Chapter 1

The late summer weather was still rather stifling.
After a full day of classes, Shen Yu walked out of school feeling somewhat lightheaded. She boarded the bus and dozed off during the bumpy ride, only waking up when the driver called her name twice upon reaching her stop. Since few people got on or off at this station, the driver had long memorized her.
Shen Yu quickly thanked him and jogged off the bus. The moment she left the air-conditioned coolness of the vehicle, the sweltering air hit her face, and the pores on her skin that had just dried were instantly damp again.
Fortunately, this was a villa district with plenty of shade trees lining the roads. Walking under their cover kept her from melting under the sun in seconds.
Passing by a flowerbed, Shen Yu noticed some pretty pale purple blossoms and casually reached out to touch one.
Before she could properly admire it, a booming voice shouted from afar: "Hey! Little girl, don't pick those flowers!" It was the security guard from the post.
She'd been mistaken for a flower thief.
Embarrassed, Shen Yu smiled at the man and said, "I didn't pick any!"
Turning around, she continued into the neighborhood. Under the slanting sunlight, her shadow stretched long behind her.
Her original name was also Shen Yu, but she was definitely not this Shen Yu. The original her was 27 years old, a moderately famous actress trained in classical dance. Later, thanks to her striking looks, she was cast in a historical drama. Her excellent portrayal quickly boosted her popularity, leading to roles in several major productions. Gradually, she gained some fame and a seemingly limitless future.
But before she could achieve fame and fortune, the crew's vehicle crashed through the guardrail on the way to an outdoor filming location and plummeted off a cliff. Though she didn't feel the pain of the final moment, considering the height of the cliff, the outcome was undoubtedly a gruesome death.
When she woke up again, she had transmigrated into the body of a girl also named Shen Yu, now only 20 years old and a sophomore at film school.
None of this was particularly problematic. The most important and shocking part was that this was actually the world of a novel!
That's right, though she hadn't died, she had inexplicably become a minor character in a book!
The only consolation was that, at the very least, she was still alive and well.
Shen Yu knew all of this because, just before transmigrating, she had read this very book, and she had read it thoroughly.
At the time, she had been cast in an urban romance drama adapted from the novel, playing the female lead. Since it was her first modern drama, she worried she didn’t understand the plot and characters deeply enough, so she asked her assistant, Han Xiaobing, to buy the original novel for her.
The novel, titled ‘When Will You Love Me?’, was exactly the world she had transmigrated into, every character and plot detail was identical!
Shen Yu had no complaints about the novel's storyline, nor did she mind transmigrating into a timid, nearly depressive female side character. What she did mind was that this character had an older brother with a formidable background, the novel's psychotic villain, Shen Xiao!
Yes, that very same Shen Xiao who was entangled with the white lotus female antagonist, openly and covertly clashed with the male lead, Situ Yi, and was ultimately destined for a tragic end!!
Shen Yu felt like lighting a candle for herself.
The insecure Shen Yu wasn’t actually Shen Xiao’s biological sister. She had been picked up from a garbage dump by Mother Shen years ago.
The Shen family was inherently cold-hearted. If not for Mother Shen having just started a charity fund at the time and being able to use this as a publicity stunt, they wouldn’t have taken her in. After bringing her home, they didn’t pay her much attention either, she was mainly raised by the butler, Uncle Li. She learned about her origins early on, and though the family treated her with relative tolerance and gave her ample pocket money, she lived with deep insecurity and had an extremely low profile. Despite having money, she lived frugally and insisted on taking the bus to and from school.
Such a pitiful character, yet she had an arrogant and domineering older brother. Not only was she bullied all the time, but in the end, she was also dragged down and met a miserable fate. It was just too tragic.
Lost in her thoughts, Shen Yu kicked a small stone on the roadside as she walked. When she reached her family’s courtyard, she noticed a black Toyota parked at the gate, a mid-range car that clearly didn’t belong to the Shen family.
Standing beside the Toyota was a middle-aged man with a bald, greasy face and a belly larger than a woman’s at full term. He looked utterly repulsive.
Shen Yu tried to walk past him into the courtyard, but the greasy man quickly called out to her, “Little girl, is this your home?”
Shen Yu eyed him warily and asked, "Can I help you?"
The greasy middle-aged man grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. "May I ask if Shen Xiao is home?"
Shen Yu frowned and took a few steps back before replying, "You can leave now. He hasn't returned from his business trip yet!" Without another word, she turned and walked into the courtyard, not bothering to look back.
After walking a long distance in the sweltering heat, she was parched. As soon as she entered the house and set down her backpack, she headed straight to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Inside were various fresh juices. She chose orange juice.
Pouring herself a glass, she drank while peering through the kitchen window. The greasy man was still there.
Truth be told, she hadn't been entirely honest with him. Shen Xiao was returning from his business trip today and would be home for dinner. This would also be the first time she met him since transmigrating into this world.
