Two days after crossing over to this world, Nian Suian finally accepted the reality of her situation. Perhaps the joy of not having to wake up early for work had diluted the panic of dimensional travel.0

On Friday night, after a week of hard work, Nian, the skilled worker, decided to reward herself with a trashy romance novel to unwind. Little did she know that relaxation would turn into overindulgence... At three in the morning, she fell into a deep sleep after her phone hit her face.0

Before closing her eyes, she was lying on the small 1.2-meter bed in her rented apartment. When she opened them again, she found herself on a two-meter wide bed. If it weren't for her extensive experience in the online novel community over the past decade, she might have fainted from shock once more.0

Upon waking, a scene forcibly played in her mind.0

The young woman in the vision looked very similar to her, but more elegantly dressed, without acne or dark circles under her eyes. Her face radiated the glow of someone who didn't have to commute early in the morning.0

"Hello, I'm also called Nian Suian, the same name as you. Don't be too surprised, you've crossed over now. From today on, you'll be this world's Nian Suian. Don't worry about me, I recently acquired something called a 'system' by chance, and it told me I could time-travel! It's great, I've long grown tired of this life of eating, drinking, and having fun. When I went to your world, I heard you say you wanted to live a life where you could have money to spend without working. Since we have such a fateful connection, I decided to let you come here! Rest assured, my parents left me a large trust fund, so you can live without working for the rest of your life. No need to thank me too much. Well, I have to go now, bye-bye!"0

With that, the vision completely disappeared. Three minutes later, Nian Suian finally reacted. Wait, why couldn't she say more? Where is this place now? What's the situation here? She didn't mention any of that! Don't other dimensional travelers come with a backstory review? Why did she get nothing?0

Nian Suian looked around. As far as she could see, there was modern minimalist decor, along with air conditioning and a TV. Well, Nian Suian sighed inwardly, it seems her encyclopedic knowledge of "XX Chronicles" would be useless here. This was clearly a modern society governed by marriage laws.0

When Nian Suian went downstairs and was called "Madam" by the household staff, she was completely stunned.0

Damn it, how could they not mention something as significant as being married!0

"Madam, would you like to dine in the dining room or in the garden?"0

"Uh... the dining room, please." Her grandmother had always said not to eat outdoors as it would let wind into your stomach.0

The living room also had a minimalist, cold decor style, with a piano in the corner. This scene felt very familiar to Nian Suian.0

She had never been rich, but she had visited rich people's homes before! For instance, the home of Li Zeyan, the prestigious CEO of Huarui Group. Why did this home decor style look so similar to Mr. Li's? Could it be that she had crossed over into an otome game world and married Li Zeyan? Nian Suian suddenly wanted to laugh out loud. If that were true, the heavens had truly blessed her!0

She had already rummaged through the closet in her room shortly after realizing she had crossed over, but hadn't found any wedding photos or marriage certificates, so she didn't know who her mysterious unseen husband was.0

So during dinner, she decided to probe the butler. The middle-aged man in front of her wore a suit and had his hair slicked back, looking very much like Sebastian from "Princess Hours," so Nian Suian decided to treat him as the butler for now.0

"Do you know someone called Li Zeyan?"0

If Li Zeyan were her husband, the butler would surely say: "Haha, Madam, you're so funny. Isn't Li Zeyan our CEO?"0

But alas, fate was not so kind! The butler said: "I don't know any gentleman or lady called Li Zeyan. If you need to contact him, Madam, I can help you inquire."0

Crash... That was the sound of her heart breaking. "No need, no need. I was just asking randomly."0

When Monday morning came at 7:40, and Nian Suian woke up again in the two-meter wide bed, realizing she no longer had to get up to catch the subway for her commute, she had already accepted the fact of her dimensional travel.0

In the beginning of her crossing over, she had wondered about her counterpart in the other world.0

Her parents were a wild and unrestrained couple when they were young, planning early on to remain childless. But under pressure from both sets of grandparents, they eventually had her. However, even though they had a child, they always maintained the mindset of "No grandchildren, we enjoy life; With grandchildren, we still enjoy life." After her one-month celebration, they left her with their parents and went off to enjoy themselves.0

