Chapter 81 Extra: Second Sister, This Venomous Flower, After Arriving in Hong Kong City…

Zhou Niandi endured countless hardships and finally arrived in Hong Kong City.

Standing on the bustling streets that seemed both familiar and strange,

She looked around in all directions.

Eight years.

A full eight years late, she had finally come to this place that had haunted her dreams…

Zhou Niandi closed her eyes for a moment.

It was three years ago that she regained the memories of her past life—at that time, she was stripped naked and kicked flying by her drunken, crazed husband, vomiting a lot of blood, and then gradually losing consciousness.

When she woke up, she found herself still naked, but lying in a desolate wilderness.

The reason she woke up was because… a small animal, perhaps a fox or a wildcat, mistook her for dead and was tearing at her body.

She was awakened by the excruciating pain.

Then, she sat up and shooed away the startled little creature beside her.

Zhou Niandi remained dazed for a very, very long time.

During her unconsciousness, she had a bizarre dream.

In the dream, she learned that her third sister, Zhou Pandi, had received the emigration procedures sent by their eldest sister. Out of jealousy, she decided to impersonate her.

To eliminate any future trouble, Zhou Niandi sold the third sister to an even poorer, older man deep in the mountains.

Then, Zhou Niandi took the money from selling her third sister and went alone to Hong Kong City.

By the time she arrived in Hong Kong City, her eldest sister, Zhou Sidi, was already dead.

But that didn’t matter much.

Zhou Niandi moved into her mother Zhou Xiangmei’s home.

Zhou Xiangmei owned a luxurious large house, and her husband Wu Hao and stepdaughter Wu Jiayin had to tread carefully around Zhou Xiangmei.

Zhou Niandi was very adept at handling situations and knew how to please Zhou Xiangmei, making her mother ecstatic.

Soon, Zhou Niandi became the apple of her mother’s eye, bullying Wu Jiayin and Li Yongzhen day in and day out.

That period of time

was Zhou Niandi’s favorite and most enjoyable.

With Filipina domestic helpers at home, she did nothing all day but enjoy life.

But soon,

Zhou Niandi realized that this couldn’t go on—although she could live a comfortable life relying on her mother, she was eating from her mother’s hand and taking her mother’s favors. Moreover, her mother was shrewd; she was willing to provide free food and lodging but refused to give her a single cent!

So, to achieve financial freedom, she had to find a wealthy man!

From then on, Zhou Niandi embarked on a life of searching for rich men everywhere.

Unfortunately, with no particular talents, it was difficult for her to break into high society.

Even if she occasionally met wealthy men, her plain and unremarkable self struggled to gain their favor.

What’s more, she had Wu Jiayin and Li Yongzhen, those two troublemakers, around her. Whenever she tried to engineer a “chance encounter” with a wealthy man, those two would always try to steal the spotlight halfway.

Thus, three years after arriving in Hong Kong, Zhou Niandi still had accomplished nothing, trapped in the mire of competing with Wu Jiayin and Li Yongzhen for their parents’ and men’s favor.

At this time—

Zhou Niandi’s third sister, Zhou Pandi, finally arrived in Hong Kong.

Accompanying her was her fourth sister, Zhou Zhaodi.

Oh, by the way, by this time, Zhou Niandi had already changed her name to Zhou Nian’er.

So Zhou Pandi and Zhou Zhaodi also changed their names to Zhou Pan’er and Zhou Zhao’er accordingly.

To be honest, Zhou Nian’er was quite afraid of Zhou Pan’er; she feared that Zhou Pan’er would seek revenge.

But Zhou Pan’er seemed quite pragmatic and didn’t show any dissatisfaction toward her. Even when Zhou Nian’er brought up the matter of “Zhou Pan’er’s marriage” from back then, Zhou Pan’er would only say, “That was what Dad wanted to do. What does it have to do with Second Sister?”

Zhou Nian’er breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, she still felt intensely jealous of Zhou Pan’er.

