Chapter 3: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 3 Now There’s a Reason to Control the System…

Chapter 3: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Spills Her Inner Thoughts (3) Now She Has Leverage Over the System...

Xu Ziyan’s inner gossip-monger flared up. "Wow! The backstabber arrives!"

Fu Qiming’s expression turned stormy instantly as he fixed his gaze on the approaching Li Dong.

Li Dong was slightly overweight, always cheerful, and appeared gentle and harmless. He was the most approachable and exceptionally popular among them.

His sudden appearance made everyone’s expressions turn subtle, but Li Dong didn’t find it odd. Given the major incident, it was natural for tensions to be high, wasn't that normal?

Frequent visits to the Fu household made him completely at ease. He greeted them with a smile, "Uncle, auntie, you’re eating so early? I was just thinking of asking Qiming to grab a meal outside."

Fu Qiming watched him act as if nothing had happened, gripping his chopsticks so tightly they might snap!

If what Xu Ziyan said was true, how could Li Dong still laugh and joke in front of him after betraying him?

Noticing someone’s gaze, he turned and met Xu Ziyan’s curious eyes. At that moment, he truly realized the person before him was no longer his so-called sister. The original Xu Ziyan’s eyes had always been filled with mockery and malice—never such pure curiosity.

Fu Dongfeng, as the head of the family, was the first to compose himself. "We have some family matters later, so we decided to eat early. Since you’re here, join us. Take a seat."

Normally, hearing about family matters would prompt a guest to leave, but Li Dong had come precisely to ensure nothing went wrong. He couldn’t possibly leave now, so he brazenly sat down.

Glancing at Fu Qiming’s grim expression and Xu Ziyan’s relaxed demeanor as she ate, he assumed Xu Ziyan had once again gained the upper hand, suppressing Fu Qiming. His expression eased considerably.

If Xu Ziyan was gaining the upper hand, she likely wouldn’t expose him—after all, she’d still need him to scheme against Fu Qiming in the future. Meanwhile, he could continue using her as his personal ATM.

As the servants brought out more dishes, Xu Ziyan ate while grumbling under her breath to her system, "This guy’s got some nerve, and he's bold. But his underhanded tactics are effective—in the novel, didn’t he swindle money from the original host multiple times? He even swindled Fu Qiming three times. Sharp as a tack, no wonder he always ranked first in school.

If I’d had half his brains in my previous life, I wouldn’t have had to wait till twenty-eight for a single promotion.

Ah, forget it. My previous life was nothing but bitterness and tears. This is the good life now."

The Fu family’s eyes instantly snapped to Li Dong, who was calmly serving himself, showing no reaction. Clearly, he couldn’t hear Xu Ziyan’s inner monologue.

Fu Qiming wanted to trust his friend, but Xu Ziyan’s thoughts sounded all too real. Unable to resist, he tested the waters with, "Li Dong, those are some serious dark circles. Didn’t sleep well? Something troubling you?"

Li Dong touched his eyes. "Really?" He glanced at Xu Ziyan and shook his head with a bitter smile. "It’s nothing, just some issues at the studio."

He was referring to the game being swindled by Xu Ziyan—using this moment to play the innocent victim and pin everything on her.

Xu Ziyan snorted mentally. "Those dark circles are from his all-night online gambling. The original host just paid off his debts, and he’s already racked up another few hundred thousand. Addicts are terrifying."

But she’d be leaving after this meal, so it wasn’t her problem. Might as well enjoy the show—she’d already said her piece.

Sipping her soup with relish, Xu Ziyan moved on to the next dish.

Fu Qiming took a deep breath and said to Li Dong, "The studio’s pressure is too much. Let’s take a break for now. I’ll give you this year’s dividends—go relax somewhere. When I have new ideas, I’ll call you back."

The dividends he offered Li Dong were substantial. If Li Dong truly had debts, he’d likely take the money and settle them. But then Xu Ziyan’s voice echoed in his mind: "Li Dong won’t accept. He secretly set up a shell company to siphon five million from your studio."

Li Dong, touched, replied, "I know you’re worried about me, but it’s fine. This is the studio’s toughest time—how can I leave?

Don’t worry, I haven’t been idle. I’ve been searching for suitable partners to co-develop and share risks, easing our burden. Two look promising—just a few million in funding. I’ll discuss the details with you once negotiations progress."

Fu Qiming froze. A few million, partners—it all matched Xu Ziyan’s thoughts.

Gritting his teeth, his voice turned icy. "A few million isn’t the issue, but we can’t afford another failure. The studio won’t survive another blow."

Li Dong said with unshakable confidence, "Relax. Don’t you trust me? I’d never bring you anything less than foolproof."

Fu Qiming couldn't understand—wasn’t Li Dong afraid he’d blow up at him for this deception? Just for money? To lose a friend like him? What was the difference between this and killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?