Having read the original story, she knew that although Shen Xiao was confrontational and aggressive outside, he was relatively tolerant toward his family. After careful consideration over the past few days, she concluded that moving out and distancing herself from Shen Xiao might be the only way to avoid the tragic fate that befell the Shen family in the original plot. She decided to wait for Shen Xiao's return and find an opportunity to discuss moving out with him. Since he usually paid little attention to his younger sister, he probably wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Shen Yu quickly finished her glass of juice. Uncle Li, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, entered the kitchen. Seeing her, he smiled warmly and said, "Are you hungry, Miss? Dinner is almost ready. We can eat as soon as Mr. Shen returns."
Uncle Li had been the Shen family's butler and caretaker for many years. At sixty years old, he was slightly plump and always wore a cheerful smile. He was incredibly capable, whether it was repairing household appliances, threading a needle, or cooking exquisite meals, he excelled at everything. Since Shen Yu transmigrated, her appetite had noticeably increased.
Shen Yu discreetly pointed toward the courtyard and asked Uncle Li, "Who is that man?"
Uncle Li shook his head. "Probably here to discuss business."
As they were talking, another car pulled into the courtyard, a luxurious and ostentatious Rolls-Royce.
Uncle Li quickly nudged her and said, "Mr. Shen is back. Let's go greet him at the door." With that, he led the way outside.
Shen Yu pouted inwardly. Is he that important? Does he need a welcoming committee just to come home? But she obediently followed Uncle Li out.
The Rolls-Royce slowly drove into the courtyard and came to a stop. The rear door opened from the inside, and a tall, slender man stepped out. When he straightened up completely, Shen Yu couldn't help but stare.
In her previous life, whether at the dance academy or in the entertainment industry, Shen Yu had seen plenty of handsome men. Some had good looks but poor physiques; others had great bodies but unattractive faces. A few had both, but they were rare. Yet the man before her, Shen Xiao, whom the author had described as a deranged villain, was genuinely handsome. He had a striking face, a well-built physique, and an enduring charm!!
She couldn't help but marvel inwardly: He looks so refined and handsome, a true heartthrob. He doesn’t seem like a lunatic at all!
In the courtyard, Shen Xiao stood by the car, his gaze briefly sweeping over her before he lazily propped an arm on the roof and glanced toward the entrance.
The greasy middle-aged man had been waiting by the gate since Shen Xiao's car arrived. Seeing Shen Xiao look his way, he hurried over, bowing and scraping with an ingratiating smile. "President Shen, I finally get to see you!"
Shen Xiao's fingers tapped lightly on the car roof as he chuckled, "President Lin, what brings you all the way here?"
The setting sun was nearly below the horizon, casting an orange-red glow across the sky and bathing everyone in the courtyard in a golden light, making the scene feel surreal.
President Lin remained slightly hunched, as if inherently inferior, rubbing his hands together as he said, "You must be too busy to remember, President Shen. My good-for-nothing son lost a piece of land to you last night. I was wondering if you could..."
Shen Xiao frowned briefly before exaggerating a look of sudden realization. "Oh, so that's what this is about."
Seeing that he remembered, President Lin quickly added, "That land is just a small prize to you, but it's our family's entire fortune. I beg you to be merciful and retract the bet." By the end, he managed to squeeze out a few tears.
Shen Xiao shoved his hands into his pockets and leisurely walked up to President Lin, circling him once with a troubled expression. "Retract the bet? Then wouldn't my entire night's effort have been in vain?"
President Lin hurriedly declared, "As long as it's not that land, if you have any other requests, I'll do my utmost to fulfill them!"
Shen Xiao fell silent, coldly scrutinizing him. Under the pressure of his gaze, President Lin began sweating profusely, his shirt soon drenched.
Then Shen Xiao casually lowered his head to look at his feet and remarked, "Oh, my shoes are dirty."
The abrupt, nonsensical statement drew everyone's attention to his feet. His black leather shoes appeared impeccably polished, where was the dirt?
Shen Yu couldn't grasp his meaning, but President Lin instantly understood. He promptly dropped to one knee, groveling obsequiously, "President Shen, please raise your noble foot."
Shen Xiao was amused, letting out a low chuckle before arrogantly lifting one foot and placing it on the other man's shoulder. He then pulled a silk handkerchief from his chest pocket and meticulously wiped the shoe, as if it were not footwear but a luxurious work of art.
After carefully cleaning the shoe and inspecting it with satisfaction, he withdrew his foot and casually tossed the handkerchief to the ground. "Alright, you may go. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let it slide this once."
President Lin was overjoyed, looking up and exclaiming, "Thank you, thank you! I'm deeply grateful for your magnanimity."
He continued showering thanks before bowing repeatedly and taking his leave.
Shen Yu, who had witnessed the entire scene, was utterly dumbfounded.
Just then, Shen Xiao took out a cigarette case, selected one, lit it, took a couple of puffs, and said to his driver, "Tell Secretary Du to expedite the transfer of the Lin family's land. I don't want that old man bothering me every day."
Shen Yu: “…”
Didn't he just say he'd let it slide? How could he go back on his word so quickly?
Well, she retracted her earlier thought. Though he might look respectable, he was undoubtedly a bona fide lunatic!