Chapter 1: Rebirth
Heavy snow blanketed Shanghai.
Xu Youyou, clad in a worn cotton jacket, staggered slightly from dizziness as she paced through the snow. When she spotted a black Maybach slowly approaching, she hurried forward.
The driver slammed on the brakes in surprise, rolling down the window to curse—until he recognized her face. Turning to the man in the back seat, he said, "Young Master, it's Miss Xu Youyou."
Xu Youyou ran up and knocked on the car window urgently. "Brother, the doctor said I need surgery immediately, but I don't have a single penny!"
She pressed the medical bill into Gu Fengchuan's hand. He didn't respond but looked at her with cold eyes.
"Xu Youyou, you have nothing to do with the Gu family."
Her heart tightened. "Brother, I donated bone marrow to you and gave Gu Xueying a kidney. I'm full of complications. If I don't get treated, I'll die…"
Gu Fengchuan's gaze was colder than the icy wind. "No one forced you to donate. You're sick because of your own mistakes. Yingying has suffered because of you. Even if you die, you deserve it."
Xu Youyou stared at him, shocked and hurt. When they asked her to donate, they never mentioned this. They told her if she donated bone marrow and a kidney, she'd be truly part of the family.
The car window rolled up slowly, and the Maybach drove into the Gu family villa.
She tried to follow but staggered and collapsed in the snow. The cold seemed to pierce through to her bones. After a long struggle, she barely got up and limped toward the villa again.
"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~"
The song floated to her ears, and she realized today was her birthday.
From a distance, she saw the villa brightly lit, decorations hung everywhere, and piles of gifts stacked by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The Gu family gathered around Gu Xueying, watching her smile as she unwrapped presents.
Xu Youyou wanted to leave, but her feet wouldn't move. She had nowhere to go. She was dying of illness, while her family celebrated her birthday with her enemies.
"Mr. Gu, I've found the beggar you mentioned. I'm about to drive her off now."
After the security guard ended the call, he waved his baton and struck Xu Youyou. "This is a private villa area. Move along!"
Thrown out of the estate, Xu Youyou barely opened her eyes. The sky was clear of snow, the streets empty, and her body felt numb. A bitter, fishy taste filled her throat as she spat blood onto the white ground. Darkness swallowed her.
"Didi!"
Xu Youyou awoke to an alarm clock ringing. She grabbed her battered secondhand phone and froze when she saw the date.
Five years ago.
Was this a rebirth? Before she even recognized her family, she had only twenty yuan and no idea how she'd pay next month's rent.
This body was full of vitality—unlike her past life, when she had no kidney after donating bone marrow, could barely take two steps without gasping, and was riddled with health issues. Tears streamed down her face. After so many broken moments, she realized nothing was more precious than good health.
Xu Youyou had been born into the wealthy Gu family but was mistakenly sent to an orphanage. In her past life, she was recognized by the Gu family and returned home, sacrificing nearly everything for their sake.
But framed by the fake daughter, Gu Xueying, everyone believed she only wanted the family's wealth. In the end, she died in the snow.
[System Alert: Host detected with high hatred levels, meeting system binding conditions!]
[Counterattack Bargain System activated! Objective: Find bargains! Make money! Become the richest!]
A light shimmered before her eyes. Could it be that fate had given her a second chance — a golden opportunity?
[Host, your first bargain task has begun. Follow instructions carefully. Failure has no penalty; success will grant a random reward.]
Following the system's prompts, Xu Youyou set out.
She crossed a viaduct, walked about a kilometer, and arrived at a luxury residential area. Then she started "eating the melon."
"Yaoyao, I like you!"
A handsome young man confessed to a beautiful girl, who clearly looked down on him. She took the flowers he offered, turned, and tossed them into a nearby trash can. "I've told you a hundred times — I hate you. Don't bother me!"
Without looking back, she entered the community. The man tried to follow but was stopped by the security guard.
As the man walked away dejected, the system's pointer moved, focusing on the bouquet in the trash.
Excited, Xu Youyou accepted the task to pick up the garbage. Growing up in the orphanage, she often scavenged discarded bottles—this was her old profession returning.
She retrieved the bouquet—a mix of roses and baby's breath, wrapped with a cluster of rolled-up papers.
The gift card clipped to the wrapping read: "Song Yao, I love you. Your birthday is December 21; mine is May 1. I bought nine lottery tickets with our birthdays, symbolizing long-lasting happiness. Please accept my love!"
Xu Youyou grimaced. The rolls were lottery tickets. She unrolled them and saw a series of numbers: "19, 93, 51, 19, 99, 12, 21."
Her mind screamed: "What stingy pursuit! Nine lottery tickets cost just 18 yuan. Who would care about 18 yuan and some roses in a fancy neighborhood? Plus, putting his birthday before hers was just… weird. No wonder she dumped him."
Following the system, Xu Youyou took the lottery tickets and tossed the bouquet back into the trash.
At 9 PM, lying in her rented room, she refreshed the lottery results webpage, heart racing.
The bizarre numbers actually won — the jackpot! 880,000 yuan!
She held nine tickets. Total winnings: 7.92 million yuan!
After paying 20% personal income tax, she netted over 6 million yuan.
An orphan like Xu Youyou, never once gifted anything by the stingy Gu family, had never seen so much money in her entire life. Overwhelmed with joy, she barely slept.
The next morning, dark circles under her eyes, she pulled on a hoodie and rushed to the lottery center. After successfully claiming the prize, she stared at the 6 million yuan in her account, still feeling like it was a dream.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing your first bargain task! You've also won an extra reward: a property in Tangchen Yipin.]
Xu Youyou gasped.
Who would've thought an urban village house could be so luxurious? She hurried back to her rental and packed her belongings.
Meanwhile, Gu Fengchuan frowned as he entered this rundown neighborhood. Given his status, he'd never have stepped foot here if not for urgent business.
Thinking of Gu Xueying crying at home, his mood darkened. Finally, he arrived at Xu Youyou's single-room door and knocked.
One knock. Two knocks. No answer.
Unwilling to give up, he kept knocking until he heard a faint noise inside.
Xu Youyou knew exactly who it was outside. She hummed softly, tidied up her few belongings, and packed a suitcase.
When she opened the door, she swung the broom and smacked the visitor in the face.
"Stinky drunk! Coming here to harass me again after drinking too much? I'll beat you to death!" she ranted, voice fierce despite the nonsense of her words.