The Enigmatic Past and Present

Young Qin Zixin never pondered how her father could possibly appear in this life if her previous life’s ‘him’ existed first.

Everything has its own development, and one cannot step into the same river twice.

Similarly, one cannot be trapped in an endless loop.

A lack of understanding led her to miss the most basic logical fallacy, making her blindly wander and believe in the memories of others.

In reality, what she believed to be her past life was the ‘System.’ The System was the unlucky one, cursed to have a time traveler son, and further cursed to possess the granddaughter of a family with no blood relation, only an ethical one.

This is the beginning of the story, a beautiful and captivating flower, starting with absurdity, misguided, and grown from lies.

She was fully convinced of everything she knew, like climbing a misty mountain, where she might be temporarily blinded by the fog, but she would eventually see clearly.

How will she recognize herself in that moment? How will she recognize the independent ‘person’ in her mind?

But that’s a story for later.

Stepping into the ‘Happy Garden’ community, building E, Qin Zixin’s delicate fingers were about to press the ‘9’ button on the elevator. Suddenly, a rough, large hand reached over and pressed it for her.

Qin Zixin slightly lowered her head, her fair and cool complexion maintaining a distant demeanor. She withdrew her right hand, crossing her arms to hug her canvas bag, and shifted her body slightly to the side, not facing the sturdy young man in the elevator. He smiled foolishly at her, as if his action of pressing the button was the epitome of chivalry. Qin Zixin recognized him as someone who lived in the same building, a few years older than her, but she wasn’t sure if he attended college.

[He’s just a laborer at the construction site.]

Qin Zixin glanced at the young man’s muscular arms with a hidden malicious smirk. She had thought about exercising, but her body seemed inherently unsuited for such activities, everything opposite of rugged masculinity.

Extreme femininity brought extreme grace.

Her lithe figure was so flexible it seemed boneless. Unlike other girls who struggled with splits, she could do them effortlessly without any training. Her feet were equally exquisite, even at her young age, they were delicate and delicate, like jade sculpture, carving clouds and carving the moon, slender and supple, barely able to hold them.

She was truly enchanting, with legs like fresh bamboo shoots and a moonlit curve, merging into a rare double lotus blossom.

Her skin was pure and smooth, with a porcelain-like quality, standing out among her peers. Unlike others, her sweat smelled sweet and refreshing, like clear spring water. Most girls, due to hormonal imbalances, had a stronger body odor compared to men, but Qin Zixin was different; she had a natural, pleasant fragrance.

These were the differences that set her apart from other girls, and combined with her figure and appearance, she was undoubtedly a seductive enchantress.

But Qin Zixin didn’t think much of it, always attributing it to her family’s genes. Her mother, Tang Yuyu, and her cousin, Tang Manwen, though not as striking as her, were still exceptionally beautiful, their faces and figures eclipsing everyone else.

After reaching the 9th floor, Qin Zixin left the elevator, leaving a graceful silhouette. The young man couldn’t help but stare at her retreating figure, still lost in his thoughts. Even after the elevator doors closed, he remained transfixed, staring at where she had disappeared.

Qin Zixin was unaware of this. She was preoccupied with more pressing matters. Her hands trembled slightly as she took out her keys and entered the apartment. Taking a deep breath, she put on a sycophantic smile.

‘Mom, what’s for dinner? It smells delicious.’

She pulled out a bag of lychees from her bag, tossing it aside, and looked up to see her mother, Tang Yuyu, coming out of the kitchen.

Tang Yuyu, despite being close to forty, maintained a youthful figure and radiant skin. If not for the slight crow’s feet around her eyes, one would mistake her for a fresh graduate, around twenty-five or twenty-six. Unlike her peers, she had an allure that only a mature woman could possess.

Their kitchen had no air conditioning, making it quite stuffy. Tang Yuyu wore only a slightly soiled apron, with nothing underneath. The apron strings were tied at the back, revealing her slender waist and ample curves. Her hips were round and full, barely contained by the apron. Above, her generous bosom was pressed and molded by the apron, creating a tantalizing S-curve.