Xu Ziyan saw his confusion. Anyone normal would be baffled. She couldn’t help but think to herself: *Of course he’s not afraid. He’s already connected with Ding Jie. Swindling you out of five million is just a warm-up. Next, he and Ding Jie will set a trap to lure you in, making you personally invest in a project with a huge sum. Then he’ll take the money and run, causing your cash flow to collapse at the most critical moment, leaving no room for recovery. Ding Jie will then come out on top in competition with you, stepping over you to climb higher and completely shattering your morale.*

Xu Ziyan tsk-tsked in her mind. *Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. Li Dong is a stone-cold snake.*

Fu Qiming suddenly felt sick to his stomach. His most trusted brother had betrayed him like this, treating him like a fool. And for the past ten years, he had actually been played like this by such a person—how laughable!

Though there was no concrete evidence, the scales in Fu Qiming’s heart had already tipped overwhelmingly in Xu Ziyan’s favor. He was almost certain Li Dong had betrayed him. His temper was explosive, and suppressing it this long had been his limit. He slammed his chopsticks down, stood up, and was ready to blow.

*"A-Ming! If you’re done eating, go back to your room. This isn’t the place for your outbursts."* Fu Dongfeng’s stern reprimand stopped Fu Qiming from confronting Li Dong directly.

Since Li Dong had already connected with Ding Jie, they couldn’t tip their hand. They needed to gather evidence quietly and hit back when the time was right.

Besides, they couldn’t let Xu Ziyan know they could hear her thoughts. On the surface, Fu Qiming hadn’t yet reached the point of openly turning against Li Dong.

Fu Qiming snapped out of it, but he couldn’t keep pretending. Without a word, he bolted upstairs and slammed the door shut.

Li Yunhui said, *"This child, always so quick to anger. Li Dong, don’t mind him. Keep eating."*

How could Li Dong keep eating after that? He quickly excused himself. As he left, he glanced at Xu Ziyan, who was calmly peeling shrimp, and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration. Fu Qiming had just mentioned *"pressure"* and *"no more failures,"* gritting his teeth—clearly furious about the studio’s losses. Yet Xu Ziyan, the one who caused it all, didn't even bat an eye. *Impressive.*

Xu Ziyan was also impressed by Li Dong. Just after scamming Fu Qiming, he could so calmly lay the groundwork for his next scheme—his composure was remarkable. *After manipulating Fu Qiming for ten years, he must think he has him completely wrapped around his finger.*

But she had already warned Fu Qiming. Surely he must have noticed something off about Li Dong just now? *Look how furious Fu Qiming got!*

*Wait, why did my foster father stop Fu Qiming? Worried it might be a misunderstanding that would ruin their brotherhood?* That made sense. After all, all the bad things said about Li Dong came from her. Given the original Xu Ziyan’s spotty history, it was only natural the Fu family didn’t trust her. *Better to investigate Shenzhen Prison and Li Dong’s financial situation first before turning against him.*

But that wasn’t her problem anymore. Xu Ziyan shoved those thoughts away and focused on eating.

*"This crab meat is so sweet! I could eat a whole plate by myself!!"*

Li Yunhui heaped a big serving of crab meat for Xu Ziyan. *"I think this is delicious. Xiao Yan, have more. It’s very fresh."*

Xu Ziyan went still for a heartbeat, then looked up and smiled at her. *"Thank you."*

*"001, imagine having a mother like this. Mine never served me food. If I reached for meat, she’d smack my hand—all the meat was for her precious son. I was only fit for leftovers. If I didn’t finish my chores, I wouldn’t even get leftovers. By sixteen, I had stomach problems from hunger."*

Li Yunhui’s hand paused, her heart went out to her. She knew some people favored sons over daughters, but she couldn’t wrap her head around how a mother could be so heartless toward her own child.

001 comforted Xu Ziyan: *"Host, don’t be sad. That was all in your past life. Her dislike was her loss. You were so outstanding—the moment you turned eighteen, you exposed their true colors, washed your hands of them, worked to support yourself through school, and saved enough for a place of her own in just a few years. You’re amazing. That’s why I chose you—"*

*"Wait! What did you say? You* chose *me? Didn’t you say souls were randomly assigned? Explain yourself. So* you *dragged me here to play the villainess? You did this to me?"* Xu Ziyan caught the system’s slip-up.

