Lu Yun got out of bed and poured herself a glass of water, drinking it in large gulps. After wiping away the sweat on her face, she still felt a little hot.
She walked forward a few steps and opened the window. Looking at the night view outside, Lu Yun soon calmed down. She felt that she had probably gone crazy. It was just an online novel, yet she had actually dreamed about the male supporting character in it and could clearly remember what he looked like.
Her best friend is called Lu Yun. “So, how was it? You read the novel I recommended, right? The male supporting character is really tragic. He genuinely loves the female supporting character so much. He never received any special affection, so he gave her all the special treatment he wanted for himself and everything he wished to have. But the female supporting character has eyes only for the male lead and looks down on him. She bullies him and either throws away the things he gives her or gives them to someone else. And the ending for the male supporting character is seriously something I cannot get over.”
The novel her best friend had recommended was a period novel. Apparently, her friend had started reading it because the female supporting character had the exact same name as Lu Yun. After finishing it, she had recommended the novel to Lu Yun as well.
Lu Yun had stayed up all night to finish the novel, and after falling asleep, she had dreamed about the male supporting character from the story.
In the novel, the female supporting character could neither do physical labor nor handle household chores. After going to great lengths to marry the male lead, she was disliked by his family because she could not endure hardship and was too pampered. Her marriage became a complete mess, and eventually, the male lead even asked her for a divorce.
This was also where the novel began. After divorcing her, the male lead met the female lead. The female lead was virtuous and capable. After marrying the male lead, she won the affection of his entire family. However, the female supporting character had not disappeared from the story yet. Unwilling to accept the situation, she caused trouble in every possible way.
The male supporting character was the man behind her who indulged her, helped her, and yet was hated by her. By the end of the novel, because of the female supporting character, the company he had worked so hard to establish went bankrupt, and he even ended up in prison.
Before going to prison, the male supporting character gave all his money to the female supporting character and asked a childhood friend who had grown up with him to take care of her. Smiling, he told her, “Wait for a few years. When I get out, I will protect you.”
He reached out and gently touched her hair. After looking at her for a long time, he turned around and left. The female supporting character stood there, biting her lip tightly to keep herself from crying out loud.
From that point onward, both the male and female supporting characters disappeared from the story. The female supporting character never appeared in the lives of the male and female leads again. It could also be said that the male and female leads had simply moved to a different setting. The two of them went to the provincial capital to continue building their careers, and their story had not ended either. There would still be other villains and supporting characters later, with at least several hundred thousand more words to come.
Lu Yun had stopped reading after seeing the male and female supporting characters leave the story. In truth, the novel mainly focused on how virtuous and capable the female lead was, how she won the affection of the male lead’s entire family, and how she first made the male lead see her simply as his wife before eventually making him fall in love with her. The male and female supporting characters did not have many scenes. Their stories were not described in much detail either, and they mostly appeared only when the plot required them.
Lu Yun also felt that the male and female supporting characters had received an unfair ending, but she could not completely understand it. Did a woman really have to be virtuous and capable to earn the affection of her husband and his family? According to the novel, when the female supporting character argued with the younger sister of her husband, who had been pampered since childhood, the neighbors all said that she was being unreasonable. But before getting married, the female supporting character had also been the cherished daughter of her own family.
Besides, before marrying her, the male lead should have known that she was the kind of person who could not endure hardship and was somewhat spoiled.
Her best friend continued, “I am going to read the chapters after the male and female supporting characters leave the story and see if they appear again.”
Lu Yun said, “Sure. Tell me after you finish. But I do not think there will be anything about them later. The female supporting character will not appear in the male and female leads’ lives again, and if she does not appear, the male supporting character will not appear either.”
“If I find them, then the famous food blogger Lu Yun has to cook for me.”
“Sure. If you find them, tell me what you want to eat and I will make it for you.”
“Even if I cannot find them, I still want to eat.”
Lu Yun sat by the window with both hands supporting her chin. She could not help thinking about the male supporting character’s appearance. His eyes were sharp, and there was a hint of arrogance about him. Yet when he smiled at her, there seemed to be a trace of tenderness in his expression.
Lu Yun shook her head, feeling that she was letting her imagination run wild again. It was probably because the female supporting character in the novel had the same name as her that she was thinking about it so much.
She usually loved reading novels and had many that she enjoyed, but she had never reacted like this before.
She got up and went back to bed, planning to continue sleeping.