Qin Zixin stole a glance, and her mind began to wander with male memories, but the pain of being beaten by her mother since childhood quickly dispelled any such thoughts.

She put on a sycophantic smile again.

‘Mom, I saw some lychees for sale, so I bought some. Want to try them?’

Tang Yuyu’s expression was warm, but her eyes flickered with a hint of danger. Qin Zixin sensed an impending storm, a sign of her mother’s anger!

With years of experience in being beaten, Qin Zixin instantly sensed something was amiss.

Qin Zixin’s heart raced, her beautiful face contorted into an even more obsequious grin, like a faithful dog. The contrast was comically effective.

‘Mom, the food looks amazing. I’ll go wash my hands.’

She avoided the main issue, talking about irrelevant things, a strategy she had honed over years of acting subservient. But her inner turmoil was far from the calm she projected.

‘The food isn’t even on the table yet, how do you know it’s good?’

Tang Yuyu’s tone was calm. She untied the apron strings, revealing her supple, jiggling form, a sight to behold.

But Qin Zixin was too anxious to appreciate it. Even with her vivid imagination, she knew how to prioritize. Cold sweat beaded on her smooth forehead.

She was certain she couldn’t escape this.

To skip school, Qin Zixin requested a leave from school, claiming her father had broken his leg and needed care. But her father was enjoying himself as an official in another world.

[Damn, why can’t Yang Qichao take a leave too? What a selfish bastard.]

Qin Zixin’s heart ached bitterly.

Yang Qichao was the epitome of perfection, excelling in everything except his looks. He was as precise and efficient as a well-oiled machine.

But Qin Zixin suffered because of him.

Instead of being compared to other children, she was compared to Yang Qichao. The higher the standard, the more severe the criticism, and Tang Yuyu’s anger grew more intense. Qin Zixin’s bottom was more likely to bloom with bruises.

Worse still, Yang Qichao’s mother, Leaf Xiao Su, and Tang Yuyu were high school classmates and close friends, their bond unbreakable. Qin Zixin couldn’t even try to stir up trouble between them.

They had both gotten pregnant around the same time.

During pregnancy, Qin Zixin was very active in Tang Yuyu’s womb, while Yang Qichao was much calmer. In 1998, there was a clear regulation prohibiting hospitals from revealing the fetus’s gender, to prevent certain gender-biased practices.

At the time, everyone assumed Tang Yuyu was carrying a boy, while Leaf Xiao Su was carrying a girl. They even jokingly arranged a childhood marriage between the two.

This year, during the college entrance exams, Yang Qichao scored in the top ten of the city, a true academic star.

His mother, Leaf Xiao Su, boasted about him non-stop, almost always starting with ‘My son, Yang Qichao…’

Her boasts were so repetitive, they were almost verbatim.

In South Ling City Experimental High School (referred to as South Ling High), his scores would have secured him a place in the elite ‘Rocket Class.’ Many good high schools had a three-tier management system: the best students were placed in the key class, and the top students within that class were further placed in the ‘Rocket Class.’

South Ling High was no different, with three experimental classes and one ‘Rocket Class,’ making up four key classes.

But for Qin Zixin, it made no difference. That little bastard was always sneering. In her opinion, they were all ‘Dragon People,’ and the key class students were just as privileged, waking up every day to memorize vocabulary and formulas, a true grind.

[You know what Yang Qichao is like, using your dead father as an excuse? Just wait for the beating!]

[Beatings are beatings, but summer vacation is so short? Besides, what’s so great about high school? It’s just a bunch of nonsense, and your father sure as hell isn’t going!]

[Dragon People and Su Province people are different, hehe. I think, you little…]

Before the System could continue, Qin Zixin blocked it out.

The memories of Tang Yuyu and her father were long buried, but now, brought up by that little brat, the old feelings resurfaced, along with the anger.

Qin Zixin also scored high enough to enter South Ling High. Although she didn’t study hard, her intelligence was unmatched, making her a mini-genius. In 2013, Su Province hadn’t yet reformed the middle school entrance exam, with a total score of 780. Qin Zixin scored 729, which was quite impressive. However, in South Ling High, it was barely enough to scrape into the key class, making her the lowest in that class.

