Chapter 2: Ten Hours Remaining

The countdown in her mind finally stopped when Rong Qingqing agreed. Just as she collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for breath and feeling the thrill of survival, the System suddenly chimed in with a message. "Congratulations to the host for completing the task. Life extended by 10 hours. Current life remaining: 10 hours." Rong Qingqing felt her breath catch in her chest again; celebrating survival was a bit premature. She only had ten hours left to live. She understood that if she hadn't agreed to the marriage arrangement just now, she would definitely have kicked the bucket. Rong Qingqing had already died once. Before she died, she was a workaholic, driven by poverty and, after gaining capability, her lifelong wish was to make a fortune with her brother. Upon graduating from college, supported by her brother, her career flourished, and she spent every day working, managing a group of tech geeks who constantly challenged her, truly at the peak of her career. Unfortunately, talent is fragile; she suddenly died in her office. When she opened her eyes again, it was a different scene. She woke up in this body of Rong Qingqing, same name but with a completely different appearance and personality from her original self. She had no idea what was going on with the original owner; just during a flight, when she opened her eyes again, she became this post-death Rong Qingqing. But before Rong Qingqing could sort out her current situation, unexpectedly, as soon as she got off the plane, she was taken to the Shen Family by a Rong Family driver. Here, she saw the Rong Family, and of course, the entire Shen Family. However, her biological parents were not among them. Sitting down, before Rong Qingqing could even take a sip of water to calm down, her worldview was shattered by a fact: the Rong Family and Shen Family wanted to swap marriage engagements. As soon as Rong Qingqing entered, her uncle and aunt said that Rong Jiaojiao and Rong Qingqing's fiancé, Shen Xingwei, were in love, so the two families discussed and decided to swap the engagement, letting Rong Jiaojiao marry Shen Xingwei, and Rong Qingqing to marry the man Rong Jiaojiao looked down upon, Shen Jue. Silently, Rong Qingqing complained to the System in her heart, "This cousin seducing her cousin's fiancé and still sounds pristine about it—shameless, isn't it?" The System remained aloof, not answering, so she could only sigh alone in her heart. She truly was unlucky. After waking up in this body, Rong Qingqing accepted the original memories of this body and naturally learned her identity. Second Miss of the Qingcheng Rong Family. And she had an older cousin, the eldest Miss Rong Jiaojiao, her uncle's daughter who finally entered the house after so many years as an illegitimate child. The Rong Family was considered a wealthy and prestigious family in Qing City, but compared to the Shen Family, whom Rong Jiaojiao was stepping over now, they were still inferior. However, Mr. Rong and Mr. Shen were lifelong friends, and Mr. Rong had done a favor for Mr. Shen. So, the two families discussed and agreed, arranging marriage between the two Rong granddaughters and Shen grandsons. Rong Jiaojiao, as the eldest sister, was engaged to the Shen family's eldest grandson, Shen Jue. Meanwhile, Rong Qingqing was engaged to Shen Jue's cousin, Shen Xingwei. This was considered an ideal union, connecting the two families even closer. Looking at the two originally set matrimonies, one could tell that the previous generation of both families truly had a special bond. With Rong Qingqing agreeing, it was a mix of joy and sorrow for everyone involved. Rong Qingqing's original fiancé, Shen Xingwei, sat stiffly, casting several glances toward Rong Qingqing. Each glance seemed heavy with unspoken words, as if he had something to say but stopped himself.