Chapter 1: Transmigration
“Boom!” — a loud crash echoed.
All around were shouts, screams, sirens — a chaotic mixture of noises — yet not a single person dared to come closer.
“Pfft!”
Ning Xiyue lay in a pool of blood, coughing and vomiting mouthful after mouthful of it. Her body felt as if it was crushed under a thousand pounds. With the last sliver of consciousness, she turned her head to look.
What she saw was blood and gore everywhere — red and white matter splattered across her body — and on top of her was a man whose eyeball had popped out, his body smashed to a pulp, flesh mangled beyond recognition.
She could feel the strong vitality within her slipping away bit by bit.
At that moment, Ning Xiyue finally understood the tragedy that had befallen her.
She was going to die.
Just a second ago, she had been happily sending a meal payment to her favorite restaurant owner, heading out excitedly to eat the mushroom rice bowl she’d ordered. The next second, someone jumped off a building — and she was the one they landed on. Now, she was about to die.
Who could be more unlucky than her?
At that moment, she had only one thought: May that person who jumped be reborn without an anus in their next life!
Even in death, they had to drag someone else down with them — how utterly shameless.
She had struggled to grow up in an orphanage, finally earning enough money to support herself… only to be killed by some selfish jumper.
Soon, she would become that “innocent victim” in tomorrow’s news headlines.
And the worst part? She hadn’t even gotten to eat her paid-for mushroom rice bowl!!
She was going to die hungry!
As her consciousness faded, she glimpsed the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances rushing to the scene — then everything went black.
At the same time, somewhere above, a strange magnetic field flashed briefly — unnoticed by anyone.
—
Year 1975, Mechanical Factory Residential Compound
A girl jolted awake from a nightmare.
Her face was pale, drained of color, sweat dampened the hair at her temples, and her wide eyes were filled with terror.
She frantically felt over her body. Only when her hand brushed the bandage on her forehead did she let out a breath of relief. Lying back down, the terror slowly faded, replaced by gratitude.
“Thank goodness it was just a dream…”
Ning Xiyue patted her chest. But then, suddenly, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into her mind, splitting her head with pain. The wound on her forehead throbbed dully.
A few minutes later, when the memory transfer ended, she sat there in a daze. Picking up the enamel mug from her bedside table, she took a small sip of water, staring at the festive red pattern on the cup with a complicated expression.
She, Ning Xiyue, was truly dead.
It wasn’t a dream — she had really been crushed to death by a jumper. She had died miserably, resurrected dog-blood-style, and now, like a cliché protagonist, she had time-traveled.
And not just anywhere — she had transmigrated into the very era novel she’d read a few days ago. Into the body of a cannon-fodder supporting character whose only role was to give gear to the female lead.
Into the body of a girl who shared her name: Ning Xiyue.
The original Ning Xiyue was 17, a recent high school graduate. Her father was an engineer at a machinery factory, her mother an accountant at a textile factory. She had two older brothers — one serving in the army, the other sent to the countryside as a youth two years ago. She was the pampered youngest daughter, never worrying about food, clothing, or education.
In this era, the original Ning Xiyue was practically the textbook definition of a “white, rich, and beautiful” girl — the envy of everyone around.
She was perfect in every way — good family, good grades, good looks, good personality — except for one flaw: she was a little love-brained. And that flaw had cost her her life.
She had a crush on her high school classmate Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan came from a poor family with many siblings, while she came from a dual-income household and was deeply loved. Her parents gave her money, and her soldier brother often sent things home. She had cash and supplies to spare.
She often brought food and drinks for Zhang Yuan, who never refused them. But whenever she asked about defining their relationship, he would dodge the question with excuses about “doing what’s best for her.” Anyone with eyes could see he was stringing her along for her money and resources.
Her mother and friends had warned her many times — subtly and not-so-subtly — but Ning Xiyue was utterly addicted to “Zhang Yuan poison,” convinced he was a good man.
Honestly, the girl’s life had been too easy — spoiled by her family, she was so naïve that a few sweet words were all it took to fool her.
The reason the original died was because she discovered that the person she’d treated with all her heart had betrayed her.
They had agreed to sign up to go to the countryside together. But when the assignment came, she learned that Zhang Yuan had never even applied. Later, she found out from a friend that he had taken a job — the very job she’d turned down for his sake.
When she went to confront him, she saw Zhang Yuan confessing to her cousin — and in the cousin’s hand was the stone-bead bracelet he had sweet-talked her out of days ago. She had collected those uniquely shaped stones herself and strung them into a bracelet.
She also remembered how, a few days earlier, her cousin had been “casually” probing her about that bracelet.
Realizing how deeply she’d been betrayed — by the man she loved and the cousin she trusted — the girl once known as a “little firecracker” before Zhang Yuan had never endured such humiliation.
How could she bear it? Fueled by rage, she rushed forward and attacked the scumbag.
But in her fury, she stumbled, fell, and struck her head on a sharp rock — and died instantly.
And now, this body had a new soul: the modern Ning Xiyue.
Just as she was piecing all this together, a knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts.
The adults were not home — her father was at work, and her mother had gone to the meat factory to get pig trotters from a friend to nourish her.
The persistent knocking outside irritated Ning Xiyue, and she got out of bed to answer the door.
Don’t they know there’s an injured person in here? Why knock so loudly?
But just as she reached the door, she heard voices outside. Her hand froze on the doorknob.
“I wonder how Yueyue is doing… Has she gotten any better? It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect her properly and let her get hurt. If anything happens to Yueyue, I’ll never forgive myself.”
The soft, delicate voice was full of guilt — even breaking into tears as she spoke.
The overly dramatic tone told Ning Xiyue exactly who it was: the original body’s “kind and gentle” cousin — the very girl Zhang Yuan had confessed to.
But kind and gentle? Not in her book.
When the original argued with Zhang Yuan, this cousin pretended to mediate but actually fueled the flames with every word. Even when she “pulled them apart,” she was helping Zhang Yuan restrain her cousin, causing the original to take several punches before being released.
The original had been too naïve to see the malice. But Ning Xiyue saw clearly: this cousin was a hypocrite with a black heart — and had played a huge role in turning the original into a lovesick fool.
Listening to her words now, Ning Xiyue sneered inwardly. What a performance.
Give her an Oscar already.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. You’re just too kind — always taking everything onto yourself. It was her who suddenly went crazy and attacked me. She fell on her own. None of this was our fault. Besides, you even found someone to take her to the hospital and saved her life. You’re her savior — she should be thanking you.”
At those words, Ning Xiaoxiao’s expression faltered for just a second, but the emotion quickly vanished, replaced by a gentle smile. “I’m her older cousin. This is what I should do.”
“Xiaoxiao, you’re always so kind and considerate.”
That greasy male voice could only belong to Zhang Yuan — that scumbag. And he said it so righteously, without a shred of guilt.
She would never be able to hear the words “kind” and “considerate” the same way again.
Well, perfect — both of them were here. Time to settle the score.
And the things the original had given them? It was time to take them back — especially that one item…
