Chapter 29 — TVF Chapter 29

A Poor Family’s Hereditary Scumbag It had to be said—Ling Jing, armed with several patents Qin Jingzhou had handed over to her, established a pharmaceutical group with tacit official approval—and even covert support. That group aggressively encroached on Jiang Group’s “territory,” and before long, beat Jiang Group until it could barely fight back.

During this period, Ling Jing leveraged business dealings to come into contact with quite a few figures in the international pharmaceutical world. Through appropriate exchanges of interests, she obtained evidence or commitments to testify in court. Only then was the authorities able, with full justification, to arrest the Jiang siblings.

By the time the authorities had gathered sufficient evidence and formally approved the arrest of Chairman Jiang and Miss Jiang, Jiang Bowu and Xiao Min were already preparing to register their marriage.

Growing up starved for affection and living for years within the twisted, dark Jiang household, Jiang Bowu’s condition truly hadn’t looked optimistic when his dad first dragged him to treatment.

However, after systematic therapy and with the companionship of family, a lover, and friends, he recovered very well. Upon learning that his biological mother had finally gone to jail and would have to pay for the wrongs she’d committed over her lifetime, he merely let out a quiet sigh. After that, he even discussed with Xiao Min whether they should go to Jiang Ruitong’s grave to “announce the good news.”

Xiao Min, who took the opportunity to chat with the psychologist herself and had largely shaken off her past shadows, had eyes practically glowing. “You really are… a genius!”

The young couple took a jug of wine on a one-day trip to Jiang Ruitong’s grave. After returning home, the two of them seemed to enter a state of “letting go”—in the positive sense of the word.

Ling Jing made a special trip from Haishi to Jing City for this. When she invited Qin Jingzhou out for a meal, she said, “From this side, Jiang Bowu’s chances of blackening are already low enough to be negligible… so my mission is basically complete!”

Qin Jingzhou smiled. “Congratulations.”

Ling Jing asked happily, “I can leave at any time. What about you?”

Qin Jingzhou didn’t hide anything from this pleasant collaborator. “I plan to stay until this body reaches the end of its lifespan.”

Ling Jing thought for a moment. “That works. I’ll wait until you pass away before leaving too. To be honest—being a pharmaceutical queen is addictive, and it feels amazing.”

Qin Jingzhou raised his glass. “To understanding.”

Ling Jing raised hers as well. “To understanding.”

The two glasses clinked lightly, and they exchanged a smile.

When Qin Jingzhou finally left this world, he had already held great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren in his arms.

Go-With-The-Flow Martial Arts Hall had become one of Huaguo’s four great martial arts halls. The pharmaceutical group had become one of the world’s top four. Most disciples, after graduating, went on to become teachers or civil servants…

He and Ling Jing exchanged contact information, bid farewell, and went their separate ways. Neither of them knew that they would soon meet again in a new mission world.

Mission settlement complete. Qin Jingzhou, now quite practiced, checked off the materials he needed from the reward list and said to the system, “Next.”

The light on the system dimmed slightly. “Got it.” The main plot of the new mission world could be summed up as: a reborn woman taking revenge on a scumbag, then reaping true love with a devoted man.

After rebirth, the female lead deeply hated the scumbag on one hand, and on the other, completely awakened. Understanding the truth that “relying on mountains, mountains collapse; relying on water, water flows,” she carved out a splendid career path in a fictional ancient setting. Through her own strength, she gained a measure of control over her fate.

A female lead who seized both career and love—especially one who acted with principles—was quite likable in Qin Jingzhou’s eyes. Even knowing he’d be playing the father of the reborn heroine’s scumbag ex-husband, he still felt her revenge was entirely justified.

The system said, “This time, the mission is—” Qin Jingzhou watched the reborn heroine nearly shed a layer of skin just to divorce the scumbag, then still had to get her natal family to accept her. After regaining her footing, she began trying to lease storefronts and start a business. “Teach the scumbag a lesson, fulfill the heroine?” “No. End the era of division and ensure at least fifty years of peace under heaven.” Qin Jingzhou: …That was genuinely unexpected.

The system continued, “The story’s male lead is a prince. The heroine is divorced and of humble birth, yet he’s dead set on marrying her—no matter who objects. After paying a considerable price, the male lead finally wins the beauty. We’ll skip the middle arc. Later, he ascends the throne as emperor, but his health is poor. Though he and the heroine share hardships together, fate is cruel. Before thirty, he dies of illness… In reality, he was poisoned. After his death, his three-year-old son inherits the throne, and the heroine becomes Empress Dowager. However, unable to bear the shock of her husband’s sudden death, she passes away a year later from excessive grief…” Qin Jingzhou picked up, “And after that, chaos erupts as contenders fight over the throne, plunging the realm into turmoil?” “Yes.” “At the current point in time, has the heroine divorced my scumbag son yet?” “Not yet.” Qin Jingzhou thought for a moment. “I support the heroine’s divorce. But the former father-in-law wholeheartedly protecting his former daughter-in-law—and even shielding and exhausting himself for her new husband—doesn’t that feel… odd?”

The system had to admit it. “It is… quite subtle.” Qin Jingzhou pointed at a line of text floating in his mind. “Here… when the male lead says he has no interest in becoming emperor and would rather grow old with the heroine—is that sincere?”

The system replied, “Probably sincere. Before setting his heart on marrying the heroine, he was pretty much a salted fish—born with that high-end, perpetually unmotivated face.” That kind of male lead setup was truly rare.

Qin Jingzhou smiled. “Then I’ll see if I can spare him that trouble—let him live freely as a prince and aim to grow old together with the heroine.” After a pause, he asked, “Among the old emperor’s sons, are there any other promising candidates?” “There are.” The system immediately highlighted a prince. “If this one hadn’t died in an accident, the throne likely wouldn’t have gone to the male lead at all.” Perfect.