In reality, she wished she could be in a regular class.

During her mock exams in middle school, her scores were just enough to get into South Ling High. If she couldn’t make it, she would settle for the nearby South Ling First High School (referred to as First High). That school was also quite good, and her cousin attended there. She had hoped to score well and enter South Ling High’s regular class, or at least perform well enough to go to First High. If she failed, she would just endure Tang Yuyu’s beatings.

After all, a little devil doesn’t fear a beating!

But she had overperformed, and unexpectedly ended up in South Ling High’s key class.

This was troublesome.

The regular classes had about 20, with 55 to 60 students each, totaling around a thousand students in the grade. With so many students, unified exams weren’t frequent, with at most two monthly exams, one midterm, and one final per semester.

But the key classes were different. South Ling High’s key classes had unified exams every week, and students were ranked. Even during the summer vacation, students could ‘voluntarily’ sign up for supplementary classes. Even new students were given the same ‘equal’ educational opportunities. This was where South Ling High showed its preferential treatment of key and regular classes.

Key class students who made it into South Ling High were given three days off, with a valid reason needed if they didn’t attend. Regular class students could come or not, as they pleased. Qin Zixin, bypassing Tang Yuyu, gave the school the excuse that ‘Dad broke his leg and needed surgery.’ This was truly seeking trouble, choosing the most foolish reason. There were many excuses to choose from, but Qin Zixin picked the most reckless one.

Tang Yuyu looked at Qin Zixin with a complex expression.

Tang Yuyu had mixed feelings about her daughter.

She was happy that her daughter’s academic abilities were entirely inherited from her father, though not as good as Yang Qichao. Her grades were consistently at the top of the class, though still not as good as Yang Qichao. She even scored high enough to get into South Ling High, though still not as good as Yang Qichao.

With Yang Qichao as the benchmark, Qin Zixin’s achievements seemed lackluster.

But there were many worries.

Her unnaturally beautiful appearance and figure had been noticeable even when she was a young girl. Her skin was as smooth as milk, pure and flawless, with a slender waist, long black hair, and a subtle, pleasant fragrance…

Tang Yuyu knew her daughter’s beauty was largely inherited from the Tang family. The Tangs, though few in number, were all exceptionally good-looking. Tang Yuyu had been harassed by many boys during her school days, so she understood the price of beauty.

Now, her daughter was even more stunning than she had been, already attracting unwanted attention from young men and even adults. As her daughter grew, her beauty blossomed, captivating and alluring.

A beautiful woman rarely had a good fate.

This kind of beauty was a blessing in high society, but Tang Yuyu wasn’t part of that world.

She was just a night market vendor, with a little bit of money. Any small trouble could overwhelm her, and she had no power to resist or maintain her dignity.

Furthermore, her daughter’s personality was problematic, lazy, mischievous, and irresponsible…

It was the opposite of her daughter’s appearance, with no resemblance at all. She also spent a lot of time on the internet, though Tang Yuyu didn’t understand it, she knew it wasn’t good.

At the dinner table, seeing Tang Yuyu’s gentle expression, Qin Zixin’s heart raced with anxiety.

[I need to take control!]

[Good luck with that. Guess which part will get beaten? I bet both will.]

[Shut up, you gloating bastard.]

Qin Zixin cursed at the System, took a deep breath, and decided to confess.

‘Mom, school wants us to go back early for pre-studying.’

‘Starting on August 4th, right?’

Her tone was flat, and her smile was forced.

[How does she even know the start date?]

[You’re doomed.]

‘Do you know what today’s date is? And when did my husband break his leg? I thought he just died.’

Tang Yuyu continued her questioning.

But Qin Zixin dared not answer, fearing for her life.

Qin Zixin now deeply regretted using her dead father as an excuse.

With a heavy heart, she closed her eyes and steeled herself, abandoning any pretense of lady-like behavior. She started to wolf down her food.

If she was going to get beaten, she might as well eat her fill first. Besides, getting beaten by her mother while she wasn’t fully dressed was almost a privilege. She might just skip playing with the cream tonight.