RWWAI 1
Chapter 1: The Yangshan Commandant's Estate
I have been reborn.
In my past life, I married into the Yangshan Commandant’s Estate, becoming the lawfully wedded wife of Qi Lu, a patriotic hero revered by all. On our wedding day, I believed we would walk hand-in-hand through life until our hair turned white; yet on our wedding night, a military dispatch sent him rushing off to the Xiazi Pass, where he stayed away for three years.
Without a single complaint or regret, I guarded the commandant’s estate for three years, meticulously managing every detail both inside and out so that outsiders could find virtually no fault in me. But when he finally returned from active duty, casting off his armor, I did not find the clearing of the clouds to see the bright sun.
Because he did not return alone. He brought back a woman who was already carrying his child—Qin Miaomiao.
My position as the commandant's legitimate wife seemingly remained unshaken on the surface, but in Qi Lu’s heart, there was no longer any room for me. The only reason he kept me in the Qi family was because he needed a capable wife to handle the trivial domestic chores that Qin Miaomiao could not.
In the blink of an eye, over a decade passed. I dutifully fulfilled my obligations as a commandant's wife while enduring Qi Lu’s cold indifference. Like a candle burning from both ends, my physical and mental exhaustion led to a debilitating illness.
I was bedridden for half a year, and Qi Lu never once came to check on me. The only thing he did on my dying night was send someone over with a letter, demanding that I press my thumbprint to it.
That letter had been forged in my name. It stated that, knowing my time was short, I had earnestly begged him to elevate his concubine, Qin Miaomiao, to the status of a legitimate wife, purely because the commandant's estate could not go a single day without a mistress of the house.
At that moment, I burst out laughing. It was the first time I had laughed from the bottom of my heart since Qi Lu returned from the Xiazi Pass.
I had devoted my entire life heart and soul to the Qi family, and not only did he fail to show an ounce of gratitude, but he actually expected me to use the very last breath of my dying strength to whitewash his bias and mistreatment into my final dying wish?
I hated him. I hated myself for being so blind, wasting my entire life away for a man like this. If there is a next life, I, Liang Jingjing, will never repeat the same mistakes. This time, I am living strictly for myself!
I jolted awake from the bed!
Surrounding me were expensive rosewood furnishings, and the blanket draped over me was a soft silk-and-down duvet. Right in front of my eyes were those glowing, melodramatic bullet-commentary subtitles from just a moment ago.
Yes, I had "reborn". Except I am not Liang Jingjing!
My real name is Zhang Yue. I am just an ordinary modern corporate slave who usually loves scrolling through her phone and dropping unhinged, shameless rants online. God knows why, but after waking up from a nap, I somehow transmigrated into Liang Jingjing’s world—right into the body of the reborn Liang Jingjing.
Talk about a total freak-out.
Based on the limited intel I scraped from those bullet comments, this plotline clearly expects me to break ties with the Qi family and live out an epic, fabulous life. You know the drill: opening my own business, becoming the richest person alive, and casually making the ultimate villain fall head-over-heels in love with me while pampering me to death, all to give the deadbeat scumbag ex-husband massive regret. Total airway-clearing fiction!
I'm sure any regular reader of rebirth novels has had the exact same anxiety I’m having right now: The real me—Zhang Yue herself—doesn't know how to do anything other than run my mouth anonymously on the internet! No matter what ancient dynasty this is, there is zero chance I can talk my way into becoming a billionaire just with a sharp tongue!
Not to mention, where on earth am I supposed to find a super-sadistic-yet-secretly-masochistic mega-villain to fall in love with me?!
Right at that moment, the flustered voice of a maid echoed from outside the door: "Madam! Madam! The Commandant has returned! My lord has fought bitterly at the Xiazi Pass for three long years, and now... he has finally come home!"
My eyes went wide. According to the intel from the bullet comments, today must be the exact day Qi Lu brings the mistress, Qin Miaomiao, back home.
I hurriedly dressed and rushed out to the front courtyard. There stood a strikingly handsome martial general, carefully holding the hand of a delicate, pretty young woman as they walked toward me. Clearly, this was Qi Lu and Qin Miaomiao.
"This woman is named Qin Miaomiao. Select a courtyard for her to settle in and make sure she is well-cared for," Qi Lu instructed me in an icy tone.
I knew that right on cue, I was supposed to display massive backbone by demanding a divorce, or perhaps throw out some venomous, petty remarks like, "Old Lady here doesn't give a damn about being the Commandant's wife!"
But with absolute zero cheat codes or special abilities, did I really have the financial security to just walk away?
Perhaps sensing my inner panic, glowing text resembling a system prompt flashed before my eyes once again: [Liang Jingjing: Possesses elegant handwriting, extensive classical scholarship, and high proficiency in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Current physical condition: Healthy.]
Alright, I pretty much get the picture. Basically, other than having a 100% full health bar (HP), Liang Jingjing has zero functional skills to make a living on her own.
Then I suddenly remembered the prologue of my past life that I had just seen: [My position as the commandant's legitimate wife seemingly remained unshaken on the surface.]
Does this mean that even with Qin Miaomiao moving in, I can still comfortably keep living my high-rolling, pampered upper-class lifestyle?
I frowned and looked at Qi Lu standing before me. Not gonna lie, this guy is seriously good-looking. No wonder Liang Jingjing was willing to waste three years of her youth living like a widow for him. But strictly speaking, wasn't the original owner's greatest misery simply unrequited love?
I, Zhang Yue, don't love him anyway. As long as I have good food to eat and warm clothes to wear, who cares who he wants to get cozy with?
Embracing the modern philosophy of avoiding all mental exhaustion, I nodded and said, "Understood. This concubine will immediately have someone prepare a residence for Miss Qin. Husband need not worry."
As soon as those words left my mouth, even I froze. Normally, I could never speak in such archaic, flowery language—it looks like this system automatically polishes and translates my dialogue!
Seeing that I gave a response fitting the historical background and my social status, Qi Lu calmly nodded and added, "Qin Miaomiao is pregnant. Have a physician come examine her promptly, and handle whatever medicinal herbs she needs yourself."
Heh. You can actually say something as shameless as asking a legal wife to play nursemaid to a mistress?
But the moment I pictured that room full of expensive antique furniture and the exquisite luxury gown I was currently wearing, I decided I could let this minor detail slide. As long as nobody messes with my food, clothing, and shelter, I'd even help Qin Miaomiao sit through her post-partum confinement!
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T/N:
Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand-new project! 🎉
When I first came across Reborn... Wait, Where Am I?, I knew I had to pick it up. If you're tired of the usual cliché, tear-jerking rebirth dramas where the heroine suffers in silence, this one is the absolute breath of fresh air you need. Our protagonist, Zhang Yue, is a modern internet troll thrown straight into a historical setting, and her "zero internal-consumption, maximum chaos" energy is completely unmatched.
Translating her inner monologues has been an absolute blast, and I hope her hilarious, unhinged perspective brings as many laughs to you as it did to me.
Thank you so much for reading, supporting, and joining me on this wild ride! Grab your snacks, and let’s watch an internet troll handle ancient aristocracy the only way she knows how. See you in the next chapter! 💖✨ PS: 🔗👉🏻some shorts for ya!
—Siofra
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