Chapter 8: A Hundred-Billion-Dollar Fortune Follows Suit

Ye Siran knew that dissolving her engagement to He Hongwen would not be easy, so she dared not cause a scene. Her greatest fear was that Uncle He would prioritize compensating Ye Ruyue over breaking the union, especially since their horoscopes had been matched and a marriage contract signed long ago. Now that her father had given her his entire fortune and promised to help secure the documents for her relocation to the countryside, her mind was finally at ease. As for Uncle He, she would leave it to her stepfather and biological mother to persuade him; she would simply have to play it by ear.

In her previous life, she and He Hongwen had been caught together, and they had simply chosen an auspicious day to marry without any conflict. Back then, she had been single-mindedly longing to marry the man of her dreams, and when that wish was fulfilled, she had been overjoyed. Yet, reality had dealt her one blow after another; looking back now, it was all tears.

She placed the wooden box on her desk, walked to the door to bolt it, and nimbly removed an unremarkable pendant from her neck. It looked like a cross between jade and stone, dull and grey, which was the only reason Ye Ruyue hadn't snatched it away. Without hesitation, Ye Siran bit her finger and watched as drops of blood fell onto the pendant. After about ten drops, a flash of white light enveloped her, and she found herself inside the space.

Good heavens! The space held the tens of thousands of pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese she had raised in her past life. Even the penthouse apartment she had lived in before her death was there—a place she had offhandedly wished to store in the space while on her deathbed. It was an unexpected blessing. The apartment alone had cost fifty-eight million, with over seven million spent on renovations and furniture.

In her past life, she had coughed up blood in a fit of rage at her daughter, and when that blood stained the pendant, she had been transported to this vast, white void. At that time, however, she had lacked for nothing, and the space had served no purpose, wasting away for years. Later, when her daughter and Ye Ruyue’s son went abroad to study, and her husband traveled constantly for work with Ye Ruyue, she had spent countless lonely nights discovering that the space could actually be used to grow vegetables and raise livestock. When her adopted daughter insisted on marrying her own son, and her dear husband raised his hand in support, she had become disillusioned. It was then she decided to divorce He Hongwen, gradually converting her vast fortune into food and supplies to store in the space, planning to travel the world alone.

Before she could act on it, she was driven to death by He Hongwen’s cruelty. As she breathed her last, she had obsessively wished for the villa to be stored in the space as well. Having been reborn, she knew the pendant was a space, but she had expected it to be as empty as it was in her previous life. She had never dreamed it would contain all the worldly possessions from her past.

Ye Siran smiled from the bottom of her heart as she surveyed the brimming space, her anxiety finally vanishing. She placed all the cash and ration coupons from the wooden box onto the coffee table in the villa’s living room, deciding to organize them later. She quickly refilled the pig troughs and fed the chickens, ducks, and geese.

Stepping out of the space, she glanced at her parents' room. With the superior goods of the future as a benchmark, the items here no longer held any appeal. Since they were useless, she would not destroy them for now; after all, she had not yet left this home.

As she opened her door, she heard Ye Weiguo’s boisterous voice: "Second Sister, Mom, Dad, and Uncle He are telling you to come out. Why are you hiding in your room?" Seeing that Ye Siran remained silent, he commanded in a sharp tone, "The moment Uncle He walked in, he started cursing the eldest sister for being shameless. Mom and Dad don't dare to speak. You need to come out and offer to step aside so Big Sister can have Brother Hongwen."

"Weiguo, do you really think Uncle He would listen to me?" Ye Siran asked, staring at her half-brother.

"Everyone in the compound knows Uncle He dotes on you the most. Whatever you say, he will agree to."

"Fine, I will say exactly what you want. But if Uncle He doesn't agree, don't blame me." Ye Siran complied readily; in her past life, Uncle He had indeed indulged her without limits. He had even offered to help her find someone better, but she had been stubborn, as if bewitched by her love for He Hongwen.

"Ye’s eldest girl, you still have the face to cry? Do you take us all for fools?" A thunderous roar from Uncle He echoed through the living room.

"Uncle He, Auntie He, Brother Hongwen, you're here." Ye Siran walked over, head bowed in greeting.

"Ranran is here. Come, sit by Uncle He." He Yongchang said gently, waving her over, his rage visibly subsiding.

"Thank you, Uncle He." Ye Siran said softly, walking slowly to his side.

"Ranran, Uncle He only recognizes you as my second daughter-in-law. Even if they have already 'cooked the rice,' they can forget about getting married."

"Director He, Ranran just told me she didn't want to marry Hon—" Her father’s words were cut off by He Yongchang.

"Ye Jianping, whether Ranran is unwilling to marry Hongwen or whether you are forcing her, we both know the truth."

"Uncle He... sob... if you look down on Yueyue so much, I might as well be dead." Ye Ruyue sobbed uncontrollably.

"If you want to die, go ahead. If you don't want to die, shut your mouth. If you try to frame my son, I will make sure you rot in prison for the rest of your life. Do you want to try me?" He Yongchang’s hardline stance filled Ye Ruyue with hatred, but she was guilty and dared not speak or cry aloud. She feared that the man before her would find evidence of her drugging them, which would truly land her in prison.

Ye’s mother, always a bully to the weak, dared not scold her daughter in front of He Yongchang. Ye’s father glanced furtively at Ye Siran, his eyes conveying the message: I gave you my entire fortune, hurry up and help your sister.

Ye Siran said with a trembling voice, "Uncle He, if you truly care for me, then let Big Sister marry Brother Hongwen!"

"Ranran, you don't like Hongwen anymore?" He Yongchang’s eyes widened in shock.

"Uncle He, do you want the truth?" Ye Siran asked, meeting his gaze directly. Her clear, piercing eyes held none of the timidity of the past. He Yongchang was surprised by the change in the girl; she must have been pushed too far! He glared at his son, then turned back to Ye Siran, his expression softening significantly. "Uncle He wants the truth."

"Before today, I truly liked Brother Hongwen. But when I saw him with my sister like that... I don't want to marry him anymore!" She finished with a bitter smile, one as delicate and sorrowful as snow falling on flowers. The expression was indescribable, and it pained He Yongchang deeply.

He Yongchang was old enough to know that while social standing mattered in marriage, mutual affection was paramount. Only then could a couple be tolerant and live a comfortable life. His second son had long declared he didn't like Ranran, and now Ranran herself said she didn't want to marry him. Was there any need for him to force the marriage?

Hearing Ye Siran say she wouldn't marry him, He Hongwen looked at her in shock, realizing with a start that her gaze was cold and indifferent. In the past, whenever she saw him, her eyes would sparkle with affection and tenderness; now, they were so distant.