—Why was it that after three years of living a life worse than death with an old man in the deep mountains, Zhou Pan’er’s skin remained smooth and fair, her appearance delicate and beautiful? She was far more beautiful than Zhou Nian’er, who had spent three comfortable years in Hong Kong City!

It was only after Zhou Pan’er arrived in Hong Kong that Zhou Nian’er gained the most direct understanding of the saying, “Beauty is a woman’s best weapon.”

In Zhou Nian’er’s view, Zhou Pan’er wasn’t particularly clever—if she had been truly smart, she wouldn’t have been sold off by Zhou Nian’er back then.

Even now, Zhou Pan’er wasn’t all that bright.

She went to ask Zhou Xiangmei how their eldest sister, Zhou Sier, had struggled to make her way.

After learning from Zhou Xiangmei how Zhou Sier had resolved her identity issues, worked odd jobs, and pursued her studies…

Zhou Pan’er began to replicate Zhou Sier’s life.

Thus, Zhou Nian’er watched helplessly as Zhou Pan’er, who should have been an undocumented person, applied for refugee status with the Hong Kong government, then took on various jobs. With her beauty, Zhou Pan’er easily found work and just as easily received her wages.

She reported to the Hong Kong government on time, paid her taxes as required, and smoothly obtained formal Hong Kong City residency.

She began attending night school, studying English, and preparing to apply to Hong Kong University…

Suddenly, she attracted the affection of a wealthy man.

At that moment, Zhou Nian’er was consumed by jealousy and overwhelmed with regret!

She was jealous because she had arrived in Hong Kong City first—why was it Zhou Pan’er who encountered a wealthy man actively pursuing her?

She regretted that she should have forced Zhou Pan’er to drink another cup of pesticide when she sold her off! If Zhou Pan’er had died back then, would she still be flaunting herself in front of her now?

Perhaps Heaven heard Zhou Nian’er’s inner thoughts.

Finally—

One week before Zhou Pan’er’s wedding, she got into an argument with her fiancé and accidentally fell down the stairs. After being rushed to the hospital, Zhou Pan’er lingered in the ICU for over two months before ultimately passing away.

Zhou Nian’er breathed a sigh of relief.

But Zhou Nian’er’s happiness didn’t last long.

Because Wu Hao and his mistress set a trap, framing Zhou Xiangmei together. Not only did they seize all of Zhou Xiangmei’s assets and properties, but Wu Hao also divorced her, leaving Zhou Xiangmei with nothing.

Overnight, the wealthy lady Zhou Xiangmei was left destitute. Fortunately, she still had her Hong Kong City residency, and due to her age and various health issues, she poured out her woes to community volunteers and was eventually settled in a charity shelter.

The two parasites, Zhou Nian’er and Zhou Zhaoer, fared even worse.

Zhou Zhaoer had originally had some savings, but when Zhou Pan’er had her accident, Zhou Zhaoer used all her savings to try to save her, only to lose everything…

Now that Zhou Xiangmei was also penniless, Zhou Zhaoer stopped being picky. She packed a few clothes and went to become the mistress of her former gangster boss.

Only Zhou Nian’er remained, unwilling to sink to the bottom of society yet unable to climb into the middle class no matter how hard she tried.

In the end—

Zhou Nian’er hardened her heart and turned to seduce Wu Hao.

For this, the conflict between Zhou Nian’er, Wu Jiayin, and Li Yongzhen reached its peak!

But Wu Hao’s happiness didn’t last long either, as his mistress ran off with all the money…

Now, everyone collectively plunged into extreme poverty.

Zhou Nian’er’s final memory was of waking up one morning to find that Wu Jiayin and Li Yongzhen had stolen and eaten all the breakfast Wu Hao had bought for her.

Although that breakfast was just a steamed bun.

Zhou Nian’er suddenly broke down.

She insisted that Wu Jiayin and Li Yongzhen spit out the bun, but Wu Hao accused her of making a fuss over nothing.

In a fit of rage, Zhou Nian’er grabbed a pair of scissors and charged at Wu Jiayin…

Blood blurred her vision.

Her mind was in a daze, and she couldn’t quite remember the exact details of what happened.

She only remembered—

It seemed Wu Hao called her a madwoman.