The name Nian Suian was the only bit of parental love they had given her as parents.0

Later, when her grandparents all passed away one after another, her parents never appeared again, claiming, "You're an adult now, you don't need us to take care of you." In short, in her 25 years of life, she had seen her parents fewer times than she had seen her high school discipline master's red long johns. So they probably wouldn't be heartbroken over her disappearance.0

Nian Suian also thought about how, fortunately, the stray cat Little Flower that she often fed downstairs had been adopted and sent to a new home a week ago. She really didn't have anything to worry about in that world, and the only one who might think of her would probably be her skinflint, black-hearted boss who would be happy to save on this month's salary because she wasn't there!0

Now, the only thing that made her uneasy was her never-seen husband. After all, she had been single all her life, and suddenly becoming a married beauty was somewhat hard to adapt to. Moreover, according to the rules of dimensional travel, shouldn't the plot after crossing over be a touching love story between the traveler and a native of this world? How did being already married fit into this?0

However, during dinner, the slick-haired butler dealt her another fatal blow...0

"Madam, the young master will be returning tomorrow. Would you like to prepare a welcome-home party for him?"0

What, what, what is this? With her limited knowledge of wealthy families, only the son of the mistress of the house could be called "young master," right?0

She could only force out a bitter smile: "Haha, the living room isn't well-ventilated, I'm a bit oxygen-deprived. My brain's not working properly right now. How old is the young master this year?"0

"Haha, Madam, you're such a joker! But it's normal that you don't know the young master's age since you haven't met him yet. The young master is fifteen this year!" As he spoke, he dramatically wiped the corner of his eye, "He'll be starting high school when the new semester begins. He's becoming a fine young man!"0

Hahahahaha...0

She clearly heard something shatter inside her heart once again. In fact, she still wanted to ask: if the young master was already fifteen, then how old was the master?0

Why would someone give up a good life for this? So this was what awaited her! A beautiful young woman marrying an old widower? This life was becoming unbearable!0

Seeing that Nian Suian had stopped eating, the housekeeper in charge of meals approached and asked, "Madam, what would you like for afternoon tea? I'll go prepare it." This lady would go to sleep right after lunch, then want to eat again when she woke up, so they had to ask quickly.0

Hearing the housekeeper's question, Nian Suian suddenly realized she had only been living this life of "extravagance and debauchery" for two days!0

On one side was financial freedom without early morning classes, on the other was a widowed old man pushing fifty. Nian Suian opened her mouth: "Get me some stinky tofu and add some durian."

Both fragrant and pungent - a toast to life!

For a dedicated housekeeper, even though the mistress's desire to eat stinky tofu with durian seemed quite odd to her, she still brought the items up on time. She had even thoughtfully arranged the stinky tofu on a plate and prepared delicate, bite-sized durian pastries that Nian Suian could easily pop into her mouth.0

"Butler Oil... um, I can't seem to find my marriage certificate with... err," Nian Suian pondered what she should call her legal husband. To match "mistress," it should be "master," but as a modern young woman, she couldn't bring herself to use such a feudal term. More importantly, she was currently allergic to anything that made her feel old.0

The diligent Butler Su, standing by the mistress's side and waiting for her orders, maintained his composure even when she got his surname wrong. "Madam, my surname is Su. Your marriage certificate with the boss is in the study drawer. If you'd like to see it, I can go fetch it for you."0

Before Nian Suian could contemplate whether Butler Su was as capable as some renowned service industry leader from centuries ago with the same surname, she was struck by the term "boss."0

"No need to get it, I'll go look myself later. By the way, why do you call him 'boss' and me 'madam'?"0

"It's the boss's instruction. He says he's a progressive entrepreneur, and that calling him 'master' sounds like feudal remnants, while 'CEO' is too capitalistic. He prefers 'boss' as it's more down-to-earth."0

"Haha, he's quite humorous, isn't he?"0

Butler Su, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious: "Madam! This is not humor. It's the boss's sincere belief. Our boss, he... is a Party member!"0

"Wow! That's impressive, very impressive. I'll head upstairs now, you all take a break." If she didn't go upstairs soon, Butler Su might start reciting the core values to her.0

