Jing Shu truly admired one thing about human nature, it was both pathetic and effective. People wouldn't truly resist or rebel until they were pushed to the absolute brink, until they had nothing left to lose. As long as they had something, however meager, to eat, they generally wouldn't make serious trouble. So the method of control was simple, keep them perpetually on the edge, starving them just enough, exhausting them with endless, mindless work, and making them live in constant, miserable uncertainty. That was punishment and control enough.
Sun Yinrui must hate Jing Shu to the very depths of his soul now. His wife probably wanted to scratch Su Meimei's eyes out, and once her immediate fury cooled, some of that hatred would inevitably shift to Jing Shu as well. After all, she was a girl they had watched grow up, a family friend's daughter, and now she dared to stand up and accuse their whole family. The betrayal would sting.
But Jing Shu estimated that for the near future, they wouldn't have time or energy to cause her any trouble. They had their own survival to worry about now. Yet her aunt, Su Meimei, showed up again, just like in the previous life's pivotal moment, bringing her entire family to the villa gates. This familiar, hateful scene, replayed ten years early, gave the slightly frustrated Jing Shu a perfect outlet for her simmering irritation.
Her frustration actually stemmed from her mother's recent scrutiny.
After her parents had fully moved from the city apartment to the villa, Su Lanzhi's first act as lady of the house was to inspect every single corner, examining her new domain and taking silent stock of all the possessions and changes.
She had complimented the decorative fish pond and the adjacent raised vegetable plot. She praised Jing Shu for the well thought out, practical boiler room design. Su Lanzhi had always been sensitive to cold and had privately worried the old apartment in Wu City mightn't stay warm enough in a harsh winter.
Su Lanzhi had also always been a woman who romanticized gardening for relaxation, though in practice even a hardy pothos plant rarely survived under her care. Therefore, the spacious new kitchen and the upstairs greenhouse renovations genuinely delighted her.
However, when she climbed to the huge rooftop terrace and saw it entirely occupied by four massive, utilitarian water tanks and covered with banks of strange looking solar panels, she couldn't help but comment with a frown.
"You spend money so recklessly. Are we short on water, or are we drinking it like fish. Why put these ugly, bulky water tanks up here, ruining the view. And what is with all these reflective panels. Are they water heaters. Why waste money on so many of them."
Jing Shu had quickly made up an explanation on the spot. "This is a state of the art, self sufficient solar power and water filtration system, inspired by eco homes in America. It's part of the livestream persona. Who would watch a rich second generation stream if it were just like every other typical wealthy kid at home. The government is heavily promoting energy conservation right now. This setup actually received great responses online, it makes us look responsible and innovative, attracting more viewers."
Su Lanzhi had then seen the walk in closet packed floor to ceiling with boxes of snacks, and Jing Shu explained they were all gifts from grateful fans. She also saw the heap of professional tents and outdoor equipment in the storage room, which Jing Shu said were for upcoming planned outdoor fan meet up activities.
Finally, seeing an entire bedroom converted into a storage room, stacked high with enough shampoo, sanitary pads, and toilet paper to last a decade, Su Lanzhi couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief. "Fans gave all this too. Tell me where to buy such generous fans. They can cook hotpot and supply household goods that will last ten years."
Jing Shu could only remain silent under that penetrating maternal gaze.
"Show me your detailed shopping list and accounts. I want to see exactly where all your money went."
"Groceries, rice, cooking oil, seasonings, the solar panel system, the water tanks, the central air conditioning, the commercial refrigerator, the dishwasher… the purchase logs for sixty rabbits, seventy chickens, three hundred quails, two pigs… So all of this was supposedly bought by your fans."
…
So when Aunt Su Meimei brought her troublemaking family to the gate again, Jing Shu could no longer restrain the simmering power within her. After drinking Spirit Spring water for over twenty days, her speed, reflexes, and raw strength had long surpassed that of an average adult man. She had secretly wanted to test her new abilities for some time. Any direct provocation now would be met with immediate, disproportionate force. Otherwise, she felt she couldn't swallow the hot ball of resentment in her chest.
Unfortunately, Su Meimei was clearly being coerced this time. Her husband Zhang Zhongyong, her elderly parents in law, and her younger brother in law were all present, forming a hostile semicircle behind her. Their expressions were ugly, especially Zhang Zhongyong's, who physically restrained the visibly bruised and disheveled Su Meimei by her arms.
"It's exactly the same as the previous life," Jing Shu thought coldly, her fists clenching at her sides as she repeatedly told herself to stay calm, to assess. "Only a few side characters are missing."