It seemed Wu Jiayin was crying and shouting, “Daddy, save me!”

It seemed Li Yongzhen was screaming something like, “Zhou Nian’er killed my cousin… my uncle killed Zhou Nian’er” or something along those lines.

Zhou Nian’er slowly closed her eyes.

She felt a chill all over her body,

and it seemed as if every bone in her body was aching,

as if something was gnawing at her flesh.

When she opened her eyes—

She found herself lying naked in a desolate wilderness,

face to face with a small animal that was tearing at her body.

The small animal was frightened and ran away.

Gasping for breath, Zhou Nian’er left that barren mountain.

Too afraid to return to her husband’s home, she took a long detour back to her parents’ house.

Along the way, she stole clothes and shoes that farmers had left drying outside, so she wouldn’t have to remain naked.

But when she finally made it back to her parents’ home after countless hardships,

she discovered that the house had collapsed many years ago.

Fortunately, her appearance had changed so much that a young woman from the same village didn’t recognize her, mistaking her for a relative visiting the Zhou family.

The young woman told Zhou Nian’er, “That family had a tragic fate! I heard there were seven of them. First, the mother and eldest daughter ran away, then the second daughter married and lived a good life on her own. The third and fourth daughters went missing, leaving the father and son to rely on each other.”

“But that father and son were no good either.”

“The son harassed the young women and married women in the village every day—either peeping at the neighbor’s daughter bathing or stealing the neighbor’s wife’s underwear… Later, someone played a trick on him, and he fell into an icy river in the dead of winter! They managed to pull him out, but with no woman in the house to care for him, he didn’t make it to spring… and died!”

“The father was even worse. Taking advantage of his son’s misfortune, he tried to extort the entire village. It happened to be the New Year season, so even if people weren’t well-off, they still had some wine and meat at home. He extorted it all, drinking and eating every day in his house, until he drank himself to death!”

“Ah, come to think of it, they’ve been dead for several years now!” the young woman said.

Zhou Nian’er was stunned.

Realizing she couldn’t rely on her family anymore,

she gritted her teeth and did everything she could to sneak into Hong Kong City.

But now, eight years later, this was no longer the world she once knew.

Zhou Nian’er went to the mansion where Zhou Xiangmei had lived in her previous life, only to discover that the owner was not Zhou Xiangmei at all!

She quickly inquired about the “tech tycoon Song Junshu,” only to find that no such person existed!

She stood there in a daze for a long time, vaguely recalling the company where Wu Hao had worked.

Zhou Nian’er went there and actually found Wu Hao!

However, the Wu Hao before her was nothing like the Wu Hao from her previous life.

In her previous life, Wu Hao had lived a life of luxury because of his wealth. He had a well-proportioned figure, wore his hair slicked back, loved floral shirts, white pants, and white leather shoes, paired with sunglasses… he had quite the old-money style.

But the disheveled old man before her now…

Was this really Wu Hao?

Zhou Nian’er sized up the old man from head to toe—his limbs were slender, but he had a huge belly. He was severely balding, and his entire body looked greasy. His face was covered in wrinkles, and he wore a faded, hole-ridden undershirt, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand and wearing flip-flops on his feet…

“Auntie, what brings you here? Are you looking for a job?” Wu Hao asked.

(Translation: Auntie, what do you need from me? Are you looking for a job?)

—Yes, Wu Hao was a labor agent.

His salary was based on a low base pay plus commissions, and he relied entirely on commissions to make money.

Now that he was older, the resources he once had disappeared as his contacts retired.

Truth be told, it had been a long time since he last secured a job.

Zhou Nian’er stared blankly at Wu Hao.

She couldn’t accept Wu Hao calling her… “Auntie.”

Yes, people in Hong Kong also address women based on their age group:

For example, young, beautiful women who appear unmarried are called “pretty girls”;

For example, women who look to be in their thirties, married, and likely already have children are called “pretty sisters”;

And for example, women who appear married, with children already in their teens or nearing adulthood, are called “pretty aunts.”

