This was a room she often entered to rest. Thick curtains were drawn inside, sealing the entire space tightly. Without lighting, it was pitch-black—so dark that one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.
After placing Ren Jingyan on the bed, she lay down as well.
She was utterly exhausted. No matter what, she would sleep first and deal with everything later.
In her dream, Ren Jingshu widened her eyes in shock, staring at the extremely familiar woman before her in disbelief.
The woman had a graceful figure, curved brows, fair and beautiful skin, and an ethereal, almost immortal aura.
This… was the original owner?
Ren Jingshu felt a little guilty. She didn’t know why she had ended up in this body, but regardless, she had taken over someone else’s life.
“I woke up yesterday and suddenly found myself in your body. I didn’t mean to take it from you.”
She tried to explain. If the original owner had a way to take the body back, she wouldn’t oppose it.
“No need to be anxious. I understand.”
The original owner gave a bitter smile and bowed slightly.
“I should be the one thanking you. You appeared in time and stopped those things from happening, allowing me to leave cleanly and without further humiliation.”
Ren Jingshu waved her hand, wanting to say that this body was already hers now—but felt that wasn’t quite appropriate, so she kept silent.
The original owner didn’t mind. She glanced at the sleeping Ren Jingyan, her eyes full of sisterly affection.
“I came to say goodbye. Before I leave, I want to ask you one thing—can you treat them as your own family? If possible, help them when you can?”
There was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes, knowing her request was difficult, but she still said it.
“If you cannot agree, that’s fine too. Everyone has their own fate… I just… I cannot let them go…”
Tears fell down her face, making her already beautiful features look even more delicate and sorrowful.
Ren Jingshu was slightly stunned, almost entranced.
Since the apocalypse, she had seen countless people—no matter how brilliant they once were, all eventually became inhuman wrecks. Seeing such a living, breathing beauty made her feel a strange sense of envy.
Then she suddenly realized—she was now in this very beautiful body.
There was no need to envy anyone.
Seeing the disappointment in the other woman’s eyes, she quickly agreed.
“Don’t worry. Since I somehow became you, it must mean I am connected to the Ren family. If so, your family is my family. Caring for my own family is only natural.”
The original owner was overjoyed and kept thanking her, making Ren Jingshu feel a little awkward.
“However… you left so suddenly. I don’t remember anything about the Ren family…”
That made things difficult. Without memory, she couldn’t prepare.
“That is no problem at all.”
The original owner smiled faintly and pointed at her.
In an instant, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into Ren Jingshu’s mind like a raging river, filling her consciousness completely.
She closed her eyes and carefully sorted through the chaotic memories. After a long while, she suddenly opened them—her gaze filled with shock and complexity.
“You… you have been reborn?”
From those memories, she learned that the original owner had not only been reborn—but many times.
And without exception, every life ended in tragedy.
“Yes… I have indeed been reborn.”
The original owner gave a bitter, sorrowful smile.
Each time she died, her soul remained near the Ren family, forced to watch them one by one suffer brutal deaths. Then she would open her eyes again—back in that ruined temple where she had once been humiliated.
She would be violated again and again by those men until she was left barely human, like a broken rag thrown in front of Ren Jingyan.
Rebirth after rebirth. Endless torment. Yet she had no way to change fate.
In her first life, she died of shock that very night after returning. As a translucent spirit, she watched her younger sister Ren Jingyan struggle to dig a grave and bury herself.
Soon after, those people targeted Second Aunt of the Ren family. Without hesitation, Second Aunt pushed twelve-year-old Ren Jingyan into their hands.
She died of massive bleeding, her body discarded in the mountains to be eaten by beasts.
Before she could even grieve, her soul was pulled away again.
She then saw her father and brothers suffer cruel torture—her father’s legs shattered, her eldest brother whipped to death, her second brother blinded and mutilated until he was no longer human.
Even as useless remnants, they were not spared, dying miserably on the road to Lingnan.
Then she was reborn again—only to repeat the same nightmare.
Until finally, in her last struggle, she managed to survive by swallowing herbal medicine brought by Madam Wang, forcing herself to live.
With her weak and broken body, she endured humiliation and disgust, trying to protect Ren Jingyan.
But eventually, thugs came again, stuffed them into sacks, and took them away.
When they were dragged out, they found themselves inside the largest brothel in Lingnan.