After the Sang-Style Beauty Married the Disabled Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Shen Jia-Li had been wearing the strawberry sticker for half the day without realizing it; it finally washed down the drain along with the water while he was showering.

He sat at the head of the bed, hugging his knees, his beige pajamas loose and hanging off one shoulder. Droplets of water from his damp hair occasionally fell, sliding down his neck and into his collar. He held his phone, inputting into the search bar: [Price of the most enclosed cemetery], [Price of the safest cemetery].

A burial plot of seven or eight square meters was priced at eight million! It was dubbed the “Underground CBD” and even came with a pavilion on the side. Even a decent, cheaper plot of land cost over a million. This was clearly not something he could afford.

Money.

At that moment, Shen Jia-Li suddenly developed a strong interest in money. Life was difficult without money, and even as a ghost, one couldn’t escape the word “money.” He had to make money must make money for the sake of a quiet and peaceful “back garden for the afterlife.”

And he had to choose a closed-off place with comprehensive security measures where no one could enter. Even if it wasn’t fully closed off, money could move ghosts; if he threw enough money at it, he could have it built into a “hui”  shape fully enclosed on all four sides, with an outer wall surrounding an inner wall. It would be best to make it in the style of a Matryoshka doll.

The mere thought of lying there where no one could get in no longer needing to listen to their fake, wailing, and mourning cries every few days was just… so! damn! satisfying!

For the first time, Shen Jia-Li felt such an intense emotional impact. His heart ached slightly, and he instinctively touched his chest.

However, a “depressive” soul never had plans. Even when it came to making money, he had no plan. Think of it, earn it. For the rest, he’d take it one step at a time.

Even though he fell asleep fantasizing about a beautiful future and his dreams were sweet, the Shen Jia-Li forced to get up early the next day felt his mood sink to an all-time low. Especially when he saw the variety of stickers on the dining table.

Nan Liujing stirred his coffee gently, took a sip, and didn’t even look up: “Why aren’t you wearing your strawberry today?”

Shen Jia-Li supported his chin with one hand, listless and weak, picking at the sausage on his plate with a fork. He had no appetite. “If you like it so much, go get a floral sleeve tattoo; it’s cool,” he said feebly.

Nan Liujing let out a sneer through his nose, put down his cup, picked up a sticker, and examined it: “Come here.”

Shen Jia-Li didn’t move until Uncle Li coughed beside him. He sighed gloomily while supporting his chin, gazed out the window, and slid his elbow forward, which brought his body slightly forward with it.

Smack. The next second, someone tapped the center of his forehead.

Shen Jia-Li froze and reached up to touch his forehead. A 3D sticker was there.

Shen Jia-Li: ???

He looked toward Nan Liujing, only to see Uncle Li already pushing him toward the foyer, leaving behind nothing but an emotionless back. He peeled off the sticker and looked at it.

A round of applause for the “society person,” Peppa Pig on the forehead.

That pink hairdryer was laughing somewhat idiotically, which perfectly suited Shen Jia-Li’s expression. Shen Jia-Li felt he was being mocked, but a “depressive” soul didn’t want revenge—revenge was exhausting; he just wanted to seek justice for himself.

So, he picked up the stack of 3D stickers on the table, went into Nan Liujing’s room, and covered his headboard with them. He also had to leave a few on his water glass and computer. Looking at his triumphant masterpiece, he left, highly satisfied.

The art class was scheduled once a week. There was no class today, so after eating nothing for breakfast and finishing his sticker project, Shen Jia-Li went back into his room to lie down. He drifted into a hazy sleep, and after an unknown amount of time, a buzzing vibration from his phone sounded in his ears.

He fumbled to find his phone and looked at the caller ID—it was a stranger’s number from the city without any notes. Since the original owner wouldn’t even deign to give people an “idiot” label, it was most likely a scam. Reject, reject.

But the other party didn’t even give Shen Jia-Li the chance to press the button to hang up; they hung up themselves, and then a text message was sent:

[Hello, classmate Shen Jia-Li. I am your professional college counselor. According to attendance records, you have been absent from many courses. This behavior will affect your graduation exam. Please report to the school today immediately. — Government Affairs Office, Jinhai University.]

Shen Jia-Li couldn’t believe it. It was bad enough to be married to a psychopathic villain, but why hadn’t the original owner graduated? Was he actually expected to take the original owner’s place and attend class? What kind of human suffering was this?

Snap. A light bubble suddenly burst in his mind. Before transmigrating into the book, although he had received an admission notice from a top institution, he had to defer his enrollment on the day of registration due to his mother’s death and his own heart attack.

During his hospital stays, he had often seen college students spontaneously organizing visits to see the elderly, wearing bright clothes, their hair styled beautifully, singing and dancing, freely pouring out their youth and reaping happy smiles. The feeling of envy was probably just like that when moved by the emotion, it would feel very beautiful, but because he had never possessed it, it was mixed with a hint of sourness.

Shen Jia-Li stared at the text message, reading it word by word several times, and finally decided. He opened the closet, shoved aside the ostentatious Lolita dresses, and meticulously picked out a new lake-blue shirt, layered with a simple white T-shirt, paired with high-waisted straight-leg jeans, and tied with a goose-yellow rabbit-ear silk scarf. He left the house before Uncle Li returned. To avoid looking too conspicuous, he specifically bought a backpack from a roadside shop, though it was empty inside, carrying only his phone.

Half an hour later.

Standing at the entrance of Jinhai University, looking at the towering, magnificent gate and the college students coming and going, for the first time, he felt the sun above his head wasn’t so blinding after all. Unlike the middle-aged people struggling in the workplace for years, college students were pure and enthusiastic. If you asked them for directions, they would tell you exactly how to go, and some would even lead you there personally.