Zhou Nian’er couldn’t believe that Wu Hao had addressed her as “Auntie”?

She…

She was only twenty-eight years old!

Zhou Nian’er took a deep breath.

She thought to herself: Forget it, forget it, don’t dwell on it too much. The most urgent matter now is to quickly settle down at Zhou Xiangmei’s home, take good care of herself for a while, and her beautiful appearance and delicate skin would naturally return.

In this life, she wouldn’t be picky anymore.

And she would never compete with Wu Jiayin and the others for men again.

With her memories from her past life, she knew exactly when and where to run into those wealthy men…

Then, in this life, she would keep a low profile and absolutely not flaunt her acquaintance with a wealthy man in front of Wu Jiayin and the others before she had even secured her position…

This time, she would definitely marry a rich man!

Zhou Nian’er humbly explained her identity to Wu Hao.

Wu Hao’s expression instantly changed!

He coldly tossed out the words, “I don’t know Zhou Xiangmei,” and then left.

Zhou Nian’er was stunned.

She didn’t believe it, and she refused to give up.

After all, Zhou Xiangmei was her only fallback.

So Zhou Nian’er waited at the employment agency until Wu Hao finished work and headed home. She followed him all the way and finally found his house.

What shocked Zhou Nian’er was,

In this life, Zhou Xiangmei and Wu Hao actually lived in a slum?!

Moreover, strictly speaking, the only main structure of their dwelling was an earthen wall, with a roof made of asbestos tiles and walls of torn plastic sheets patched up with tape.

Their bed was a rusty bunk bed.

Zhou Xiangmei and Wu Hao slept on the lower bunk, while Wu Hao’s daughter, Wu Jiayin, slept on the upper bunk.

Their home had only three electrical appliances: a rice cooker, a fan, and a dim electric light.

And Zhou Xiangmei and Wu Jiayin were nothing like what Zhou Nian’er remembered.

—Zhou Xiangmei was not the alluring, middle-aged beauty she recalled; she was an elderly woman with snow-white hair, frail and slow-moving.

—Wu Jiayin wasn’t married yet, but she had already gained weight in middle age. Her skin was dark and rough, her clothes plain, and she wore no makeup. She was nothing like the refined beauty from the previous life who insisted on dressing like a socialite from high society.

What on earth was going on?

Zhou Nian’er was utterly dumbfounded.

Zhou Xiangmei showed particular impatience with Zhou Nian’er’s arrival.

“Nian’er, you can see my situation here… Don’t think that just because I came to Hong Kong City, I’m living some kind of comfortable life. I’m struggling too right now. If you have money, take it out to support your mother.”

“But if you want to stay here and cling to me… well, take a look for yourself and see if I can afford to support you!” Zhou Xiangmei said unhappily.

Zhou Nian’er still shamelessly stayed.

What else could she do?

Without any support, how could she establish herself in Hong Kong City?

After shamelessly staying at Zhou Xiangmei’s place for a few days,

Zhou Nian’er finally learned from Zhou Xiangmei’s mouth the root of all the strangeness:

—So her eldest sister Zhou Sier wasn’t dead? She was even alive and well, had started a company and become a boss? She had even married a rich man and given birth to two children?!

—So the third sister Zhou Pan’er had changed her name to Bai Yuanzhi, and she was doing even better than Zhou Sier. Not only had she become Hong Kong City’s richest woman, she had even married Hong Kong City’s richest man, shipping magnate Ming Jiayao?!

—The fourth sister Zhou Zhaoer wasn’t doing badly either! After being locked up by Bai Yuanzhi in Kwai Chung Girls’ High School for two whole years, she finally realized Bai Yuanzhi had no intention of letting her out! The only way for her to leave Kwai Chung Girls’ High School was to get into university. So, a year later, Zhou Zhaoer got into university.

Of course, it wasn’t a top-tier institution like Hong Kong University.

But at least it was a third-rate university.

Bai Yuanzhi fulfilled her promise, paying for Zhou Zhaoer’s tuition and living expenses, while also saying, “As long as you’re still studying, I’ll be responsible for your tuition and living expenses until you find a job”…

Because of these words, Zhou Zhaoer absolutely refused to graduate.

