Chapter 1: Transcended

This story is entirely fictional and set in an imagined world—just something to enjoy!

“You worthless thing, get up and make me breakfast, I’m hungry!”

Staring at the domineering, chubby little boy before her, Su Yao gently touched the spot where she’d been hit on her forehead. “Ouch—it really hurts!”

She had transmigrated into a novel titled “Sweet Memories with My Childhood Friend in the Seventies,” and had become a cannon fodder character: the female lead’s stepsister.

In the story, she was pitiful—a girl whose father’s job was forcibly given to her stepsister, while she herself was sent to the countryside by her family. With nothing to her name, she didn’t survive more than a couple of years before meeting her end.

Her stepsister’s entire family climbed higher and higher by stepping on her, using the connections her father had left behind, living in the house he provided, spending the compensation he had earned with his life...

Whenever the original character was mentioned, they’d say she was unlucky and didn’t live long enough to enjoy a good life.

In truth, when her father was still alive, she was happy and carefree, never lacking for food or clothing. But all of that vanished after he was assassinated.

Her father gone, at least she had her mother—but her mother, Wang Qiuxia, was even colder. Introduced to someone soon after, she quickly married her stepfather, Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming’s family moved into her father’s house, and his daughter, Zhang Yueyue, was outrageously arrogant, snatching everything from her.

When she complained to her mother, Wang Qiuxia told her to give way to Zhang Yueyue, insisting that since she bore the Su surname, she was an outsider, and only Zhang Ming’s generosity had allowed her to stay; otherwise, she’d have been thrown out long ago.

Losing her father all at once, and being brainwashed daily by Wang Qiuxia, while others either beat or scolded her, she gradually became timid and insecure, effectively the family’s unpaid servant.

The entire family sucked her dry without remorse, and were quite proud of it.

The more Su Yao thought about it, the angrier she became, feeling as if she could barely breathe.

No, she—Su Yao—had never endured such humiliation. Her principle was simple: if she couldn’t live well, then neither could anyone else. She would make sure everyone suffered equally.

Sweet memories with her childhood friend? Nonsense! She would make every one of their lives miserable.

Before she could gather her thoughts, someone kicked her. “Did you hear me?”

The little fat boy’s kick was anything but gentle. Su Yao almost cried from the pain. Enough—she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

Su Yao raised her hand and slapped him.

His chubby face wobbled from the blow.

The little boy stared blankly at Su Yao for a moment, then burst into gut-wrenching cries.

Wang Qiuxia was off today, chatting outside with neighbors. Hearing the commotion, she peered in through the window, and felt as if the sky was falling.

This wretched girl was rebelling. She couldn’t bear to touch her precious son, yet Su Yao dared to lay a hand on him. She grabbed the long stick by the door and went at Su Yao.

The old Su Yao would have meekly endured, but the new Su Yao would never allow herself to be bullied. She intercepted Wang Qiuxia’s stick, seized it, and snapped it into two pieces with a twist.

The cries immediately ceased.

Wang Qiuxia, trembling, pointed at Su Yao. “You—you’re turning the world upside down.”

She quickly dragged the little fat boy behind her. “You heartless thing, have you forgotten who let you stay, who raised you? How could you…”

Su Yao dug at her ear; these words Wang Qiuxia repeated every day, and she was nearly deaf from hearing them.

With a loud smack, the world fell silent. But hitting Wang Qiuxia didn’t feel as satisfying as slapping the chubby boy.

Wang Qiuxia clutched her burning cheek, her face twisted, unable to recover for a long time.

“You—you hit me?” Wang Qiuxia pointed at herself, repeating, “Me!”

Su Yao nodded. “Yes, I hit you. Wang Qiuxia, don’t forget: this house was left to me by my father. Zhang Ming’s job replaced my father’s, Zhang Yueyue’s position was compensation from my father’s factory, and what you eat and use comes from my father’s compensation. You are the outsiders here.”

Wang Qiuxia’s heart skipped a beat. How had this wretched girl suddenly changed? Who was gossiping in front of her?

“Yao Yao, don’t listen to outsiders,” she pleaded.

Su Yao couldn’t be bothered. “Get out, or don’t blame me for being ruthless.” With that, she waved the broken stick at Wang Qiuxia.

Frightened, Wang Qiuxia dragged the little fat boy out, since no one else was home and she truly didn’t dare provoke the girl now.

She could wait until Zhang Ming and Yueyue returned, and then see how they dealt with her.

Su Yao shut the door. Her first move was to check if her space had come with her. Thankfully, it had, along with all the supplies stored inside.

The first thing she’d done upon acquiring her space was to convert all her funds into goods and stash them away. Not long after, she’d transmigrated.

Su Yao drank a mouthful of spiritual spring water, and her exhausted body immediately recovered. A warm flow swept through her, soothing every part.

But before she could think about the future, the door was kicked open. If she hadn’t reacted quickly, it would have hit her face.

Su Yao took a deep breath. “You must have a death wish.”

She lashed out with a kick, sending Zhang Yueyue flying before she could even utter a word.

Su Yao now understood the power of the spring water: the original had eaten little and worked hard, her health was poor, but after just one sip, her strength increased dramatically.

Zhang Yueyue sat on the floor, still dazed, clutching her aching stomach and weakly reaching out, “Mom, my stomach hurts!”

Seeing her daughter like that, Wang Qiuxia was full of pity. Her precious Yueyue had suffered since childhood; just as life got better, she was beaten by that wretched girl. “Don’t worry, Yueyue. When your father gets home, he’ll deal with her.”

Zhang Yueyue nodded, “Mom, it hurts so much!”

Wang Qiuxia’s heart ached even more. She rubbed her daughter’s stomach and kept comforting her.

Watching them, Su Yao felt a flicker of doubt—Zhang Yueyue and Wang Qiuxia looked rather alike.

She studied them carefully and realized they truly resembled each other, especially their eyes and profiles.

Su Yao was suddenly shocked. Could Zhang Yueyue be Wang Qiuxia and Zhang Ming’s child? Zhang Yueyue was two years older than herself.

That would mean Wang Qiuxia and Zhang Ming had been together long before. But surely a pregnancy couldn’t have gone unnoticed; ten months is hard to hide.

No, she had to find someone to ask.

Once Wang Qiuxia settled Zhang Yueyue, she checked the time and habitually ordered the wretched girl to cook. But when she met Su Yao’s icy gaze, she shivered and went to cook herself.