Outside the window, seven stars appeared in a line across the night sky.
The seven stars flickered once, so quickly that it was almost impossible to see. Even if someone had noticed it, they would probably have thought it was only an illusion.
Lu Yun stared at the old fashioned room filled with the atmosphere of a bygone era and rubbed her temples. After waking up, she had suddenly found herself here. At first, she thought she was dreaming and pinched herself as hard as she could, only to discover that it actually hurt.
Afterward, Lu Yun even tried going back to sleep to see whether she would return to her apartment after waking up. But after finally falling asleep, she was still here when she opened her eyes again.
She had transmigrated.
Holding the calendar, Lu Yun stared at the year 1988 printed on it. For a moment, she had no idea how to describe what she was feeling.
At this moment, Lu Yun was actually somewhat relieved. She was glad that after her parents had divorced, they had each started new families and had children of their own. Apart from one close friend, she did not usually have particularly close relationships with anyone else. Otherwise, putting aside the question of what she was supposed to do now, she would probably have been overwhelmed just thinking about the people she had left behind before transmigrating.
Lu Yun began looking for all kinds of information about the original owner, but suddenly felt dizzy and heard the system’s voice. When she opened her eyes again, the surprise in her expression was impossible to hide.
She had never expected that something even more outrageous than transmigrating would happen. Not only had she transmigrated, she had also entered a novel. She had become the female supporting character Lu Yun from the novel she had read the previous day, a character who had exactly the same name as her.
A mechanical voice rang out. “You did not enter a novel. You are the original owner. You appeared here because of your own request.”
Lu Yun had read plenty of transmigration novels, so she could more or less understand what was happening. “Are you my special advantage?”
The system replied, “No. I am only here to answer your questions and help you adapt to life here as quickly as possible. After that, I will continue on to help someone else.”
Although the system said it was not a special advantage, it had indeed helped Lu Yun quickly adapt to life here, and she felt that it still counted as one. Because of the system, things had become much easier for her.
The old fashioned curtain at the doorway was lifted, and a woman who looked to be in her forties wiped her hands on her apron. “I boiled some eggs for you. Hurry up and get up to eat breakfast, then go to work.”
This person was Lu Yun’s mother, Zhang Meili.
Because of the system’s explanation, Lu Yun knew who she was.
What surprised Lu Yun was that she did not feel any sense of unfamiliarity toward Zhang Meili. Even though she had not recovered the original owner’s memories, she still felt an inexplicable familiarity with her.
Zhang Meili said, “The eggs are ready. Hurry up and eat your breakfast.”
Lu Yun looked up at Zhang Meili and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Zhang Meili said, “If you do not feel like going to work today, I can ask you to leave for you. You do not have to go.”
Lu Yun indeed did not feel like going to work right now and had no mood for it either, so she nodded. Zhang Meili immediately smiled, seeming quite happy that Lu Yun was not going to work.
Then she turned around and walked out.
“Old Lu, Old Lu, when you go to work later, remember to ask for leave for our daughter.”
“Fine, I know.”
Lu Yun had still been lost in thought because of the transmigration, but when her stomach began to growl loudly, she rubbed it and realized that she really did need to eat breakfast.
Everyone in the Lu family had gone to work, but they had left Lu Yun’s breakfast on the table. There was a bowl of plain congee, an egg, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. To her surprise, Lu Yun discovered that the pickled vegetables tasted somewhat similar to the ones she made herself.
At this point, if she still thought that she had simply transmigrated because she happened to read a novel whose female supporting character shared her name, it would be far too strange. After all, there was also the system’s explanation.
Lu Yun finished every last bit of her breakfast and even served herself another half bowl of plain congee.
The Lu family lived in a courtyard house in the county town, and there were several households living in the same courtyard. When Lu Yun went outside, the courtyard was bustling with activity, and several people greeted her. She thought she would feel awkward, but her actions were faster than her thoughts. She smiled and greeted them back, then washed her bowl in the courtyard.
As she washed the bowl and looked at the lively atmosphere around her, Lu Yun gradually calmed down.
In fact, Lu Yun had already adjusted her state of mind somewhat while eating. Before she transmigrated, as the internet had grown, she had become a food blogger after graduating. Every day, she was busy preparing her own three meals, spending time in the afternoon sun, occasionally attending events, or getting together with people in the same field to sample delicious food.
Food was what could calm and heal Lu Yun the most. Besides, she could not return to her original world now anyway.
