Chapter 1: Owning an Orphanage

“Sigh!”

In a rundown, remote orphanage somewhere in Jiang City, Lu Qingqiang sat slumped in the corner of a room, letting out a heavy sigh.

This was her second hour since arriving in this world, and her twenty-seventh sigh while staring blankly into space.

The reason? Simple. She was in shock.

She had transmigrated into a book.

The novel was called *The Fake Heiress Works Hard, the CEO Loves Her to Death*, a classic tale of mistaken identity and domineering CEOs.

Her identity in the story? The real daughter of the Lu family, who had been lost since childhood and suffered countless hardships.

She was also the foil to the female lead, Lu Fangyuan, the fake heiress.

Lu Fangyuan had grown up in the Lu family, enjoying the best of everything. She was beautiful, kindhearted, and talented in every way.

Meanwhile, Lu Qingqiang had barely scraped by to survive. She had no talents, no skills, nothing to her name.

The Lu family, unwilling to send away the daughter they had raised for over twenty years, offered to keep Lu Fangyuan and have the two girls live as sisters.

Lu Qingqiang agreed.

And that was when her misery truly began.

She resented her parents for favoring Lu Fangyuan. She hated that Lu Fangyuan had lived her life as the heiress for over twenty years. She was bitter and angry.

She grew insecure, sensitive, and full of rage. Darkness took root in her heart.

After repeatedly scheming against the female lead, she eventually became hated by everyone and was finally sent to prison by the domineering CEO who protected Lu Fangyuan.

Meanwhile, Lu Fangyuan kept turning the tables on her, winning wave after wave of admiration and love.

In the end, she and the CEO lived happily ever after with a family of three children.

So… that was it?

Now came the question: should she attend the family reunion in three days, where her true identity as the real heiress would be revealed?

Yes, that’s right. Right now, she was just an ordinary helper at the Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host. The Strongest Orphanage System has been successfully bound!”

“What?”

The moment the electronic voice rang in her mind, Lu Qingqiang was completely dumbfounded.

What the heck? The Strongest Orphanage System?

As the villainess in a fake-versus-real heiress novel, shouldn’t she be getting some kind of revenge system?

What even was the Strongest Orphanage System?

And this whole forced system binding thing—wasn’t that supposed to require her consent?

She wanted to file a complaint. A big one!

(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻

“Hello, Host. I am System 111, your best companion from now on. You can call me Xiao Yi.”

“You bound yourself to me without my permission. That’s shady. Pay up!” Lu Qingqiang huffed.

“Host, Xiao Yi is here to help you change your fate~”

“After scanning, it seems that before you transmigrated, you were already terminally ill, right?”

“But if you work with me and put effort into running this orphanage, undo the damage caused by the original host, and raise the children safely, you can regain your health~!”

“If you do a great job, you’ll even receive a bonus reward of fifty million yuan, post-tax!”

“Seriously?”

The moment she heard that, Lu Qingqiang was seriously tempted.

The system wasn’t wrong. Before she transmigrated, she had late-stage cancer. There was no cure. She had been waiting to die.

If what the system said was true—if completing the mission could restore her health and earn her that much money—then she was in.

A mission? Bring it on!

“The system never lies.”

“Alright then, let’s do it!”

“Xiao Yi, looking forward to working with you~”

“Host, looking forward to working with you too!”

After System 111 gave her a detailed explanation, Lu Qingqiang had a new plan.

She still needed to reclaim her identity as the real heiress. It was rightfully hers—why should she give it up?

Only by reclaiming that identity could she secure a steady stream of funding for her future endeavors.

As for Lu Fangyuan, she would avoid her if she could.

Otherwise, she might get swept up in the plot and end up doing things even she couldn’t control.

According to the system, due to the original host’s influence, the children in this orphanage had suffered terribly. Some even developed severe psychological issues.

Among them were future villains who would grow up to threaten the world.

If she could take the original host’s place, care for these children from a young age, and create a safe, nurturing environment for them, they might never turn dark. Their tragic fates could be rewritten.

Once the mission was complete, she could return home!

“So the question is, what should I do next?”

Just as Lu Qingqiang muttered to herself, she heard the sound of crying nearby.

“Waaah! Director Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Someone help! Director Mommy is coughing up blood!”

“…”

Startled, Lu Qingqiang immediately jumped up and ran toward the director’s room.

Inside, a chorus of sobbing children filled the air. On the bed, Director Wu Xingxia lay pale and weak, her eyes full of reluctance as she looked at the children one by one.

“Director, don’t worry. I already called 120. The ambulance will be here soon!” Lu Qingqiang knelt beside the bed.

“Xiao Lu, I know my body. I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

“You’re a good child. I trust you. So from now on, I’m leaving this Loving Heart Orphanage in your hands.”

“I know I’m being selfish, but I just… I can’t let go of them.”

“Xiao Lu, please, as long as you can still take care of yourself, do your best to take care of them too.”

“…Don’t worry, Director. I will.” Lu Qingqiang nodded solemnly, eyes red with emotion.

The next moment, Director Wu began violently coughing up blood. Her condition was clearly critical.

While helping her sit up and wiping away the blood, Lu Qingqiang quickly contacted the system.

“System, what’s going on? Save her!”

“I’m sorry, Host. I understand what you want, but I can’t. I don’t have that kind of ability right now.”

“Please don’t blame yourself. Director Wu’s sudden decline wasn’t caused by you.”

“She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a long time ago. But to keep the children from worrying, she kept it hidden all this time.”

“Now it’s in the late stages, with widespread metastasis. There’s nothing that can be done.”

“But don’t worry. Someone as kind as her will surely have a better life in the next one. I promise.”

“…”

Even though she knew Director Wu was going to die, when the emergency team arrived and officially declared her death, Lu Qingqiang still felt deeply saddened.

Yes, Director Wu was just a character in a book.

But in this fictional world, she had been a living, breathing person.

She had poured her entire life into caring for these poor children, doing everything she could to give them a better life.

Even on her deathbed, she was still thinking of them.

After spending three days handling Director Wu’s funeral, Lu Qingqiang finally got a clear picture of the orphanage’s current state.

The system had already transferred ownership of the orphanage to her.

All the paperwork was in order.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission: Own an Orphanage. System rewards: one Strength Pill, and one packet each of various organic fruit and vegetable seeds~”

“To give the children a stable and secure living environment, please begin renovating the orphanage and improving its basic infrastructure.”

“Children are the future of the nation. Their physical and mental well-being must be nurtured in every way.”

“The seeds provided by the system are the highest quality on Earth. Host, please arrange for them to be planted as soon as possible~”

“Please actively recruit professionals in all fields to provide the children with proper food, shelter, education, health, and safety.”

“Host, do your best!”

“…”

The mission prompt made Lu Qingqiang eager to get started, but just then…

Translator’s Notes

– domineering CEOs: In Chinese webnovels, a ‘domineering CEO’ is a common trope where a powerful, often cold and controlling, business executive becomes romantically involved with the protagonist.

– 120: In China, 120 is the emergency telephone number for medical services, similar to 911 in the United States.