"Jing Shu, my dear niece," Su Meimei wailed, her voice shrill with panic and performance. "Please tell them I didn't cheat, I didn't see any wild men. This is framing. You must have been bribed, right. You want to ruin me. My dear sister, talk to Jing Shu. She testified against me, she said I had an affair with Sun Yinrui, sob, sob."
Su Meimei cried pitifully, her hair disheveled, with visible dusty footprints on her clothes as if she had been dragged.
Jing An moved to block them physically at the villa's wrought iron gate. Su Lanzhi, who had come outside at the commotion, looked utterly confused. Jing Shu stepped forward, her face expressionless, and revealed the digital evidence collected by Heng Jin's team on her tablet screen. She recounted, point by point, Sun Yinrui's embezzlement, bribery, and other crimes.
"This is the judicial truth. I only provided factual testimony. Sun Yinrui committed crimes and offended powerful people. When he was formally investigated, the court uncovered his financial dealings with my aunt and even recovered 300,000 yuan of his embezzled bribery money from her personal account."
Her parents stared at the sobbing Su Meimei in dawning shock and horror. Only then did they fully understand what a scumbag Sun Yinrui truly was, and that their own sister in law hadn't only been involved with him but had also accepted his dirty money.
Su Meimei struggled and flailed like a caught animal, trying to break past Zhang Zhongyong's grip to physically attack Jing Shu, but Zhang Zhongyong struck her twice across the face to subdue her, the slaps loud in the tense air.
Su Meimei hadn't ever expected her usually quiet, unobtrusive niece to reveal everything so bluntly and even expose the specific amount of money. Yang Yunyun had come to her earlier just to shriek accusations, reporting that someone had found concrete evidence of her and her "partner's" wrongdoing, and had casually mentioned that Jing Shu was the one who had given the testimony.
With Sun Yinrui's dramatic downfall now evident, Su Meimei's only desperate play was to rush to her sister, argue she didn't cheat, and claim Jing Shu had been bribed to lie. She was still confident that Su Lanzhi, out of sisterly obligation and softness, would ultimately protect her. After all, they were family.
Who could have predicted this outcome.
Tears of anger and profound disappointment streamed down Su Lanzhi's face. "Leave," she said, her voice trembling but firm. "Just leave. I have no sister like you."
Su Lanzhi pointed a shaking finger at Su Meimei. "He has money and refuses to pay back a debt of honor, and you have money and refuse to lend a helping hand. Fine. Just fine. We sold our own car to make money, and you two colluded in it, one refuses to repay, the other tries to take advantage immediately. Su Meimei, from now on, we're done. Get out."
Su Lanzhi screamed the last word with all her strength, a raw sound of finality. Jing An stepped forward to help physically drive them away from the gate.
Watching Su Meimei being dragged back, her face a mask of gritted teeth hatred directed at Jing Shu, Jing Shu allowed herself a small, cold smile of satisfaction.
"This kind of shameless woman deserves to be put in a pig cage," Zhang Zhongyong's mother spat venomously. "Son, don't rush to divorce her. Not yet."
"Divorce." Zhang Zhongyong sneered, shoving Su Meimei into the back seat of their car. "She won't get off that easy." The whole family piled into the vehicle and drove away in a cloud of dust and hostility.
"Debts from the previous life are repaid in this one," Jing Shu whispered to herself, watching the car disappear down the country road. This time, no one involved would escape the consequences. They were all on their predetermined paths.
"Quick, come back inside and close the gate," Jing An's voice rang out, thick with worry and fatigue.
"Coming," Jing Shu replied, turning her back on the empty road.
…
On December 15, 2022, the event Jing Shu had been waiting for, yet dreading, was formally announced. The Central Meteorological Station issued a nationwide red alert. The broadcast stated that on December 31, unusual planetary activity would cause massive amounts of fine dust to enter the Earth's atmosphere, significantly blocking sunlight. The Earth would experience a period of dimness, but it was emphasized, not complete darkness.
The reduced sunlight would have severe, though not immediately catastrophic, effects on plant and animal life. Crop yields were expected to decrease noticeably, but not fail entirely. The announcement assured the public that even if grain production was impacted, China had vast strategic food reserves, enough to feed the nation for three full years. This was true, Jing Shu knew, in critical moments, there would always be a state reserve to prevent mass starvation. It's the one reliable pillar.
"The Earth's Dark Days are expected to last approximately thirty to forty days, accompanied by heavy atmospheric dust. Citizens are strongly advised to prepare sufficient food and water storage at home and to take necessary dust precautions when going outside. The elderly, the weak, the sick, and the young should minimize all outdoor activity. Elementary schools and kindergartens will suspend classes indefinitely as a precaution, but other work and social functions are to continue as normally as possible." The news anchor's voice was calm, rehearsed, masking the unimaginable crisis beneath practical instructions.