In the main hall sat a fat man dressed in brocade clothes, with various delicacies spread across the table, and three or four servant boys bustling around him.
They were almost kneeling to feed him.
But the fat man looked deeply troubled, as if his life depended on it.
This face was so unfamiliar.
Song Ci stared hard at the man, inexplicably feeling that his movements and posture overlapped with a figure in her mind...
The guards at the door saw Song Ci and her maid and began to drive them away.
"Where did this girl come from? If you want tea, go elsewhere. Our Young Master has rented out this teahouse."
Shen Huaizhou instinctively looked toward the door.
That girl's eyes... they resembled Little Sister's—cold and hard, as if they could pierce one's heart, ready to stab with a needle the next second.
Shen Huaizhou shuddered. He must be hallucinating from hunger to mistake a strange little girl for his sister.
"Song Big Head!"
Song Ci suddenly called out tentatively.
Shen Huaizhou was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.
The guards at the door became furious.
"Wretched girl, what are you shouting! You've offended our Young Master's eyes. Watch your worthless life, and get lost!"
"How dare you drive away our Miss! What do you think you are? Our Miss is of noble status—how dare you offend her?"
Amber stood fiercely in front of Song Ci.
Song Ci had just called out her elder brother's childhood nickname, but he didn't respond. She thought she might be overthinking: "Amber, forget it. Let's go."
Just then, a mountain of flesh lunged toward her.
"Xiao Ci..." Nervousness caused Shen Huaizhou's voice to change pitch.
"Elder Brother..." Song Ci was both surprised and delighted. "You... how did you eat yourself into a pig? You're a weight loss blogger—this persona is ruined."
"Xiao Ci, it's really you."
Shen Huaizhou's eyes bulged like bronze bells, staring intently at the person before him. His expression shifted from blank to shocked, then to ecstasy, and he excitedly hugged her tightly.
Amber was shocked. Who is this, daring to hug the Eldest Miss in broad daylight?
"Lecher, take your filthy hands off her!"
"I must be hallucinating. Our Young Master is hugging a girl? Doesn't our Young Master love big pork knuckles the most? Besides, the Duke only has one son—where did he get a sister?"
"Could it be that the Young Master isn't hungry? Is he in love? Wanting to take a wife?"
Shen Huaizhou's servant boys and guards were all stunned, thinking they were hallucinating.
Song Ci was immersed in the joy of finding a relative, the gloom of her transmigration swept away. Only when she heard Amber's shout did she come back to her senses.
"Elder Brother, let me go. There are too many eyes here. Let's find a place to talk."
"Oh, right, right, right. Look at me, too excited. Come with me."
Shen Huaizhou took the lead up to the second-floor private room, walking with earth-shaking steps, like moving a mountain.
Amber was about to cry. Was the Eldest Miss being kidnapped?
This man looked like a bear. Did the Eldest Miss like that sort?
"Eldest Miss, you're already engaged!"
Song Ci quickly soothed her: "Shh! Don't shout. I'm just talking with this Young Master. Don't worry, I wouldn't marry anyone, much less him."
After they went upstairs, the siblings dismissed the servants.
Shen Huaizhou broke down.
"Doctor Song, you're looking down on me? I'm your own brother! I'm just a bit fat, and you treat me like this?"
"Elder Brother, you're not just a bit fat—you're a lot fat. Stop messing around. Let's talk business. How did you end up transmigrating too?"
"Speaking of this, it infuriates me. Some blind driver crashed into you, crashed into Mom and Dad, and also sent Second Brother flying."
Shen Huaizhou couldn't help but complain.
He had trained his abdominal muscles for eight years, and now only oil remained. In the past, he'd scold students for sneaking food with deadly threats; now, seeing food, he couldn't move—completely reincarnated as a pig demon.
Talking about it brought tears.
Song Ci was shocked.
"Are you saying Mom, Dad, and Second Brother were also in a car accident?"
"I'm afraid it's a matter of life and death. I died early, so I don't know how they ended up."
Shen Huaizhou's voice dimmed. He didn't dare recall the horror of that scene; his robust body had been crushed into pulp by the car.
