September 9, 1972. Haishi.

"Shengsheng, Irene Barlow's brother died saving me back then. No matter what, I have to look after his sister."

"If he hadn't taken that bullet for me, the man standing in front of you now wouldn't be me..."

"Just help her get that job slot first. Once it's settled, I'll bring you to the army camp right away. I swear I won't let you suffer in the slightest."

Only then did Vivienne Prescott fully come back to herself. She lifted her eyes and looked at the man in front of her, the one staring at her like he was full of feeling.

The bastard did have a decent face, that much was true. Those peach-blossom eyes of his made him look tender with just about anybody he looked at.

No wonder the original Vivienne had been so dazzled by him she lost all sense.

If Vivienne hadn't come here from another world, and if she hadn't already figured out what kind of man he really was, she might've fallen into his trap too.

That's right. Vivienne Prescott had transmigrated into a book.

In the twenty-fifth century, she had been a top-level research genius, the kind who could handle everything—medicine, physics, chemistry, biology, none of it was beyond her.

She worked day and night on all kinds of cutting-edge projects, pushed herself too hard, and in the end her body gave out. She had simply dropped dead from overwork.

Then she opened her eyes and found herself inside a novel called Sweetheart Follows the Army, and the Chief Holds Her Waist Every Night in Wild Adoration.

The man standing before her now was the male lead of that book, Leonard Holt, a top army officer.

But Vivienne Prescott was not the heroine. She was only the male lead's cannon-fodder fiancée, the only daughter of Barnaby Prescott, Haishi's richest man and a red capitalist.

In the book, Vivienne was highly educated and had even studied abroad, yet when it came to love, her brain stopped working. A few soft words from Leonard Holt were enough to make her obey him completely.

She had only just been coaxed into giving up her work post to the male lead's childhood sweetheart—the female lead, Irene Barlow.

Right after that, the Prescott family was reported. The whole family was sent off to the most remote countryside, and in the end every one of them was tormented to death in the village.

Meanwhile, Leonard Holt had already swallowed up most of the Prescott family's property. He used that money to grease palms and smooth the way, and from then on the Holt family rose fast.

Leonard Holt himself used that wealth to pave every step ahead, and that was how he climbed all the way to the seat of command.

As for Irene Barlow, she got the secure iron rice bowl at the steelworks, and later, through Leonard Holt's arrangements, transferred with the army to his military research institute.

The two of them had been carrying on sweet as you please, all soft words and stolen looks.

But now that Vivienne Prescott was here, there was no way she was going to let them use her as a stepping stone.

She copied the way the original Vivienne usually acted, lifted her eyes with a tender look, and gazed at Leonard Holt. "Really, Jianhua-ge... you’d take me with you to the army post? That’s wonderful! I don’t need that job anyway. It’s just right for Irene."

Leonard’s face lit up with gratitude. He couldn’t help reaching out, wanting to pull Vivienne into his arms. "Shengsheng, you’re so good to me..."

The girl standing in front of him had skin like fresh milk and a face so pretty it was hard to look away. For a brief moment, Leonard’s heart actually wavered.

But what a pity... with her family background... no matter what, he could never marry her...

Without changing expression, Vivienne shifted aside and neatly avoided the hand he reached toward her. "Oh, Jianhua-ge, I just remembered my mother told me to come home for supper. I’d better go first."

Leonard stood up at once, anxious. "Hey... Shengsheng, then when are we going to get the job transfer done?"

Vivienne answered carelessly, "No rush, Jianhua-ge. Let’s do it a week from now. I’ve got a few things to take care of these next few days."

He didn’t dare press too hard, so he could only nod. "Alright, Shengsheng. In a week, I’ll bring Irene to the steelworks labor office to see you."

Vivienne turned back and smiled at him. That smile was especially bright, almost dazzling. "Okay!"

Leonard stared, momentarily stunned. In that instant, a flicker of hesitation rose in his heart...

But the second he thought of Vivienne’s family background, and those things his father had secretly told him... Leonard’s gaze hardened again.

He was doing this for the country.

He had done nothing wrong.

