Gu Jiaojiao said obediently, "Mom, I'm really full. I was ignorant before, but from now on, I'll make sure you both live a good life."
Having drunk half a bowl of the Su family's white porridge and received Su's mother's care despite her past behavior, Gu Jiaojiao made a solemn promise.
'In her past life, although her family was well-off, she had worked her way up to become a top medical expert through her own abilities.'
'Her mom passed away early, and her dad remarried and had a son and a daughter. Her dad and stepmom treated her quite well.'
'But that was only because she had always lived with her grandfather and rarely disturbed the happy life of their family of four.'
'Now that she had arrived in this fictional world of a book, her grandfather and other relatives probably wouldn't be too grief-stricken. After all, they still had a complete family of their own.'
'She had to roll up her sleeves and start over from scratch, to not waste the second chance heaven had given her.'
"Hmph! Gu Jiaojiao, you think you can give Mom a good life? You're a sickly weakling who gets winded after taking two steps."
"We'd be counting our blessings if you just didn't drag our family down. Only my mom and dad treat you like some kind of treasure, doting on you so much."
Su Qinchun couldn't resist mocking Gu Jiaojiao, and she shot a cautious glance at her older brother on the bed.
Seeing her older brother's eyes were closed, she grew bolder and muttered her complaints.
"I don't think that Sheng Family is any good either. Gu Jiaojiao, since you know you're the fake rich daughter, you should have just gone back to the farm."
The implication was that she shouldn't stay here and ruin her older brother's life.
Gu Jiaojiao: ...
'If she had arrived earlier, she really would have gone back to her birth parents. No matter what their status was, it would have been better than living under someone else's roof.'
'Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, she was already in Su Shuochi's wedding bed!'
Su's mother sternly lectured her daughter, "Chun Ni, from now on, don't say that the Sheng Family abandoned Jiaojiao."
"Jiaojiao is so delicate; she can't handle you and your brother scaring her like this!"
"Besides, the Sheng Family didn't even tell Jiaojiao where her birth parents are. How is she supposed to find them?"
"Jiaojiao, from now on, you are the daughter-in-law of our Old Su Family. If we only have one bite of food, we'll give it to you first."
"Thank you, Mom~" Gu Jiaojiao thanked her sincerely, then turned to warn her sister-in-law not to underestimate her. "Chun Ni, don't you..."
"Who are you calling Chun Ni? My name is Su Qinchun! Su Qinchun! You've known my brother for half a month, from the marriage negotiations to the wedding itself."
"And you don't even know my name? Have you even been..."
It was a textbook case of social suicide.
Mr. Su's trembling voice came from the doorway.
"Wife, Chun Ni, hurry and come out. Our in-laws—Jiaojiao's mother and sister—are here."
'Gu Jiaojiao heard the anxiety in Mr. Su's tone. She hadn't expected to meet the book's female protagonist so soon.'
'The embarrassment instantly turned to excitement—though not the excitement of seeing the Sheng family, of course.'
'After all, she wasn't the body's original owner and didn't know them well.'
'Gu Jiaojiao was eager to see the novel's heroine and find out just how beautiful she was. The book described the male lead as being as handsome as Pan An and the female lead as beautiful as Diaochan.'
'While drinking the porridge earlier, she had checked her own pulse. The body didn't have any major illnesses, let alone a terminal one.'
'She was just physically weak. Simply put, she'd been too pampered, lacked exercise, and had a weak immune system.'
'She wanted to go out and meet the novel's heroine, as well as the original owner's adoptive mother. If the woman wasn't a good person, the two families would simply cut ties from now on.'
'The original Gu Jiaojiao hadn't been angered to death by the Su Family, and certainly not by the Sheng family.'
'From her memories, she had fainted after being unable to bear the mockery of the women in the residential compound and simply never woke up again.'
"Jiaojiao, I'll go out and see your... adoptive mother and sister first. You tidy yourself up and then come out," Su's mother said gently.
"Okay, Mom, you go ahead~" Gu Jiaojiao said demurely, but anyone could hear the excitement in her voice.
Su Qinchun took the half-full bowl of white porridge from her mother's hands and gulped it down in a few quick mouthfuls~
She hurried out after her mother, glancing back to say disdainfully to Gu Jiaojiao,
"The way you drink porridge, you're like a cat nibbling at its food. Take your time getting ready. No need to rush. That Sheng Xinglian won't leave until she's seen you."
"Get out!"
Gu Jiaojiao roared with anger. 'Honestly, even a clay doll has a bit of a temper, and this sister-in-law of hers had looked down on her time and time again.'
Unfortunately, her angry shout was worlds apart from one of Su Shuochi's roars; it had no force behind it whatsoever.
It was unclear if Su Qinchun even heard her. She just left, a retreating figure dressed in the colors of scrambled eggs and tomatoes.
Right now, Gu Jiaojiao had no time to dwell on it. She needed to change before going out.
Gu Jiaojiao then realized she was still wearing her wedding dress. The Su family probably hadn't dared to change her clothes while she was unconscious.
It was a red, mock-neck chiffon blouse with lace trim, paired with gray bell-bottoms.
The outfit should have looked tacky and dated, but on this body, it actually accentuated her unique aura to the fullest.
Especially with the top button undone, offering a tantalizing glimpse of her collarbone that made her look utterly stunning.
'Damn, she was beautiful!' Gu Jiaojiao herself was almost captivated by the reflection in the mirror.
Unfortunately, after she'd been unconscious for two days and two nights, the clothes were all wrinkled. She leaned over and asked the man who was feigning sleep with his eyes closed.
"Um... could you tell me where my clothes are~"
"In the wardrobe."
The man's voice was steady and calm, devoid of inflection. But as Gu Jiaojiao spoke, her warm breath carried a faint, sweet scent.
It filled his senses. Although he was injured and paralyzed from the waist down, his ears and face quickly flushed crimson.
But Gu Jiaojiao didn't have time to notice. She quickly got out of bed and walked to the wardrobe. The entire wardrobe was full of her clothes.
'It seemed the Sheng Family had treated the original owner well. Although the clothes were all loud and colorful, one glance was enough to tell they were made from the best fabrics of the eighties.'
There was a green chiffon dress, a red chiffon blouse, yellow Dacron bell-bottoms...
Gu Jiaojiao chose a green chiffon dress. The room had no bathroom, let alone a private space for changing.
She had to duck into the small space behind the door to quickly change.
The dress had a simple design, with two ties at the neckline.
Gu Jiaojiao deftly tied the straps into a pretty bow, then fastened a matching belt around her waist.
Her figure was instantly accentuated. Paired with green jelly sandals, she looked like a forest sprite who had stumbled into the mortal realm.
'Looks are thirty percent, style is seventy percent. A woman's taste and aura are often more important than her facial features.'
"So, are you going out with me?" Gu Jiaojiao asked, purely out of courtesy.
She also made a point of letting the man see how beautiful she was, recalling how he'd actually fallen out of bed.
"I'm not going."
"Then do you want me to call your dad in to help you?"
"Get lost! I'm paralyzed, not completely helpless," the man roared, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Gu Jiaojiao saw his face redden with anger. 'He can't possibly think I'm trying to humiliate him, can he?'
'Heaven knows she was just asking out of genuine concern.'
'A man will do anything to protect his pride.'
"Just you wait. I'll deal with you when I get back."
After spitting out the vicious words, she left the room without daring to look back.
Su Shuochi watched her graceful retreating figure and took out the heart-shaped stone from under his pillow, the one he had yet to give her.
His deep, dark eyes grew even more somber...