The He Family’s butler quickly rescued the young master who had fallen into the pit.
After losing face in such a big way, He Jianshen vented his anger at the servants, even skipping the original tennis gathering. He went back to his room to freshen up and, in passing, called Song Tianyang to demand an explanation: “Apologize to me.”
Everyone he’d ever dealt with was a profit-driven creature.
People’s ways of thinking are hard to break free from the environment and upbringing they’ve known since childhood. There’s no need to say it outright; the elders’ words and deeds have already marinated him thoroughly—every action must have a clear motive. For example, his aversion to Song Tianyang was because she would compete with him for the family inheritance, so he had to drive her out.
But his methods for doing so definitely didn’t include pushing someone into a pit and shooting them repeatedly with a water gun.
Song Tianyang: “No.”
He Jianshen, furious to the point of laughter: “Do you think the He Family is some Chengzhongcun where your mom lives? My house is covered in surveillance; everyone will see what you did.”
This sentence did indeed make Song Tianyang alert:
“You’re really interested in where my mom lives and what she does for a living. Are you secretly in love with my mom?”
…But it wasn’t the kind of alert he’d expected.
He Jianshen raised his voice slightly: “I’m just looking down on you for living in Chengzhongcun! Besides, your act of pushing me into the pit was caught clearly on surveillance!”
Analyzing harsh words is like explaining why a joke is funny.
Both make you look foolish.
“Oh,”
Song Tianyang replied, “Can you send me a copy of the surveillance video?”
There was not a hint of fear in her tone, only pure pride and the urge to savor it again and again.
He Jianshen: “!?”
Then, he heard Song Tianyang say, “In your He Family’s eyes, I’m just an illiterate country bumpkin. Isn’t it perfectly in character for me to do something so uncultured? Would your He Family really call the police and have me handcuffed and dragged to the Police Station just because I played a prank on you? If I embarrass myself, it’s just me staying true to my character, but if you embarrass yourself, that’s your persona collapsing, brother.”
The last word, “brother,” was drawn out with deep meaning.
In that moment, the rage burning in He Jianshen’s mind finally cooled.
That’s right.
Was he really going to take that surveillance footage of himself falling face-first into a pit and then getting blasted in the face with a water gun to the family gathering to accuse her?
He Jianshen had to admit it.
He couldn’t afford that kind of humiliation. In fact, he was already thinking of destroying the surveillance footage completely.
He Jianshen, still putting on a tough front, threatened, “What if I insist on pursuing this to the end with the surveillance footage?”
“Then I’ll reserve the right to claim the water gun was filled with Zhang Erbao’s pee.”
The sudden mention of a stranger’s name in this conversation felt bizarre. He Jianshen couldn’t help but ask:
“Who’s Zhang Erbao?”
Song Tianyang: “Zhang Erbao is the Stray Dog at my school.”
“……”
He Jianshen was baffled.
He was still angry, but for the first time, he felt a kind of confusion about where to direct his punches.
After a brief silence, he hung up the phone in humiliation.
With nowhere to vent his anger, He Jianshen heard his door gently pushed open. He didn’t notice the timid figure slipping in until He Yuan, who had walked in through the crack, spoke up softly: “Brother, I heard that big sister caused a scene?”
“Don’t call her ‘sister.’ She doesn’t even acknowledge herself as part of the He Family.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, brother,” He Yuan replied gently, then walked up to him and tugged on his sleeve: “Next time, don’t meet her alone, okay? I’m afraid she’ll go crazy and do anything. If it happens again, I’ll definitely protect you… The one who owes her is me, and the one she hates is me. Brother, don’t keep going against her just to protect me.”
Her words were weak and pitiful.
But He Jianshen wasn’t really standing up for her—he was fighting for his own future share of the inheritance.
Still, his sister’s words sounded better and were more dignified.
So He Jianshen went along with it: “I’ll definitely protect you. Blood ties or not, we grew up together as real siblings.”
