Mother-in-law Xiao Wanqing
June 26, 2018, Rongcheng, Aofeng Residential Area.
Xiao Wanqing, wearing a red cheongsam, sat on the sofa with a mix of joy and complex emotions.
She was happy because her daughter, Xu Xingyu, was getting married today.
She was complicated because she knew absolutely nothing about her husband.
Because the young couple had a whirlwind marriage—from their introduction to her to their wedding—less than half a month had passed.
This was clearly unacceptable to any parent; after all, it was a child they had raised for over twenty years, and suddenly entrusting them to a complete stranger was incredibly unsettling.
But just then, a blue panel abruptly appeared before her eyes.
[Good Parent Godly System Activated!]
[This system is dedicated to making the host the best parent in the world. As long as you complete the good parent tasks, you will receive generous rewards.]
[Detected that the host's daughter, Xu Xingyu, left the bedroom on her wedding night with the intention of meeting someone else. As a parent, you should teach your daughter correct values. Now that she is married, she should fulfill her duties as a wife.]
[Task: Get Xu Xingyu back to her husband, Chen Mu, until the end of their wedding night.]
[Reward: 50,000 yuan]
[Note: The cash source is clean; the host can use it with confidence.]
? ???
Xiao Wanqing was dumbfounded, seriously doubting she was hallucinating.
She immediately got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, but the panel was still floating before her eyes, forcing her to believe she wasn't hallucinating.
Suddenly, she became excited.
As an English teacher with a relatively easy job, she spent her free time reading novels.
She never expected this to happen to her!
Most importantly, this system actually paid her!
As a teacher, her salary wasn't much, and after raising her daughter alone for years, her money was practically gone.
She quickly calmed herself and checked the task details.
Then, her brows furrowed.
Running away from home on her wedding night?
Going to see someone else?
Xu Xingyu had come to her desperately wanting to marry Chen Mu, acting like she was head over heels in love with him, but on her wedding night, she abandoned her husband to see someone else?
What the hell was this?!
She didn't understand, but since the system had clearly stated otherwise, she decided to go and take a look anyway.
...
Meanwhile, in Jiahe Residential Complex.
Chen Mu clutched his aching forehead, staring blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings.
The 70-square-meter, two-bedroom, one-living-room marital home was filled with festive cheer. Red "double happiness" decorations and slippers adorned the entrance hall, red streamers hung from the living room ceiling, and a large wedding photo hung above the bed in the master bedroom, its door wide open.
The man in the wedding photo was him, and another woman stood opposite him.
"Chen Mu, I'll say it one last time, this is just a fake marriage. Don't touch me!" Xu Xingyu's voice was icy cold, her right hand wiping disgustedly on her clothes as if she had touched something dirty.
Looking at the stunningly beautiful young woman before him, Chen Mu was somewhat dazed.
Long-buried memories flooded back like a tide.
The girl before him was Xu Xingyu, his unrequited love, the object of his four-year pursuit during university. From that fleeting glimpse at the beginning of freshman year to his persistent pursuit after graduation, he had finally "won her heart" just two weeks ago.
He thought his sincerity had finally been tested, but it turned out she had only asked him to enter into a fake marriage to appease her family's pressure to get married.
At the time, Chen Mu agreed without hesitation, genuinely liking her and thinking that if they got married, their interactions might eventually lead to a real-life romance.
Unexpectedly, after the marriage, she moved out and ignored him, until a month later, he received divorce papers.
He tried to persuade her to stay, but it was no use. After dragging it out for a month, he ultimately chose divorce.
He also blamed himself for being weak; it took him two years to get over it.
Unexpectedly, through a series of coincidences, he had been reborn into this world...
Looking at the stunningly beautiful girl before him, Chen Mu smiled, took a sip of the mineral water beside him, and looked at Xu Xingyu, saying, "Don't worry, I mean what I say, I definitely won't touch you."
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Xu Xingyu's eyes. He had just wanted to take things further with her, and now he was acting all nonchalant?
Heh, playing hard to get, thinking that would attract her attention, huh?
How childish!
Too lazy to pay him any attention, she went straight into the master bedroom, closed the door, and locked it. Then she took a white floral dress from the closet and changed into it.
Looking at her beautiful self in the mirror, Xu Xingyu was extremely satisfied.
She touched up her makeup a little before picking up her bag and leaving.
As the door clicked shut, only Chen Mu remained in the small room.
Chen Mu didn't care, because he already knew what this woman wanted to do.
It's quite melodramatic, actually.
The woman's reason for agreeing to a fake marriage wasn't to appease her family's pressure to get married.
It was because her crush, Ye Chen, preferred married women, and she wanted to satisfy his fetish. That's why she sought out this honest man for a fake marriage.
Yes, he'd unknowingly become a pawn in her game.
As for why Xu Xingyu went out on her wedding night, it was also to meet Ye Chen in secret.
The ridiculous thing was, after meticulously planning for so long, she hadn't even seen him, spending the whole night waiting in vain at the entrance of the apartment complex.
Chen Mu couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, "Heh, as expected, birds of a feather flock together. No wonder I'm so foolishly in love with him; he's just as love-struck."
He patted his face, suppressing his emotions.
Now that he'd finally been reborn, he naturally had to consider the future.
Before his rebirth, the timeline was 2026. He was a short video operator, specializing in influencer incubation, and doing fairly well—a top-tier operator who had incubated two individuals with millions of followers.
If he could, he wouldn't want to repeat his old path; after five years in the industry, he was genuinely fed up.
But unfortunately, it's now 2018.
All the well-known business trends have passed. (No pandemic timeline)
The only thing he knows is AI (Artificial Intelligence), but that's clearly not something an ordinary person like him can handle.
He doesn't trade Bitcoin futures and has no idea about the trends.
He does dabble in stocks, but he was drawn in by the phenomenal bull market of September 24, 2024. He only knows about the subsequent developments; he's completely unaware of the fluctuations between 2018 and 2024.
So, sticking to his old profession is the best option.
But just then, a screen suddenly popped up in front of him.
[Energy System Activating: 1%]