AYLS -Chapter 177

“Player, you’ve cleared the level. You can make a wish. I’ll help you snatch the inheritance.”

Dazed, Xiao Qiao seemed to hear a voice. It was Fat Cat’s voice.

Inheritance?

She had stopped wanting that a long time ago.

Her father’s things were his own, and he had already betrayed her and her mother. What meaning would there be in fighting for it now?

Gu Huayuan had taught her to be self-reliant.

She would support herself, build her own career.

Yes—Gu Huayuan. She wanted Gu Huayuan.

“I don’t want the inheritance. I just want Gu Huayuan to live, to live well in front of my eyes.”

“…Alright.” The voice gradually faded away.

When Lin Qiao regained consciousness, the familiar ceiling was above her.

This was the room she had lived in for many years.

She still held her phone in her hand, the registration page for “Recollect Hardship, Appreciate Sweetness” still open.

Everything felt like a dream.

But it had felt so real, and the heartache was real too. All of it told her this wasn’t a dream.

She had truly gone to another world, lived there for a long time, and learned so much.

She had overcome hardships, learned skills, and helped everyone.

She had promised to raise the largest livestock farm in the country, to make sure everyone could eat meat—but she hadn’t achieved that.

And… Gu Huayuan.

Tears instantly streamed down Lin Qiao’s face.

She cried uncontrollably.

Every day she had been doing meaningful work, meeting so many like-minded people.

And Gu Huayuan was such a good person.

“Fat Cat, are you still there? Are you still there? Can you let me go back to that world once more? Can you take me to the time before Gu Huayuan got hurt? I want to save him.”

Lin Qiao tried, with all her effort, to communicate with Fat Cat as she always had.

But there was no response at all.

That space in her mind was gone, and Fat Cat was gone too.

Fat Cat had left.

She could no longer go to that world.

All night, Lin Qiao barely moved, lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, memories of the past flooding her mind.

The next morning, when the butler came to wake her for breakfast, she didn’t respond.

This frightened everyone else at home, so they called a nanny to come wake her.

When they saw she was fine but just deeply sad, with swollen eyes from crying, they quickly reported back to the housekeeper.

Upon hearing the news, the housekeeper called the head of the household, Lin Dajin.

After listening in silence for a moment, he finally said, “Let her be for now. Don’t interfere.”

Then he hung up.

Lin Qiao stayed at home for a week, eating little, drinking little, and not going outside.

Her phone rang many times, and eventually messages came, asking her to reply.

She glanced at them; all were from her old sisters.

Everyone was offering advice and support.

Lin Qiao had no interest. She didn’t want the family fortune and wouldn’t fight for it.

Right now, she was simply sad—deeply sad—and didn’t want anything.

Suddenly, her phone rang again. It was a message.

Lin Qiao hadn’t wanted to check it, but when she saw it was from Fat Cat, she immediately opened it.

“Player, I’m sorry I deceived you again. That native, Gu Huayuan, didn’t die. Your mission progress was about to complete, and I lied to absorb your negative energy. That last video was fake. Finally, I wish your wish comes true.”

He didn’t die—Gu Huayuan didn’t die!

Lin Qiao jumped off the bed and stared at it repeatedly. It was true. That was what it said. She tried replying, asking how that world was now, but the message wouldn’t send. Yet this only confirmed that the message had truly come from Fat Cat.

Lin Qiao cried and laughed at the same time, her heart overflowing with joy.

It felt like the sky had cleared. She had always worried about returning and being separated from Gu Huayuan, but now knowing he was safe made her content.

As long as he lived well, the two worlds could remain as they were. As for whether Fat Cat was lying again… Lin Qiao only wanted to believe in the good news.

She wiped her tears and noticed the remnants on the back of her hand, along with the discomfort in her eyes, and only then realized how utterly slumped she had become.

This wouldn’t do. One couldn’t live like this—life needed to be meaningful.

After quickly tidying herself up, Lin Qiao stepped out of her room, taking a careful look at this familiar yet strangely different world.

The butler greeted her cheerfully, “Miss Lin Qiao, you’re finally out. What would you like for breakfast today? I can have the chef prepare it for you.”

Lin Qiao inhaled the morning air and smiled. “Just some millet porridge and steamed buns, with an egg.”

“Ah?” The butler looked at her in surprise. But Lin Qiao had already walked away, heading out for a run.

After a round of jogging, she returned and realized her body was still weak. It wasn’t like before in that other world, where constant busy work and occasional exercise had made her stronger every day.

She decided to pay more attention to exercising from now on and take good care of her health.

Health is the foundation for everything. She needed to be able to support herself and become a capable person.

Back home, breakfast was already laid out—a variety of dishes, and even just the millet porridge and buns were prepared in multiple flavors.

The butler explained that these were different tastes.

Lin Qiao: …

Had she really been this extravagant before?

“No, no, from now on, just a bowl of plain millet porridge, a plain bun, and an egg. Uncle Wu, we need to save and avoid wasting.”

“That’s unnecessary. We’re not lacking anything at home. Miss Lin Qiao, you need enough nutrition. You’ve lost weight recently.”

As a proper butler, he couldn’t allow the family’s heir to be malnourished.

“I’m fine. My body is very strong now. And… Uncle Wu, I probably won’t be living this kind of life anymore. I need to learn to be frugal. You know about my father, right? I may not be staying here.”

“….” The butler said nothing. This was not something he could intervene in.

Still, after the meal, he reported the situation to his employer.

“Did Lin Qiao really say that?”

“Yes. It seems Miss Lin Qiao has truly grown up.”

Lin Dajin felt relieved, but also a pang of heartache.

Yet it still wasn’t enough.

He hoped Lin Qiao could learn to fight for herself—if necessary, even scheming to take over the family inheritance. At least it would prove she could protect herself in the future.

Alas, he had spoiled her too much before, thinking he could shield her forever…

Unfortunately, Lin Qiao had no interest in family wealth.

After breakfast, she started planning for her own future.

She must support herself and be independent.

But at present, her knowledge was limited. She couldn’t compare to elite talent.

So if she were to start a business, she first thought of her old line of work: animal husbandry.

Indeed, nowadays, farming was quite common, and the meat market was saturated.

But at least Lin Qiao knew that the workers she hired were picky eaters.

Her plan was to focus on natural, feed-free farming—just like in that previous world.

In that world, she couldn’t even get feed, which had forced her to master this skill.

Lin Qiao wasted no time. She quickly organized her savings.

She hadn’t kept much cash before, having been extravagant, but she still had plenty of valuable possessions in her name.

A pile of designer handbags, clothing, and shoes—enough to fill several rooms—all unopened.

Some jewelry as well.

And a few cars.

Adding it all up, Lin Qiao suddenly realized how wealthy she actually was.

Even if her father now refused to support her, she wouldn’t starve.

Her lifestyle might not be as luxurious as before, but for now, a bowl of millet porridge was enough. Why live extravagantly?

She immediately photographed all her items and searched online for a second-hand store to sell them, sending the photos over.

The buyer quickly asked if they were authentic.

“Guaranteed genuine. I just bought them. The boxes and packaging are intact.”

“If genuine, we’ll take them all!”

The deal was settled. Lin Qiao busily packed the items at home.

Several maids helped her, and it took the whole day to finish packing. Then she had the butler arrange a vehicle to transport everything.

The butler asked anxiously, “Miss, what are you doing?”

“These aren’t useful to me. I’m converting them into cash to buy what I need.” Lin Qiao wiped her sweat as she supervised the loading.

Seeing this unusual scene, the butler felt uneasy.

He hurriedly called Lin Dajin.

“Has she set her eyes on something new?” Lin Dajin thought of sending her money so she wouldn’t have to sell, but considering the circumstances, he didn’t say anything.

Still, his heart ached. Lin Qiao had been so frugal, even hesitant to buy new clothes, and now she had to sell second-hand items.

Looking at the photos on the table, Lin Dajin’s eyes reddened.

Lin Qiao didn’t care about her father’s reaction. After a few days of work, she had converted everything that could be turned into cash.

Just the clothes, bags, and shoes alone sold for eight million.

One of the most expensive bags was worth a million—after a discount. These items had simply been lying unused at home.

“…I really was that wasteful before!”

With the money in hand, she didn’t rush to sell her jewelry, keeping it as a backup.

Plus, selling jewelry required appraisal, which would slow down her business plans.

With cash ready, she immediately went with a driver to inspect potential farming locations.

Soon, she found a village in a county under the provincial capital. The village had abandoned fields because all the young people had gone out to work.

The mountains were of no use either.

The village was mostly filled with elderly people and children.

When the village chief heard that Lin Qiao wanted to lease the land for farming and breeding, he was overjoyed. With a big wave of his hand, he immediately signed the contract and even asked if Lin Qiao would be hiring workers.

“Yes. Anyone who’s diligent and willing to work, I’ll hire. Work well, and the pay will be high.”

“Alright! Don’t worry about the hiring, Director Lin. People in our village are definitely willing to work.”

The village chief was naturally pleased. With no investment coming back home, the young people couldn’t find jobs. Farming didn’t make money, so of course, they had to leave.

This had caused the village to become increasingly desolate and backward.

If young people were willing to return, the village could actually develop in the future.

When the villagers learned that Lin Qiao was going to build a breeding farm and hire workers, the elderly were overjoyed. They even brought their grandchildren over to see Lin Qiao, smiling and greeting her warmly.

Everyone was friendly yet a little shy.

Looking at them, Lin Qiao thought of the hardworking people she had once met in her previous world. She suddenly realized that she had found her life’s purpose in this world as well.

She wanted to give more people jobs, so they could work in their hometowns.

Her breeding farms would eventually spread throughout the countryside.

Later, she could even start food processing and create a full-service supply chain.

“Gu Huayuan, Zhenzhen, Ermie, can you see? I’m living diligently now.”

As an experienced farm manager, Lin Qiao handled the work very smoothly.

Once the village chief had gathered the workers, construction immediately began.

She personally selected the hatching eggs and old hens, as well as all the necessary tools and equipment.

Sales weren’t urgent yet. Among her friends, there were connections to supermarkets and hotel businesses—these were all potential channels.

Lin Qiao was busy and efficient at the farm, while in the city, major companies and elite families were buzzing with gossip.

After all, the news that the Lin family’s young lady, Lin Qiao, was selling off her personal property couldn’t be kept secret. It spread quickly, and everyone soon knew.

People were speculating about how ruthless Lin Dajin must be.

Even Lin Qiao’s so-called “plastic friends” started feeling genuinely sympathetic toward her.

Previously, they had only followed along for the drama, but now they realized how pitiful their friend really was.

She was so short on money that she had to sell her beautiful bags and shoes—these were treasures she valued dearly. Most women wouldn’t give up these prized possessions even for a man.

After discussing it, they decided to send Lin Qiao some money and offer advice on reclaiming her family’s property.

However, when they went to the Lin residence, they found it empty. Lin Qiao had moved out to focus on her business, leaving the main house behind.

She had relocated to a county town below, bringing along a nanny and a driver for assistance, and hadn’t returned to the main residence for a long time.

So, she had been essentially “kicked out.”

How ruthless.

The friends quickly went to look for Lin Qiao again.

After some twists and turns, they finally found her at the breeding farm—dusty and worn, dressed in a blue work uniform.

She wore a straw hat, a work suit, and a mask. If it weren’t for knowing her, no one would recognize her as Lin Qiao.

“What are you all doing here?”

Lin Qiao looked at them with delight.

Since returning, she had been so busy with work that she hadn’t visited them. They might have thought a month had passed, but to Lin Qiao, it had felt like years.