Master He valued bloodline, and He Yuan would only get some scraps in the future. For He Jianshen, this was all gain, no loss. Plus, there was some genuine sibling affection from growing up together, so his heart’s scales tilted decisively toward her:
“I’ll never accept her.”
“Grandpa wants to give the Gu Family marriage to her, but I’ll help you fight for it. Gu Shangyang has always liked you.”
He Yuan answered softly and shyly, “Okay.”
This was what she wanted, too.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew that the moment the parentage report came out, the He Family’s fortune would never have anything to do with her again. The only thing she could do was carefully provide emotional value to the He Family, and, as their adopted daughter, try to maintain her place in this class and circle to preserve her comfortable life.
The Gu Family’s young master was upright in character, with good background and looks—he was the dream lover of countless socialite ladies. She had a childhood friendship with him, and there was no way she’d let Song Tianyang butt in.
What Song Tianyang had was the He Family’s true bloodline.
He Yuan bore no malice toward her, but she really needed this engagement with Gu Shangyang.
Sorry, big sister.
On the other side, Song Tianyang returned to the Chengzhongcun where He Jianshen had found out she and her adoptive mother lived.
He Jianshen didn’t understand why she reacted to conflict so fiercely and quickly, because he’d never lived in a handshake building where the neighbor’s window was just an arm’s length from his own front door. When neighbors quarreled, you didn’t even need to leave your house—just open the window and you could slap the other person right in the face.
If you’re too reserved in these disputes, you’ll suffer.
If the neighbor dumped trash in front of her house in the morning, by noon she’d be blocking their door to curse them out.
As Song Tianyang walked into the alley, she heard her adoptive mother, Song Huafeng, arguing with the newly moved-in old woman across the hall: “Is this place yours? I’ll throw my trash wherever I want! Who are you to care? If you’re so delicate, go live in a villa! Can you even afford it?”
“This is my doorway! You throw your trash here, it stinks up the place. Don’t you have any sense of public decency?”
“Then why don’t you just pick it up if you see it? Lazy woman, no wonder no man wants you.”
As Song Tianyang walked over, she saw Song Huafeng pick up the bag of trash on the ground and throw it right at the neighbor’s door, soup and water splashing everywhere: “Mom, I’m back.”
“Mm, come in and eat.”
The old woman, seeing her daughter had come home, immediately shifted the conflict up a notch: “How dare you splash me?! Just wait! Tomorrow I’ll go with your daughter to her job and make a scene at her workplace! I’ll make sure your girl gets fired and sent packing!”
With one foot already over the threshold, Song Tianyang turned and grinned: “Old hag, I work screwing bolts in a black factory. I get paid daily and can party for three days on one shift. It’s not even a good job anyway. I won’t go to the black internet café these three days either. I’ll just wait until Sunday when your grandson comes over and have a nice little chat with him. Try bullying my mom again, why don’t you?”
When you’re out in the world, your identity is whatever you make it.
“You, you… don’t you dare mess with my precious grandson!”
The old lady was instantly cowed.
She knew there were lots of young people working in the nearby factories.
Her granddaughter had told her that pretty girls like this one were always the factory belles, surrounded by a bunch of delinquent blond punks.
“Tch.”
Song Tianyang sneered and shut the door.
The food was already cooked. She dished herself some rice and sat down: “Mom, I’ve got money now. Let’s move.”
“Where’d you get the money? From the He Family?”
Song mother shot her a glance.
“Pretty much.”
“If you have money, save it. I’m no good; I can’t earn you a dowry or a house. A woman has to have money in her hand to have confidence. Don’t lose your head just because you have a couple of extra coins in your pocket and forget where you came from. If you want to live in a big house, go by yourself. I’m not moving.”
He Yuan refusing to see her birth mother had hurt Song Huafeng a bit.
But thinking about it, she was dirt poor. What did she have to keep her daughter around? It was already the best thing for her child to stay far away. Only stubborn Tianyang refused to leave, still trying to get money out of the He Family for her.
Song Tianyang knew just how to handle her mom. While shoveling food into her mouth, she said, “If you don’t want my money, I’ll save it up and buy a Ghost Fire scooter, then grab a few delinquents to go street racing. Before we race, we’ll down two bottles of Feitian Maotai. Just watch me fly to the heavens.”
