Jing Shu hadn't thought a single phone call would drag out so much mess, peeling back layers of a life she barely recognized. She had never imagined this kind of drama would explode right beside her in the middle of a world already falling apart. So after all that, Su Meimei was the "victim" in this tangled web.
Well then. Su Guosheng wasn't reliable at all; he kept quiet for ages and didn't dare say a word. It looked like she would have to use a few tricks to ensure the show continued.
She stepped toward Su Meimei, her boots crunching softly on the grit that covered the damp bathroom tiles. Getting tortured into trying to kill herself this early? That wouldn't do. At the very least, she had to live long enough to take down the accomplices from the last life—Zhang Zhongyong, Ai Lin, and their whole family.
She needed to savor this beautiful apocalypse again and make them taste every bit of pain she had suffered before. No matter what, she had to live with that hatred and keep going. If she just died and called it quits now, wouldn't that be way too easy on her?
"Nothing is more entertaining than dogs biting dogs," she whispered to herself.
"Illusion, activate."
Jing Shu spoke softly, her voice barely a murmur in the stuffy air. "Su Meimei, aren't you going to wake up? The woman who had stole your father, the one who had planted Ai Lin as a mistress more than ten years ago... they have all gotten what they wanted. One stole your father, and one stole your man. Shouldn't you stand up and fight back? Shouldn't you fight hard?
Zhang Zhongyong already knows the truth; he is crushed by Ai Lin now. Oh, and your father's woman put a green hat on him. The child isn't his. That means you're the only bloodline left in your family. Your father will stand by you from now on. Isn't it time to get up and fight?"
All of a sudden, Su Meimei's one bloodshot eye snapped open; it was full of a jagged, burning hatred. Jing Shu's words kept looping in her head, stinging her over and over as the suggestion took root in her mind.
"Kill them! Kill them all! Ahhh!" Su Meimei howled like a madwoman, her voice bouncing off the tiled walls.
"That's more like it. Here, eat some chocolate, drink some water, and your body will be fine." Jing Shu set a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate in front of her. Su Meimei pounced on them, her movements frantic.
Zhang Hanhan swallowed hard as she stared at the chocolate, her tongue darting out to lick her lips again and again. As for Zhang Zhongyong's family, they were in a strange limbo. The two old ladies were busy coddling Ai Yong, the only grandson, while he wailed nonstop in the other room. Zhang Zhongyong looked hollowed out. He had finally given someone his heart, and this was the result. He couldn't process the betrayal.
In under a minute, Su Meimei finished every crumb, her teeth clicking as she scraped the wrapper. A hint of strength returned to her gaunt body, and the white foaming at her mouth stopped.
Su Yiyang let out a long breath, his chest heaving with relief. "Looks like she was starving. As long as she is not dead, it is fine."
Su Lanzhi's gaze turned complicated. She had watched Su Meimei for so many years, and now the woman had changed beyond recognition. She couldn't help feeling the weight of it all.
Ai Lin sensed the shift in the air. Su Meimei had changed; it was as if a dark life had rushed back into her all at once. She wasn't that numb, resigned doormat of a woman anymore. "Get out! Get out of our home right now!" Ai Lin screamed, desperate to drive this woman out completely.
Expressionless, Su Meimei untied the rough rope from around her wrists and stood up. "According to the registry, I'm legally married to Zhang Zhongyong. You're the one who should get out. Half of this apartment is my asset, and no one is kicking me out. Starting today, I'm sharing the second bedroom with Zhang Hanhan. If anyone is dumb enough to test me..." She bared that hideous, ruined eye and sneered, the scarred skin puckering.
"I will fight to the death. I will drag whoever crosses me into the grave. Before I go, I will gouge out her eyes, bite off her ears, and drink her blood. I have already died once. I have figured it out. Instead of dying like a coward, I will take a few with me."
Even Zhang Hanhan shivered at the sound of her voice. Her mom had changed. She wasn't just terrifying to look at anymore; her temperament had twisted into something bloodthirsty and strange. It was too scary for her. She didn't want to stay with Su Meimei. She wanted to find her grandfather.
"Zhongyong, look at this lunatic! She is ready to kill us. It's too dangerous. If we live with someone like her, I'm scared you and the baby will be in danger." Ai Lin clung to Zhang Zhongyong's arm and acted cute, her voice trembling. Zhang Zhongyong slid his arm free without a word. He turned and went back to the master bedroom, closing the door behind him. "I want some quiet."
"It's over," flashed across Ai Lin's mind. From now on, this household would spiral into chaos because the head of the house, Zhang Zhongyong, didn't care anymore.
"Mom, Eldest Uncle, let's go. She is fine, so she doesn't need us." Jing Shu smiled.
They had come to see her one last time. Since she didn't die, there wasn't any reason to stay in this stinking apartment.
"Right, right, let's head out."
Su Yiyang's family felt awkward standing around, so everyone left without another word. They hadn't gone far when a roar burst from inside the apartment. He scratched his head. "Doesn't sound like someone who had chugged a whole bottle of sleeping pills. First time I have heard of a person sleeping it off and bouncing right back like that."
Wang Fang shot him a glare. "You just love arguing. Maybe she didn't take that much. Maybe she has built up resistance and toughed it out."
In the dark of the stairwell, Jing Shu smiled. "Su Meimei, you had better go all in. Even if you don't kill that whole family, make them chickens-flying-dogs-jumping. Never let them know peace."
Su Meimei absolutely couldn't die yet. If she died, she would hand Zhang Zhongyong and Ai Lin—those cheating dogs—the perfect ending. Jing Shu wouldn't let them have it.
The whole suicide incident passed quickly. It didn't even make a ripple in Jing Shu's busy life, and it didn't affect Su Lanzhi either. In the last life, because Su Yiyang's family died miserably and no one had known the truth, Su Lanzhi had gone out of her way to take care of Su Meimei.
But none of that had happened this time. Su Meimei had even made Su Lanzhi hate her. Now that they didn't share any direct blood ties, Su Lanzhi didn't love or hate her. Even if Su Meimei died right in front of her, she would probably just sigh and move on. Jing Shu was very satisfied with that outcome.
Still, after about half a month of calm, life had gotten nudged off balance again.
With the third year of the apocalypse getting closer by the day, Jing Shu started to get anxious. The air was turning colder, and the frost on the windows had grown thicker each morning.
For the second year, her preparations had been rock solid. She had planned for everything she could think of. But this year had thrown too much at her, and she had already brushed past death several times in the freezing floods and the disease scares.
Now the third year was almost here, and besides food, everything else was still a mess. It was even harder because she was wearing so many hats, which had kept slowing her plans for the villa's defenses and her personal stockpiles.
Most importantly, she had to make a trip to America in the third year. Before she had left, she had to settle her family properly and ensure the villa was an impenetrable fortress. Otherwise, she wouldn't have any peace of mind on the other side of the ocean.
Right when things were that critical, Jing Pan had called. Qiao Lan was due in the next couple of days, and she had wanted Grandma Jing to come and take charge of the delivery.
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For more information about 'green hat' you can read it on my The Webnovel Handbook: A Guide to Slang, Tropes, and Inside Jokes. I already put the explanation there.