Now she had already finished her undergraduate degree. To idle away her life, she got into a master’s program. After finishing her master’s, she continued to pursue a Ph.D… with a strong sense of “I just don’t want to work for a lifetime, I just want my third sister to support me for life.”

And, it seemed the fates of the others had all shifted as well:

—Song Junshu was simply nowhere to be found!

Zhou Xiangmei thought for a long time before remembering that it seemed Song Junshu had gotten into some trouble and gone to prison. After being released, Song Junshu seemed to have followed Chen Shen into the underworld, and ultimately died at Chen Shen’s hands.

—Li Yongzhen, through Bai Yuanzhi’s connections, got plastic surgery and debuted as a celebrity. But after Chen Shen’s downfall, Li Yongzhen somehow got disfigured again. Now she had recovered and signed with another entertainment company, but it was said she never got many resources, and her life wasn’t much better than Zhou Xiangmei’s family’s.

—As for Wu Jiayin, because she was determined to marry a rich man, she ended up becoming a mistress and got pregnant with her benefactor’s child. Perhaps she got carried away with success, or maybe she tried to use the pregnancy to force her way into the main wife’s position. She made a scene at the main wife’s place, and as a result, she was beaten up, had a miscarriage, and her health was ruined…

From then on, Wu Jiayin became disheartened, unwilling to even leave the house, lying at home every day, eating until full and sleeping until awake.

Wu Hao only had this one daughter. After trying to persuade her a few times to no avail, he had no choice but to let her be.

After hearing Zhou Xiangmei’s words,

Zhou Nian’er couldn’t help but say, “Mom, since eldest sister and third sister are doing so well, why don’t you go find them? If they just let a little slip through their fingers, it would be enough for us to live in luxury!”

She stared at Zhou Xiangmei, her eyes practically spelling out the words, “How can you be so stupid? How could you not think of this?”

Zhou Xiangmei’s gaze flickered. “Oh, I’m old now! I don’t have the ability for that. If you want to go, go yourself!”

Zhou Nian’er had already been staying at Zhou Xiangmei’s house for a few days and simply couldn’t bear this kind of extreme poverty.

So she straightened her back and declared, “Hmph, fine, I’ll go then!”

Zhou Nian’er changed into decent clothes and set off with a swagger.

Her first stop was Zhou Sier’s house, but she found no one there.

Her second stop was Bai Yuanzhi’s house, again with no luck.

Her third stop was Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Sier’s company. As soon as she stated her purpose, the receptionist said, “I’m sorry, but both President Bai and President Zhou are not in. Perhaps you could wait in the reception room?”

Then, the receptionist escorted Zhou Nian’er to the reception room, offering her mineral water and snacks…

Zhou Nian’er thought, fine, I’ll wait then!

So she waited from morning till night, her stomach full of mineral water and snacks.

But as soon as it was time to leave work, the receptionist politely asked her to leave the company.

Although Zhou Nian’er was a bit angry, she also felt somewhat satisfied.

She even secretly laughed at Zhou Xiangmei’s stupidity—even if she couldn’t catch Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Sier at the company, at least she could sit in a clean, air-conditioned office, drinking mineral water and eating snacks. Wasn’t that better than staying at Zhou Xiangmei’s house?

But after half a month of this,

Zhou Nian’er couldn’t take it anymore.

She decided to force Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Sier to meet her by causing a scene.

Unexpectedly—

As soon as she started making trouble, the friendly receptionist instantly changed her expression, immediately called security, and had Zhou Nian’er escorted out!

Zhou Nian’er refused to accept this and made a huge scene on the spot,

Then security called the police.

Zhou Nian’er was arrested.

It was only then that Zhou Nian’er realized something terrifying—she didn’t have Hong Kong City residency! She was an illegal immigrant!!!

No matter how she tried to explain to the police,

The police only had one response: “You’re an illegal immigrant, and you still want to cause trouble in Hong Kong City?”

Just like that, Zhou Nian’er was taken into custody.

