Chapter 1

"Xiaoyou, wake up."

Su Wen's mind was in a mess, and her upper lip hurt from being pinched. She heard someone say, "Why did she faint like that? Hurry up, take her to the village doctor for a check-up."

Su Wen opened her eyes and was startled—

She found herself lying on the ground, surrounded by people. A woman in her forties, wearing old floral cotton pants and a的确良 (polyester) blouse, leaned in with a concerned look.

"That's great, Xiaoyou, you're finally awake. Zhou Hengyang is not worth your sadness. You are the head of the household, how can he, a赘婿 (live-in son-in-law), compare to you?"

"He was only taken in to have a son, but since he can't, he's definitely not suitable."

"I think Zhao Jiangang from Li Family Gully is a good match. He's a fair-skinned young man and is willing to be your live-in son-in-law."

Su Wen was utterly confused. She had been lying on the sofa, reading a novel about a live-in son-in-law from a different era. The story was so captivating and the male protagonist so charming that she had rewarded the author with a million reading coins to encourage more updates. How did she end up here in the blink of an eye?

Wait—Zhou Hengyang?

Isn't that the name of the male protagonist in the novel?

Xiaoyou is the male protagonist's ex-wife! And Zhao Jiangang, the man she later found to be her lover.

Su Wen lowered her head, hiding the shock in her eyes. Everything matched up, it couldn't be wrong! The character names, the story background, everything was exactly the same. She had become the antagonist in this novel about a live-in son-in-law, the male protagonist's ex-wife.

Su Wen racked her brain to recall the plot of the novel. At the beginning of the story, the male protagonist, Zhou Hengyang, became a live-in son-in-law for Su Wen because he was an outsider with no roots in the area.

The Su family had seven sisters and no sons. The grandparents, who were sexist, kept pressuring them to have a son, which led to the death of the last one due to excessive bleeding. The seven sisters had no status in the family, and Su Wen, being the eldest, had a slightly better situation as the first child.

The Su family couldn't let their lineage die out, so they forced Su Wen to take in a live-in son-in-law.

That was the male protagonist, Zhou Hengyang.

In the early 1980s, the rural environment and mindset were still very conservative, and live-in son-in-laws were often treated as second-class citizens. Su Wen, fearing ridicule and looking down on Zhou Hengyang, even refused to share a bed with him, influenced by the manipulative female protagonist.

Not long after, the female protagonist, incited by others, set her sights on Zhao Jiangang from the neighboring village. To be with Zhao Jiangang legitimately, she spread rumors that Zhou Hengyang was incapable, claiming that her inability to conceive was his fault, and forced Zhou Hengyang to change his surname to Su.

This left the male protagonist humiliated and without any dignity, and he was eventually kicked out of the house in disgrace.

The story then focused on how the male protagonist made money in the provincial capital, started a business, and became a successful entrepreneur.

Meanwhile, the manipulative female protagonist incited Su Wen to be with Zhao Jiangang from the neighboring village and secretly intercepted Zhou Hengyang's letters, learning his address and writing to him, feigning concern and warmth while also defaming Su Wen.

In the end, the male protagonist was moved by the manipulative female protagonist, married her, and made her the wife of the richest man.

As for the ex-wife, the antagonist, she suffered a terrible fate!

Zhao Jiangang was an alcoholic who beat his wife. Every time he got drunk, he would beat her nearly to death and brought his parents and siblings to live with them. They ate and drank at Su Wen's expense and mistreated her six sisters.

The youngest sister was sold by Zhao Jiangang for 100 yuan. The second and third sisters, who went to work in town with relatives, were tricked into becoming prostitutes and contracted diseases, eventually committing suicide by jumping into the sea.

The fourth sister married a man in his fifties.

The fifth sister dropped out of school in elementary school and was raped by Zhao Jiangang while he was drunk, leading her to commit suicide by drinking pesticide.

The sixth sister was tricked by Zhao Jiangang into marrying the mentally challenged son of the town's meat processing plant manager, where she was treated as a breeding tool and died in childbirth.

As for Su Wen herself, after losing her usefulness, she was kicked out by Zhao Jiangang, which could be seen as karma.

Compared to the tragic fate of the Su family's seven sisters, the manipulative female protagonist's family, who benefited from the male protagonist, rose to prominence and became the envy of the village.

The novel was not yet finished. When Su Wen was rewarding the author, she was reading about the male protagonist's impressive background and mysterious origins.