The bed was so soft and warm that Ni Ni wanted to linger in bed, yet at the sound of an alarm she had to stand up, skipping and jumping down the stairs.

Her mother, Ms. Qiu, put down her hand that was adjusting her stepfather's tie, rolled her eyes at her,

"What's the rush? You're acting like a crazy girl, jumping suddenly when you always wanted to stay in bed!"

Ni Ni stopped rushing towards the dining room, scratching her nose with a slightly flushed face,

"Mom, Uncle, I'm going to have breakfast."

She slipped into the dining room and saw the female lead sitting elegantly and noblely. A single glance from her made Ni Ni lose all appetite.

No wonder the original owner, a burden, was so restless, constantly despised, scorned. Even ignored by the real heiress, who looked at her like she was a pile of shit. How could her mind not be dark?

But being a mistress, sleeping with her brother-in-law, and causing death—even she couldn't have been morally right.

The stepfather patted Ms. Qiu's hand; though she complained verbally, her expression was one of loving reproach.

"Girls should be more lively."

Ms. Qiu couldn't help but smile. After seeing him out, she looked back at the dining room. The two sisters were clearly separated, like two separate entities. While not irreconcilable, their relationship was clearly strained.

But she was still gratified. Her daughter, who used to be fiery and wild, had become quieter and more subdued after coming into the family, appearing somewhat timid and insecure.

Before coming into the family, Ms. Qiu had worried about how her daughter and stepdaughter would get along and develop a relationship. Now that her daughter was open-minded, lively, and happy, she was content and didn't force the stepsisters to have a good relationship.

Upon entering the school gate, Ni Ni was immediately handed a lunchbox by the female lead.

"Ya Ya, there's an urgent matter with the student council. Could you deliver this lunchbox to Mingyao for me?"

Ya Ya was her nickname. Ms. Qiu said that because she was sickly as a child, she was given this common, lowly name to make her easier to raise.

The original owner of this body disliked her new older sister being called by that name, always blushing with embarrassment—ultimately, it stemmed from her inferiority complex.

Ni Ni waited outside the boys' dormitory, lunchbox in hand, slowly thinking to herself—

The female lead, upon learning that she had accurately located the scumbag's dormitory building, would probably be furious, thinking that Ni Ni and the scumbag had hooked up so early.

Ni Ni, at that moment, retrieved the information from her past life, but didn't mind adding another point to the female lead's future hatred.

She secretly gathered intelligence, learning that the female lead hadn't had breakfast with him, so she quickly bought some from the cafeteria and shared it with the scumbag...

When she got home that evening, Ni Ni immediately pestered Ms. Qiu to prepare a small lunchbox for her, displaying her sweet and charming side to the fullest.

Finally, Ms. Qiu laughed in exasperation, feeling like she had candy stuck to her teeth, poked Ni Ni's forehead, and nodded, allowing her to sleep in and even packing her breakfast.

During this time, Ni Ni received a phone call asking why she hadn't arrived yet.

Ni Ni thought for a moment before remembering that the original owner of this body had actually been seriously pursuing a rich second-generation heir; that was the one she truly loved.

Later, seeing her aloof older sister madly in love with Zhuo Mingyao, she harbored a dark desire to trample her underfoot, so she decided to seduce the scumbag...

Ni Ni shook her head; jealousy really is a devil that devours everything…

The female lead came downstairs and saw the mother and daughter sitting on the sofa, looking harmonious and enjoying family time. Her pretty face twisted with rage.

That bitch!

The female lead thought, knowing she couldn’t voice the thought out loud, it would ruin her reputation. Recalling the moment that Ni Ni had used the lunchbox that she, the female lead, had brought to her to seduce the scumbag.

She didn't even need to push her; she went out and created opportunities to seduce them herself, and that scoundrel even indulged her. They're both scumbags!

