The first step was to become beautiful.
A beautiful face could add many points, she was well aware of people's tendency to judge by appearances.
Formerly, she had been so worn out by this primary prison that when the live broadcast started, she had a dark and dirty face full of scars. Despite being dressed in expensive and beautiful brands, she appeared as a pathetic ugly duckling trying to impersonate a swan, and she became a laughingstock.
She gave the audience what they wanted to see the most.
She didn't understand why things were like this, but the result was that she was reborn, back to her first trial, and this time her memory was not suppressed.
Though she was filled with anger and resentment to destroy the world, she knew it would be of no use. To survive and change her fate, she must abide by the rules of the game.
Fate was in the hands of the audience. She had to make them like her, find her adorable, no, she wanted them to worship her, to see her as a spiritual pillar so that they could protect her and fight for her against the world.
To achieve this, she could live herself into a beautiful lie!
Although the flow of time in the virtual world is sped up, Song Juyao did not perceive its speed while living in it. She slept for a while and woke up to Li Yan's gentle voice the next morning.
She looked at the time; it was 6:49 am.
Liu Yan was waiting in front of the dining room for Song Juyao, her eyes were red and swollen and she looked at Song Juyao with tears in her eyes, "Juyao, what shall we eat this morning?"
After Song Yuhuo left last night, hungry Liu Yan looked at the greasy kitchen and eventually chose to go to bed without eating. Lying on the bed, she thought of events that happened that night, and her daughter’s indifference before going to bed. Missing her beloved deceased husband, tears of grief flowed down her face before she finally fell asleep.
When she woke up in the morning, she was even hungrier.
Song Juyao ignored her and went into the bathroom.
There was no bathroom in her room, it was a room used for piles of clutter, with wood and machine tools taking up space and squeezing her cot amongst the mess.
She felt like a child laborer that had been bought for a few thousand yuan from human traffickers.
All of this is absurd in reality and lacks logical reasoning. The production team had put a great deal of effort into making things difficult for her by bringing in this kind of NPC.
Song Juyao meticulously brushed her teeth and washed her face, then carefully applied Li Yan's skincare products layer by layer, and didn't forget to apply hand cream.
Finally, she braided her hair into a neat ponytail before leaving the bathroom. Liu Hui was still waiting for her to make breakfast.
Song Juyao was also hungry, she wanted to eat well and grow up healthily, but she also couldn't afford to be smoky anymore. With this in mind, she glanced at her and said, "Let’s go out for breakfast."
Liu Yan was momentarily stunned, then stood up. "But we don't have much money left..."
"If you don't have money, then earn it. I am only ten years old. You are an adult, it’s your responsibility to take care of me." Song Juyao replied and turned to leave. Although their family had lost most of their savings, it was not to the point of not having a single dime. Liu Yan had some private money hidden in her hands.
Li Yan watched Song Juyao's back, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Song Juyao glanced at her while thinking, ‘damn it, mentally retarded’. Liu Hui seemed to have forgotten the fright she experienced the previous night and had no lingering psychological effects.
The two of them went to a breakfast shop that has been open for ten years in the village to have breakfast. The business was very good, and several tables were full, so they had to share a table with others. All sorts of sights were aimed at the mother and daughter, and the main attention was focused on Liu Yan, who was known for her beauty. The saying that "white color can make a girl look much prettier than usual" was proven true with Liu Yan dressed in a white skirt and wearing a white paper flower on her head out of filial piety.
Liu Yan felt uncomfortable and leaned against Song Juyao, while Song Juyao simply lowered her head and continued eating her buns and soy milk, seemingly unaffected by the attention. She didn't stare fiercely like a little wolf as she used to.
A middle-aged man named Liu Guoqing, dressed in a suit and with a country-style face, entered the breakfast shop with a big smile and said, "Sister, you're here, I just rushed to meet you and found the empty house." He stood out among the plain, rustic country people, and the envious and respectful glances around him made him puff up his chest with pride and show arrogance.
As a white-collar elite, even though he was only from a rural credit union, he still considered himself better than these hardworking country people.
Upon seeing Liu Guoqing, Liu Yan's face lit up with a smile of dependence. "Big brother," she greeted him.
"Let's go, I have something to tell you," Liu Guoqing said, pulling Liu Yan out of the shop without paying attention to the fact that she hadn't finished her breakfast yet.
Song Juyao ignored the situation and continued eating, even taking the bun that Liu Yan had not had a chance to taste.
Liu Guoqing dragged Liu Yan along, but when he noticed that Song Juyao was not keeping up, he ran back to the breakfast shop where she was leisurely drinking soy milk.
"You child, you didn't even notice when your mother left the shop. You're so dull. Don't be taken in by some stranger," Liu Guoqing scolded Song Juyao as he pulled her arm.
The freshly poured soy milk was fragrant but boiling hot. When Liu Guoqing pulled Song Juyao, some of it splashed onto her hands, instantly burning them red.
Song Juyao’s eyes instantly swirled with undercurrents. Despite the scalding pain, she acted as if nothing was wrong and held the bowl of soy milk steadily in her hand. She followed Liu Guoqing in the direction he was pulling her, then splashed the remaining soy milk on him.
