Lan Xingyu carried a small suitcase and a cloth bag onto the train. The smell inside made her uncomfortable, but thinking of Lu Qingqing, she could only grit her teeth and endure.
(Before the name change, she is still called Lan Xingyu—it sounds more masculine.)
Fortunately, she had booked a sleeper compartment with only four berths.
When she arrived, the others hadn’t come yet. She put the suitcase under the bed, placed the cloth bag on the bunk, then lay down and took out a piece of gum to chew.
In the past, she would never have slept on such a bunk. But times were different now—she endured the discomfort and lay still.
Soon, an elderly woman entered, leading a four- or five-year-old boy. They took the lower bunk opposite. After setting down her things, the old woman smiled at Lan Xingyu.
“Young man, heading to the countryside?”
Lan Xingyu nodded with an “Mm.” She didn’t want to talk much with strangers.
Sensing her distance, the old woman turned back to organize her belongings.
Less than two minutes later, a young man and woman entered the compartment. They looked about eighteen or nineteen—probably educated youths heading to the countryside as well.
The girl came to Lan Xingyu’s bunk.
“Comrade, could we switch places? I’m afraid of heights—I’m scared I might fall from up there.”
Lan Xingyu gave her a sideways glance and said coolly, “No.”
The girl’s expression darkened slightly. “I’ll pay you, alright? I’ll compensate you two yuan.”
The upper bunk was five yuan cheaper than the lower bunk. If she paid two, she’d still be saving three yuan—otherwise she would’ve booked the lower bunk from the start.
Lan Xingyu glanced at her again. “Not switching. I’m afraid of heights too.”
The girl said unhappily, “You’re a man—how can you be afraid of heights? It’s not even that high.”
“If it’s not high, then you sleep there yourself.”
After speaking, Lan Xingyu turned her back to them. She was already enduring discomfort just lying here—there was no way she was changing bunks.
“You’re a man but won’t even yield to a lady. You have no manners at all!” the young man spoke up.
Lan Xingyu turned back, her fierce gaze locking onto him.
“If you’re afraid of heights, you should’ve bought the lower bunk yourself. Stop trying to morally pressure me.”
Under her sharp stare, the young man’s heart skipped, and his voice weakened. “I’m not morally pressuring you. Isn’t it natural for a man to give way to a woman?”
“I’m not giving way. Stop bothering me—or I’ll beat someone up.”
After saying that, Lan Xingyu turned back again and switched to another piece of gum, continuing to chew.
“If she doesn’t want to switch, you two shouldn’t force it. The upper bunk has guardrails—you won’t fall,” the old woman said kindly.
Seeing the child on the old woman’s bed, the girl didn’t suggest switching with her. She nimbly climbed onto the upper bunk. She really was afraid of heights, but this height was still within what she could tolerate—though she deliberately acted very frightened.
“If I lie down, I won’t dare move. Comrade Zhang, please help pour some water later.”
“No problem. Just lie still, Jiani.”
Zhang Weiping’s voice was gentle. After speaking, he went to tidy their luggage, took out Zhao Jiani’s enamel mug, and went to fetch hot water.
Lan Xingyu’s chewing paused.
Jiani… that name sounded familiar.
She seemed to have read a novel about a female educated youth disguised as a man going to the countryside—but her memory was fuzzy.
She tried hard to recall. It should’ve been a book she read in middle school. The female lead was reborn… and this Zhao Jiani was a vicious supporting character.
Thinking further, realization suddenly struck—
She had transmigrated into a novel.
And she was the tragic cannon-fodder female character.
Just because she shared a room with the male lead and their interactions seemed ambiguous, the female lead became jealous. She secretly stuffed a set of underwear into Lan Xingyu’s bedding and accused her of stealing female educated youths’ underwear—branding her as morally corrupt and perverse.
The female lead even exposed evidence that she was actually a woman, claiming she was neither male nor female—possibly a hermaphrodite.
People who disliked her egged things on, demanding she drop her pants so everyone could see. They said they’d never seen a hermaphrodite before and wanted to know if she had two sets of parts.
Pointed at and ridiculed daily, Lan Xingyu eventually couldn’t bear it and jumped into the river.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingqing sought revenge on the female lead and ultimately ended up in prison.
So both she and Lu Qingqing were cannon fodder in this novel.
As for why Lan Xingyu went to the countryside—it was because she couldn’t handle Lu Qingqing’s ferocity in bed. She signed up to go to the countryside to calm down and rethink the marriage.
But after interacting with the male lead, some of her thinking changed. She began to feel that maybe being a woman would be better—but she couldn’t break free from twenty years of conditioning. In short, she lived in constant pain.
