“Qingzhou Station! Qingzhou Station! Passengers getting off, please gather your belongings and make sure you don’t leave anything behind!”
The harsh, crackling blare of the broken loudspeaker sent a wave of panic through the crowd and jolted Jiang Wantang awake, making her ears throb with pain. Bleary-eyed, she opened her eyes to a blur of moving shadows.
A sudden shiver ran through her, scaring her into jumping to her feet and staring frantically at her surroundings. Before she could even process what was happening, a sharp, blinding pain shot through her brain—as if someone had whacked her on the head with a brick.
She quickly grabbed onto a seat back with one hand while clutching her head with the other, closing her eyes tightly to ride out the dizziness.
Before she could regain her composure, someone behind her shoved her shoulder hard.
“Comrade, are you moving or what? Why are you blocking the way!”
Jiang Wantang stumbled forward a couple of steps from the impact, her hands reflexively tightening around the military-green canvas bag in her arms. Dazed, she followed the crowd off the train. It was only when her feet stepped onto the coal-ash-covered platform—taking in the clouds of white steam swirling in the air and the crowd clad entirely in gray and blue cotton jackets—that she went completely numb.
Wait a second.
She had been staying up late in her rented room last night reading a novel. She’d just nodded off at her desk for a second, hadn’t she? How on earth had she ended up here in the blink of an eye?
Before she could figure it out, a flood of memories that didn’t belong to her rushed into her mind, filling her head so fast she nearly collapsed onto the platform right then and there.
Holy shit. I transmigrated into a book!
And I’ve turned into a cannon-fodder side character with my exact same name!
The original host of this body was a pampered, delicate educated-youth sent down to the countryside. Completely unable to endure the hardships of farm life, she dreamed night and day of returning to the city. To get her hands on an official return spot and save up travel money, she had set her sights on Lu Chenzhou from the Qingshan Brigade.
At the mere thought of that name, Jiang Wantang’s heart gave a violent shudder.
Lu Chenzhou… that was the ultimate, unhinged, hot-tempered villain who walked all over everyone in the original book!
Right now, though, Lu Chenzhou hadn’t hit it big yet. He was just a poor, parentless guy with an attitude as hard as a rock. None of the girls in the village dared go anywhere near him. But the original host had been recklessly bold—simply because she knew Lu Chenzhou was head over heels for her, the kind of love where he’d lay down his life for her.
When the original host so much as scraped the skin on her lip, Lu Chenzhou would trek dozens of miles through deep snow just to buy her medicine. When she complained that farm work was too tiring, he’d wake up before dawn to weed both of their plots single-handedly.
Yet the original host was a heartless piece of work. Knowing that Lu Chenzhou had connections and money—and that he could help her secure a spot to return to the city—she used her charm to tease, coax, and lead him on until he fell hook, line, and sinker.
Lu Chenzhou believed every word. He emptied out his entire savings to pull strings and line pockets for her.
The moment the spot was locked down, the original host spun him another smooth-talking lie:
“Once I get settled in the city, I’ll come back for you. When we have a kid down the road, they’ll get city residency too.”
Even worse, on the night before she left, she deliberately got Lu Chenzhou dead drunk. Taking advantage of his stupor, she quietly scraped out every last bit of savings he had hidden under the edge of his brick bed, dusted off her hands, and took off!
Jiang Wantang’s hands shook so violently she looked like she had Parkinson’s. Trembling, she unzipped the canvas bag in her arms.
Pushing aside the outer layer of old clothes revealed a small bundle wrapped in blue cloth.
Opening it, she saw a neat stack of crisp ten-yuan notes, along with various grain and cloth coupons—and even an ancient, rustic jade pendant carefully wrapped in red cloth.
She counted it up: a full 1,860 yuan! 1,860 yuan in the 1970s!
Jiang Wantang gasped, her knees going so weak she nearly knelt on the spot. This wasn’t just grabbing some cash and running away—she had stripped Lu Chenzhou down to his absolute last dime!
In the original novel, after Lu Chenzhou was dumped, he went completely dark. A few years later, riding the wave of economic reform, he became a wildly wealthy, powerful tycoon. His very first order of business? Ruining the original host’s life completely. He drove her into hiding, and she ultimately fell into the hands of human traffickers, meeting a gruesome end in the deep mountains.
“Young lady, your face is as pale as a sheet of paper. Are you alright?” an older auntie holding a basket asked with genuine concern from nearby, unable to watch any longer.
Jiang Wantang swallowed hard, her voice trembling beyond control.
“Auntie… I’m fine. It’s just that… I feel like death is coming for me real soon.”
“Huh?” The auntie was thrown completely off-guard, staring at Jiang Wantang as if she were looking at a lunatic.
Jiang Wantang didn’t have time to explain; cold sweat had already soaked through her back.
The money was a small issue; the truly fatal part was abandoning the future big shot! Having grown up without a family, Lu Chenzhou’s greatest fear was being deserted. By running away, the original host had effectively pushed him straight into an abyss of despair.
Inheriting a dead-end situation right upon arrival! She had to undo this; otherwise, the second half of her life was going to be completely ruined. She definitely didn’t want to be tortured to death in some remote mountain village—it was way too tragic!
She had to return the money! Apologize! Soothe the future big shot’s fragile little heart!
She had to get back right this second! With that thought, Jiang Wantang hugged her bag, spun around, and sprinted toward the ticket hall at full speed.
“Hey! Girl, what are you running for?!” the auntie yelled from behind.
Jiang Wantang had no time to answer. She dashed all the way to the ticket window, leaning against the counter, gasping heavily for air.
“Comrade! What time is the next bus—I mean train—to Anping County? I need a ticket!”
The ticket clerk flipped through the timetable, looking at her with a strange expression.
“8:40 tonight. Didn’t you just get off the train from Anping? Why are you heading right back?”
“I left something behind,” Jiang Wantang said, whipping out her money with swift efficiency.
“What could you have left behind that’s so important?”
Jiang Wantang gripped the ticket tightly in her hand, her heart bleeding inside.
“I left behind an ancestor who’s gonna take my life.”
The ticket clerk shot Jiang Wantang a look reserved for the mentally unstable, inwardly suspecting that this girl was missing a few marbles.
Jiang Wantang didn’t care in the slightest. Compared to staying alive, none of that mattered.
Once the ticket was in hand, she suddenly recalled the plot point where the big villain officially snapped. Counting the days in her head, her face paled instantly.
According to the original plot, on the third day after her escape, the villagers mocked Lu Chenzhou, calling him a fool who got played for free by a city girl. Lu Chenzhou flew into a rage on the spot, beating the instigators so badly they were admitted to the clinic. That was the exact day he stepped onto the point of no return.
Jiang Wantang abruptly raised her head to look at the large clock hanging in the station. Today… wasn’t today the third day?!
A loud bang went off in her head, as if ten thousand wild horses were trampling through her mind…
Lu Chenzhou, you’d better hold it together for me! Don’t go crazy too soon!
Picking up her feet, she bolted toward the waiting room, praying frantically over and over in her heart.