She was terrified and desperately tried to call Zhou Xiangmei for help…

But her pleas were like stones sinking into the sea, without even a ripple!

During the long days in prison, Zhou Nian’er finally calmed down.

She began to reflect on why, after being reborn, she had ended up in this situation.

After much thought,

Zhou Nian’er finally pinpointed one person—the third sister, Zhou Pandi.

Oh no, she had changed her name to Bai Yuanzhi now.

Zhou Nian’er finally realized that all the misfortunes began eight years ago when the eldest sister sent back the Hong Kong migration paperwork.

Then—

It seemed Bai Yuanzhi had anticipated Zhou Nian’er’s every move.

From then on, Zhou Nian’er replaced Bai Yuanzhi, getting drunk and marrying that old man from the deep mountains in a daze,

While Bai Yuanzhi took Zhou Zhaoer to Hong Kong City!

Under Bai Yuanzhi’s manipulation,

The eldest sister, Zhou Sier, miraculously woke up, not only recovering completely but also becoming a renowned scientist!

Bai Yuanzhi herself was even more impressive, turning a gold digger’s story of marrying into wealth into a legend of a powerful alliance through marriage!

Even the useless Zhou Zhaoer, because she insisted on being a parasite, was eventually guided by Bai Yuanzhi… into becoming a doctoral student!

Zhou Nian’er finally understood.

So, in this life, everyone who had been harsh to Bai Yuanzhi or bullied her in the previous life ended up with a bad fate?

And all those who had shown kindness to Bai Yuanzhi in her previous life are now living well in this one?!

Zhou Nian’er was so angry she laughed.

In other words,

Bai Yuanzhi is also a reincarnator?!

 

Zhou Nian’er was grinding her teeth in frustration.

But she was already in over her head.

Since no one was willing to bail her out, Zhou Nian’er was about to face possible deportation.

Zhou Nian’er panicked.

She shrieked at the prison guard, saying that Zhou Xiangmei was her mother, Zhou Sier was her eldest sister, Bai Yuanzhi was her third sister, and Zhou Zhaoer, a doctoral graduate from Hong Kong Baptist University, was her fourth sister…

With so many relatives in Hong Kong City, who said no one was willing to bail her out?

It must be the prison guard’s negligence!

The prison guard replied expressionlessly, “Ms. Zhou Xiangmei said she doesn’t know you, and Ms. Zhou Sier’s personal assistant also said she has no knowledge of your existence…”

“What about Bai Yuanzhi? What did she say?” Zhou Nian’er asked urgently.

The prison guard said coldly, “Bai Yuanzhi’s personal assistant expressed the same sentiment—she said she doesn’t know you!”

Zhou Nian’er was stunned.

She thought to herself: This must be due to poor communication by the prison authorities, or perhaps Zhou Sier and Bai Yuanzhi’s personal assistants didn’t understand! If only she could meet them in person, surely they would help her out of familial obligation! From then on, Zhou Nian’er could live a life of luxury for the rest of her days!

So, Zhou Nian’er asked urgently again, “What about Zhou Zhaoer? I have another sister, Zhou Zhaoer! What did she say? Surely she doesn’t have a personal assistant blocking her too?”

The prison guard said word by word, “Ms. Zhou Zhaoer first said she didn’t want another competitor vying for her sisters’ support.

Then Ms. Zhou Zhaoer asked us how Zhou Nian’er’s daughter and Bai Yuanzhi’s daughter had responded to us.

Finally, Ms. Zhou Zhaoer changed her tune and said she doesn’t know you either.”

Zhou Nian’er was stunned.

How could this be…

She had already devised a complete plan to turn her life around, latch onto a wealthy patron, and become rich,

only to fail at the starting line because “she was an undocumented person and couldn’t stay in Hong Kong City”!

Zhou Nian’er was unwilling to accept it.

But even if she was unwilling, it didn’t stop her from being deported by Hong Kong City’s immigration authorities.

She was repatriated,

and indeed, she was unwilling. It took her several years to save up enough money for the journey, and she illegally entered Hong Kong City a second time.