The study was on the same floor as her room. From her observations, the room opposite hers should be her convenient husband's, the study was next to his room, and the room beside hers should belong to her "good son."0

Thinking about the "good son" who was coming home tomorrow, she felt conflicted. She had once prepared herself for a lifetime of being unmarried and childless, planning only to raise cat daughters and dog sons. Who would have thought that after transmigrating, she'd suddenly gain a 15-year-old "good son."0

Their marriage certificate was placed quite casually. Saying it was in a drawer was an understatement. Looking at the two certificates, one inside out and one upside down, Nian Suian realized they had clearly been tossed in there!0

Taking a deep breath for five seconds, already prepared to see an old man, Nian Suian slowly opened the marriage certificate.0

What the hell? Who's this handsome guy?0

Nian Suian checked the name and face on the marriage certificate three times before she dared to confirm she hadn't picked up the wrong one.0

Nearly fifty years old?0

A divorced father?0

No way, the handsome man before her was the type that would give her a phobia of good-looking men if he stood in front of her...0

Just before entering the study, Nian Suian had planned to ask for a divorce when her convenient husband returned. After all, she had a trust fund and wouldn't starve.0

But now... she had completely forgotten her plan. Yes, she was just that shallow.0

Even if things didn't work out and they had to divorce, she should at least wait. At minimum, they should be married for three months. Having such a handsome ex-husband would add a significant highlight to her resume.0

The date on the marriage certificate showed that Gu Junxing and the original Nian Suian had been married for less than two months.0

Moreover, it seemed they were currently living separately, and with the blank chat history on WeChat, Nian Suian guessed their relationship was far from loving – it could be described as estranged at best.0

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but sigh: It seems they're victims of an arranged marriage between wealthy families!0

Wait a minute.0

She had been so focused on his face that she forgot to check his ID number. Gu Junxing this year is...0

35 years old!0

That means he had a child when he was just twenty.0

Young lovers, tasting forbidden fruit, yet torn apart by their families. The first love girlfriend gives birth to a son and leaves for a distant place, leaving behind a single father and orphan. As the child grows up, the widowed father remarries a woman of equal social status arranged by the family.0

According to the nth law of clichéd plots, the next developments should be...0

The first love makes a glamorous return!0

Former lovers rekindle their romance!0

The evil second wife clings on desperately!0

The kind-hearted protagonist saves everyone!0

The evil second wife gets her comeuppance!0

The family of three lives happily ever after!0

But... Nian Suian realized that according to this setup, she was the evil second wife!0

Whether she wanted the handsome ex-husband or not wasn't that important anymore. She'd better assess the situation and run away if necessary. After all, while three-legged frogs are rare, handsome men with two legs should be plentiful, right? There's no need to force herself into this family!0

Early the next morning, everyone in the villa was busy, except for Nian Suian.0

She leisurely walked downstairs and sat at the dining table, waiting for the housekeeper to bring her breakfast. Don't ask why she wasn't getting her own breakfast after just a few days – the answer is simply that it's not allowed! Fine, she had been self-reliant for over twenty years, so today she'd indulge in some luxury! Besides, holding the script of a supporting character, she didn't know when she'd have to leave. She had to make the most of this opportunity to enjoy herself. Only a fool would pass up such benefits.0

"Butler Su, your hairstyle looks great today!" His oily hair looked even oilier.0

Today's Butler Su had clearly taken extra care with his appearance. Hearing this compliment, he couldn't stop smiling: "You flatter me, madam." As he spoke, he made a couple of gestures in the air, as if adjusting his oily hair.0

Just as Nian Suian was biting into her third shumai, the sound of a car came from outside.0

"Uncle Su! I'm back!" The voice was heard before the person appeared.0

Nian Suian nodded, thinking this young master knew how to greet people – he sounded like a polite kid.0

"Oh my, Young Master, I haven't seen you in over a month, and you've grown taller!"0

Tsk, tsk, how fawning.0

"Uncle Su? Do we have guests?"0

Hmm? He must have spotted her. Could someone tell her what she should say when meeting her stepson for the first time? What expression should she wear? Warm and kind, or cold and elegant?0

"Hehe, this isn't a guest. You two haven't met before, let me introduce you." Butler Su smiled benevolently.0

