Parallel timeline.
1977, midsummer.
Beijing City, the Shen family’s old residence, second-floor bedroom.
Shen Ran opened her eyes and sat up on the bed in a daze.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings before her, she felt a little confused.
That underworld messenger Xiao Bai had kicked her straight into the transmigration passage—so where exactly had she ended up?
Curiosity filled Shen Ran’s eyes as she looked around the room.
It was a bedroom with a strong sense of an older era.
Old-fashioned wooden lattice windows let the breeze blow in from outside, making the bamboo-patterned curtains sway gently.
On the desk by the window were several books and a vintage orange desk lamp.
On the bedside table sat a red “Double Happiness” enamel mug. Beside it stood a two-door rosewood wardrobe, with a large mirror attached to the right door.
Sitting on the bed, Shen Ran’s gaze accidentally swept across the mirror—and she nearly jumped off the bed in shock.
Oh my god! Oh my god!
Could the young woman in the mirror—with fair skin, stunning beauty, and captivating charm—really be her?
Shen Ran hurried out of bed and walked to the mirror to examine herself carefully.
The woman had long, glossy black hair draped casually over her shoulders. Her skin was smooth like cream, and her facial features were delicate and refined.
She wore a soft cotton nightgown, the collar slightly open, revealing a graceful and slender neck.
Her chest was full and striking, and below that was a slim waist that seemed small enough to grasp with one hand.
Wow!
A swan-like neck!
A 3D bust!
An ant-like waist!
This was the dream body every woman wished for.
“Is this really me?”
Shen Ran touched her cheek in disbelief. The woman in the mirror copied the same movement.
She subconsciously bit her lip.
The woman in the mirror bit her red lips lightly, her eyes shimmering with charm, looking utterly alluring.
“Help…”
Shen Ran covered her burning face, unable to stop herself from screaming internally.
Ahhh—so beautiful!
She was about to fall in love with herself!!!
【Tsk, this idiot is still admiring herself in the mirror. She has no idea disaster is about to strike.】
Suddenly, a mocking voice sounded in her ears.
Shen Ran turned her head and discovered that a dirty stray cat had appeared on the windowsill.
The cat lay there licking the fur on its paw while looking at her like she was a fool.
Shen Ran: …Was she just looked down on by a cat?
The beast-language ability Xiao Bai had given her was truly amazing.
Even though the cat hadn’t opened its mouth, she could clearly hear its thoughts.
【Idiot. Why are you staring at me? Are you mesmerized by my beauty?
This cat is handsome and beloved by all. Don’t fall in love with me—humans and cats can never be together!】
Shen Ran: …
This little stray cat was pretty narcissistic.
But what had it just said? A disaster was coming?
Just then, a flood of unfamiliar memories suddenly poured into her mind.
Shen Ran’s expression changed again and again.
It turned out she hadn’t only transmigrated—she had entered a novel.
She had transmigrated into a melodramatic “true heiress vs. fake heiress” era novel.
The original owner of this body was the brainless, troublesome real heiress, while the female lead was the gentle and kind fake heiress.
Because they were switched at birth, the original host had grown up in a small mountain village for eighteen years before finally being found and brought back three years ago.
But the family she had longed for despised her and instead doted heavily on the fake heiress.
The fake heiress was also a master-level white lotus—sweet and gentle in front of others, but scheming behind their backs.
The original host already had a bad temper. Being constantly provoked by her biased family and the fake heiress made her personality grow more and more irritable, and she often lost control and acted irrationally.
In order to gain her family’s affection, she constantly competed with the fake heiress.
When the fake heiress married a military officer, the original host immediately schemed to trap another officer into marrying her.
Whatever the fake heiress did, the original host insisted on doing the same—always trying to surpass her.
But she only made more mistakes.
And the more mistakes she made, the worse things became—until she was abandoned by everyone and eventually died a miserable death, her body left in pieces.
Recalling all this, Shen Ran rubbed her temples.
Sure enough, there was a saying: when God opens one window, he closes another.
She had gained the body of a stunning beauty, but she also inherited a huge mess.
But at this point in time, the original host hadn’t died yet—so where had she gone?
Just as that thought appeared, a proud and impatient voice echoed in her mind.
“I don’t want this body anymore. I’m off to reincarnate. Do whatever you want with it. I’m leaving. Goodbye!”
Shen Ran: …
She just left like that?
Well… she certainly had personality.
Feeling that her space supplies and beast-language ability were still there, Shen Ran finally felt relieved.
Well, whatever. Since she was here, she might as well settle in.
With two powerful cheat abilities, what was there to fear? If anyone caused trouble, she’d just fight back.
【This idiot probably doesn’t know yet. Someone hid a jade bracelet in the wardrobe drawer in her room. I saw it with my own eyes.
Two police officers have arrived downstairs. Her younger sister is about to bring them up to search the room. This is going to be a good show.】
The stray cat shifted into a more comfortable position on the windowsill, looking like it was ready to watch the drama unfold.
Shen Ran: …
This cat had way too much inner monologue.
“Big sister, are you in your room? Open the door quickly—I need to talk to you.”
A sweet, syrupy voice sounded from outside the door.
It was the fake heiress, Shen Yunrou.
As mentioned earlier, the original host loved competing with the fake heiress. Whatever Shen Yunrou did, she would follow.
The fake heiress’s military-officer husband had gone on a mission and wouldn’t return for several months, so she often stayed at her parents’ house.
The original host naturally followed her back as well.
This time was no different.
They had only returned two days ago when the fake heiress suddenly said that the family heirloom jade bracelet their mother had given her was missing.
The whole family searched the house but couldn’t find it, which made Shen Yunrou very upset.
That morning, Shen Yunrou’s close friend came to visit. After hearing about the missing bracelet, she immediately insisted that the original host had stolen it and even went to the police station to report it.
Later, the police and the Shen family searched the room—
and actually found the bracelet in the original host’s bedroom.
After this incident, the Shen family completely lost faith in her and kicked her out.
Her military-officer husband had already been dissatisfied with her. After hearing about this, he immediately divorced her.
With nowhere else to go, the original host planned to return to the small mountain village where her adoptive parents lived.
But on the way there, she was kidnapped by traffickers and eventually died miserably in the mountains.
In other words—
today was the turning point of her tragic fate.
Whether the bracelet was actually stolen by the original host was never explained in the novel.
But that didn’t matter.
What mattered now was that Shen Ran had to turn the situation around.
She immediately opened the wardrobe and pulled open the drawer.
Very quickly, she found a green jade bracelet.
“Meow?”
【How did the idiot suddenly become smart? How did she know the bracelet was there?】
The stray cat watching from the windowsill tilted its furry head in surprise.
Shen Ran smiled slightly at it.
“Of course I know. I heard everything you were thinking just now.”
“Meow!”
The cat’s fur stood on end, and it nearly fell off the windowsill.
Shen Ran reached into her pocket—actually summoning something from her space—and took out a small dried fish.
She waved it in front of the little stray cat.
“Hey, little guy. Want to make a deal with me?” 🐟🐱