This time, Zhou Nian’er was wiser. The first thing she did upon arriving in Hong Kong was to resolve her undocumented status… but she was older now, and after exhausting all her efforts to obtain Hong Kong City residency, Zhou Nian’er was already fifty years old!

—Zhou Sier, the earliest among the sisters to marry, became a grandmother that year.

—Bai Yuanzhi’s eldest son, Ming Siyao, was twenty years old this year and was said to be his father’s right-hand man. It was also rumored that his father intended to delegate power, wanting Ming Siyao to take over the family business so the couple could travel the world!

—As for Zhou Zhaoer, who had spent her entire life leeching off her sisters, she was halfway through her studies when Zhou Sier steered her toward physics—and in Germany, no less!

When she returned to Hong Kong after earning her doctorate in physics from Germany, Zhou Zhaoer fainted from crying several times.

Because her elder sister Bai Yuanzhi had said that as soon as she graduated, she would stop supporting her!

In the end, it was her eldest sister, Zhou Sier, who came to the rescue, recruiting Zhou Zhaoer into her research team as a key member. And because Zhou Zhaoer was haunted by the curse of “graduation means unemployment,” living in constant fear day and night, Zhou Sier also made her a visiting professor.

From then on, Zhou Zhaoer never married or had a boyfriend, yet she lived a comfortable life, with a growing trend of respect as she aged.

Actually—

On the surface, Zhou Nian’er had already resigned herself to her fate, but deep down, she still harbored intense resentment.

She always felt it shouldn’t have come to this.

Surely Zhou Sier and Bai Yuanzhi didn’t know about her situation! If they did, they would never have let her suffer like this.

However, what stood between her and her sisters was a deeply entrenched social hierarchy.

Zhou Nian’er exhausted every possible means but still couldn’t meet Zhou Sier or Bai Yuanzhi.

But eventually, Zhou Nian’er did manage to see Zhou Zhaoer—at Zhou Xiangmei’s memorial service.

It was ironic, really.

Thanks to the Hong Kong government’s preferential policies for the elderly, the ailing and elderly Zhou Xiangmei received a monthly stipend. It wasn’t much, but it covered her basic living expenses and medical bills.

To get their hands on this money, Zhou Nian’er and Wu Jiayin fought fiercely to be recognized as Zhou Xiangmei’s dutiful daughters.

Of course, both of them only cared about the money and had no interest in looking after the sickly old woman. As soon as they got the money, they would abandon Zhou Xiangmei in her shack.

The community volunteers had no choice but to move Zhou Xiangmei to a nursing home.

Now that Zhou Xiangmei had passed away, Zhou Nian’er finally got to see Zhou Zhaoer.

Zhou Zhaoer was in her forties now.

Years of academic struggles had long stripped her of any interest in dressing up.

So she dressed casually—black trousers, a khaki top, a black trench coat over it, and a pair of sunglasses.

After all, she was attending a funeral today!

But her over thirty years of scholarly pursuits were Zhou Zhaoer’s finest adornment.

Such an unremarkable outfit,

when worn by Zhou Zhaoer, exuded an air of refined elegance and nobility!

Unable to contain her excitement, Zhou Nian’er rushed forward, grabbed Zhou Zhaoer, and began babbling incoherently.

The gist of it was: How could you all be so heartless and cold? Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered in Hong Kong City? You’re so wealthy and hold such high status—why couldn’t you lend a hand to me and Mom? Do you even have any humanity left?

Then, afraid of offending the three of them, Zhou Nian’er softened her tone and said, “Actually, deep down, I know… it must be because you didn’t know, right? That’s why you ignored me? I don’t blame you, I stopped blaming you long ago… Zhaoer, could you take me to see Big Sister and Third Sister? Let us sisters have a proper reunion!”

As she spoke, Zhou Nian’er looked at Zhou Zhaoer with hopeful eyes.

Zhou Zhaoer remained calm.

She patted Zhou Nian’er’s hand and said, “Second Sister, you’re really overthinking things.”

“Over twenty years ago, when you first came to Hong Kong City, we already knew. But Big Sister and Third Sister understood you too well—they unanimously decided to ignore you.”