“Don’t you dare! Song Tianyang, did I raise you for over twenty years just so you could throw your life away?”
Song Huafeng slammed her chopsticks down.
Song Tianyang: “Move, or watch your daughter get herself killed. Take your pick.”
When it came to playing hardball, she was even better than her mom.
Song Huafeng fumed for a long time, but finally gave in. While eating, she scolded her, “You’ve learned to threaten your mother now, huh? Fine, tell me how much you made. I don’t think the He Family is that generous—they’re nothing like the ones in the dramas, and their jewelry isn’t even as big as on TV.”
“One outfit from the He Family costs enough to film a dozen of those short dramas you like.”
Song Tianyang showed her the bank balance directly.
With the daily tasks she’d done these four days, plus today’s Guangwumen Incident, she’d saved up a full twenty thousand yuan—Master He had actually given her a Vice Card, and as long as she agreed to change her surname, she could spend as much as she wanted.
“Twenty thousand.”
Song Huafeng gasped, “Looks like they really do like you.”
She’d just been complaining the He Family was stingy, but now, seeing five digits for real, it felt astronomical.
After all, even working all year, barely eating or drinking, she’d never save up twenty thousand.
“Mm.”
Song Tianyang lowered her eyes.
No, Mom, to the He Family, twenty thousand yuan is an insulting amount.
Compared to money she got by bowing her head to the He Family, she preferred earning it by completing tasks from the Emperor System.
Song Tianyang knew there must be a mind-boggling sum on that Vice Card.
But so what?
She was still the little emperor. If she really wanted, she could confiscate their entire family fortune.
System: [Your Majesty, don’t cry, or your crown will fall off.]
Chi Zhiqing had just gotten off the plane and hurried to Chengzhongcun.
His tall, upright figure drew quite a few stares—even though he was just wearing a store-bought casual suit, his model-like build made it look like Italian bespoke.
Under the scrutiny of passersby, Chi Zhiqing arrived at room 680.
The Young Emperor lives in such cramped quarters.
Looks like the lord comes from a poor family.
Chi Zhiqing wasn’t bothered—in the past, he and his older brother had both grown up as penniless village kids. He wouldn’t forget the hardships of ordinary people just because he’d made it big. In fact, he was even more eager to meet her.
Unfortunately, the plot prompts in his mind were very basic.
[The emperor you are to support is Song Tianyang, the female supporting character in ‘Wrong Princess.’ At twenty-two, she was found by the He Family, who wanted to accept her, but constant conflicts arose because of her rough behavior. □□□□, Song Tianyang had her engagement with the Gu Family’s young master called off. □□□□, in the end, He Yuan and He Jianshen forgave Song Tianyang, who tragically died at the hands of kidnappers.]
Chi Zhiqing: “What’s with all the □□□□?”
Loyal Minister System: [Those are places where the plot has errors.]
Oh well.
Chi Zhiqing knocked on the door of room 680 and waited a few moments.
No one answered.
On his third knock, the door across the hall suddenly flew open and an old lady, her resentment thicker than a vengeful spirit’s, shouted, “Stop looking for them! That family moved out at noon! Dressed up like a big shot—are you the black market foreman from the factory?”
Black market foreman Chi Zhiqing: “Excuse me, do you know where they moved to?”
“No idea!”
The old lady rolled her eyes at him and slammed the door.
The System’s information had a delay, and until the lord’s new address updated, he could only find somewhere else to stay for now.
Chi Zhiqing could only settle for two nights at the Hilton Hotel in the city.
He had just finished checking in when he received a notification from the System.
The Loyal Minister System was subordinate to the Emperor System. As the subordinate, he could receive notifications about some of his lord’s completed tasks, but never the full details. After all, he was just a minister—how could a subject spy too much on their emperor?
So, the notification he saw was only a brief—
[Your Majesty has completed the Guangwumen Incident.]
Chi Zhiqing stood in awe.