Shu Jia Er rolled her eyes and, on a whim, decided to check Huo Chao’s phone.
Though she often teased him, telling him not to talk too much with other girls, not to smile at others, and to keep his focus on her, she had always respected his privacy. She knew that Huo Chao was his own person, and she trusted him enough to give him personal space, refraining from casually snooping through his phone.
This was part of her upbringing.
Although she could act spoiled and carefree, as though she wasn’t mindful of others’ boundaries, deep down, she knew what was acceptable and what wasn’t. There were lines she wouldn’t cross. But still—she had a feeling that Huo Chao didn’t have any boundaries when it came to her.
Even though she usually avoided peeking into Huo Chao’s private messages, as his “little princess,” wasn’t it normal for her to suddenly feel curious and want a peek at her boyfriend’s phone?
When she reached for Huo Chao’s phone, he didn’t resist. There was nothing he wouldn’t show her, so he let her take it without hesitation.
Shu Jia Er unlocked the screensaver.
Good. The screensaver was a photo of the two of them together.
First level cleared.
She moved on to the home screen. She knew the password—191021, the date they started dating. When she typed it in, the phone unlocked easily, showing that he hadn’t changed it.
Very good. The home screen wallpaper was also a photo of them, wearing their couple outfits.
Though Shu Jia Er had come into this life as a character in a book, at her core, she was still a young girl. Having a boyfriend meant having couple outfits and matching profile pictures. Not long after they started dating, she took Huo Chao to take a series of couple photos. In just a few days, they’d taken hundreds of shots, with Huo Chao cooperating every step of the way.
There were so many photos, and some weren’t perfect—eyes closed, blurred faces, or distracted glances. Many were taken in bursts, resulting in pictures that looked similar.
But Shu Jia Er couldn’t bring herself to delete any of them. After all, she looked beautiful in every one, no arguments there.
With plenty of storage on her phone, she could keep thousands of these photos without worry. She would often scroll through her album just to look at them, but as she gazed at the home screen photo now, it somehow seemed different, even sweeter than when she usually looked at it.
Second level cleared.
With a hint of nervousness, Shu Jia Er pursed her lips and opened Huo Chao’s WeChat. She wanted to see what he had named her in his contacts.
Scrolling through his chat list, her eyes quickly spotted a contact named “My Candy”.
The avatar was unmistakably hers—she recognized it at once.
So… was this Huo Chao’s note to her?
Shu Jia Er’s fingers moved faster than she realized, and she tapped into the contact eagerly.
When she saw the chat logs inside, she was stunned to find out it really was her!
To top it off, Huo Chao had even set a unique chat background just for her. This time, it wasn’t one of their many couple photos. Instead, the background was filled with motivational phrases.
In the past, she’d seen many weight-loss-focused wallpapers, filled with phrases like “either thin or die,” “no wallpaper change until you lose ten pounds,” “are you even qualified to eat?” and “I want to be as thin as lightning.” Huo Chao’s wallpaper, though, had a similar aesthetic but with a different tone entirely.
“To give her a better life.” “Strive to become a better person.” “If you don’t work hard, you won’t even be able to support your wife in the future.”
Shu Jia Er felt a jolt of surprise as she took in these words.
Huo Chao, who had let her check his phone so openly, was now blushing with embarrassment. He’d handed it over confidently, knowing he had nothing to hide. The girls in his contact list were all classmates, and they barely chatted unless necessary. He didn’t flirt with anyone else. So, he thought, what harm could come from letting her look through his phone?
He’d simply forgotten about the background image he had set for their chat.
The silence between them hung in the air for a couple of seconds.
This was Shu Jia Er’s moment to showcase her hidden, thoughtful side. She didn’t act spoiled or draw attention to the background image, choosing instead to respect his pride and self-esteem.
If she wanted to be considerate, she could really excel at it.
Pretending as if nothing had happened, Shu Jia Er locked his phone screen, handed it back to him, and said with a grin, “This time, the phone passed the surprise inspection. Not bad.”
In that moment, Huo Chao fully appreciated Shu Jia Er’s understanding of him, and the initial awkwardness dissipated.
Perhaps his “little princess” wasn’t as self-centered as she sometimes seemed.
With a smile, he took the phone back, “Thank you, Princess.”
Later, when Shu Jia Er returned home with a small piglet in her arms, her brother Shu Qiang was taken aback.
He knew she had visited her “brother-in-law’s” house today, but how did she end up bringing a pig home?
What kind of peculiar Chinese New Year’s gift was this?
.
Shu Qiang approached her with a look of curiosity as he eyed the little piglet, Mu Mu.
Shu Jia Er held the pig in both hands. It was surprisingly heavy, and her arms felt sore after carrying it from the gate to the house.
She handed Mu Mu to Shu Qiang and explained, “It’s a gift from Huo Chao.”
Shu Qiang raised his eyebrows, muttering, “Brother-in-law sure has a unique taste.”
Shu Jia Er nudged his arm playfully, “The pig’s name is Mu Mu.”
Shu Qiang asked, “Mu Mu? Which ‘Mu’?”
“The ‘Mu’ from Chao Chao Mu Mu,” Shu Jia Er replied.
Shu Qiang paused, immediately connecting “Chao” with Huo Chao’s name.
He suddenly felt like he’d received a critical blow. This wasn’t just an ordinary pig, but a creative way for the two of them to flaunt their affection, wasn’t it?
Shu Jia Er added, “It likes eating fruit. You can feed it when you have time.”
