After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

As the time approached Shenshi (3-5 PM), after traversing winding mountain paths, Xiao Ran and a group of girls finally arrived at Yindu Temple at the summit. The temple gates were open, adorned with exquisite Buddha statues and intricate patterns.

Upon entering the temple, a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere permeates the space, making one feel refreshed and relaxed. There are only a few monks inside, who are currently copying scriptures and worshipping Buddha.

Chen Ruonan knew how to choose a location; this temple was a quiet place where no one would notice what she was doing.

Seeing that she was standing there in a daze, Shen You waved and called out, "Ranran, come here quickly."

Xiao Ran then came to her senses. Since she was already there, she decided to do as the locals do and quickly walked into the temple.

Upon entering the hall, Shen You led her to the Buddha statue. The statue stood solemn and elegant, with a serene expression. Its face was compassionate and gentle, its eyes half-closed, seemingly observing everything in the world.

Xiao Ran stared into the eyes of the Buddha statue, whose gaze seemed to see right through her, making her feel somewhat uneasy.

After all, what happened to her was too bizarre and absurd for even her to understand and explain.

She stepped forward, knelt on the prayer mat, clasped her hands together, and silently prayed, "Buddha above, I do not know why I have been given a second chance at life, but since fate has arranged it this way, there must be a reason for it. If that is the case, then please, Buddha, bless me so that my injustice may be redressed."

This will allow her to survive in this turbulent situation.

Perhaps it was Xiao Ran's sincerity that made the enormous Buddha statue remain motionless, but she seemed to see a relieved smile on the Buddha's face, and she also seemed to hear... a soft laugh?

But she thought it was a hallucination. When she opened her eyes, she found that Shen You and Luo Rou had already finished praying to Buddha and were joking around in the backyard, so she got up and went over.

Just as she was about to step into the courtyard, she heard Shen You's teasing voice. The voice was playful and provocative, making her curious about what they were talking about.

She then leaned out halfway to peek.

Shen You teased Luo Rou, saying, "Whose son have you promised yourself to? Is it that exceptionally talented and handsome young man from the Jiang family?"

Luo Rou blushed slightly, "Sister Shen, please don't tease me!"

"Oh dear, I saw you chasing after him in the academy to get answers to your questions that day!" Shen You covered her mouth and chuckled.

"I didn't, I just..."

"Just what?" Then came Shen You's playful laughter.

Xiao Ran lowered her eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and she slowly lowered her hand that was holding the door.

In truth, once she heard the name "Jiang Hou's son," she lost all interest in listening.

Jiang Hou's son... Jiang Shaorong.

She closed her eyes, the mutual respect and affection she shared in her past life still vivid in her mind.

But soon, her past life's death told her that their past life's fate was over, and she would never marry again in this life, nor would she be his tool for climbing the social ladder.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she heard Shen You calling her, beckoning to her, and saying, "Hey, Ranran, come here quickly!"

Xiao Ran immediately put on a smile, then jogged over, saying, "Coming!"

Upon seeing Xiao Ran arrive, Luo Rou curtsied and bid farewell to Shen You.

Shen You nodded, then pulled Xiao Ran aside and said, "Ranran, although I was worshipping beside you just now, I saw that you were very serious, so I didn't mean to disturb you."

Then, somewhat conflicted, he asked, "Ranran, is there some unfulfilled wish in your heart?"

"No, Sister Shen, I just want to pray for my family's safety and well-being." Xiao Ran smiled gently.

"I see." Shen You nodded.

But she didn't understand why Xiao Ran, whose family was quite peaceful, would pray for peace and good fortune with such a heavy heart.

"Sister Shen, what about you? Do you have a boyfriend you like?" Xiao Ran tilted her head and winked at her.

"Me?" Shen You hesitated, "Yes, I guess so."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Then you must be open and honest with your sweetheart, sister."

"Alright! I appreciate your kind words," Shen You replied, a slight smile playing on her lips.

In her previous life, Shen You fell in love with her husband.

Shen You comes from a prominent family, and her family would certainly not allow her to be with a scholar from a poor family who has passed the imperial examination.

So when the elders of the Shen family found out that Shen You had a secret relationship with that gentleman, they forcibly separated the two.

It is said that after leaving the academy, that gentleman was involved in an embezzlement case and never appeared again.

Shen You, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, married into the royal family but was eventually caught up in the power struggle between the two factions and died a tragic and unjust death.

"Sister Shen!"

A sudden shout brought Xiao Ran back to her senses. Turning around, she saw Luo Rou, who had just left.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?" Shen You stepped forward and asked with a frown.

Luo Rou remained silent, but walked to Shen You's ear, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered something.

Shen You's expression changed, and she hurriedly went to Xiao Ran's side, saying to her alone, "Ranran, I have something to attend to and must leave first, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, he looked around and asked in confusion, "Where's Chen Ruonan?"

The girls in the temple looked at each other in bewilderment. "We didn't see her." "We don't know where she went."

Xiao Ran looked around but didn't see it.

