Chapter 5: A Nation Is Easy to Change, But One’s Nature Is Hard to Alter

“Shen Zhiyu, trust me!”

“Qi Huan is truly a good man. In our past lives, after you got into trouble, he regretted it deeply. For you, he never remarried his entire life!”

Qiao Xi held Shen Zhiyu’s hand, speaking with utmost sincerity.

But Shen Zhiyu, looking into Qiao Xi’s earnest eyes and genuine expression, suddenly felt a chilling coldness deep in her heart.

Indeed, no matter if someone has died and come back, their true nature never changes.

The heroine?

What a load of nonsense!

If Shen Zhiyu hadn’t transmigrated into this story, she might have actually believed Qiao Xi’s lies.

Was Qi Huan really sacrificing his chance to marry someone else just for the heroine?

Thinking about it made Shen Zhiyu feel sick.

Clearly, Qi Huan was fixated on Qiao Xi all along, always by her side as a caring big brother figure, treating her stepchildren better than their own father ever did.

Unfortunately, if Qi Huan hadn’t died in front of Qiao Xi, she might have had a happy ending after all.

After all, as long as someone powerful stood behind Qiao Xi, those ungrateful stepchildren wouldn’t dare treat her so badly.

Shen Zhiyu vividly remembered a scene from the book: on Qiao Xi’s birthday, Qi Huan had abandoned a major business deal just to celebrate with her, gifting her a bracelet worth millions.

When Qiao Xi’s husband, Zhou Yuhuai, returned, Qi Huan was polite and respectful, keeping his distance, using the lost Shen Zhiyu as an excuse, saying Qiao Xi was Shen Zhiyu’s only friend, her best sister.

“What a waste of my time!” Shen Zhiyu forcefully shook off Qiao Xi’s hand, her gaze firm and resolute. “Qiao Xi, I’m telling you again, Qi Huan and I are definitely getting a divorce!”

“From now on, don’t say things like that again!”

This so-called repentant heroine?

She’s just playing the innocent act with me, isn’t she?

Fine, let’s play along slowly!

Originally, Shen Zhiyu hadn’t intended to target the heroine—just wanted to live her own quiet life. But this so-called heroine was simply shameless. If she didn’t show her how fierce she could be, she’d think Shen Zhiyu was some brainless fool.

“But Shen Zhiqing, if you divorce Qi Huan, what about all the money you’ve spent on him over the years? How will that be settled?”

“The Qi family isn’t someone to mess with!”

When Qiao Xi said this, Shen Zhiyu finally understood what she was scheming.

She was after Qi Huan’s money!

“What do you mean, settle?”

“We’ve been married since the day we registered. I spent Qi Huan’s money—shouldn’t I?”

“When you marry a man, you marry a man—you eat what he eats, wear what he wears!”

“If not, why would I marry him? To get a divorce label later?”

“Qiao Xi, is there something wrong with your brain?”

Shen Zhiyu raised her hand and tapped Qiao Xi hard on the forehead.

Playing games with me, huh?

Who doesn’t know these tricks?

Shen Zhiyu’s tap was a bit too strong, and Qiao Xi really felt the sting.

“Qiao Xi, I’m telling you, this is a new era now!”

“You need to discard those outdated thoughts in your head!”

“The Qi family isn’t easy to mess with? Am I easy to mess with?”

“If you push me too far, I’ll spill all the dirty secrets of the Qi family!”

Nowadays, who doesn’t have skeletons in their closet?

But everyone keeps their family scandals under wraps, not wanting to be publicly shamed.

Qiao Xi hadn’t expected Shen Zhiyu to be so fierce.

She thought back to their previous lives and realized Shen Zhiyu had indeed acted this way.

Originally suspecting Shen Zhiyu might also be reborn, she stopped overthinking.

In her heart, someone as good as her, who had suffered so much injustice, deserved to be favored by heaven and given a second chance.

As for Shen Zhiyu?

Unlucky with her in-laws, selfish, indulgent!

People like that deserve their fate—they won’t get a second chance.

“Shen Zhiqing, don’t be like this. Fighting to the bitter end benefits no one. You can’t return to the city now; you’ll live here forever. The Qi family is deeply rooted here—you can’t afford to provoke them!”

Qiao Xi put on a look of concern for Shen Zhiyu.

But Shen Zhiyu sneered inwardly.

Return to the city?

In the original story, the protagonist’s downfall was thanks to Qiao Xi.

She had burned the protagonist’s letter of introduction to the city and severed her last connection to her family back home.

Qiao Xi hadn’t mentioned any of this before.

Indeed, the old saying is true: habits die hard.

Qiao Xi confiding this to her was probably a ploy—planning to use her for something.

Though Shen Zhiyu wasn’t yet sure what Qiao Xi intended, by peeling back the layers, she could guess a few things.

Since Qiao Xi knew what kind of people Zhou Yuhuai and his stepchildren were, her urgent task was to break away from the Zhou family—but she needed a solid reason.

She had been a good wife and mother for years; she couldn’t just suddenly go crazy and ask for a divorce.

She was trying to use Shen Zhiyu as a stepping stone.

Shen Zhiyu didn’t know Qiao Xi’s exact plans, but since she had suspicions, it was best to stay cautious.

However, a thief is always vigilant, but no defense lasts forever.

Maybe she could turn the tables and strike first—after all, she was planning to divorce anyway.

With this thought, Shen Zhiyu looked at Qiao Xi with a bit more warmth.

Women are natural actresses.

“Qiao Xi, thank you!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep things in check!”

Shen Zhiyu grasped Qiao Xi’s hand. “You should be careful too. Since Zhou Yuhuai is so calculating, he won’t let you catch him off guard easily.”

“But I suspect his parents—your in-laws—might know something. If you want to leave the Zhou family, maybe you can start there!”

Shen Zhiyu sincerely offered advice.

Partly to gain Qiao Xi’s trust, making her think she was off guard.

Partly to give Qiao Xi one last chance.

If Qiao Xi followed her advice, she’d surely find Zhou Yuhuai’s flaws and a solid reason to escape the Zhou family.

But if Qiao Xi didn’t take this path and still planned to use Shen Zhiyu as a stepping stone, then Shen Zhiyu would have no qualms about taking action.

The opportunity was offered; if Qiao Xi was useless, Shen Zhiyu wouldn’t hold back.

Hearing this, Qiao Xi was moved to tears, responding deeply, “Shen Zhiqing, thank you. I always knew you were the kindest!”

“I’ll be careful!”

“This time, I won’t just make up for my past mistakes—I’ll get revenge for my grudges!”

“Once I’m free from the Zhou family, I’ll definitely help you find a way back to the city!”

“Then you and Qi Huan…”

“Don’t mention that man to me!”

Shen Zhiyu cut Qiao Xi off immediately and gave her another tap on the forehead. “Qiao Xi, I told you, there’s no way between Qi Huan and me!”

“Is there something wrong with your head?”

“It’s a new era now. Women don’t have to rely on men!”

“If you can live well on your own, why bother serving some old relic?”

“Not relying on men doesn’t mean we can’t live!”

“You need to wake up from your old-fashioned mindset!”

Shen Zhiyu tapped Qiao Xi’s forehead a few more times, hard.

After all, she couldn’t keep tapping—what if her plan for revenge was discovered?

These things had to be done slowly.

There’s a long road ahead—let’s take it slow and play the game carefully.