When the chauffeur's son brought home an unidentified girl and asked me to take care of her, rows of bullet comments suddenly floated before my eyes:

"Amazing! The male and female leads are both reborn, meeting early! This time, they won't be separated by worldly obstacles for so many years."

"If it weren't for the wicked female antagonist meddling, this sweet romance novel would be even more addictive."

"The wicked female antagonist, relying on her father being a General, never gave the male lead a good look. She's simply bullying him by flaunting her power."

"She even self-righteously believes her family single-handedly raised the male lead to power, forcing him to pamper her without dignity. But honestly, without her help, the male lead could still become an unattainable magnate on his own."

At this moment, the chauffeur's son looked at me, his eyes devoid of their usual respect and politeness, replaced by arrogance and disdain, gleaming with the greedy light of a venomous snake. I wanted to see how, with this "double rebirth" setup, an adopted orphan and a girl of unknown origin would claw their way up through the currents of time to become revered figures of power.

1

Jared Starkwood sat on my living room sofa, popping open a can of lychees for Lucy Astor, pouring them into my special white porcelain bowl. Seeing me staring at Lucy, his eyes immediately filled with defensiveness, and he shifted to block my view: "Eleanor Patton, this is Lucy Astor, my girlfriend. You'll personally take care of her from now on. Her skin is delicate, so the bedding must be Soviet-made. She's not used to small rooms, so she'll sleep in your room from now on. You move out."

He brazenly tore open a rationed 'October Factory' chocolate, military-issue, handing it to Lucy. When he turned to me, his face was filled with contempt: "Eleanor Patton, I'll stay by your side, but I won't love you. If you can continue to help me wholeheartedly climb the ladder, I can spare your life." Lucy leaned weakly against Jared, wearing the thick wool felt slippers my father had specially brought back for me from the Soviet Union. The bullet comments on my screen surged with excitement:

"Wow! His attitude is so strong! He just throws shade at the rich lady from the get-go. This is how a true sweet romance should start!"

"The double rebirth setting is so good! The wicked female antagonist wants to force the male lead to marry her using her family's influence and even plans to make the female lead lose her innocence at the dance hall. That's impossible this time around!"

"In the previous life, the wicked female antagonist forced the male lead to study abroad in England for four years to break up the couple, completely tearing them apart. So heartbreaking!"

"Thank goodness the male lead met a benefactor after returning from abroad, eventually ruining the wicked female antagonist's family, branding them with treason, never to recover!"

My brow twitched, reading these scrolling words. Jared straightened up, chest puffed out, his face surprisingly bearing the open confidence and nobility he had cultivated from power in his previous life. "Mom Eleanor, peel me a Beijing white pear, the fresh batch from Men Tou Gou, North Gate."

The bullet comments were furiously scrolling. I finally understood—the world I was in was a modern sweet romance novel, and the "wicked female antagonist, the rich young lady" in the comments, was me.

In the plot, after Jared brought the homeless Lucy back to my house for me to care for her, the two of them developed a growing intimacy. Unwilling to have my childhood sweetheart stolen, I resorted to manipulative tactics: to give him a taste of power and wealth, I continuously helped him rise, even using my family's connections to send him to study abroad, severing his ties with Lucy. After returning to the country, Jared married me, becoming a model husband in the eyes of outsiders, but in his heart, he always longed for Lucy, his unattainable 'white moonlight.' And Lucy, after losing his help, was forced to work in a dance hall for a living and lost her innocence. After gaining power, Jared supported Lucy, spending lavishly and cavorting with her, blaming all of Lucy's suffering on me. Later, he conspired with outsiders to frame my family, accusing us of treason. My parents, after clearing their names, died of grief, and I was poisoned to death by them. They then ostentatiously squandered my family's fortune, only to drown and be reborn on a seaside trip, waking up on this very day—the day Jared first brought Lucy to my house. My expression was cold, finding it absurd: these two, an adopted child of a chauffeur and an abandoned girl of unknown origin, actually think they can turn my family upside down? This plot trajectory was utterly preposterous.

Jared still thought he was the influential son-in-law of the Patton family from his previous life. Seeing "Mom Eleanor" motionless, he angrily rebuked me: "How can your Patton family have such an ignorant servant?" Facing his contempt, I raised my hand and slapped him. "Who do you think you are, raising your voice in my house?"

2

Lucy glared at me fiercely, then turned her head to gently caress Jared's face, saying, "I never thought Miss Patton would be such a rude and unreasonable person. If that's the case, Miss Patton is certainly not qualified to take care of me." She hooked her arm through Jared's, clinging to him like a small bird. "No need to get so angry over a maid. Just dismiss her and get a new one. Why lower yourself? Miss Patton is so barbaric; just kick her out." Her tone was full of the authority of a mistress, and I just wanted to laugh: "What kind of trash dares to ask for my care, and even wants to stay in my house? How absurd."

"Aunt Eleanor is my father's personal aide, a staff member under military jurisdiction, not a maid you can simply order around."

"Aunt Eleanor, please, dispose of the items these two lowlifes have used…"

Before I could finish, Jared tilted his head back, interrupting with an arrogant tone, "Eleanor Patton, you are simply too ill-mannered! I should really take your father's place and properly educate you!"