“Because you’re like a venomous snake. Even if they helped you, you’d only see them as thorns in your side! You wouldn’t feel gratitude; you’d only hold grudges…”

“Hey, don’t pinch me! Let me tell you, I’m just as useless as you are… Even now, I still rely on their support! So I don’t have any spare money to give you, okay?” Zhou Zhaoer said.

Zhou Nian’er was stunned.

Zhou Zhaoer continued, “And this time… Mom died. Do you think Big Sister and Third Sister didn’t come because they didn’t care? They’re at the ancestral temple performing rites for Mom!”

“Oh, and one more thing—do you think Mom ended up in the nursing home by chance? That was all because… Big Sister paid for it!”

“By the way, Mom actually left behind an inheritance too, all of it given to her by Big Sis and Second Sis over the years. She saved up almost a hundred thousand yuan, and she left it all to me! Mom even specifically wrote a will saying that not a single cent of her property should go to you or Wu Jiayin!”

“Second Sis, now you finally understand, don’t you?”

“Not only do Big Sis and Third Sis dislike you, but Mom and I dislike you too!”

“We all hate you,” Zhou Zhaoer said, word by word.

The string that had been taut in Zhou Nian’er’s heart finally snapped!

Tearfully, she questioned Zhou Zhaoer, “Why? We’re all sisters from the same mother, why do you treat me like this?”

Zhou Zhaoer crossed her arms and replied, “Then you should ask your own heart—what exactly do you consider family and sisterhood to be?”

Zhou Nian’er screamed, “But that was all in the past! We were all young back then, so what if I didn’t understand things? Couldn’t you have been a little more forgiving? Was it really necessary to treat me like this? I’m not your enemy!”

Zhou Zhaoer looked at her for a long moment, then smiled.

“Originally, I didn’t believe Third Sis’s words. I even said the same thing to her—I told them, Second Sis was just foolish when she was young. Now that she’s older, she’s suffered enough, unmarried, childless, and without any children of her own. She must know she was wrong. I said, Big Sis, Third Sis, why don’t we help her, just for the sake of our sisterhood.”

“But do you know what they said?” Zhou Zhaoer asked.

Zhou Nian’er gasped heavily.

Zhou Zhaoer stared at Zhou Nian’er and said, word by word, “Big Sis said, ‘You can tell a person’s character from the age of three.’ She had already seen through what kind of person you are long ago. When I was younger, I didn’t understand. But now, I think Big Sis was absolutely right!”

“Third Sis also said, if you had even a shred of sisterly affection, she would transfer her apartment in Repulse Bay to me and give me another hundred thousand yuan! After that, no matter how much I helped you, she wouldn’t say a word.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Zhou Zhaoer said disappointedly. “Second Sis, why can’t you stand to see me do well? Why won’t you let me win against Third Sis just once?”

After saying this, Zhou Zhaoer added, “You brought this upon yourself, so you’ll have to bear it!”

Zhou Nian’er was furious. “What did I bring upon myself?”

Zhou Zhaoer glanced at her but only smiled without answering.

Zhou Nian’er, losing control of her emotions, began a torrent of vicious curses.

Zhou Zhaoer said calmly, “Alright, Second Sis, that’s enough! If you keep cursing… be careful of the backlash!”

Zhou Nian’er’s curses abruptly stopped.

Zhou Zhaoer added casually, “You know what you’ve done in your heart. Don’t use excuses like ‘it happened in a dream’ or ‘it was in a past life’… I’ll just ask you one thing: if you had the chance in this life, would you still want to step on everyone to climb up?”

“Well, I shouldn’t have bothered coming here to endure your anger. Goodbye, Second Sis!”

“I wish you… that your dreams never come true in this life!”

With that, Zhou Zhaoer waved at Zhou Nian’er, turned around, and left gracefully.

Zhou Nian’er stared at Zhou Zhaoer’s retreating figure, her face ashen.

Clutching her chest, she felt a surge of anger and blood rushing to her head…

Finally, she couldn’t hold back and vomited a mouthful of blood.