However, in this era, even if she wanted to become a food blogger, she would probably have to wait more than a decade, right?
After washing the bowl clean, she dried it and went back inside.
Life had to go on. Her master had once told her that once she had learned a skill, as long as she was willing to work hard, she would never starve no matter what era she lived in. Besides, she had family here and she had a job.
Compared with the other transmigration novels Lu Yun had read, her situation was already quite good. The plot had not officially begun yet, and she had not married the male lead. There was even still a long time before the novel’s main storyline officially started.
Lu Yun asked the system all kinds of questions about how to live here and about the Lu family’s circumstances, and the system answered all of them.
Whenever Lu Yun asked why she had returned here from the modern era, the system only told her once that she would know in the future. After that, it simply remained silent.
After helping Lu Yun understand her current situation and seeing that she was able to live in the Lu family, the system stopped appearing. According to what it had said, it was going to help someone else.
A clear and pleasant voice came from outside the door. “Ah Yun, Ah Yun.”
Very soon, the person speaking pushed the door open and came inside.
The girl smiled. “Ah Yun, hurry, hurry, hurry. I am going on a blind date today, but my younger brother got my clothes dirty. Quickly help me find an outfit so I can deal with the blind date first. The man I am meeting this time has really good conditions, so I cannot miss this opportunity. He is handsome too.”
The person who had come in was Lu Yun’s younger female cousin. Lu Yun had a good relationship with her. She opened the wardrobe and let her cousin choose for herself. After searching through the clothes, her cousin found a new blue floral dress that was still wrapped in a bag. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Lu Yun. Lu Yun smiled and let her take it home to wear.
Lu Yun’s cousin smiled. “Thank you, Cousin. If things work out, I will have you be my bridesmaid, and I will give you a really big red envelope.”
After saying that, she ran off happily with the dress.
When Lu Yun’s cousin returned home and changed into the dress, she discovered that there was actually a handkerchief and a tin of Snow Flower Cream wrapped inside it. She froze for a moment, assuming that Lu Yun had forgotten them. She wrapped the things up again and was about to return them when she heard her family calling for her from outside. She could only put everything back into the bag, thinking that she would return the handkerchief and Snow Flower Cream when she washed the dress and brought it back.
The Lu family had asked for leave for Lu Yun, so she did not need to go to work. The following day was the weekend, which meant she could rest for three days in a row.
Lu Yun spent the first day bored at home. Early the next morning, she got up, washed and dressed herself, and decided to go outside and take a look around.
After walking out of the alley, she looked at the scenery that she had never been able to see before transmigrating. The people around her seemed to possess a certain simple sincerity. Some of the girls wore dresses that carried a distinctive sense of fashion. Modern people might think those styles were no longer fashionable, but Lu Yun actually liked them very much. She felt that the fashion of this era had a style of its own.
Not far away, someone saw Lu Yun and quickly hid. After Lu Yun walked out of the alley, that person hurriedly ran away.
The small county town of the 1980s was filled with the lively atmosphere of everyday life. Lu Yun did not go very far. Perhaps because she loved cooking, she first went to the vegetable market and then visited the cotton mill where she worked.
Her job was in the office of the cotton mill. She was able to work in an office because she had a high school education. Otherwise, she would not have been able to get such a position.
She had walked to both the vegetable market and the cotton mill on her own two feet. By the time Lu Yun left the cotton mill and headed home, it was almost lunchtime. Thinking about how Zhang Meili had said that she would make dumplings for lunch, Lu Yun quickened her pace.
Perhaps Lu Yun had been a food lover since childhood, because she felt that life was all about three meals a day and that every meal had to be enjoyed properly. That was also why she had eventually learned to cook and become a food blogger.
At the entrance to the alley, Lu Yun saw the man standing there and instinctively stopped in her tracks.
It was him.
The man Lu Yun had dreamed about.
The male supporting character from the novel, He Chengan.
The transmigration itself and the life she had found herself living afterward had already given Lu Yun plenty to think about, so she had actually forgotten that before transmigrating, she had dreamed about the male supporting character from the novel. He was also the He Chengan whom both she and her best friend had found so difficult to accept losing.
Lu Yun walked forward a few steps. After hesitating for a moment, she intended to continue walking, but He Chengan suddenly grabbed her wrist.
He Chengan smiled and asked, “Why did you not eat the braised pork I gave you? Why did you give away the Snow Flower Cream and the dress too? Do you hate me that much?”