What was the female lead’s name again…?
Tang Zhirou, that was it.
In her previous life, Tang Zhirou married the factory director’s son, Xiao Heng. But Xiao Heng didn’t love her—he only used her. After swindling her family’s gold, he trampled her mercilessly and got together with her half-sister.
The scumbag man and the scheming woman joined forces and caused her death.
After being reborn, Tang Zhirou decisively chose to go to the countryside. She knew that Huo Nanting from the workers’ compound would rise high in the future—and he was someone who doted on his wife.
Most importantly, Huo Nanting was a child of the wealthy Huo family from Hong Kong. He would inherit an enormous fortune.
With proximity on her side, she could snatch Huo Nanting first and leave nothing for anyone else.
The place they were being sent to… was Dawan Village.
Ah—she remembered now. Everything came back.
As long as she didn’t share a room with the male lead, could she escape her tragic fate?
Besides, she would never commit suicide. She had only lived twenty years—she hadn’t lived enough yet. There was no way she would die miserably.
Lan Xingyu pressed a hand to her chest, forcing herself to calm down.
As long as she didn’t get entangled with the male lead, she’d be fine.
“Young man, it’s noon. Time to eat.”
Seeing her lying there motionless, the old woman reminded her kindly.
Lan Xingyu responded with an “Mm,” took a meat bun from her cloth bag, and began eating.
The rich aroma instantly filled the compartment, making the others swallow involuntarily—but no one asked her for any.
The carriage remained fairly quiet. Everyone ate their dry rations and drank plain boiled water.
Lan Xingyu also got up to fetch some hot water and use the restroom. But the moment she reached the door, she clamped a hand over her nose and backed away repeatedly. She simply couldn’t stand an environment like this.
The person behind her glanced at her and muttered while entering the restroom, “Acting like some delicate lady. A grown man covering his mouth.”
Others coming out of the restroom also sized her up. Where did this young master come from? He looked terrified just from going to the toilet.
Lan Xingyu felt completely out of place here—but her stomach was painfully bloated. She had no choice but to go.
When the person inside finally came out, she pinched her nose and rushed in. By the time she emerged, she almost threw up. She hurriedly pulled out gum and stuffed it into her mouth, abandoning the idea of getting hot water.
She decided she simply wouldn’t drink, eat, or use the restroom anymore.
Back in the compartment, she lay on the bunk feeling absolutely miserable. Tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back and simply lay there waiting to get off the train.
Who would have thought—in the middle of the night, someone groped her.
The moment she moved, a knife pressed against her chest. A man whispered, “Don’t make a sound. Hand over your money.”
“No money.”
All her cash was stored in her space.
“Don’t shout!”
The man released her and slipped out of the compartment.
The next day, Zhang Weiping said in panic, “My money is gone! Jiani, check quickly—see if yours is still there!”
Zhao Jiani hurried to check and cried out, “Ah! Mine is gone too!”
This thief was too skilled. She had hidden the money in her underwear and it still got taken. But she absolutely couldn’t say that—if people found out, her reputation would be ruined.
“Ah, what do I do? I don’t have a single cent left.”
She had eighteen yuan and had planned to buy daily necessities when they arrived. Now it was all over. And Zhang Weiping’s money was gone too—how were they supposed to survive in the countryside?
“I’ll go find the conductor.”
Zhang Weiping hurried off, his heart in turmoil. His thirty yuan was gone. Life in the countryside was going to be hard.
Lan Xingyu lay on the bunk watching them. She hadn’t slept after the latter half of the night, afraid the bad guy might return.
Across from her, the old lady calmly fussed over the little boy. Clearly, her money hadn’t been stolen.
The old lady handed her grandson a biscuit, then looked at Zhao Jiani and said with a smile, “Hiding money in your underwear isn’t safe anymore. Pickpockets all know that trick.”
“I didn’t hide it in my underwear,” Zhao Jiani denied. “Your money wasn’t stolen? Where did you keep it?”
The old lady beamed. “I sewed it into my shoe sole. Can’t lose it that way.”
Zhao Jiani glanced at her cloth shoes, her gaze darkening slightly. For a moment, she even felt the urge to steal them.
The old lady noticed the calculation in her eyes but didn’t care. She took out a biscuit and sat on the bunk eating, then looked at Lan Xingyu.
“Young man, you didn’t eat last night either. Aren’t you getting up to eat something?”
Lan Xingyu shook her head. She was very hungry, but she didn’t want to eat—she was afraid of needing the restroom again. But now her stomach was bloated once more. Even so, she didn’t want to go. She couldn’t stand that filthy environment.