Thus, Shen Jia-Li successfully found their academy’s Government Affairs Office.

The counselor was bald, as bright as a lightbulb. The moment he saw Shen Jia-Li, his tone was unfriendly:

“You have been absent for 36 sessions this semester and missed important professional certification exams. Theoretically, we cannot issue you a degree certificate, but the school is willing to give you one more chance. As long as you participate in the make-up exam and pass, you can graduate smoothly.”

Shen Jia-Li’s initially good mood was cast with gloom by this sentence. He was a liberal arts student, and math and science were his weaknesses, but the original owner majored in software engineering just those dense, earthworm-like codes were enough to torture him to death, and he still had to take a professional certification make-up exam…

Shen Jia-Li sat on the bench in the college lobby, hugging his legs, Gloomy. He sat on the stone steps by the campus road, hugging his legs Gloomy.  He sat in the pavilion by the school moat, hugging his legs, Gloomy.

He was visibly covered in a layer of haze, standing out of place among the group of students nearby, who were holding cameras, operating drones, and smiling with youthful radiance. Shen Jia-Li’s fingers twitched, and he instinctively looked at that group of students.

Wait, what did he see?

Why was the one surrounded by the crowd and smiling like a spring flower so familiar?

No, I have to disappear.

Shen Jia-Li hurriedly stood up, and in his haste, he dropped his backpack. A loud “smack” attracted the attention of that group of students.

The next second,

“Brother! Brother, why are you here!”

The boy striding toward him had an ever-widening smile. While waving his hand, he pinched his voice and called him “Brother” in a deliberately cute way.

Shen Jia-Li wanted to cry. The original text didn’t mention that Shen Lanqing and the original owner attended the same university!

Shen Lanqing ran up to him, grabbed his arm, leaned over slightly to look up at him, his face flushed red, unable to hide his surprise: “Brother, did you come to see me? I’m so happy.”

In the original text, Shen Lanqing’s height was set at 181cm, one centimeter taller than Shen Jia-Li. Therefore, to create that adorable, cute image from a TV drama of a child pestering an adult, Shen Lanqing deliberately bent over.

Shen Jia-Li shifted his gaze, his voice chilling: “I only came because I didn’t want to end up with only a high school diploma.”

Shen Lanqing didn’t understand; he stubbornly believed that Brother must have come to see him and was just using that as an excuse. He dragged Shen Jia-Li toward the group of students, afraid that he would run away, and even locked fingers with him. Shen Jia-Li struggled a bit, but found the other party had a very strong grip. Forget it, I give up.

“The college entrance exam is coming up soon, and the school is preparing a recruitment promotional video. I’m auditioning with some other classmates. Brother, won’t you cheer for me?” Shen Lanqing smiled.

Put that way, Shen Jia-Li remembered this plot point from the original book. The original owner and the protagonist both participated in the same audition. Originally, it was set for Shen Lanqing, but the original owner secretly used his “money power” to hijack the opportunity, leading to the awakening of the hidden blackening factors within Shen Lanqing. But in the end, Nan Feiyao stepped in to smooth things over and exposed the original owner’s evil deeds to the world, resulting in the original owner being condemned by all.

Naturally, the original owner had snatched the opportunity from the villain’s beloved; how could the villain tolerate him living in peace? It was yet another string of descriptions about “the small dark room” and “physical torture.”

The original text also mentioned that among these students was a spy for Nan Feiyao, who was always lingering by Shen Lanqing’s side, reporting his movements to Nan Feiyao at any time so he could be the “protector” who arrived first. That was how deeply Nan Feiyao loved.

Shen Jia-Li breathed a sigh of relief. Good. This plot won’t happen, and these two won’t come to bother me anymore.

The assistant director in charge of the promotional video was a senior student named Xiao Fa; he was the spy Nan Feiyao had hired with money. Seeing Shen Jia-Li, he quickly hid to the side and texted Nan Feiyao:

[Brother Nan, Level 1 Alert!]

In order to justify taking the commission, even if there was no opportunity, he had to deliberately create one.

Shen Jia-Li, who had been dragged into the crowd, was socially dead as he accepted a series of “Hello, senior.” He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and said listlessly: “Sorry, I have ultraviolet allergy. I’m leaving.”

Xiao Fa’s eyes dimmed. You want to leave? No way.

“Classmate Shen Jia-Li, hello. I’m also from the School of Computer Science. We’ve met before.” He reached out, smiling hypocritically at Shen Jia-Li.

Shen Jia-Li didn’t understand. I already said I was leaving; why are you shaking my hand?

Shen Jia-Li: “Sorry, I have stranger-skin-allergy. Leaving now.”

“Wait a second, classmate Shen. We are currently auditioning actors for the promotional video, and we think your external conditions are excellent. I wonder if you have any interest…”

“No interest, I have camera phobia.”

“It won’t take long.”

“Stop talking, my ‘can’t-be-delayed-for-a-second-or-I’ll-collapse’ syndrome is about to flare up.”

“If the audition is successful, the college will issue a bonus of 1,000 yuan. It’s an opportunity not to be missed.”

Shen Jia-Li looked up.

Money?

He stood straight: “When is the audition?”

“Right now.”

Xiao Fa chuckled secretly. He’s hooked, he’s hooked. Sure enough, the legendary “money-grubber” lived up to his reputation. Happiness MAX just wait for Brother Nan to descend from the sky to protect his flower, while I just sit back and collect the money.