The bullet comments exploded in surprise: "How did the wicked female antagonist suddenly grow a brain? Shouldn't she willingly take care of the female lead? And become the male lead's stepping stone, submitting to his every whim?" "Did the plot shift? And why is the male lead acting so superior now? He's clearly just a chauffeur's adopted son, living on borrowed time." "Heh heh. The female antagonist just wants to deliberately attract the male lead's attention. Such cheap tricks."

Jared still wore a determined expression. "Since you insist on being so ill-mannered, then get out of this house!" Hearing him, I wanted to laugh. Was Jared even thinking clearly? He wanted to kick me out of my own house. It seemed he was still immersed in his role as the powerful son-in-law from his previous life. My house, by what right did he tell me to leave?

I picked up the rotary phone receiver and dialed the guard at the gate: "There are two troublemakers at the house. Please clear them out." Jared and Lucy looked at each other as if they had heard a joke. "Clear them out? I'd like to see, when General Patton returns, who he'll clear out, you or me!" He said with absolute certainty, "General Patton in the previous life wholeheartedly promoted me to a high position because he valued my talent and ability. For my sake, he will definitely kick you out!"

In the previous life, with my father's support, Jared gradually climbed the ladder of power. My father's esteem for him also meant that the security guards and household staff almost always obeyed his every word. This greatly nourished his ambition. But for him to act so high and mighty now, his brain must have truly been eaten by a dog.

As soon as my father arrived home, shedding his military uniform, Jared unceremoniously approached him. He acted as if my father would definitely side with him, stating directly, "General Patton, you really have raised a good daughter. She actually wants to kick me out. I asked her to take care of Lucy, such a helpless orphan girl, and she, with a heart of stone, slapped me." My father was a traditional man who deeply valued family reputation and harmony. In our previous life, whenever there were family conflicts, my father often urged me to back down. But now, my father looked at Jared, his eyes filled only with surprise and exasperation. Without even raising his eyes, he told the security guard: "From now on, don't let just any stray cat or dog into the house, especially those with poor judgment. What if they hurt Quinn?"

Jared, hearing my father's words, couldn't believe the General, who had always valued him, would be so heartless. He composed himself, commanding in an unshakeable tone, "You should kick Eleanor Patton out of this house! Only then will I wholeheartedly support you and become your right-hand man!" My father burst out laughing, unable to believe his ears. "Sacrifice my daughter for you? I'm a military general. Do I really need a greenhorn like you, who's never even seen a battlefield, as my right-hand man? Don't make me laugh."

"I used to let you come to the house often just to entertain Quinn." Jared couldn't believe my father's current attitude towards him. He was incredulous: "That's not how it was! You were supposed to value me greatly, promote me to your position! I was supposed to be your most prized subordinate, your favorite son-in-law!" My father chuckled, waving his hand for the security guard to escort him out. "I guess I'm just too approachable. To think he would actually covet my Quinn. How utterly despicable."

Life quieted down for a few days. Then, the Northwood Restaurant called our house. Someone was using the Patton family's name to consume lavishly and charge it to their account. The bullet comments on my screen instantly boiled over:

"So cool! Taking the female lead to eat delicacies! Is this the privilege of the elite class?"

"After the male lead packs up the last portion of Leningrad caviar, he meets his benefactor. With this precious caviar, he will definitely connect with this benefactor, making it imperative to destroy the wicked female antagonist's family and climb over them to power."

"But why is the male lead acting like a gold-digger? Making them charge it to the female antagonist's account is such a petty move."

3

The restaurant, inside and out, was packed with onlookers. Rumor had it that General Patton's son was buying all the caviar in Northwood Restaurant. Before even stepping into the private room, I could hear Jared's voice: "Another Northwood Peking duck, the kind directly from Yuquan Mountain Farm, and remember to brand the duck with a five-pointed star!"

"Also, the silver fish from Lake Tai, transported fresh by speedboat. If it's not fresh, I don't want it."

The waiter taking the order looked troubled, but forced a smile, his tone gentle: "Sir, purchasing these items requires special supply coupons. On top of the coupons, you might also need to show your father's identification, or your military family dependent ID, and then pay the corresponding price." Jared put on a grand facade, his face unchanged, as if everything was under control. He said calmly: "Just charge these to the account for now. My family's personal aide will come to settle it at the end of the month."

"General Patton spoils me excessively. These small things, he wouldn't even think twice about them. My father, the General, is just such a generous person." Lucy still leaned limply against Jared, acting like a small woman who relied on him for everything: "Jared, a young talent, General Patton must be so proud of you!" The waiter looked at the two of them, filled with doubt. From the moment he started working at this restaurant, he was well-versed in the family connections of all the Generals and high-ranking officials. But years of professional etiquette allowed him to speak impeccably: "General Patton is our national hero, beloved by everyone, so he's naturally very generous."

Jared said nonchalantly, "That's only natural. My father has always been like that." His eyes gleamed with pride, coupled with the casualness in his tone, completely fooling the onlookers outside. However, Jared's patched-up shirt, mended with various colors, and his mud-splattered pant legs betrayed him.

The bullet comments, upon seeing my entrance, immediately erupted: "The wicked female antagonist sees the male lead's unyielding and proud demeanor, and her heart must be filled with adoration, so she buys everything in one go!" "If the villainess won't even pay for a meal, she truly doesn't deserve the last shred of kindness the male lead still holds for her." The waiter was sweating profusely, trying to skillfully delay Jared without offending him, while also signaling for me and waiting for my arrival, truly making him as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. Seeing me, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing everyone gathered around the private room door, I spoke directly: