Chapter 1: Transmigration

Just past noon, the sky turned gloomy. Goose-feather-sized snowflakes began to fall rapidly, and soon, the world was blanketed in a vast expanse of white.

"Catch them in the act!"

The quiet Dahe Village instantly became lively.

Ignoring the cold, everyone rushed to the health clinic, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks over each other's shoulders to watch the spectacle.

The young man stood with his back to the door, dressed neatly. Hearing the commotion, he turned around calmly, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd.

A small, slender, fair arm was still wrapped around his waist.

"Oh my! Fang'er! I told you this morning to call Dr. Qin to look at my back, why are you hugging him here! You hurry up and come... over here."

A woman with high cheekbones and a calculating face shouted as she rushed forward, but when the young girl raised her head, she was suddenly dumbfounded.

The woman had dark hair and red lips, her face as rosy as a peach blossom. She leaned against the man like she had no bones, looking like a seductive vixen.

It wasn't her daughter, Cheng Fang!

The villagers who had gathered at the sound of the shouting also began to speak up one after another

"Little Qin, is this your wife? When did she arrive?"

"Why is she barefoot?"

"Old Cheng's wife, even if you want Little Qin to be your son-in-law, you can't just spout nonsense. I can tell just by looking at her hands that this isn't your Cheng Fang. Look at how fair and tender her skin is!"

The woman being praised was none other than Li Yingtang. She had just been in a dream, blindfolded, acting like King Zhou capturing Daji, holding a god-like male concubine and doing whatever she pleased.

A sudden commotion had jolted her awake.

As she looked up, the young man’s face, as if drawn with fine brushstrokes, forcefully entered her line of sight; even the shape of his ears was perfect.

She watched his pink, handsome lips part, his cold voice pouring out like moonlight: "With so many people here, aren't you going to let go yet?"

Li Yingtang’s stunned gaze traveled nakedly from top to bottom. The man was very tall, easily 190cm—a male model?

Who had hired him for her? He was exactly her type!

He looked exactly like the male concubine she had been teasing in her dream!

And he had even thoughtfully designed the scene, the plot, the costumes, and the lines—wearing clothes from the eighties or nineties, and even wrapping her in a military overcoat.

If you’re going to act, you have to go all out. Even the air around them was freezing.

Even the walls, furniture, and decorations were restored with 1:1 accuracy.

So, what was her identity?

Were the people at the door extras?

But that wasn't right!

At the company celebration banquet, although she had a few drinks, she hadn't blacked out. She clearly remembered returning home. Since she lived alone, her best friend had stayed to take care of her.

She pinched herself hard. *Hiss~*

It wasn't a dream!

Not knowing the situation, she didn't dare let go. She buried her face in the young man's chest and feigned weakness: "I'm dizzy..."

The high-cheekboned woman, Hu Ping, snapped out of it and shrieked: "Qin! Where did you hide my Fang'er?"

The young man’s eyes were cold and sharp: "I haven't seen any Fang'er."

Early this morning, Cheng Fang had come to his door saying her mother had fallen and her back hurt terribly.

It was too cold to go out, so she asked him to make a house call.

As it turned out, halfway there, she had whipped a handkerchief across his face. A strange odor hit his nose, and realizing he had been drugged, he angrily knocked her unconscious and threw her into a dry ditch.

He had returned to the clinic to administer a detoxifying injection to himself, and upon sensing movement in the room, he had pushed the door open only to be hugged by the woman who had suddenly appeared.

She smelled faintly of alcohol and was dressed thinly, her white dress barely covering her wrists and ankles. Her feet, cold as snow, were bare. She must have been freezing, as she had been stepping on his feet and climbing onto him, and no matter how he tried to break free, he couldn't shake her off.

He had finally managed to put his coat on her when the shout of "catch them in the act" came.

He realized now that Hu Ping and Cheng Fang had deliberately set him up, planning to cause a scene at the right moment.

"Everyone here to watch the show? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

The crowd finally remembered the purpose of their visit. They looked at each other and left, looking sheepish.

Hu Ping was unwilling to leave, insisting: "You must have hidden her."

The young man said unhurriedly: "You are welcome to search here."

"Search it is!" Hu Ping didn't believe it.

With only the two of them left in the room, Li Yingtang’s heart was filled with anxiety. A deep male voice sounded above her head: "How long do you intend to keep holding on?"

Li Yingtang awkwardly let go and took a step back, but the cold floor made her shiver. Reflexively, she jumped back onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Cold, so cold."

A look of helplessness crossed the young man's face. With a long arm, he lifted her, walked to the bed, and sat her down. He gave her a towel and a pair of socks, then pulled a pair of handmade cotton shoes from under the bed, turned, and left, closing the door behind him.

Li Yingtang was shocked by the world outside.

Covered in white snow, the vaguely visible mountains and village houses were the complete opposite of the bustling city and midsummer season she had been in just a moment ago.

Where was this?

She looked in the mirror; it was her own face, even the wool-roll perm she had gotten two days ago was still there.

She put on the shoes and got out of bed to check the calendar hanging behind the door: December 22, 1984.

The notebook on the table had the name Qin Xian written on the inside page.

Her heart skipped a beat.

No way, right?

Had she really returned to the 80s?

If this room was his residence, there must be identification documents or something similar.

She bolted the door, drew the curtains, and rummaged through the cabinets until she finally found the relevant documents.

Qin Xian, 23 years old, from Yanjing, city household registration, 1977 class of Clinical Medicine at Yanjing University, graduated two years ago.

He had started working at a city hospital, but three months later, he was transferred to the countryside, where he had been ever since.

And the place she was in now was a village outside Yanjing, Dahe Village.

The content of the newspaper also confirmed the era.

The tight string in Li Yingtang’s brain snapped.

She was so scared she plopped onto the floor.

It’s over...

*Knock, knock, knock.* A sound at the door.

Li Yingtang’s mind instantly cleared. She pinched her palm hard, forcing herself to stay calm.

She climbed up and opened the door. The troublemakers were gone, and Qin Xian entered the room, bringing the wind and snow with him: "Sneaky, why did you lock the door and draw the curtains? What is your name? Which village are you from? Your pulse is normal, you're full of energy, and you're stronger than a man—why are you acting crazy in my place instead of seeing a doctor?"

Li Yingtang’s brain worked rapidly. She was penniless and desperately needed a place to stay out of the wind and rain.

His residence might be the place where she had crossed over; perhaps she could go back at some point.

He was a doctor, and the education he received in medical school was about saving lives—his character should be better than the average person, right?

She had to invent a reason that would convince him to let her stay.

After a moment of thought, she said: "I'm Li Yingtang, the 'Yingtang' from 'begonia reflecting the sun.' I'm the... wife your mother introduced to you."

The word "wife" felt scorching on her tongue.

Qin Xian laughed, clearly unaware of his family situation. "My mother? Did she tell you that in a dream?"

Li Yingtang: "..." *Sweat.* His mother had passed away?

She added: "Then your father! It was so cold I got tongue-tied. Your father introduced me. He said you were a top student at medical school, handsome and talented, and I was worried you'd be snatched away by another woman, so I rushed here overnight."

His family lived in the city, and he had no phone at hand. Even if he doubted the truth of her words, it would take time to verify, right?

Therefore, the lie wouldn't be exposed immediately.

Thinking of this, she grew bolder. She paused and continued: "But I slept too soundly on the bus, and my clothes and luggage were all stolen. *Sob...*"

After she finished, she cautiously glanced at the dark-faced Qin Xian.

Still didn't believe her?

Li Yingtang simply pinched herself hard and squeezed out two tears.

They were real tears.

Transmigrated for no reason, no money, no home, no identity.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became.

(End of chapter)