“Xiaolin, where are you going to have fun this weekend?” He Lili asked. She was Chen Xiaolin’s roommate and best friend. The two of them weren’t just college classmates—they had grown up together as close childhood friends. If Chen Xiaolin’s parents hadn’t divorced, if she hadn’t gone to live with her mother and moved away from their old home, they wouldn’t have been separated for so many years.
“I’m going back to the old house,” Chen Xiaolin replied. “My grandpa is sick.”
Although Chen Xiaolin lived with her mother, she still often visited her grandparents’ home. Her grandmother had passed away two years earlier, and now only her grandfather was left living alone in the old house.
“Is your grandpa seriously ill? And if you go back, won’t you run into that vicious stepmother of yours again?” He Lili said worriedly. “Why don’t I go with you?”
She was genuinely concerned that her gentle-tempered best friend would be bullied by her stepmother—after all, Xiaolin had never been a match for that woman.
Chen Xiaolin had lived at her father’s house for a while in the past, but her stepmother had been afraid she’d come back to fight over the family property. So she framed her, accusing her of stealing and claiming she always bullied her younger brother, even saying she tried to strangle him. Amid her stepmother’s tears and accusations, that so-called “father” of hers believed it all and sent her straight back to her mother.
“It’s fine. I’m not afraid of her anymore,” Chen Xiaolin said calmly. “I’m not that little girl from back then. If she wants to bully me again, it won’t be that easy.”
When her mother had found out about that incident back then, she’d called her father and given him a thorough scolding. From that day on, she never allowed Chen Xiaolin to go back to her father’s house again.
“Even if you can protect yourself now, you still need to be careful,” He Lili said seriously. “If anything happens, call me and I’ll come pick you up.”
She had never had a good impression of Chen Xiaolin’s stepmother—always acting like the most wronged person in the world. Only Chen Xiaolin’s father was blind enough not to see through her.
“Alright, alright, my little nag,” Chen Xiaolin laughed, giving He Lili a big hug.
The next day, Chen Xiaolin drove her red BMW to her grandfather’s old house. Before she even had time to park, she heard her stepmother’s shrill curses.
“You old bastard! You’re leaving all your property to that money-losing granddaughter of yours? Then let her come back and serve you! Why are you calling your son when you’re sick? You’re so biased—you deserve to die of illness!”
When Chen Xiaolin walked in, her stepmother was still hurling insults.
“My oh-so-hypocritical stepmother,” Chen Xiaolin said coldly, “you’re shouting so loudly—aren’t you afraid of ruining your virtuous image? If my dad saw his ‘good wife’ abusing his own father, what do you think he’d feel?”
She had no intention of saving her any face anymore. After all, they wouldn’t be seeing much of each other in the future.
“Hmph, don’t think you’re so impressive just because this old man favors you,” Hu Jing sneered. “Everything your father owns will belong to my son sooner or later. As for this old house—if you want it, you can have it.”
Over the years, Hu Jing had completely wrapped Chen Xiaolin’s father around her finger. She wasn’t worried at all about Chen Xiaolin going to complain.
“My grandfather’s things don’t need you to decide who they go to,” Chen Xiaolin snapped angrily. “Whatever Grandpa wants to give, he gives. Now get out. Immediately.”
What infuriated her most was Hu Jing’s attitude toward her grandfather. He was already bedridden, and she still came here just to hurl abuse at him.
“I’m leaving, then! Like I even want to stay here!” Hu Jing scoffed, storming out without looking back.
“L-Linlin… come here…” her grandfather’s voice was extremely weak.
“Grandpa, what’s wrong? Don’t leave me, Grandpa!”
Seeing her grandfather’s pale face, Chen Xiaolin couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
“Linlin, be good… Grandpa is going to find your grandma. She’s been waiting for me for a long time.”
He took a shaky breath. “This… this is the key to a bank safe deposit box. Everything I left for you is inside. And… help me take that box from the drawer…”
Chen Xiaolin opened the box. Inside was a very ordinary-looking bracelet.
“Linlin, this bracelet was part of your grandma’s dowry—an heirloom passed down through her family. I’m giving it to you now. You must keep it safe. Call your father… tell him to come back quickly.”
After forcing out those words, Grandpa Chen lost consciousness.
“Grandpa! Grandpa, what’s wrong? Wake up!”
Hearing his faint breathing, Chen Xiaolin knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. Panicking, she immediately called her father.
“Dad, come back quickly—Grandpa’s not going to make it!”
“I’m coming right now!”
Chen’s father didn’t even have time to hang up properly before rushing toward the old house.
“Grandpa, hang on a little longer. My dad will be here soon.”
Watching her grandfather’s breathing grow weaker and weaker, Chen Xiaolin was terrified her father wouldn’t make it in time to see him one last time.
After a while, she finally heard the sound of a car outside. She let out a sigh of relief—thank goodness, he made it.
Perhaps there truly was a bond between father and son. When Chen’s father walked in, Grandpa Chen opened his eyes.
“Dad, what’s wrong? You won’t leave me, right?”
Chen Zhikang was full of regret. Because of his wife, he had rarely come back to visit his elderly father.
“Zhikang… I’m going to find your mother now,” Grandpa Chen said weakly. “You must treat Linlin well… she is your daughter too… O-otherwise… I… won’t… rest… in peace…”
With that, Grandpa Chen could hold on no longer.
Watching her grandfather slowly close his eyes, Chen Xiaolin finally broke down and cried.
“Dad! Don’t go!”
Chen Zhikang knelt by the bedside, overwhelmed with sorrow. He felt deeply ashamed—because of Hu Jing, his relationship with his father had grown distant, and he hadn’t shared a proper meal with him in a long time.
The funeral arrangements took a full seven days. After everything was finally over, Chen Xiaolin felt listless and dazed, unable to muster energy for anything.
She suddenly remembered her grandfather’s last words and took out the bracelet he had given her. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem valuable at all. How could this be a family heirloom?
Suddenly, her grip slipped and the bracelet fell to the ground. In her panic, she failed to notice the fruit knife on the table beside her. Tragedy struck—her right hand was cut open, blood dripping down and pooling right where the bracelet lay. Strangely, the bracelet absorbed all the blood.
Chen Xiaolin stared at the bracelet as the blood vanished completely, stunned. If not for the wound still on her hand, she would have doubted whether she’d been injured at all.
A thought flashed through her mind—spaces from novels.
Could this bracelet be a spatial dimension?
With that in mind, Chen Xiaolin decided to give it a try.
“Enter.”
Whoosh—
In an instant, she appeared in a completely unfamiliar place.
As far as the eye could see stretched a vast expanse of black soil. In the distance were barren mountains. At the edge of the black land stood a villa, with a winding river separating the fields from the mountains. In front of the villa was a well, and a sign on it read: Spirit Spring Water.
Staring at the boundless space before her, Chen Xiaolin was so excited she wanted to jump. Heaven truly rewarded perseverance—she, Chen Xiaolin, had a space of her own!
She recalled the common tropes from novels: once you got a space, transmigration usually followed—into the apocalypse, ancient times, the 1960s or 1970s, or even into the world of a book.
No way. She needed to stock up on supplies.
Chen Xiaolin pulled out her bank card. Although she hadn’t graduated yet, she wasn’t short on money. After her parents’ divorce, her mother had worked hard, started her own company, and grown it bigger and bigger. She didn’t have much time to spend with Chen Xiaolin, so she compensated by constantly transferring her money.
When Chen Xiaolin checked the balance, she was shocked—there was nearly one hundred million yuan in the account. She’d never touched this card before, since she always had spending money.
Now, though, it was time to put it to use.