H City, City People’s Hospital.
Song Ci slowly opened her eyes, greeted by a stark white ceiling and the pungent smell of disinfectant in the air.
Seeing the girl on the hospital bed gradually open her eyes, Madam Jiang’s eyes lit up. “You’re awake, Wanwan, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death.”
Song Ci lowered her gaze, and what came into view was a middle-aged woman dressed in a dark green cheongsam, looking at her with reddened, emotional eyes.
Scared me to death? Did she hear that right?
Song Ci instinctively shrank further under the covers. Who was Wanwan? Could these people be the family of that little boy?
Thinking this, Song Ci let out a sigh of relief. Propping herself up with her hands to sit up, the cheongsam-clad woman immediately reached out to help her, causing Song Ci to pause slightly.
The woman thoughtfully placed a pillow behind her back. Song Ci pursed her pale lips and asked, “Who are you? How is your child?”
“What do you mean, who am I? Wanwan, don’t you remember your mother?” Madam Jiang frowned slightly. What was going on? Could she have lost her memory? Impossible!
The next second, the middle-aged woman dressed in elegant attire spoke gently, “Wanwan, I’m your aunt. Don’t you remember any of us?”
“No, who are you?” Song Ci stared at them blankly. Wasn’t she saving someone? After rescuing the little boy, her leg cramped, and she choked on water.
“Doctor, doctor!” Madam Jiang furrowed her brows, her heart filled with anxiety. “How is my daughter? Why doesn’t she remember us?”
After the doctor arrived, only the doctor and Song Ci remained in the hospital room.
Outside the room.
“How could she drown just from taking a bath?” Old Master Jiang looked incredulous. It had been too late last night, and the younger generation hadn’t told him about Jiang Wanting nearly drowning in the bath.
“I don’t know, Dad. The key is she doesn’t recognize anyone now,” Madam Jiang said anxiously, pacing back and forth.
“What kind of mess is this!” Old Master Jiang struck the ground heavily with his cane.
Jiang Qixun comforted him, “Dad, don’t worry just yet. Watch your blood pressure.”
Jiang Wanting was the only girl in her generation, treasured and doted on by the entire family. They couldn’t afford for anything to happen to her.
At that moment, a man in a tailored suit strode over with long legs, his features sharply defined as if carved.
The man first greeted the elders, then asked, “How is Wanwan?”
“Aqi, your sister is fine. She’s being examined,” Ye Lan quickly replied, noticing the slight frown on the man’s face. His features were handsome and well-defined, though a hint of fatigue lingered between his brows.
With a click, the hospital room door opened. Several people hurried forward, looking nervously at the doctor.
“Doctor, how is my granddaughter?” Old Master Jiang moved to the doorway with his cane.
The middle-aged male doctor in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses flipped through the medical chart and shook his head. “The patient is physically fine, but…”
Everyone held their breath. “But what?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone lose their memory just from nearly drowning. The only explanation is that she experienced significant emotional distress before, leading to selective amnesia.”
The group was stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, “What?”
“Please, everyone, stay calm.”
“When can she regain her memory?” Compared to the others’ agitation, Jiang Qi appeared much calmer.
“It depends on the patient. Some patients never recover if they don’t want to remember.” The doctor finished speaking and left with the medical chart.
Inside the hospital room.
Song Ci felt her scalp tingle under the gaze of several pairs of eyes. At this moment, she truly believed she had traveled through time, inhabiting another girl’s body.
Had she read too many novels? Could something as absurd as time travel really exist? Was she not dreaming? She had merely jumped into a wishing well to save someone, got a leg cramp, choked on water—and now she had traveled through time?
“Wanwan, it’s alright. You’ll remember in a few days.” Old Master Jiang looked affectionately at the girl leaning against the hospital bed.
“Yes, Wanwan,” Lin Xinya gently patted Song Ci’s head, her eyes slightly red. “This is your grandfather, this is your father, and this is your brother.”
“Wanwan, I’m your aunt,” Ye Lan quickly chimed in, comforting her. “It’s fine. You’ll remember in a few days.”
Song Ci’s lips stiffened, and countless “what the hell” thoughts raced through her mind. Could it be that she had actually drowned in that meter-deep wishing well while trying to save someone?
How utterly embarrassing!
Song Ci spoke weakly, “Um, where is my phone?”
“It’s at home! Should I have someone fetch it for you?”
“Ah, no need. When can I be discharged from the hospital?” Song Ci asked somewhat awkwardly. She had never experienced this kind of concern before.
Jiang Qi furrowed his brows, gazing at his sister who felt both familiar and unfamiliar. His deep, dark eyes grew somber, and his large hand hanging at his side clenched slightly into a fist.
“We need to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation. You can go home in a few days.”
Song Ci could only nod. Being stared at by so many unfamiliar eyes made her feel incredibly awkward. Judging by their attire and demeanor, they were clearly not an ordinary family.
Especially the original host’s brother—she was afraid that if he looked at her a moment longer, he would see through the fact that his sister had been replaced.
Old Master Jiang sighed. At this point, there was nothing else to do. Perhaps it was for the best if she couldn’t remember. Jiang Wanting had been showered with affection since childhood, which had fostered a willful and spoiled temperament.
The engagement with the Shen Family’s child had been agreed upon by his late wife and Old Madam Shen. The two children had been betrothed since they were young.
Since they had never interacted, it was understandable for Jiang Wanting to resist the arrangement. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.
A few minutes later, only Song Ci and Madam Jiang remained in the hospital room. Song Ci—no, now Jiang Wanting.
Jiang Wanting idly picked up the remote control in the room and turned on the TV, flipping through channels aimlessly. The next moment, she switched to the local news.
“According to reports from this station, at 5:36 PM on September 21st, Ms. Song, a student at C University, tragically lost her life while rescuing a young boy. After the incident, the boy’s family contacted Ms. Song’s relatives. Ms. Song’s father and stepmother were deeply saddened by her passing. Further updates on this matter will be provided by this station…”
The remote control in Jiang Wanting’s hand fell with a soft thud onto the blanket. What? She was already dead?
So the original host hadn’t traveled into her body. She had thought they had swapped identities. That meant the original Jiang Wanting had died, and the current Jiang Wanting was her, Song Ci.
Madam Jiang emerged from the bathroom and saw Jiang Wanting lost in thought. She sighed softly. What a tragedy! How could she have lost her memory out of nowhere?
Jiang Wanting snapped back to reality and saw Lin Xinya staring at her. The blatant gaze made her heart tremble, so she found an excuse to slip into the bathroom.
Closing the door, she looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror.
The girl in the mirror had long, jet-black hair, a youthful oval face with a hint of baby fat, willow-like eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, a tall yet delicate nose, and soft pink lips beneath. Her figure was slender and petite, standing around 167 centimeters tall.
Jiang Wanting was momentarily stunned—this face was far prettier than her previous one, though it looked far too youthful, almost like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old’s.
Knock, knock, knock… Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, startling Jiang Wanting.
“Wanwan, are you done yet?” Worried she might have drowned again, Lin Xinya called out after waiting for so long.
Jiang Wanting snapped back to attention and called out toward the door, “Uh… yes, I’ll be right out.”
“Wanwan, here’s your phone,” Lin Xinya handed her the phone and pulled her over to sit by the coffee table. “Let’s eat something first.”
Jiang Wanting glanced briefly at the dishes on the table—mostly light and bland. What? Did the original owner usually eat like this? It seemed far too plain.
Pork rib and yam soup, boiled fish, cold shredded chicken breast, chicken stewed with mushrooms—all were light and simple.
Jiang Wanting swallowed, feeling her stomach growl.