“Oh, alright,” Shu Qiang said, patting Mu Mu’s snout and committing to the new responsibility.
Since visiting Huo Chao’s home, Shu Jia Er had been keeping busy. During the start of the new year, she was occupied with visiting relatives and friends with her parents, all while expanding her social network to adapt quickly to her new environment. Since returning to the Shu family, she naturally took on the responsibilities that came with it.
Life in a wealthy family wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Sometimes, the pressures and restrictions were even greater than those of an ordinary family.
But having experienced such a lifestyle before, Shu Jia Er found it easy to adjust.
On the tenth day of the lunar new year, one of her new friends held a birthday party, and Shu Jia Er brought a gift. To connect with her new social circle more quickly, attending parties like these was the most efficient way. After all, gatherings in these circles often had underlying intentions, with everyone seeking their own benefits.
Naturally, Shu Jia Er had her own goals for attending. After presenting the gift to the birthday celebrant, she wandered off to enjoy the festivities on her own.
Being from the Shu family granted her a level of respect, yet she wasn’t the center of attention, given that she had only recently returned to this world. For now, she was more of a peripheral figure.
But she was at ease and enjoyed herself regardless.
As Shu Jia Er was helping herself to desserts in the self-service area, her new friend Yaoyao approached in high heels, eager to share some gossip.
Yaoyao pouted and said, “Tsk tsk, look over there—a group of simps.”
Shu Jia Er took a taste of her cream cake and followed Yaoyao’s gaze. She noticed a girl surrounded by a crowd of admirers, someone unfamiliar yet more dazzling than the birthday host.
Curious, she asked, “Who is that?”
Yaoyao sneered, “That’s Ji Rou, Fu Mingqian’s fiancée.”
For a moment, Shu Jia Er thought she had misheard.
Fu Mingqian. Wasn’t he Shu Er’s former suitor? And now he has a fiancée?
Yaoyao continued filling her in, “Ji Rou’s family is pretty well-off, and now she’s managed to land a powerful fiancé. A guy with a bright future. So, of course, everyone is kissing up to her.”
Setting down her cream cake, Shu Jia Er said, “Let’s go over and join in the fun.”
As they approached, they overheard the group surrounding Ji Rou with endless rainbow farts.
“Rou Rou, your bag is gorgeous!”
“Rou Rou, is that necklace the one Mr. Fu bought for you at the auction?”
“Which stylist did your hair?”
Ji Rou handled the attention effortlessly, exuding elegance and composure. She glanced at her watch, adjusted her hair with a charming flick, and announced, “I have a spa appointment with my sister, so I’ll be heading out now.”
The crowd immediately protested, “Oh, leaving so soon?”
“Alright, be careful on the road.”
“See you next time!”
As Ji Rou gathered her things, she briefly noticed Shu Jia Er but didn’t seem to pay much attention to the girl who had only recently returned to the Shu family. She gracefully left, her heels clicking, without sparing anyone an extra glance.
As soon as she was out of sight, the tone of the crowd shifted dramatically.
“Tsk, she’s only acting so high and mighty because she found herself a rich fiancé.”
“She’s never been this arrogant before.”
“I heard Fu Mingqian dropped 10 million on her at the last auction. Comparing ourselves to her just makes me mad.”
“Didn’t Fu Mingqian used to like Shu Er?”
“Well, Shu Er’s gone now. People in our circle are nothing if not practical. Who here genuinely cares about anyone?”
“Haha, I bet Shu Er regrets it now! She used to look down on Fu Mingqian and kept him dangling. Now she’s getting nothing out of it.”
“It’s Ji Rou who reaped the benefits.”
“Shu Er’s status is nothing now. Just a middle-class girl. She was so haughty before, but look at her now—she’s lost it all.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
Their gossip continued until they suddenly noticed Shu Jia Er standing behind them, and the mood turned awkward. Although Shu Er was no longer part of the Shu family, she was still connected to them, and by extension, so was Shu Jia Er.
Realizing this, the group grew visibly uncomfortable.
Shu Jia Er raised her glass of orange juice in acknowledgment, took a sip as if unfazed, and soon walked off with Yaoyao.
In truth, she wasn’t surprised by the two-faced nature of these people. Those who navigated this social circle were adept at adjusting to changing situations.
Shu Er was gone, and Ji Rou had taken her place. It was simply the way things worked.
Initially, Shu Jia Er thought Shu Er would stage a triumphant comeback by relying on her former admirer, Fu Mingqian. But she hadn’t expected that he had already moved on with another woman. No wonder he’d been avoiding her lately.
For Shu Er, this was a cold but fair outcome. They never had an official relationship, so it was only natural for Fu Mingqian to find someone else.
Even so, Shu Jia Er couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.
Although Shu Er had caused trouble for the female supporting character in the original storyline, she hadn’t committed any truly unforgivable acts in this life. She’d been manipulative, but she hadn’t crossed major lines.
While Shu Jia Er planned to keep an eye on Shu Er, she decided not to take any further action for now.
Shu Er had already left Beijing and Liu Yan and had completely lost Fu Mingqian’s support. For someone once accustomed to a life of privilege, fading into obscurity was a heavy punishment in itself. Whether she’d accept her new reality remained to be seen.
Knowing Shu Er’s nature, Shu Jiaer suspected that she wouldn’t need to lift a finger—Shu Er’s own actions might very well bring about her downfall. And if Shu Er managed to destroy herself, that would save Shu Jiaer the trouble of getting her hands dirty.
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