Charlotte Wood had traveled through time.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a well-dressed man sitting at her bedside, eyes filled with anticipation.
"Charlotte, I really do love you. Every night, it kills me that we can’t be together…I toss and turn, can't sleep at all."
"You know I'm the only son. If we wanna leave Hushi together, I gotta make sure my parents are settled first. At least let them have a decent life in their later years… Who knows when I’ll get to see them again."
"But if you could just get your hands on some of the Foster family’s money, we wouldn’t have to struggle anymore. I could finally leave with you, no worries."
Hearing this, Charlotte’s brows shot up in a deep frown.
What the hell?
Wasn’t she just rescuing earthquake victims? She’d died protecting a little boy from a landslide, right?
Her head swirled with confusion as random memories started flooding in—none of them hers.
No way… Did she really just time-travel?
Charlotte quickly looked down at her swollen belly. Her dark, bright eyes widened in shock.
She was pregnant—and pretty far along, judging by the size.
This wasn’t a dream. She really had time-traveled, and ended up in the body of her worst enemy’s ex-wife…
A stunningly beautiful but nasty woman—selfish, cruel, unfaithful—who abandoned her husband and children for a man on the side.
After marrying Daniel Foster, the original woman had cheated on him, poisoned their newborn twins to death, faked evidence to blame the Foster family, and ran off with her lover, taking all their money.
In the end, her lover no longer found her useful. With help from her stepmother and stepsister, they sold her off to a remote village where she had her limbs chopped off and died a horrifying death.
Charlotte: "..."
The original woman had just turned nineteen, three years younger than Charlotte herself back in her time.
Under her scheming stepmother’s influence, she leaned into her looks and messed around with men for personal gain.
She had her eye on Andrew Foster, the charming son of a military commander, and set him up—hoping to marry into the powerful Foster family.
Andrew was known for his good looks and had been promoted young to regimental commander with a bright future. In the marriage market of the '70s, a man like him was a top catch.
But the drink meant for Andrew ended up in the hands of Daniel Foster—the long-lost younger son of the Fosters. After being missing for years, he’d only recently been found.
As fate would have it, the original woman spent the night with Daniel and ended up pregnant.
Daniel was a Foster by blood, sure, but he’d been raised in the countryside after getting lost at age three. He’d joined the army early and worked his way up, earning medals and eventually becoming deputy commander.
But to her, a bumpkin was still a bumpkin. She never liked him one bit.
Though Daniel looked a lot like Andrew—they were brothers, after all—their temperaments couldn’t be more different.
Andrew had that polished, gentle vibe, while Daniel was cold and distant, not one for small talk or charm.Even though she had no choice but to marry Daniel Foster because of the situation, she didn’t feel a bit resigned—if anything, she was full of resentment and found fault with him whenever she could.
Always making snide remarks, mocking or belittling him, she used the baby in her belly as leverage to squeeze money and goods out of the Foster family. Her greed knew no bounds.
Just the bride price alone was outrageous—two grand in cash, the "three rounds and a ring" package, plus she openly asked for more furniture, going from twenty-four legs to seventy-two, and piled on ration coupons: grain, fabric, meat, oil, industrial, you name it.
What kind of money is two thousand yuan back then?
A city worker earned maybe thirty or forty a month—that's nearly five years of not spending a penny.
And get this—everything she got, she handed over to Evelyn Reed without hesitation. In her eyes, only Evelyn, her stepbrother Jonathan, and her stepsister Lydia were the ones she could really trust.
She acted like a busy little ant, always sneaking valuables from the Foster household over to her mother's place.
Then bad luck hit fast and hard. Not long after she married into the Fosters, the whole family got dragged into chaos.
Thomas Foster ended up under investigation—he’d married Margaret Foster, who came from a capitalist family, and on top of that, he got accused of bribery. He lost his job and was suspended.
Then Andrew Foster was killed in an ambush during a mission.
Daniel got kicked out of the army too.
Even though there wasn’t enough solid evidence, the whole Foster family was booted out of the military compound. They were labeled as educated youth and shipped off to the countryside.
The original Charlotte had no emotional ties to Daniel in the first place. She married into the family for the luxury. The moment the Fosters fell from grace and were forced to move—with officials watching their every move so they couldn’t even take anything valuable—she threw a fit, crying and yelling that she wanted an abortion and a divorce.
But she was still carrying a Foster baby, and the family couldn’t bear to just let her get rid of it and walk away.
In the end, Thomas and Margaret had to bring out some hidden emergency cash and a few pieces of gold and silver jewelry, begging her to keep the child.
At the same time, Evelyn Reed, afraid of being dragged down, rushed to the commune that very night to file papers severing ties, forbidding Charlotte from ever returning home.
With no other options, she reluctantly packed her things and followed them to the countryside.
But even after arriving in the village, she didn’t settle down. She caused trouble every few days and often sneaked back to her family home.
Whenever she returned, though, she was met with nothing but cold stares from Evelyn, Jonathan, and Lydia. They didn’t even want to let her through the door.
Evelyn only kept up the "kind mother" act for public appearances at the textile factory’s family quarters.
Still, each time Charlotte came back, she brought bags full of meat and groceries. Her family kept lapping up the benefits. Over time, Evelyn lightened up a bit too.
Later on, through Lydia, she met Michael Grant—the bespectacled guy now urging her to steal from the Fosters.
Charlotte went crazy over him, head over heels like some love-struck teen. Whatever he said, she followed to the letter.
This time, she didn’t tell anyone in the Fosters and snuck away to Hushi, actually planning to run off with him for good.
She didn’t want to be separated from the man she loved any longer—she was going to chase her happiness, no matter what.
Before she left, she also made sure to clean out the Fosters’ last bit of cash and the few gold trinkets they had, even getting a referral letter from the commune.Just as she'd barely reconnected with her secret lover today, before she could even say a word, the guy jumped right into the idea of running away together. That sweet rush she felt—it was like swallowing a whole jar of honey.
But right at that moment, Charlotte Wood found herself dropped into this body.
She stared at the man in front of her. The way he talked, all slick and flamboyant—it made her stomach turn.
"Charlotte, hey, are you even listening to me?"
Michael Grant waved his hand in front of her face, then reached out, trying to grab hers. Reflexively, Charlotte smacked his hand away with a crisp smack.
"Talk all you want, but don’t go touching me."
Michael frowned. What the hell? She was all lovey-dovey before, how’d she switch it up so quick?
Still, he forced a smile. "Look, even a broke-down camel’s bigger than a horse. The Foster family’s got to have some savings lying around. If you can get your hands on it, we can leave right away."
His eyes were full of fake tenderness as he looked into hers. "Don’t worry, babe. I love you so much. As long as you get rid of that baby, I’ll treat you like a queen after.”
But Charlotte saw it plain in his eyes—disgust.
“I heard life over in Gangcheng is way better than here. I’ve got a friend who knows someone in shipping, says he can score two ferry tickets to the city. Only thing is, it’s gonna cost us—at least two to three grand.”
“And that’s just the start. We’ve gotta factor in travel costs, living expenses once we get there... We’ll need quite a bit.”
He leaned in, voice lowering like he was sharing a juicy secret. “Good thing is, I heard the rich folks in Gangcheng go crazy for antiques. The older, the better.”
“You said the Fosters used to live large. I bet your mother-in-law, being some rich man’s daughter, stashed away a ton of valuable stuff. You’ve got to find a way to get your hands on it. Once we’re in Gangcheng, we’ll live easy for the rest of our lives."
Michael’s pale face hovered in front of her, trying to look all soft and caring, like he thought she’d melt into his arms.
But all Charlotte felt was repulsed to the core.
Deep feelings, my ass—he was just trying to con a foolish woman into robbing her own family.
Her mind spun as a plan started to form.
Feigning hesitation, she said, “Thing is... there’s not much left from the Fosters’ money. I already took the last grand or so. But... I did overhear my mother-in-law whispering to that farmhand of hers about some secret stash. A whole box.”
The second Michael heard ‘stash’, his eyes nearly popped out. "That’s gotta be the good stuff! Maybe some antiques those folks in Gangcheng would throw their money at! Charlotte, you’ve got to get that box!”
He rubbed his hands together like he was already spending the money, completely ignoring the rest of what she’d said.
He lunged to grab her hand again, but Charlotte casually pulled both hands behind her back, acting as if she hadn’t noticed.
“But…” she continued, putting on a troubled face.
Michael’s brain was already swimming in greed. He didn’t even catch how tense she looked. “But what?”
“Well, all the money I took before, plus whatever I grabbed this time and some jewelry, it’s all with Aunt Evelyn now. She said she’d hold onto it for me and give it back later... But now that we’re talking about leaving, she hasn’t mentioned anything…”"Ticket prices to Gangcheng have shot up like crazy—I really can’t scrape together that much right now. Michael, do you think you could help me out a bit?"
She stared at Michael Grant, eyes locked onto him like he was her only lifeline.
The moment Michael heard that Evelyn Reed had taken all the cash and now he’d have to cough it up himself, his face turned red with frustration.
"Didn’t I already tell you a bunch of times? Stop handing off all the valuable stuff to Evelyn. You gotta keep something for yourself, plan for the worst! Seriously, sometimes I really wonder what’s going on in that head of yours."
He almost raised his hand in anger—couldn’t believe how clueless she could be.
All that money had gone straight into Evelyn’s pockets, and once she snagged it, she wasn’t letting go. She was like a walking vault—stuff went in, never came out.
“So, what about that trunk?”
Charlotte Wood lowered her voice, "I sneaked it away and stashed it, but I didn’t dare open it. Don’t know if it’s really got those antiques you mentioned..."
“Of course it does. A family like the Fosters? No way they wouldn’t have a stash of priceless stuff lying around.”
Michael paused, then leaned in and got serious. “Listen, Charlotte, what matters now is getting that money back from Evelyn. You gotta remember, it’s just you and me in this for the long haul. Everyone else? Doesn’t matter.”
He sighed like he was doing her the biggest favor in the world. “I’m thinking about our future here. You get what I mean, right?”
Charlotte nodded along, eyes teary like she was really touched. “I understand. I want Evelyn to give it back too. With that money, our life won’t be so tight anymore. Michael, you got a plan to make it work?”
That’s what he’d been waiting for. He motioned for her to get closer, then whispered out his scheme slowly, like it was some top-secret mission.
Charlotte smiled coldly in her head but on the outside, she played the part perfectly—nervous and awkward.
“Evelyn’s not easy to handle...”
She paused, then added, “Didn’t you say your family had some trouble and you borrowed over three thousand from me in bits? She knows about that. Keeps telling me to ask for a promissory note—says she’s worried I’ll get tricked.”
Michael clenched his jaw so tight it looked like his teeth might shatter. That old hag Evelyn, always meddling and making him look bad behind his back.
He sat there brooding for a while, then finally threw out, “What’s the big deal? I’ll head home, grab the money, and we’ll go ask her together. Get every last penny.”
“Anyways, we’re practically a couple already, right? Money’s all going into one pot eventually. Better if I manage it—don’t you agree?”
In his mind, though, he figured this silly girl was utterly hooked. Once they had the cash, a few sweet words would do the trick and she'd never question a thing.
And it wasn’t just that trunk from the Fosters. As long as Evelyn gave back what was hers, he had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve to make sure she never saw it again.
Trading a couple thousand for bundles of cash plus a crate of antiques? Now that was a steal.
Meanwhile, Charlotte rolled her eyes on the sly. “This guy’s got dreams bigger than the sky.”
Still, she put on a scared little face and said, "Michael, you really care about me, right? Aunt Evelyn told me some men seem real affectionate, but deep down, they’re cold and ruthless—just looking to mooch off women. Basically, they're freeloaders.""Even though I believe you're not that kind of man, Michael... but I just can't stop thinking—after being with you, I'd only have you to count on. If you ever turn on me, I might as well hang myself and be done with it..."
She covered her face and started sobbing.
Michael Grant cussed Evelyn Reed out in his head, but on the outside, he still had to play the doting lover.
"Come on now, how could you think that? Look, even though you're carrying another man's baby, I still love you like crazy. Isn't that proof enough that I’m serious about you?"
"But... I'm still scared," Charlotte Wood said through tears, "Aunt Evelyn told me you're playing me. She warned me again and again to be careful."
She peeked up at Michael, catching the flicker of rage and panic on his face, and went on, "But deep down, I know you’re the most decent man alive. You’re not the sleazy kind Aunt Evelyn says you are, just using me for money. Right?"
"Well, of course not!"
Michael rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Something about Charlotte’s words felt off, like she was throwing shade, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.
That damn Evelyn—didn’t she promise they’d split whatever they got together? Now she’s backstabbing him behind his back?
Probably wants to take all that cash Charlotte scammed off the Fosters for herself. Use him then toss him aside, huh? Dream on!
Even though his blood was boiling, Michael focused on the real question. "That box of stuff—where is it now?"
Charlotte's eyes glinted with cunning. "Don’t worry, I hid it real good. Aunt Evelyn didn’t see a thing. When it’s time for us to leave, I’ll bring it. Don’t you trust me?"
Michael thought it over and figured it made sense. This silly girl was gorgeous, curvy, and totally head over heels for him. She’d do whatever he told her. Fun for the time being.
Sure, Lydia Reed wasn’t as stunning as Charlotte, but at least she was clean and proper. Worked in the meat plant too—more his kind of girl.
Once he got the money out of this dummy, he’d follow Lydia’s plan and sell Charlotte off to some backwoods village to pop out babies. Make a nice little profit while at it.
With everything lined up, Michael took Charlotte back to his place.
His dad worked as an office head at the machinery plant, his mom had a job at the supply co-op, and Michael himself was an accountant at the meat factory.
In that era, having a steady city job made a man quite the catch. Both his parents were state-employed, and he was their one and only child.
Besides, Michael had that clean-cut appearance and endless smooth talk, completely different from that quiet, country-born husband of Charlotte’s.
She’d fallen for him hard, couldn’t stop thinking about him. And with Evelyn and Lydia egging her on, she got bolder by the day, constantly picking fights with Daniel Foster and running back to her mother’s house. Even pregnant, she still insisted on sneaking out to see Michael.
Now, Charlotte was sitting in the Grant family’s living room. While Michael went upstairs for money, she used that time to quickly size up every corner of their home, inside and out.
