"Brother, this woman is going to be sold to a brothel anyway. Why don't we brothers have our way with her first? I haven't touched a woman in so long!"
Li Yue Shu's head throbbed as she groggily opened her eyes, only to see a fat, dark, and ugly man pouting and lunging at her.
Before she could think, she lifted her leg and kicked.
"Ah—"
With a scream, the two men fell to the ground, howling in pain.
Li Yue Shu's breathing was ragged, and she was still surprised at how her physical condition had deteriorated when she looked up and noticed she was in a forest, and the two men were dressed in rough ancient linen.
The next moment, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into her mind.
Li Yue Shu was stunned.
She had transmigrated!
To be precise, she had transmigrated into a novel she had stayed up all night reading, becoming a cannon fodder tool character with the same name as herself!
And one who died a miserable death!!!
Wait, where were the four terrifying villainous cubs of the original owner?
Li Yue Shu's heart tightened, and she hurried home, too concerned to bother with the two men still groaning on the ground.
...
In the dilapidated, drafty old house, two five-year-old children were squatting together.
They were thin and dark, but their delicate features were undeniable.
They looked about seven or eight parts alike, clearly twins.
The boy frowned and sighed, "That woman still hasn't come back. Did she run away?"
"It's better if she ran away, so she wouldn't torment us anymore!" the girl gritted her teeth angrily.
"Third Sister, have you forgotten Brother's words?" the boy looked at her disapprovingly. "If it weren't for that woman, we would become orphans. The villagers would definitely arrange for someone to adopt us. No one would adopt four children directly, so we would be separated."
The girl bit her lip.
She knew this too, which was why she had held back countless times when she wanted to kill that woman.
The boy sighed, "If Fourth Brother hadn't suddenly fallen ill, how would that woman have found an opportunity to slip away!"
Speaking of which, their gazes turned to the little boy sleeping on the bed.
The little boy was three years old, but he was as thin as a child over a year old. His ordinary appearance was pale due to his illness, making one feel pity.
The girl looked at her younger brother on the bed with heartache. "It's best if that woman ran away. If she dares to come back, I'll chop off her legs so she can't go anywhere!"
Her fierce tone didn't sound like a joke at all, as if she were holding a knife and about to pounce at any moment.
Li Yue Shu, who had just heard everything at the doorstep: "..."
"Who said I ran away?"
The sudden voice startled the two children in the room. They became instantly vigilant, their gazes fiercely fixed on the doorway, as if looking at enemies.
Li Yue Shu looked at the two children who were like wolf cubs, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
The original owner, Li Yue Shu, was the sister of the female protagonist, Li Xiang Ru. However, due to her lack of favor, she was forced to become the stepmother of four children.
Compared to her sister who soared to prominence, the original owner was naturally unwilling, so she poured all her resentment onto the four children.
Under her torment, the four children successfully went astray and became villains who wreaked havoc on the world, posing many obstacles to the female protagonist's path to ascend the throne.
As ruthless villains, the "successful" four children naturally did not forget their indispensable stepmother.
Thus, Li Yue Shu was tortured by the four children in turn.
Even the ten great tortures of the Qing Dynasty were considered mild!
Thinking of the cruel torture details described in the book, she couldn't help but shiver.
According to the original owner's memory, she had been tormenting the four little villains for over a year.
Not only did she wear down the children, assigning them all the chores, and frequently beating and scolding them, but she also snatched the four children's money to buy herself rouge, powder, and new clothes.
And the half-grown children, in this cold weather, were still wearing summer short shirts, looking very pitiful.
If she ran away now, the little villains wouldn't let her go when they grew up.
Therefore, there was only one way to escape that tragic death!
She must reform them before the four little villains grew up!
Li Yue Shu showed the two children a smile. "Are you both hungry? Mother will make you something delicious now."
She tried her best to make her smile look kind and amiable, but her disheveled appearance after rushing back only made her look more like a malevolent ghost in the eyes of the two children.