Chapter 1: The Little Schemer of the Seventies (1)

"Please, don't die, I'm begging you, don't die, okay? I won't hate you anymore, really, I swear, please, don't die..."

A ragged gasp.

Liu Sui Sui jolted awake from her nightmare, sitting up abruptly and wiping the traces of tears from her face.

It took her a moment to realize she was in an uncomfortably cramped space, surrounded by old, battered furniture, lying on the upper bunk of a narrow bed.

A chill wind crept in, making her shudder. Only then did her mind clear enough to recall what had happened.

She had once been the cherished heiress of the Liu family in City A, raised in luxury, her family doting on her and granting her every wish. The only thing she had ever disliked was the meddlesome uncle next door from the Qiao family, who, seven years her senior, always found a way to boss her around.

But during that fateful earthquake, he had shielded her with his own body, protecting her entirely. When the rescue teams finally arrived, he no longer breathed.

At that moment, a being calling itself "the system" had found her, offering to bring him back to life—if only she would complete some tasks.

Liu Sui Sui had never liked owing anyone, so in a moment of recklessness, she agreed.

But now, surrounded by these dilapidated surroundings, she was starting to regret her decision.

This tiny enclosure had only two walls of cement; the other two were merely wooden boards. Besides the bunk bed, there was only a small desk and a single stool. Nothing more.

Through the thin wooden partition, she could faintly hear voices from outside.

"That wretched girl will go whether she likes it or not! She has no choice—she must go!" A woman's voice, sharp and acrid, so unpleasant it made the skin crawl.

Then came a man's voice. "Did you get the rural assignment subsidy for that brat? Mom, I still need to get married, you can't give it to her."

"My good son, how could I possibly give it to her? There's everything she needs in the countryside. Let her earn her own keep! Does she think she can suck me dry?"

"Alright then, just give me ten yuan first, I'm going to meet with Xiao Ying."

"Of course, of course! My boy has a girlfriend now, how wonderful! Marry her soon and give me a big, healthy grandson."

"Enough, you're so annoying. I'm leaving."

If she wasn't mistaken, this "wretched girl" they spoke of... was probably her.

Liu Sui Sui touched her face; her skin was rough, nothing like the smoothness she was used to. Looking down at her hands, she let out a silent scream.

Whose hands were these—so coarse, so covered in calluses and wounds!

If it weren't for the people outside, she would have burst into tears right then. When had she ever suffered such hardship?

"Host, are you alright?" 007's voice sounded hesitant.

Judging from her thoughts, she didn't seem to be doing well.

Liu Sui Sui connected with it telepathically. "What do you think? What sort of identity have you given me? How am I supposed to face anyone? I'm mortified! How could I be so ugly!"

A woman used to beauty all her life couldn't accept this reality. She wanted nothing more than to wrap herself head-to-toe in a sheet.

007 chuckled awkwardly. "Is it really that bad?"

"Of course it is! I want a new identity! Change my body, now! I don't want this one!"

"I—I—I’ll buy you some moisturizer. Use it for three days and your skin will be as smooth as an egg, I promise!" The system was clearly at a loss when the young lady threw a tantrum.

"I'll believe you for now, hmph!"

Liu Sui Sui waited on the bed a while, first hearing one door close, then another, before climbing down and stepping outside.

Her current identity was that of the Liu family's second daughter—a dispensable existence, sandwiched between an elder brother and a pair of younger twins. In a family that favored sons over daughters, girls always came last.

The rural assignment had originally fallen to her adult brother, but their mother had intervened, shifting the burden onto barely sixteen-year-old "Second Ya" Liu.

Even her name was laughably rustic.

The little cubicle she'd just been in was the room she shared with her younger sister. If not for the younger girl, she would have been sleeping on a mat in the living room.

By now, the house was empty. At this hour, both parents were at work, the older brother had just gone out for his date, and the twins were at school.

Liu Sui Sui's eyes gleamed. "007, can I take some of this family's assets with me? You know I can't survive without money. I can't imagine life penniless. You wouldn't expect me to risk my life on a mission with nothing, would you?"

007 hesitated, its circuits momentarily jumbled—freshly manufactured, it had little experience with human cunning.

"I suppose, maybe, probably you can? It's a bit unethical, but you're my host, so I'm on your side, always!" Didn't girls like favoritism? This should be enough, right?

A faint smile flickered in Liu Sui Sui's eyes, and she continued, "But what if the master bedroom is locked? And where are the valuables hidden?"

"No problem, host, I’ll teach you how to pick a lock. As for storing things, the system’s space can handle it."

"007, you’re more impressive than I thought!" she praised.

Buoyed by her compliment, 007 was positively giddy.

With 007’s guidance, Liu Sui Sui managed to open the master bedroom door with a piece of wire, discovering 1,876 yuan and seventy-three cents, as well as a bankbook with 200 yuan deposited.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to take the bankbook as well. Even if the money couldn't be withdrawn, it looked nice to keep.

Considering the years she’d toiled for this family, a little compensation seemed only fair. Besides, from what she’d overheard, her mother would wash her hands of her once she left for the countryside. What harm could there be in securing her own future?

Liu Sui Sui gathered her loot, then left the room as though nothing had happened, heading out to do some shopping.

Before leaving, she wrapped her whole face in a scarf—she simply couldn’t bear to show her unadorned, shockingly plain face in public.

With 007’s help, she quickly familiarized herself with local prices and stored her purchases in the system’s space.

During this time, she diligently applied moisturizer, keeping her face covered with a scarf to avoid suspicion. Her family thought she’d gone mad and paid her no attention.

When the day of departure came, none of them realized that the daughter they’d always looked down on had already transformed.

On that day, she left with no one to see her off.

Gazing at the empty house, Liu Sui Sui, holding back tears, stashed the kitchen’s white flour, rice, thermos, kitchen knife, and several thick quilts from the bottom of a trunk into the system’s space.

Stepping outside, she found a secluded spot to change into clean clothes and braided her hair into the latest fashionable pigtails. Cheerfully, she set off for the train station.

When the Liu family returned and found the house much emptier, her mother couldn’t help but scream.

"Ah! Old Liu, we’ve been robbed!"