"Young Master, this is... um... she is your..."0

Evidently, even a professional like Butler Su didn't know how to tell the young master that he suddenly had a young stepmother.0

Nian Suian thought to herself that she was older in age and a senior in family rank, so she might as well speak up.0

"Oh! I know, my dad told me about her!"0

Huh? Why isn't this following the script? Shouldn't she have finished her introduction, followed by him shouting that he doesn't want a stepmother, and then storming out of the house? What's with this excited look on his face?0

"If I'm not mistaken! This must be the legendary new wife of my father, my little stepmom-sis!"0

"Hahaha, Young Master is so clever, you've guessed it all!"0

Hey, Butler Su doesn't need to be this doting! Even the pampered sister from the Qing Dynasty wasn't this indulgent towards her giant brother!0

The Young Master was indeed a polite child. Upon hearing the affirmative answer, he immediately extended his hand to Nian Suian.0

"Hello, little stepmom-sis. Please take good care of me!"0

Nian Suian thought to herself that she was, after all, an adult and couldn't show weakness. She immediately reciprocated the gesture.0

"Let's take care of each other, son-bro!"0

Nian Suian never expected that she wouldn't be so averse to the idea of becoming a stepmother!0

Of course, there was a reason for this. If her "stepson" had been a little brat who couldn't control his poop and pee, or a rebellious, hot-headed teenager, she would have packed her bags and run away in the middle of the night.0

But the reality was that her "stepson" appeared to be a handsome, clean-cut, and polite young boy. She wouldn't have to change diapers or provide counseling for a rebellious teen. Wasn't this stepson practically a gift from heaven?0

"Step-mom sis, could you attend my new student-parent meeting at school for me?" Gu Zhijing asked, resting his chin on his hand and blinking his big eyes.0

"Huh?" Nian Suian was surprised. How had they jumped straight to attending parent-teacher conferences on her first day as a stepmother? Shouldn't there be more buildup?0

Like the son asking when his father would return, the father saying he's busy but sending money, the son missing his parents and feeling heartbroken, the stepmother gently resolving the emotional knot...0

How had the Old Gu Family fast-forwarded through all of that?0

"You don't want to? You know, I've never met my mom, and my dad's always too busy to attend parent-teacher meetings. It's okay if you don't want to, I'm used to it. I understand. I'll just go to the library during the meeting. It's no big deal..."0

"Wait!" Nian Suian couldn't bear to hear more. This kid was quite the actor at such a young age. Had he taken classes at the Beijing Film Academy? She was a kind-hearted girl who couldn't resist this kind of emotional manipulation.0

It's just being a mom, right? It's not like she hadn't done it before. Back in her fangirl days, she'd even been a "mom" to guys in their twenties! Whether you're a fan-mom or a stepmom, it's all motherhood in the end. There's no hierarchy in motherhood!0

"It's just a parent-teacher meeting, right? When is it? I'll go with you!"0

"Hehe, it's next Monday. Thanks, step-mom sis!" Gu Zhijing, having achieved his goal, waved his sleeve and went upstairs, leaving Nian Suian bewildered in the dining room.0

Nian Suian mentally gave him the middle finger. Well played, kid!0

Beside her, Butler Su watched the young master's performance, trying hard not to burst into laughter. He knew full well that his employer, no matter how busy, would always attend his son's parent-teacher meetings... But as a qualified butler, he maintained a perfectly neutral expression.0

Butler Su glanced at the ceiling: How wonderful! A caring mother and a filial son, the master will be delighted!0

After returning to his room, Gu Zhijing sent a WeChat message to his father: [Old Mr. Gu, you don't need to come to the parent-teacher meeting. Step-mom sis will go for me. Step-mom sis is young and beautiful, it'll be more impressive to bring her. You don't need to rush back from work early. Maybe get some cosmetic treatments when you have time! You're not getting any younger, can't let your skin deteriorate too much. Muah, love you, little Gu]1

Five minutes later.0

[Behave yourself, and don't cause trouble for your Aunt Nian] Old Mr. Gu clearly knew what his son was like.0

