C7 Who Would Want to Harm Her?

The firewood room was filled with dry wood, so it burned quickly. Although the fire was put out in time, there was no fire extinguisher, and the villagers had to rely on buckets of water to douse the flames. By the time the fire was out, the entire firewood room had collapsed. Fortunately, it was in the backyard, a separate, dilapidated building, so even the pigsty nearby remained untouched. For the Bai family, the loss was just half a room of firewood.

"Yun..." a woman nearby suddenly exclaimed, "Grandma, Yun is still inside!"

Mrs. Zhao had been lamenting the loss of the firewood and the old building, but upon hearing this, her eyes widened in shock. "What! The merchants are coming to finalize the marriage in a few days, and that's fifty taels!"

Bai Yun, who was hiding in the back, munching on a biscuit and watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was her real grandmother, and her first reaction was about the fifty taels being lost.

"This wretched girl really has a cursed life. She tried to end it all this afternoon, and now it seems she finally did it tonight. Mother, you know my daughter Shao and she are sisters, and they do look alike. The merchants have only seen this wretched girl's birth date and caught a glimpse of her from afar. They probably can't tell them apart. How about we send Shao in her place to marry into the merchant family?"

The Bai family had already signed a contract with the merchants and received a deposit. If something happened to Bai Yun, not only would they lose the remaining money, but they might also have to pay compensation. Mrs. Zhao, despite being worried about the merchants finding out, couldn't bear to part with the money, so she had no choice but to go along with Mrs. Chen's suggestion.

Bai Yun sighed softly. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to harm her—just an ordinary farm girl. Now she realized who stood to gain from her demise. But still... they were family. How could they be so ruthless to their own niece just to make her a bride to counteract bad luck?

Having grown up in a society governed by law, Bai Yun found it hard to fathom such depths of human malice. Sure, in her career, people played tricks for promotions, and she thought that was the extent of human wickedness. But this? This was on another level. She felt somewhat grateful to have been born in a peaceful era.

Then again, what good did that do? She had inexplicably ended up in this strange place. Could she really change the rules here?

Bai Yun sighed again. What a mess. In the real world, she was born into a family that favored boys over girls. As the youngest editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, she was glamorous on the outside but merely an ATM at home, with her parents and brother wanting to drain every last drop from her.

Now, after a bizarre car accident, she found herself in a novel. It was hardly better than the real world. Being an ATM was preferable to having her life threatened right away. At least she was alive.

Bai Yun felt an ironic urge to laugh. When her parents and brother were constantly draining her, she often wished for an accident to end it all. But now, when her so-called relatives in this new world wanted her dead, she found herself wanting to live. People are truly complicated.

The last piece of bread was gone. As Mrs. Zhao seemed to be coming to a decision, likely allowing Bai Shao to take someone's place in marriage, Bai Yun knew she had to act quickly. She smeared a bit of ash on her face, worked up some tears, and ran out, throwing herself at Mrs. Zhao's feet.

"Grandmother, I almost thought I'd never see you again..."