"Ranran, wait for Chen Ruonan to return, then tell her that Sister Shen has important business to attend to and must leave first." Shen You seemed very anxious, but still hurriedly instructed her, "You can go down the mountain with them, I'm sorry."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran outside.

But Xiao Ran reacted quickly, grabbing Shen You's sleeve and asking pitifully, "Why didn't you take me down the mountain with you, sister?"

"Ranran, I'm sorry, it's my...personal matter." He then let go of her hand.

Without waiting for Xiao Ran's reply, she and Luo Rou hurriedly left.

Shen You walked out of the temple gate with such decisiveness that she attracted the attention of the girls in the temple.

They whispered among themselves, saying, "What's going on..."

……

Not long after, Chen Ruonan slowly walked in through the gate, but her red dress was a little wrinkled, as if she had been somewhere.

But Xiao Ran, with her sharp eyes, also noticed the dark green grass under the red dress.

At this moment, several girls gathered around and asked, "Sister Chen, where did you just go?"

There was a hint of panic in Chen Ruonan's eyes, then she paused, "I suddenly felt a little unwell, so I went to the backyard to rest for a while."

The girls didn't suspect anything and told her that Shen You had rushed out the door.

Chen Ruonan nodded in agreement, cleared her throat, looked at Xiao Ran, and said, "Alright, it's getting late, we should head back."

"Ah, okay." The girls were still children at heart, and their tone was somewhat reluctant to part.

"Could you wait a moment?" Xiao Ran suddenly spoke up, addressing the other side.

Chen Ruonan and the girls all looked at Xiao Ran with suspicion.

Chen Ruonan, however, couldn't contain herself and asked first, "What does Sister Xiao mean by this?"

"You don't necessarily want to stay here any longer, do you? But it's getting late, and the girls still care about their reputation."

Xiao Ran sneered inwardly. Chen Ruonan was as impatient as ever, always finding an opportunity to mock her.

Chen Ruonan then covered her mouth and laughed, "Which of the girls here isn't from a prestigious family? Don't you care about your own reputation? Are you going to drag us down with you?"

The girls whispered among themselves, their words all blaming her.

Xiao Ran looked at the ugly faces of those girls, but felt no emotion whatsoever. Their attitudes and behaviors were nothing new to her; she was already used to it.

Since she arrived in the capital, her reputation has been completely ruined.

But then a girl from the corner stepped forward timidly and said, "We...we might as well listen to what Miss Xiao has to say."

Xiao Ran looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl dressed in simple clothes in the corner.

But at that moment, Chen Ruonan suddenly made a move. She grabbed the girl and, due to the excessive force and the girl's frail appearance, pulled her to the ground.

"This..." The girls were all dumbfounded.

Chen Ruonan quickly squatted down and helped the girl who had fallen to the ground up. With a smile on her face, she said, "My younger sister is not good at manners, please forgive her."

The girls looked at each other.

Xiao Ran pouted, looking aggrieved, and said, "Sister Chen, I know you're anxious, but we have to wait for Sister Shen You, don't we?"

Of all the girls present, only she knew that Shen You had left, since Shen You had only told her. But Chen Ruonan seemed certain that Shen You had left, suggesting that someone must have tipped her off.

This person is quite extraordinary.

Xiao Ran put on a pitiful look, but secretly chuckled to herself.

"I know I'm not likable. If you all dislike me so much, Sister Chen, then next time... I won't come." After saying that, she pretended to sob twice.

His pitiful appearance made it seem as if the people in front of him were ferocious beasts.

“That’s not what we meant…” one of the girls replied guiltily.

Chen Ruonan was puzzled. Shen You had already left, and it was she who asked Luo Rou to handle it. Why wouldn't Shen You tell her...?

No! Chen Ruonan examined Xiao Ran's face again and saw a hint of mockery on it.

In the past, given Xiao Ran's personality, she would have come over and started arguing like a madwoman, and then she would have been able to trample this country girl, the daughter of a general, under her feet.

But why has Xiao Ran changed her personality now?

But she couldn't let this waste time, since that bitch was about to die anyway.

"I'm so sorry, Sister Xiao. I was in a moment of panic and hurt your feelings. I apologize to you." After saying that, she bowed and apologized.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Wasn’t it her who wasted our time?” said a girl in green.

"Shut up!" Chen Ruonan frantically winked at her.

The person reluctantly shut up.

"Then I'll forgive you, sister," Xiao Ran said with a smile.

But to Chen Ruonan, that laughter sounded like mockery.

Chen Ruonan then raised her head, chuckled twice to ease the awkwardness, and said, "The girl Luo Rou next to Sister Shen just told me that they went down the mountain first."

It turned out to be her.

"Oh, I see! I misunderstood you just now, sister," Xiao Ran said with a smile.

But she didn't make any move, not even the bow and apology Chen Ruonan had just given her.

She was the daughter of a general. Even if she was disliked and had a bad reputation, why would she bow and apologize to a mere fifth-rank official's daughter?

Others might not have noticed, but Chen Ruonan remembered it vividly.

It's okay, she's going to die soon anyway, why bother arguing with a dead person.

Chen Ruonan comforted herself in this way.