Looking at the photos of the two people, even sharing breakfast with such tenderness, walking one after the other with such illicit affection, Zhan Shulan clenched her fingers, crumpling the photos.

Through her eyes filled with resentment and malice, she slowly calmed down.

Just wait, enjoy it. Once I catch them in the act, I'll post these photos online...

The female lead quietly lay in wait, waiting for the right moment to bite them hard, to make them fester and leave ugly scars forever displayed to the world.

Ni Ni was unaware of the female lead's thoughts, nor did she know that the suggestive photos, created through clever framing and misdirection, were fueling the female lead's growing resentment…

The following weekend, their family had planned to go hiking together, inviting some people, and more importantly the male lead, but he didn't come; instead, the scumbag showed up.

Zhuo Mingyao frowned, staring at his phone, which he had just hung up, his expression somewhat bewildered.

They had booked a couples' package: leaving Saturday morning, having a barbecue and camping trip that evening, and returning Sunday morning after watching the sunrise.

Ni Ni followed behind the man, watching him negotiate with the guesthouse owner, canceling the couples' package and paying extra for two singles.

She silently thought, her initial premonition was right; this scumbag was getting harder and harder to deal with.

It was a perfect example of how things always turn out…

Having known him for little time, Ni Ni knew that while she didn't know if Zhuo Mingyao was a repressed flirt, he was definitely a silent and rational person.

The influence of her soul made her feel incredibly strong, capable of lifting heavy objects and possessing the power to move mountains. She was full of energy every day, and felt restless if she didn't jump around and play with cats and dogs, and the consequences of not letting out all that energy manifested in excruciating pain.

This showed how severely her soul had been damaged after her failed mission!

Ni Ni became even more cautious about the next missions. Since Zhuo Mingyao was sullen, she didn't restrain her playful nature anymore, determined to torment him.

As Zhuo Mingyao suffered the consequences. Ni Ni’s sister was clearly noble and aloof, with a cool and elegant demeanor, opposite of how she was acting right now.

Why was she so incessantly chattering, chattering, chattering…

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

It was only a little past ten in the morning, but the sun was already shining brightly, generously filtering through the branches and seeping into the soil and rocks, making it bright and warm.

Zhuo Mingyao, carrying a backpack, his brows drooping slightly, was panting heavily as he climbed uphill, with a little tail trailing behind him.

Ni Ni was exhausted and hot; her fair face was flushed, her forehead glistening with sweat, and her temples and cheeks were damp.

She had overestimated her stamina; the first half of the climb had been a test of her lung capacity, and now she was done for.

Grabbing at Zhuo Mingyao's backpack strap, she forced him to drag her uphill, step by step.

Finally, unable to withstand the pull of her backpack, Zhuo Mingyao grabbed her wrist and struggled to climb.

He couldn't waste the money!

Ni Ni was panting heavily, looking utterly disheveled in front of him.

Luckily, none of her makeup had smeared on her face, nor had any unexpected circumstances ruined her pretty look; at least she could still admire herself for being as beautiful as a lotus emerging from water.

Otherwise, her smeared, dirty face might have been etched into the man's mind forever.

Zhuo Mingyao probably did farm work at home and was always diligent in his studies and part-time jobs.

Ni Ni looked at her small, fair hands and shook them. The man turned around, sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyebrows thick and handsome, his deep eyes dark and moist—handsome was the only word to describe him at this moment.

Ni Ni: "...My wrist hurts, why are you pulling me like this!"

Her small hand slipped into his palm and clenched tightly.

Zhuo Mingyao looked at her, then at her small hand gripping his large one, silently clenching his own. The soft, smooth little hand continued to be pulled up, step by step.

Finally, when they reached the top of the mountain, their hands were clasped together.

Don't overthink it; he was just sweating a lot, so he couldn't hold on tighter.

Ni Ni looked at his straight-laced, steely-straight man and pouted. If he weren't the scumbag who she had to conquer, he'd be single by choice