[How can we call her 'aunt'? That makes her sound like she's your age. She's clearly so young] Gu Zhijing couldn't help but push his luck.0

[Call her 'step-mom', it sounds close, like we're family. Call her 'sis', it makes her sound young! In conclusion, call her 'step-mom sis'] Gu Zhijing had originally thought about dropping the 'step' and just calling her 'mom sis', but he was afraid of offending the goddess Mazu, so he added the 'step'.0

[Old Mr. Gu has enabled friend verification. You are not his friend yet. Please send a friend request. You can chat after he verifies you.]0

Gu Zhijing stared at the red exclamation mark on the screen, thinking that what he'd read online was true – men are sensitive about their age too, especially older men.2

Nian Suian had just finished dinner and hadn't even reached her room when she heard a WeChat notification.0

[WeChat transfer ￥20000]0

[Thank you for attending Zhijing's parent-teacher meeting.]0

Seeing the message, Nian Suian let out a silent scream!0

Twenty thousand for attending a parent-teacher meeting?0

Was this world experiencing hyperinflation? She used to work like a dog for only 5000 a month.0

Sorry, let me clarify again, Nian Suian was just a shallow person. She hadn't seen any of that trust fund money they'd mentioned before. Earlier, when she saw only 3600 left in her WeChat balance, she'd wondered if rich people didn't use WeChat Pay.0

But now! Her WeChat balance was 23600! Who would refuse money that falls into their lap? She wasn't some protagonist who viewed money as dirt. Nian Suian was already planning a big shopping spree on Taobao tonight. She immediately transferred all the money to her Yu'ebao account. At least it would earn some interest, right?0

Then she returned to the chat and reverently typed:0

[Thank you, boss! <3]0

She could bet her hair that this "thank you, boss" was the most sincere she'd ever said in her life as a working girl.0

She wondered how often parent-teacher meetings were held at the young master's school. If they were frequent, she could totally get rich from this!0

How delightful! How absolutely delightful!0

As a lowly working girl, Nian Suian was dazzled by the original owner's walk-in closet. It had everything imaginable, and many items still had their tags on.0

To make a grand entrance at her stepson's parent-teacher meeting, she carefully calculated her hair-washing schedule and came to the closet two days in advance to select her [Stepmom's First Parent-Teacher Meeting Debut Outfit]. She who takes the money must do the job – this time, she had to stun everyone!0

At this moment, Nian Suian felt like she was channeling Xia Donghai!0

Her appearance at the parent-teacher meeting would be like announcing to Gu Zhijing's teachers and classmates: Gu Zhijing is not from a single-parent family! He has a new mom, and that person is her! Nian Suian!0

Since it was a parent-teacher meeting, Nian Suian reluctantly tore her gaze away from a pile of puffy-sleeved princess dresses and instead chose a black off-the-shoulder long dress. After all, being a mom meant she had to look elegant and aloof.0

On Monday, Nian Suian deliberately got up early, did a full face of makeup, and curled her hair. After finishing her makeup, she admired herself in the mirror for a long time. Despite not wearing makeup often due to work, her skills hadn't rusted. Combined with the original owner's flawless skin, today's makeup could only be described in three words - bee-yoo-tiful!0

It's worth mentioning that the original owner's makeup and skincare collection was also very rich. Last night, Nian Suian used all the face masks, creams, essences, and eye creams she had always wanted but couldn't afford before, all at once. Well, that's what happens when a poor person suddenly comes into money.0

As Nian Suian descended the stairs in her sky-high heels, she clearly saw everyone's mouths hanging open, including her son's. Excellent, she was very satisfied with this reaction.0

Gu Zhijing immediately stood up to pull out a chair for Nian Suian, fawning, "What brings this fairy to our humble abode?"0

Butler Su followed closely behind: "Madam looks absolutely radiant today!"0

Nian Suian was overjoyed inside, but her face remained composed as she responded gracefully, "It's parents' day at school, of course I should be here."0

As Nian Suian delicately ate her breakfast, Gu Zhijing silently took out his phone and sent a text message to his father. He had no choice, as his WeChat friend request hadn't been approved yet.0

[Gu Zhijing: Dad, take your son's advice and choose the most expensive package at the medical beauty clinic!]1