001 backpedaled, its voice turning soft and pleading: *"Host, don’t be angry! New souls are randomly assigned tasks, but a batch of villainesses in these book worlds malfunctioned. We urgently needed someone capable to fix things, so I was told to pick a partner. I chose you because I admired your skills, really! And other task souls don’t get such good treatment—only special ones like you get rewards to keep transmigrating. I fought for this benefit for you!"*

*"Yeah, right. What benefit? Refuse to do evil and get annihilated. One misstep and you experience every horrible way to die. Who’d want a ‘benefit’ like this?"* Xu Ziyan was annoyed. *What decent person would* want *to play the villainess?*

This time, 001 apologized. *"I’m sorry… I didn’t think you’d mind. This is a book world—it’s all fake. I didn’t consider human feelings. But there’s really no going back now…"*

Xu Ziyan said sternly, *"Then find a way to compensate me—something that lets me survive. I’ll cooperate with tasks when I can, but you better find loopholes like fake deaths. That way, everybody's happy."*

"Or you could try applying for other benefits or negotiating terms with the higher-ups to see if the mission direction can be adjusted. In short, since you chose the wrong person, you should find a way to make up for it. Doesn’t that make sense?"

001 was specifically created to handle this issue. If Xu Ziyan failed the mission, it would also be sent back to be remade. Therefore, it had to find a way to keep the mission going, and Xu Ziyan’s words gave it a direction.

It assured her, "Host, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to find a solution."

Looking for loopholes and working the system—there was always a way.

Since things had come to this, Xu Ziyan had nothing more to say and simply asked, "You mentioned a batch of villainous female characters had issues—what kind of issues? Where did the original host go?"

Li Yunhui and Fu Dongfeng exchanged glances, their hearts tightening. No matter what, they had raised this daughter for twenty years, and they still wanted to know what had happened to the original Xiao Yan.

001 replied, "Previously, the book repository wasn’t strictly managed, and a group of villainous female characters developed self-awareness, learned about the plot’s progression, and formed a resentment collective, nearly destroying the entire repository. The higher-ups sent them to cleanse their resentment, and after that, they’ll be sent to peaceful worlds to live."

"That’s so lucky for them—no more destined villainous lives. That’s great. I hope I can be as lucky as them. System, it’s all up to you."

001 agreed readily, not daring to say anything more. Though Xu Ziyan’s tone wasn’t harsh, it still felt a little afraid and instinctively became more obedient.

In truth, Xu Ziyan could guess why 001 had chosen her. In her past life, she had cut ties with her family ruthlessly—even if the law didn’t recognize it, her family didn’t dare come looking for her. She was always busy, didn’t have many close friends, donated to orphanages but never visited the children, and in work, she only cared about profit. She came off as cold and heartless, working herself to the bone—wasn’t she the perfect candidate for a mission like this?

It just showed the system didn’t understand humanity or her. A virtuous person earns wealth properly. She had many desires and worked hard to climb up, but she wouldn’t take crooked paths or do evil. Choosing her as a villainous female character was a mistake.

But after struggling through life for so long, she had long known the world wasn’t fair. Kicking up a fuss for fairness was useless—only actual benefits mattered.

Honestly, even if she could reincarnate, drinking Meng Po’s soup would erase everything. No matter where she was reborn, she’d feel like a completely new person, not herself anymore.

Now, she could keep her memories and continue living—no matter how you looked at it, she was coming out on top. If she could really exploit loopholes to live forever, that would be a total jackpot!

In short, now that she had leverage over the system, she would push it to figure things out for her. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. She got over anger in three minutes—being reborn meant making every second count, loving herself, and believing "everything that happens is for my benefit."

If she could make it in life in her past life despite all the hardships, how much more could she do now with such a high status and so many resources? What was there to fear? No matter how bad it got, it couldn’t be worse than her past life, right?

Fu Dongfeng and Li Yunhui had initially worried Xu Ziyan would get angry, upset, and argue with the system. To their surprise, her anger came and went quickly, and she happily continued eating. Seeing her eat with such enthusiasm, their appetites picked up too, and they ended up eating much more than usual without realizing it.

Li Yunhui awkwardly put down her chopsticks, never expecting she could eat so much right after crying. Noticing this, Xu Ziyan hesitated and said, "Are you full? I... still want to eat a bit more. I’m a little hungry."

Xu Ziyan wasn’t being greedy—she had just realized there might still be a way out, that she wouldn’t have to die immediately. Her mood improved, and so did her appetite. She really wasn’t full yet.

"Will they think I’m strange? It’s a bit embarrassing. 001, should I keep eating or not? Maybe I should move out first and have a late-night snack at the new place?"

Li Yunhui quickly said, "Go ahead and eat. I’ve always eaten little, and this is enough for me. You fainted this afternoon—you need to eat more to recover. If you want anything else, just ask the kitchen to make it. No rush." As she spoke, she kept serving Xu Ziyan more food.

Xu Ziyan noticed it was all her favorite dishes, meaning Li Yunhui had been paying attention to her preferences. Touched, she thought, "Despite all the pain they’ve felt, they still care about me. I’m almost hesitant to leave now."