Too gruesome to witness.
Song Ci's heart stirred: "Elder Brother, do you think it's possible that Mom and Dad also transmigrated?"
"What did you say?"
Shen Huaizhou shot up: "You suspect Mom and Dad also transmigrated? How could that be? Your plot is even more far-fetched than a novel."
Shen Huaizhou didn't believe it.
How could there be such a coincidence?
Song Ci sighed.
"No coincidence, no story. Yesterday, as soon as I opened my eyes, I transmigrated. The owner of this body drowned. And you?"
"The servant boy said I ate too much and got stuffed to death."
"Stuffed to death?"
Song Ci was at a loss for words.
Even now, Shen Huaizhou couldn't accept this way of dying.
Even a pig wouldn't eat like that.
Song Ci: "If Mom, Dad, and Second Brother had an accident at the same time as us, there's a high probability they transmigrated too. But this is just my speculation. We need to investigate how many people in the Capital City have been in accidents these past two days."
"I'll look into it! I'm the Heir of the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion. I have access to many resources. If Mom, Dad, and Second Brother really transmigrated, I'll definitely find them."
"I'd rather they didn't transmigrate. There's still a chance they survived."
Shen Huaizhou patted her shoulder.
"Don't be upset. At least we're still alive. It's better to be human than a ghost. Look at this sorry state of mine—even breathing is hard, but I don't want to die. In the past, if I'd seen a fat pig like this, I would have scolded him to reincarnate."
Pfft!
Song Ci laughed. Before becoming a weight loss blogger, her elder brother was a coach at a weight loss camp. Whenever he caught trainees sneaking food, he'd immediately start berating them.
His mouth was like poison, reducing people to tears.
Quite a few chubby kids were verbally abused into self-isolation.
They threatened to collectively withdraw from the camp, so the boss fired the elder brother.
They hired him to make money, not to scold people.
Elder Brother had backbone. He turned and left, saying, "This place doesn't keep me, there's always a place that will." Then he moved online and became a weight loss blogger.
He became famous for his venomous tongue.
Many people who couldn't lose weight would come to his comment section to be scolded, dominating the hot searches.
Elder Brother said fat people deserved scolding—scold them until they can't eat.
"The past is unbearable to recall."
Shen Huaizhou sighed. Now he was fat as a pig; whenever he saw food, he couldn't stop shoving it into his mouth. When the pig addiction struck, he'd want to bite himself, driving him mad.
At this moment, he finally understood the pain of those chubby kids.
"Second Sister, your life as a Marquis's daughter is pretty good. You have money and leisure. Enjoy life."
"Elder Brother, you're overthinking. I'm a fake heiress, a thorn in the true heiress's side. She can't wait to get rid of me. The original owner of this body was pushed into the water and drowned."
"Oh my god, you're a fake too? Your situation is too miserable!"
Song Ci fell silent. There was even worse: the Marquis's Mansion would eventually be confiscated and destroyed. If her elder brother found out, he'd probably want to take her and run away overnight.
Shen Huaizhou had a headache.
Although he was fat, at least he was the legitimate son of the Duke Zhenguo. His father was unreliable and liked to keep concubines, but he only had one offspring.
The Duke's Mansion was large and wealthy—he could squander it freely.
Unlike Second Sister, whose life was hanging by a thread.
He spoke earnestly: "Don't be afraid. I'm the Heir of the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion. Even the mosquitoes in the Capital City have to detour around me. Finding someone is just a word from me. From now on, your elder brother is your support. In the Capital City, you can walk backward."
"That won't be necessary. I'll just walk properly. Elder Brother, finding people is more important."
Song Ci didn't want to implicate her brother. Their identities involved too many complications. If she recklessly used his help to leave the Marquis's Mansion, the two households would end up fighting, causing trouble.
The key was, if you weren't ruthless, you couldn't stand firm.
She couldn't rely on others forever.
Song Ci looked at her brother's fat face and couldn't help murmuring.
Where were Mom, Dad, and Second Brother now?
✦✦✦