"Ah!" Liu Guoqing's trousers were instantly soaked with the hot soy milk and clung to his flesh. He let go of Song Juyao's arm and hopped from the heat, frantically tearing the fabric away from his skin.
Seeing the embarrassed look of the "white-collar elite", the people in the breakfast shop laughed out loud.
As one of the few university students in the village ten years ago, Liu Guoqing had enjoyed the respect and admiration of the middle-aged and elderly people in the area. But at that moment, he was unable to hide his embarrassment and gave Song Juyao a stern look before running away.
"Boss, another bowl of soy milk," Song Juyao calmly asked the breakfast shop owner.
When Song Juyao returned home after having a full meal, Liu Guoqing was sitting in the living room with a sullen face. Liu Yan stood in front of him, tears streaming down her face and her thin shoulders trembling, giving off an attractive appearance that is popular among men.
"Why are you crying?" Liu Guoqing asked. "I'm doing this for your own good, aren't I? Look at yourself. What can you do in this state? It's rare for that family to be rich and willing to marry you, and they don't mind you bringing your daughter over. What's not to be satisfied about?"
"My husband died only two months ago, and I'm getting remarried," Liu Yan replied softly with a choking voice. "What will others say? How will I face them?"
"Think carefully," Liu Guoqing said. "The family is from our village. There are many young women who want to marry into the family. Being a widow yet getting this offer is your blessing. After this, there won't be another opportunity like this." Liu Guoqing's eyes showed some threat as he withdrew his raised thumb, then changed the subject. "Let's not talk about this for now. Before he died, Cheng Cai borrowed 20,000 yuan from me and promised to pay me back in two months. Now I need the money urgently. You need to find a way to pay me back." Liu Yan stared at him in disbelief: "Big brother, you know I don't have any money to pay you back now..."
"If you don't have the money now, will you have it in the future?" Liu Guoqing delivered a fatal blow to Liu Yan.
Liu Ting was speechless. ‘That's right, where will the money come from?’
Did Liu Guoqing not know what kind of person his sister was? He knew that this matter was basically settled, so he was relieved to accept the large red envelopes sent by the Chen family and arrange the matchmaking for his sister and Chen Lao Er.
He wasn't in a hurry to get an answer right now, as the outcome was already almost certain. He got up to leave and his brow furrowed seeing Song Juyao standing in the doorway staring at him.
"Can't you greet people?"
Song Juyao smirked, walked past him and left with a sneer.
Liu Guoqing was so angry that he scolded Song Juyao for being uneducated, but Song Juyao was unmoved as if it wasn't her who was being scolded.
Upon seeing this, Liu Guoqing grumbled all the way, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Song Juyao was a little evil. But then he doubted himself and thought that he was overthinking, it was just a ten-year-old child.
Song Jiyao looked at Liu Yan who was crying, and poured herself a glass of cold boiled water to drink. Drink more water, it's good for your health.
The program team's design involves gradually increasing the suffering that Song Jiyao must endure. She needs to feel there is nothing that is most painful but only more and more painful, and gradually destroy her mentally.
When her dad was still alive, at least she was just malnourished and a little tired. After her dad died, Liu Yan, the troublesome woman, became the source of her shackles and suffering, trapping her in the primary level of hell designed for her by the program team.
Originally, Liu Yan eventually remarried to Chen Lao Er, whose family owned a factory, made a lot of money, and built a four-story villa. Chen Lao Er was the richest man in the village.
Chen Lao Er had been eyeing Liu Yan for a long time. When he finally got the chance, he was afraid that someone else would get her first, so he immediately approached Liu Guoqing to act as a mediator. Despite the fact that Chen Lao Er's late wife had been killed by domestic violence, Liu Guoqing, being selfish, threatened and lured Liu Yan for money and finally succeeded.
The mother remarried and the daughter naturally followed, leading to the second level of hell.
After the marriage, for a period of time, Chen Lao Er was indeed good to Liu Yan, but it was unfortunate that it didn't last long before his true nature surfaced, and he began physically and verbally abusing Liu Yan. In order to protect Liu Yan, Song Jiyao was implicated and had her bones broken from being beaten numerous times.
Chen Lao Er and his late wife had a son who was two years older than Song Jiyao. He inherited Chen Lao Er's temper and frequently got into fights. He was also unattractive, and despite their family's wealth, it was unlikely that he would be able to find a wife given their reputation. And if something goes wrong, the woman's natal family would also make trouble.
So the old lady of the Chen family looked at Song Juyao and had the idea of getting her for Chen Lao Er's son. From then on, she was stared at like a child bride and for fear that she would run away, she was not allowed to even step out of the village.
This hell lasted until Song Juyao was 16 years old. Liu Yan finally couldn't take the abuse anymore and escaped from home, only to collide with a wealthy man's car in the big city during a rainstorm. It was then that the wealthy man took an interest in her and ended her suffering.
Song Jiyao lowered her eyelashes. Now, she will not follow the fate that the program team had designed for her. She wants to leave this cage.
"Yaoyao, what do you think we should do?" Liu Yan waited for a long time without Song Juyao's comfort, and asked in a low voice.