...

The moment Vivienne turned around, her face dropped.

Bah. This Leonard Holt really thought he could just take her job that easily?

The original Vivienne had at least been a top student who studied overseas. She worked in the steel factory’s technical department. It was a good position, with solid benefits and high pay. If it changed hands, it was worth at least two thousand yuan.

And in these times, two thousand yuan was no small sum.

How could she possibly hand it over for free to that heartless man?

Agreeing to Leonard on the surface was nothing more than a stopgap measure...

This job couldn’t be kept in the end. Sooner or later, she would have to let it go.

She had already made up her mind. Since a thin arm couldn’t win against a thick thigh, sitting there waiting to be crushed was pointless. Better to move first. She was going to take her parents and sign up on their own to go to the countryside.

Choosing to go down as educated youth and being dragged off as a capitalist target were two completely different things, no matter how you looked at it.

On top of that, those who volunteered got extra subsidies too. Each person could receive over two hundred yuan in settlement money, and the most important part was that they could choose where to go themselves.

Two hundred yuan meant little to the Prescott family, but being allowed to pick the place? That was the real temptation.

Vivienne Prescott knew perfectly well her family could never endure some bitter, remote backwater. The weather there, the local customs, the whole way of life—none of it would suit them.

She was already thinking of taking Barnaby Prescott and her mother to an island. The conditions on the island might not be great at the moment, but it had momentum. It was clearly on the rise.

Most importantly, Vivienne loved seafood.

What came next was clear. First, she had to talk her father and mother into it. Then she needed to cash out the job, move the family assets if she could, and stockpile enough supplies.

Given how much her parents doted on the original Vivienne, persuading them probably would not be too hard. The real trouble was something else entirely—how was she supposed to move so many things out of the house, and on top of that prepare enough to last for years?

The Prescott family had been in business for generations. Over the years, they had built up a solid fortune. Though the family business had long since been merged into public-private management, the Prescotts still received a sizable share every year.

All that property, all that money—Vivienne truly could not bear the thought of letting the Holt family profit from it, much less those people lurking with bad intentions.

She was thinking so hard that she did not notice she had wandered into a deserted alley. Then, right at that moment, there came a crisp "ding." Light flashed before her eyes, and in the next second, Vivienne found herself somewhere achingly familiar.

It was her laboratory from the twenty-fifth century.

The lab had six floors in total, and each floor held a different research section. The first floor was an enormous warehouse. At once, the problem of moving the family property and storing supplies finally had a place to be solved.

Vivienne looked farther out. Those few mu of experimental fields were right in front of her.

Beyond them, mountain ridges rose one after another, half-hidden in a thin wash of mist. Most likely, those were areas that had not opened up yet.

But beside the field ridge, there was now an extra spring—clear to the bottom, bright as glass.

Could this be the standard spirit spring that always showed up in transmigration stories?

Vivienne walked over, bent down, and scooped up a handful to taste it. The instant the water touched her tongue, a cool sweetness spread through her whole mouth.

Then, almost at once, she felt her whole body wake up. Even her eyesight sharpened.

So it really was spirit spring water.

Now Vivienne Prescott finally felt at ease. With a backing this strong, no matter what happened in this story or this era, she ought to be able to hold on till the very end.

The thought had barely crossed her mind before she was pulled out of the space and back into the real world.

Good thing this was an empty little alley. If anyone had seen her appear out of nowhere like that, forget starting a new life—she’d be finished before it even began.

Vivienne shook her head hard, forcing all those messy thoughts away. No time to waste. She had real things to handle, and she needed to get home fast.

...

The moment Vivienne stepped through the front door, her mother came over with a warm smile. "Shengsheng, you’re back? What do you feel like eating today? How about braised pork?"

Mrs. Prescott’s smile was gentle, and her voice was soft as always, but Vivienne froze where she stood, like she’d been struck clean through by lightning.

It was her mother.

The exact same face as the mother from her last life—the one who had died far too early, the one she had not seen in so many years.

Vivienne’s eyes turned red at once, and tears spilled down before she could stop them. "Mom..."