Qin Jingzhou formed a plan. First, he’d see if this prince—who died accidentally in the original plot—would do. If not, he’d personally train one. After all, as a hall master in the previous world, he’d taken in countless disciples—he’d done plenty of teaching. And just because he intended to fulfill the reborn heroine didn’t mean he’d let the scumbag son run wild… especially after seeing what that scumbag did in the plot.

His fists clenched.

Damn it. Unfortunately, every world had its own rules. For now, he couldn’t just toss that thing back into the furnace.

The original body’s scumbag son was named Yu Depei. He inherited the original body’s good looks—handsome and presentable… fine. Sweet-tongued and beautiful, he’d completely bewitched the heroine, who insisted on marrying him.

The heroine’s parents felt Yu Depei wasn’t a good match, but their daughter was determined. Loving her dearly, they could only grant her wish.

After marrying in, the heroine enjoyed only a few good days before discovering her husband was not only promiscuous but also a gambler. To get gambling money from her, he even laid hands on her!

Compared to the imperial family, the heroine’s background was indeed humble—but in truth, her family were major landowners. It was just that for two generations, no male family member had passed the imperial exams, so their status wasn’t high.

Meanwhile, although the original body’s family wasn’t wealthy—calling them rich would be a stretch—because the Yu clan was a local gentry family, with the clan head’s eldest son serving as a third-rank Minister of Works, their standing was solid.

In this era, marriage might involve just two families, but divorce could implicate two entire clans. Thus, even with reason on her side, the heroine’s attempt to leave was extraordinarily difficult.

Yet according to the original body’s memories, his son hadn’t had a gambling addiction before.

Thinking of the original body’s monstrous family members, Qin Jingzhou had his answer.

The original body’s mother had been born to tenant farmers. Because she was pretty, her family sold her—sending her to town to serve a local squire.

She was the typical type with ambitions higher than the sky, convinced she could seduce the young master, bear a son, and secure her position. The matron of the household saw through her schemes and directly kicked the restless maid out.

Seeing this, her family married her off to someone farther away. Warned by the squire’s household, they didn’t even dare ask for a high bride price.

Thus, she had no choice but to marry the original body’s father, a farmer with modest means. No matter how unwilling she was, she had to accept it. After giving birth to three sons and a daughter, her situation improved.

As the sons grew up, the second son, Yu Jingzhou—the original body—showed considerable scholarly talent.

His teacher liked him so much that he even married his daughter to him, along with a substantial dowry. The original body also lived up to expectations, passing the xiucai exam at twenty, ranking first in his cohort.

The original body’s mother saw “business opportunities” in him. Unfortunately, by the time he passed, the older sons and grandsons were already married. Only her youngest daughter and the grandchildren born to Yu Jingzhou remained as bargaining chips.

Illiterate herself, she saw no issue with her parents selling her. As a mother and grandmother, selling her daughter’s and grandchildren’s marriages naturally felt justified.

On top of that, the second daughter-in-law was her niece by marriage. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law colluded shamelessly. During the years Yu Jingzhou spent away preparing for the imperial exams, they constantly incited his eldest son to resent his circumstances and to stop at nothing for money—after all, didn’t books say “a man cannot achieve greatness without ruthlessness”? Yu Depei’s descent into gambling was the result of their repeated, “unintentional” instigation.

Yu Jingzhou, who passed xiucai at twenty, was no fool. He knew perfectly well how malicious his mother and second sister-in-law were.

But passing first in the xiucai became the peak of his life, as if his luck had been exhausted. Over the next twelve years, he took the provincial exam four times and failed every time. During those twelve years, he drained both his own family and his in-laws dry. That was why he remained indifferent as his mother and sister-in-law schemed against his own children.

With his already frail wife dead and his father-in-law gravely ill and unable to take students, both families had sold off everything. Yu Jingzhou knew both households were on the brink of collapse—but he utterly refused to admit failure and return home in disgrace. If his mother really could earn a fortune through marriage arrangements, then his own situation might ease as well.

Qin Jingzhou pressed his temple lightly. The original body’s mother, the original body himself, and the original body’s son—this selfishness truly ran in the bloodline.

The only reason he didn’t consider the original body’s father and two brothers selfish was that, at present, all three were laboring in the county to scrape together money for Yu Jingzhou.

And it was precisely because the father and brothers were away that the original body’s mother and second sister-in-law pulled off something major: under their instigation, Yu Depei seduced a passing commandery princess.

The most ridiculous part?

He succeeded.

The princess truly fell deeply in love with him.

No wonder the novel only eliminated this villain son two-thirds of the way through. With a princess as backing, it made perfect sense.

With the princess as his shield, Qin Jingzhou thought: this scumbag son might be hard to manage.

But if the princess fell for him, it was probably because he was handsome.

Qin Jingzhou said solemnly, “I’m seriously considering temporarily disfiguring the scumbag son—and adding permanent impotence. That should be double insurance, right?”

The system fell silent for a moment before advising, “You could also raise your own standing first—like passing the provincial exam. That’d be a two-pronged approach too.” “That makes sense.”

At this moment, Qin Jingzhou fully donned the original body’s identity. Coordinating with the memories, he opened his eyes.

So I’m in the provincial exam hall.

He looked down at the exam paper.

What kind of bullshit answers are these?!

In this world, the provincial exam was a single sitting—but candidates had to stay in the examination compound for five consecutive days. There was only one day left before papers were collected.

If he couldn’t finish properly—and failed again, marking his fifth consecutive failure—then perhaps he truly had no right to lecture his scumbag son.