I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Concentric Lock

“Wu Ya, what exactly do you mean?”

The sarcastic arc at the corner of Wu Ya’s mouth deepened. He spoke slowly, emphasizing every word: “Yuanqian Village. Wu Duofu. Zhang Jinhua. Wu Tiezhu, Wu Tiesheng, Wu Tiegen, Wu Tieniu, Wu Tiechui…”

He recited the names of every male in the Wu family with pinpoint accuracy, his gaze locking onto Li Qiaoqiao’s face, which had instantly turned deathly pale. “And, in those crappy headphones of yours… What was the male lead’s name again? Wu… Canghai?”

Boom!

Li Qiaoqiao felt as if something had exploded in her brain! All the clues linked together in an instant, piecing together a terrifying truth that chilled her to the bone.

“The Legend of Chancellor Canghai of Western Jin!” she murmured breathlessly, her lips trembling so much she could barely form a sentence. “We… we transmigrated into that book? The Kingdom of Western Jin… the famine years… the fourth branch of the Wu family…”

“Hmph,” Wu Ya snorted, a grim confirmation of her fears.

He leaned back against the cold mud wall. His eyes, now clear and sharp, were clouded with a heavy gloom. “Congratulations, you guessed right. We’ve become the fodder in that trashy novel, destined to be stepping stones for the protagonist and meet a miserable end.”

Cannon fodder…

Those words were like poisoned needles stabbing into Li Qiaoqiao’s nerves.

Fragments of the plot flooded her mind: the eldest son of the first branch, Wu Canghai. Right now, he was just a twelve-year-old student—seemingly unremarkable, but possessing a mind that was deep and ruthless. He harbored a burning hatred for his step-grandmother, Zhang Jinhua, and the way the other branches “oppressed” his family.

In the book, he plotted step by step to force a family separation. Afterward, his career took off like he was using cheat codes, eventually reaching the pinnacle of power as the Grand Chancellor who controlled the entire imperial court.

And as part of his vengeful purge, the fourth branch…

Li Qiaoqiao looked at Wu Ya suddenly, her eyes filled with dread. In the novel, Wu Tieniu (now Wu Ya) was orchestrated into an “accident” by the protagonist during a period of forced labor a few years later—crushed to death by a falling boulder!

And shortly after his death, the original Li Qiaoqiao was sold off to a passing human trafficker and was never heard from again!

Death and being sold. That was their ending.

Li Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but shiver; her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

The room fell into a dead silence. Time seemed to freeze. In the face of this massive existential crisis, even hunger seemed to temporarily take a back seat.

“Scared?” Wu Ya glanced sideways at her. His tone lacked emotion, possessing only a cold, clinical calm. “Regretting it now?”

Li Qiaoqiao snapped her head up.

“Who’s crying!” She jerked her neck back, her voice cracking with emotion. “I’m angry! I’m furious!”

She wiped her nose aggressively, her eyes turning fierce once more. “How old is that brat Wu Canghai right now? Twelve? His wings haven’t even grown in yet. Why the hell should I be afraid?”

Right! Wu Canghai wasn’t the all-powerful Grand Chancellor yet! He was just a kid struggling under Zhang Jinhua’s thumb, getting squeezed by the other branches!

A brief but crystal-clear consensus was reached in their silent exchange.

Alliance! To stay alive!

“Gurgle…”

An exceptionally loud, almost protesting stomach growl erupted from Wu Ya’s midsection, serving as the most poorly timed background noise.

Li Qiaoqiao blinked, her gaze landing on the small, broken bowl on the wooden stump—the one containing only half a bowl of watery dregs.

She found it a little funny.

Wu Ya’s face darkened three shades further. Gritting his teeth and radiating a sense of humiliated rage, he issued another command, attempting to salvage his newly established “leader” persona: “Food!”

He was succinct, glaring at her fiercely. “Go get more. Now. Understand?”

Li Qiaoqiao stood up slowly, dusting off her patched clothes.

She walked over to the stump and picked up the pathetic little bowl. The thin liquid inside sloshed around. Under Wu Ya’s murderous gaze, she flashed a perfectly innocent smile. “Young Master Wu, you’re playing the ‘idiot,’ remember?”

She elongated her tone, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “The ‘idiot’ husband only gets this much, right? We have to stay in character!”

She tilted her chin up toward her own large, empty bowl and announced righteously, “As for me, I’ve been starving for two days and I’ve barely just lined my stomach. I’m not full yet! So the next meal…”

She paused deliberately, meeting Wu Ya’s flaming eyes with a fox-like grin:

“Of course—I. Eat. First.”

Wu Ya gritted his teeth so hard they nearly snapped.

Two days! He had spent two whole days playing a drooling fool and eating pig swill just to wait for this moment of alliance, and this woman was already playing games?

“Li Qiaoqiao,” Wu Ya squeezed every word through his teeth, “don’t push your luck.”

He moved. It wasn’t the sluggish crawl of an idiot; it was the swift strike of a predator!

He lunged from the kang like a starving tiger, aiming straight for the large empty bowl she held in her arms!

He had calculated it clearly—this woman had just eaten. That small bowl of watery soup wouldn’t even get stuck in his teeth. Even an empty large bowl, with whatever scraps could be scraped from the bottom, was better than pig feed!

“Holy crap! Wu Ya, you’re actually trying to rob me?” Li Qiaoqiao’s soul nearly left her body!

Her feistiness instantly turned into a food-guarding instinct. She shrieked, her body reacting faster than her brain as she hugged the large bowl tightly to her chest.

Wu Ya’s hunger-crazed hand had already clamped onto the rim!

“Let go!”

“In your dreams! This is my bowl! This is my life!” Li Qiaoqiao roared, her fingernails clawing recklessly at the back of Wu Ya’s hand.

She didn’t care about “ex-husbands” or “CEOs.” In her law of survival, anyone stealing her food was a mortal enemy!

The cramped, dilapidated room instantly became a battlefield.

Two people—one starving CEO and one woman willing to die for a bite—tussled shamelessly over a bowl that had been licked cleaner than a dog’s plate.

Clatter! Thud!

Two distinct sounds rang out almost simultaneously, cutting through the heavy breathing and cursing.

The pair froze mid-struggle.

Li Qiaoqiao felt something hard press against her chest. Looking down, she saw that her patched, coarse tunic had been pulled open slightly. An irregular, palm-sized stone had fallen from her bosom.

At the same time, Wu Ya felt his waistband loosen. Something slid out.

It was also half a stone. Its shape seemed to perfectly match the jagged edge of the half that had fallen from Li Qiaoqiao!

The air seemed to solidify.

Li Qiaoqiao forgot to guard her bowl; Wu Ya forgot to snatch the food. Both were frozen like statues, their eyes locked onto the two pieces of broken stone on the floor.

They looked so familiar!

A “buzz” echoed in Li Qiaoqiao’s head as memories of their wedding day in their previous life came rushing back. The kindly Old Master Wu had solemnly placed a pair of stone locks into her and Wu Ya’s hands.

“Ya, Qiaoqiao, these are the ‘Concentric Locks’ passed down by our ancestors. They aren’t worth much—just old stones. But remember: as long as you live, the locks must remain! Wear them close to your skin. They will keep you safe and lock your destinies together.”