Summer 1976, Shiling Village.
Under the dim glow of a kerosene lamp.
Xu Xi’s head felt heavy and muddled. With a muffled groan, she opened her eyes.
The man pressing down on her wore a military-green shirt, his muscles taut against the fabric.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell if this was reality or a dream.
Her last memory was celebrating the success of her first art exhibition. After having a few too many drinks, she had been helped to her room by her best friend, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
When she woke again, a man was on top of her.
Xu Xi reached out to push him away, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned it back down.
Her lips parted as she tried to speak, but his scorching kiss descended, silencing all her questions.
Maybe… this man was a male model her best friend had specially arranged for her.
Well, what’s done is done.
When Xu Xi had pushed against him earlier, her palm had pressed firmly against his tight waist and abdomen. Beneath her fingertips wasn’t soft flesh but the distinct, firm outline of well-defined abs.
A muscular man—Xu Xi was fairly satisfied.
The man seemed to notice her distraction. Frowning, he lowered his head and bit her lip, his rough hand gripping her waist.
His movements were forceful yet gentle.
Intense dizziness and a suffocating sensation washed over her.
Xu Xi was so exhausted she couldn’t even lift a finger, yet the man seemed relentless.
After what felt like an eternity…
Xu Xi finally couldn’t take it anymore and passed out.
…
“Zhou Yue! I saw you were drunk and kindly brought you to my home to rest. How dare you do such a thing to my little sister! You must give our Xu family an explanation today.”
“Big Brother is right. If you dare not take responsibility, we brothers won’t let this go! We’ll go to your camp and report you to your superiors!”
As soon as the men finished speaking, a woman’s wailing voice followed.
“Oh dear, my Xi Xi was still an untouched maiden, and now you’ve ruined her purity. How will she ever marry now…”
“Bullshit! Zhou Yue was just back home visiting and stopped by for a couple of drinks with me, his brother. You took advantage of him being drunk, dragged him from my house, and drugged him!”
“I bet this whole drugging scheme was thought up by that shameless slut Xu Xi! No one in the village wants to marry her, so she’s set her sights on my brother! Zhou Yue, don’t worry, I’ll go get the village head right now to settle this!”
“Who are you calling a slut? Zhang Tianfu, watch your mouth!”
Outside the room, chaos reigned. Inside, Xu Xi sat up from the bed, her back and waist aching.
Puzzled, she looked around, finally taking in her surroundings.
It was a small room, simply yet warmly furnished. The wardrobe had a distinctly vintage double-door design with a large mirror in the middle.
The desk was covered with a floral tablecloth, and an old-fashioned desk calendar sat on top. The windows were the kind of wooden lattice windows common in rural areas in the past.
Every piece of furniture and decoration in the room carried a strong sense of a bygone era.
Xu Xi was bewildered, unable to make sense of what was happening. She tried to stand up to get a better look, but her legs gave way beneath her.
Only then did she remember she had slept with a man last night!
Immediately after, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and a flood of memories that weren’t her own surged into her mind.
It took Xu Xi a while to recover before she finally accepted the fact: she had transmigrated into a book.
It turned out the world she now inhabited was a period novel, and she, Xu Xi, was the villainous cannon fodder ex-wife in the story.
The male lead was a battalion commander stationed on an island military base. Even before he returned home on leave, he had already been set up on a blind date with his brigade commander’s daughter—the female lead.
They had a good impression of each other, and after visiting his family, he was expected to return to the island and marry her.
But as soon as he arrived in this village to visit his good friend, he was targeted by the original Xu Xi.
A girl who had always lived in the village had never seen such a handsome officer before. She immediately urged her mother and brothers to drug him while he was drunk, and in a daze, they did the deed.
The male lead felt disgusted but was forced to take responsibility and marry her.
After the wedding, he left her in the village to live with his family. Even when she became pregnant with twins, he never returned to see her.
The village’s medical and sanitary conditions were poor, and Xu Xi was carrying twins. She had a difficult labor and, in the end, she died, but the two children survived.
Finally, the male lead took the twins back to the military base and lived happily ever after with the female lead.
After sorting through the plot, Xu Xi let out a deep sigh.
Others who transmigrated into books always became the female lead, so why did she end up as the malicious cannon fodder ex-wife?
The argument outside the room was still ongoing. Xu Xi rubbed her waist, planning to go out and see what was happening. As she passed the wardrobe, she was startled by the reflection in the mirror.
Xu Xi couldn’t believe the person in the mirror was her.
Her skin was sallow and dark, with a few scattered freckles on her cheeks. Her shoulder-length hair was rustic, messy from sleep, sticking up in all directions like a madwoman’s.
Yet her facial features were strikingly beautiful, almost identical to her original ones.
Her eyes were round and bright, with the outer corners slightly upturned. When she smiled, they curved like crescent moons; when she gazed quietly, they carried a clear, spirited charm. Her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were rosy with soft, gentle lines.
In the eyes of the villagers, the original Xu Xi had a fierce image, so everyone overlooked her features, remembering only that she was a dark, unattractive, and hot-tempered village girl.
Speaking of the original Xu Xi, last night, after seeing Zhou Yue’s drug begin to take effect, her heart raced with excitement, and in her agitation, she suddenly died.
It was at that moment that Xu Xi transmigrated into her body. Talk about bad luck.
Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it.
Xu Xi combed her hair in front of the mirror before pushing the door open and stepping out.
In the main room, a tall figure in military green uniform, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, stood with his back to her. Based on her years of sketching experience, this man was at least six feet three.
Mother Xu was tightly gripping the man’s arm, afraid he would run away and not take responsibility for her daughter.
The three Xu brothers were also blocking the doorway, agitatedly demanding an explanation from the man.
Xu Xi suddenly felt a headache coming on. She had almost forgotten that the original Xu Xi’s widowed mother and three brothers were all malicious antagonists in the original story, yet they doted on the original Xu Xi exclusively.
Whatever the original Xu Xi wanted, they would do without question.
So when she wanted Zhou Yue, they immediately obtained veterinary drugs used for breeding pigs, mixed them into cold boiled water, and forced Zhou Yue to drink it.
Zhou Yue held a grudge and later took brutal revenge, ensuring that neither the mother nor the three brothers had a good ending.
All Xu Xi could think now was: This is a disaster!
Third brother Xu Shouan was the first to notice Xu Xi coming out of the room. He winked at her, his expression clearly carrying a hint of triumphant pride.
Then, he shouted, “Mom, little sister is out.”
The room instantly fell silent. Mother Xu released her grip on the man’s arm and walked over, tenderly stroking Xu Xi’s face.
“Oh, my dear daughter, how did he wear you out like this!”
Mother Xu turned her head to look at Zhou Yue, her expression instantly turning fierce. “Zhou Yue! You must take responsibility for my daughter today!”
As Mother Xu roared, Zhou Yue also turned around with a grim face.
The room had been too dark last night, and Xu Xi’s head had been too dizzy to clearly see what Zhou Yue looked like. Now, as she looked at the contours of his features, she had to admit that the male lead was indeed quite handsome.