had already ended the call.

Wang Li’s son, Jiang Yang, looked anxious.

“Mom, what did that bitch Jiang Rui say? When is she sending the money? My girlfriend said that if I don’t buy the car, she’ll break up with me. Mom, I can’t let her leave me!”

Wang Li was furious as well.

“That bitch Jiang Rui actually hung up on me! She’s just like her useless mother. If she weren’t still capable of earning a little money, I would have gotten rid of her long ago. That little wretch hasn’t been beaten for a few days and already thinks she can hang up on me. She’s gotten quite brave. Just wait until I get my hands on her.”

“Mom, don’t wait! Get the money quickly! My girlfriend is still waiting. That bitch needs to be taught a proper lesson. She really thinks she matters. A child who’s been knocked down needs to be disciplined.”

“All right, Yangyang. Your mother knows what to do. Be good. I’ll go to the hospital and demand the money from her in the next couple of days. If she refuses, I’ll tear that mouth of hers apart.”

The venom in Wang Li’s voice made it clear that Jiang Rui’s standing in the household was lower than that of a dog.

…

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At the hospital, after hanging up, Jiang Rui sat on the bed and began regulating her breathing. She had only just crossed over, and her soul had yet to fully merge with the original owner’s body.

Besides, the original owner’s body was terribly weak. Every penny she earned from livestreaming had gone toward supporting that family of bloodsuckers, as well as her ungrateful, worthless boyfriend.

Thinking of this, Jiang Rui felt a sudden ache in her heart. Perhaps it was because the original owner’s lingering soul was affecting her, but two tears slipped from her eyes.

She reached out and gently wiped them away before they could fall to the floor, muttering, “Honestly, how did the original owner end up living like this? What a miserable mess. There’s really no one like her.”

Jiang Rui curved her lips into a wicked smile.

“You may rest now. Leave the rest to me. Those who bullied you—I’ll make them wish they were dead. Every hardship and every bit of suffering you endured, I’ll make them repay in full, in my own way.”

…

A day later, Jiang Rui left the hospital and returned to the original owner’s home. She had calculated that failing to come back would cause a little trouble.

The original owner’s mother, Mrs. Wang Li, would come to the hospital looking for her.

No—that was wrong. She would be coming to cause trouble for Jiang Rui.

Jiang Rui wasn’t afraid of trouble, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed dealing with it.

When she saw the room, simple to the point of austerity, Jiang Rui was utterly stunned, and her heart turned cold.

There was a bed, a desk, and a chair. Nothing else.

Jiang Rui suddenly felt dizzy, and even her heart seemed to ache.

What did it mean to have nothing but bare walls? What did desolation look like? Wasn’t the scene before her the perfect example?

Jiang Rui shook her head and refused to dwell on it. In the other world, she had also started from nothing, relying on her own abilities to lead the Heavenly Secrets Sect to glory.

“Jiang Rui, you can do this. Just watch how a master of metaphysics turns this world upside down. Hehe… Time to start streaming and make some money.”

Jiang Rui took out her phone, opened the Meituan delivery app, and ordered hot-and-sour rice noodles—the original owner’s favorite dish.

She wanted to taste them for herself. Then she opened the window to air out the room and tidied up a little.

Afterward, she entered the Douyu platform’s backend and changed the livestream room into a fortune-telling channel.

The title was: “Master Jiang Tells Fortunes.”

The subtitle read: “Three Readings Daily, Three Thousand Yuan Each.”

Once everything was ready, she began streaming.

The moment she went online, a large number of viewers flooded into the room. Quite a few were hardcore fans of that despicable couple as well.

“Little Cabbage has entered the livestream.”

“Big Shark has entered the livestream.”

“Flowers Bloom and Fade has entered the livestream.”

“A New Promise has entered the livestream.”

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Before long, the number of viewers in the room climbed past five hundred.

[Good grief, you scared me half to death! Jiang Rui, weren’t you a singing and dancing streamer? Why did you change the title to fortune-telling? And can you even tell fortunes? Three thousand yuan for one reading? Have you gone crazy? You were hospitalized once and came out with water on the brain. Don’t embarrass yourself here, all right?]

[Why hasn’t this bitch gone and died yet? Why is she still showing off here? She’s so irritating to look at!]

[You’re Jiang Rui, right? You look all right, so why are you clinging to our Brother Yang Mo? You’re worthless—a complete loser.]

Jiang Rui had not even spoken to the phone camera before the viewers in the room began chattering and hurling abuse at her.

“Hello, everyone! I’m back. It’s wonderful to see you all again, darlings.

“From now on, I won’t be singing or dancing anymore. I’m switching to fortune-telling livestreams.

“Would anyone like to try a reading?”

The public chat was filled with nothing but curses aimed at Jiang Rui. Her eyes grew slightly cold, but she continued smiling as she watched them insult her.

These people still had no idea what she was capable of. Sooner or later, she would make them eat their words. By then, she would see whether their faces hurt.

Jiang Rui stretched lazily and leaned sideways in her chair.

“Have you finished insulting me yet? If you have, you can be quiet now. Is anyone interested in a reading? One Super Rocket buys one reading. Affordable prices, excellent value. Don’t miss your chance as you pass by.”

[What did you say? Jiang Rui, say that again if you dare! I’ll beat you senseless, damn it! A fortune-teller on a bridge only charges ten or twenty yuan. How dare you ask for three thousand per reading?]

[Jiang Rui, are you so desperate for money that you’ve lost your mind? You’re spouting nonsense in broad daylight!]

[Is this streamer sick? If you’re ill, go see a doctor. Don’t come here to torment us. You’re seriously annoying.]

“Radish and Cabbage has sent one Super Rocket.”

The viewers who had been insulting Jiang Rui fell silent at once.

[Is that person an idiot with too much money?]

[I’m guessing it’s a paid shill. The streamer clearly knows how to market herself.]

Jiang Rui rolled her eyes dramatically at them.

“Radish, what would you like me to read for you?”

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