"Chen Tian, wake up!"
A loud shout echoed as a bucket of water was poured down. Chen Tian abruptly snapped his eyes open, his clothes completely soaked in cold water. The extreme chill sent a shiver down his spine as his pupils darted around the unfamiliar surroundings—a dark, damp room with only a single small window that barely allowed sunlight to pass through, illuminating the worn and torn furniture that filled almost the entire space.
"Did you hear me or not?"
The woman shouted again, kicking him squarely in the head and sending him tumbling across the ground.
"Ah…"
Chen Tian grunted in pain, gritting his teeth. His mind was extremely groggy, unable to form even a single coherent thought, and the icy sensation only made things worse.
"What's wrong? Didn't you hear me, Chen Tian?"
"…"
At that moment, his mind was suddenly assailed by memories that felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It took Chen Tian quite some time to regain his footing. The woman before him watched the entire process with cruel mockery. When he finally steadied himself, he slowly lifted his head to glimpse at the woman standing before him.
"Do you dare look at me again with your disgusting eyes?"
"No." Chen Tian hurriedly lowered his head and spoke frantically in a meek, panicked tone. "I'll get back to washing the clothes soon."
"Hmph."
The woman snorted coldly, throwing the empty bucket to the ground with a loud thud before storming out. The door slammed heavily behind her. Chen Tian watched the woman's retreating back and tightened his fist, spitting out three words venomously:
"Fuck you bitch."
He shifted his body toward the warm sunrays drifting through the window, trying to steal even the slightest bit of warmth. In his completely drenched, cold state, this was the least he could do.
"I really did reincarnate into this place and in the worst condition possible."
After some time, Chen Tian sat down, calming the turbulent thoughts in his mind. He finally looked down to observe his malnourished body, gnashing his teeth once again.
"What must I do to even have a chance… Right, the system… please…"
As if sensing his thoughts, a panel shot out in front of his eyes.
[You have awakened the system
"What does this even mean?"
Chen Tian stared at the panel before him, his brows twitching slightly.
[No matter what kind of situation you are in, you will always have a chance to survive and gain a boon.]
He blinked, and the panel vanished before his eyes. No matter how frantically Chen Tian tried to call it out again, it no longer responded. Left with no other option, he gnashed his teeth and began to undress, pulling off his worn and torn T-shirt to reveal the malnourished frame beneath. He wrung the shirt, squeezing out the water, then did the same with his trousers, leaving himself in only his undergarments. A gentle breeze swept through the open door, sending shivers through his body as he trembled uncontrollably.
Chen Tian barely managed to calm down. If he continued wearing his soaked clothes, he might catch a cold. He adjusted his body, trying to absorb even a bit of warmth from the sunrays while leaning against the cold wall, sorting through his memories once more. He was merely a servant in the Su Family's household—and worse still, the only servant. That meant he was burdened with every chore in the household. The amount of hardship he had to endure was frightening.
"Sigh, why is life so difficult?"
He couldn't help but sigh. After some time, the crumpled clothes had finally dried a little, and he hurriedly put them back on before stepping outside. The moment he did, a mocking, childish voice rang in his ears:
"Yo, Chen Tian, are you just going to wash the clothes now?"
Chen Tian turned toward the source of the voice and found a girl around his height looking at him with eyes full of amusement, an air of superiority surrounding her.
"Yes, I'm going now." He slowly lowered his head as he spoke.
"Good." Su Qin turned around and left. "Remember, if you don't do your job properly, you won't get to eat."
"Y… yes…"
Chen Tian still kept his head lowered, not daring to glance at her. Once she left, he grabbed the bucket filled with clothes and went outside.
From his memories, Su Qin was vicious at heart and had always bullied him relentlessly, despite being the same age as him. If Chen Tian ever fought back, her mother would intervene, and his treatment would only grow worse. Not only would he be whipped mercilessly, but he would also be denied food. This pair of mother and daughter had practically tormented him to the point of turning his life into a living hell.