"You want me to live the life of the woman who stole my life?" Jia Yu simply wants to clarify the absurd situation.
The woman smiles, "Sounds like an adventure right?"
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Look," the woman stands up and settles down beside Jia Yu. "I'm going to be straight forward with your situation. You can't stay here."
"But you said my first option is - I can wait here."
She smiles, tilting her head to one side. "About that," the sound of each letter only extends, attempting to find the right words. Jia Yu's mouth slightly part, as she stares at the woman with wide eyes. "Mortal souls who stay in our realm for too long will...kind of-" the volume of her voice drops. "Disappear."
"Disappear?"
"Disappear. Verb. Cease to exist," the woman giggle anxiously. "So, you actually only have one option which is to occupy another mortal body until everything is regulated. And guess who we figure out has a body that's unoccupied," she starts singing near the end to ease the tension.
"Why don't you just kill her?" Jia Yu said each word slowly through her gritted teeth. The singing did not ease the dense atmosphere, only escalate it.
"What?"
"You know, make a car run her over and force her soul to return."
The woman smile once more and her head tilts to the other side, "I see a problem in your plan."
"That is?"
"We would be running over your body," she said while Jia Yu stays quiet. "Let's say your body survives after the car accident. Do you want to know the chances of nothing being damaged? You could die or worse, your body would become a vegetative state your whole life. Would you want that?"
Jia Yu only silently stare at her, sweaty palms pressing against one another.
The woman inches closer, "Tell me. Would you want that? Would you want to break every single bone in your body?" She smiles wickedly.
Jia Yu shudder at the thought of damaging her body. The pain she receives after an object hits her head already hurts enough, how could she tolerate having numerous broken bones.
"So? Your response?"
"Isn't there another body I can occupy? I don't think I can stay sane living a life of someone who stole my life."
"Look," the woman crosses her slim legs, her tangled hands laying above her thighs. "We can't simply allow souls to wander around different universes and occupy random bodies. As fun as it sounds. There are rules and regulations we have to maintain. If I allow you to occupy another person's body. What would the soul of that body do? Do you think there are random bodies laying around without a soul tagged to it?"
Jia Yu's head slump in defeat.
The woman pats her back softly, "It will be a short while. After we collect Jia Su, we will immediately switch you guys back and no one would notice a thing."
"No one would notice that someone else is pretending to be me?"
The woman shakes her head. "We will write it down as some personality disorder and memory loss since your head got hit."
Jia Yu's eyes narrow, "Will that really work?"
"We use it all the time."
That response did not help her feel better. It actually makes her feel worse.
Jia Yu exhales, "Fine," she grumbles, accepting her fate; persuading herself that it would only be temporary.
The woman clasped her hands together, "Great! I will start on the document and you can jump into her body," she stands up. Her head tilts to the side, gesturing Jia Yu to follow along.
They left the room to enter another one. Jia Yu didn't know how long, but she would leave one room to enter another one to watch the woman receives stamps of approval. Jia Yu's frown on deepens each time someone gave her a pitiful look.
Finally, they return to her office.
The woman sat down on the other side and exhales, "Now, simply sign here-" she places her perfectly painted nail on the straight line at the bottom of the paper, "and you can go live in Jia Su's world - temporary, of course," she eagerly hands Jia Yu the pen only to receive a smirk in return.
Jia Yu crosses one leg above the other. "You really think I would sign a contract without knowing its content?"
The women's eyes twitches.
"Did you really read my profile?"
Of course, she did. She read Jia Yu's profile over and over before meeting her. Jia Yu, a woman who had conquered the business world at the pure age of thirty. A woman who enjoys spending her time in mindless writing which results in a possible creation of a world.
She also read the troubling portion of the situation they are resting in. The person who had stolen Jia Yu's life is one of Jia Yu's characters. Generally, made-up character's souls rest in another department, but since Jia Yu's world is so closed in being approved to become a reality they had decided to allowed those souls to inter-mixed with the nonfiction world.
This is the first time they had approved such an event.
No one would think, things would steer in the wrong direction so fast.
What are the chances that a person from a fictional world would figure out that she is a character from staying in the border department for only a few seconds? Yes, Jia Su's soul had only left her body for a few seconds.
Now, the brain explosive part would be - what are the chances that the character would meet the writer?
It wouldn't be a problem if Jia Su stole someone else identity because that world would immediately reject Jia Su's soul and kick her back to the Border. However, since Jia Yu is the writer, her characters - disregard whether they play a small or large portion - are linked to her soul which becomes a part of her. Every writer sprinkles a bit of themselves into their characters whether they are good or evil. Hence, Jia Yu's body naturally accepts Jia Su and vice-a-versa.
Because of this troubling situation, earlier, the woman and her co-workers had been standing outside playing rock-paper-scissors to see who would break the bad news.
Clearly, she lost.
When Jia Yu accepted the proposal of entering Jia Su's body enabling her some time to fix the problem, she saw a bit of light.
That is until Jia Yu wanted to know the full situation.
The woman sat there and think...attempting to not withdraw her intense eye contact with Jia Yu.
Jia Yu had been analyzing the woman in front of her, understanding that she is hiding something. Her initiation had never failed her.
She smiles, almost a bit too wickedly. "Okay. I will tell you about Jia Su."
Jia Yu cups her hands above her thighs and leans forward, eager to know more about the life of the woman she is about to become. "I'm listening."
"Jia Su is a young beautiful woman."
Obviously.
"Age 20."
Jia Yu attempts not to gasp. She had not been 20 for over 10 years.
"Daughter of a wealthy family."
Jia Yu didn't feel anything knowing that she will live another wealthy life. "Okay," she responds casually.
The woman expected the response, knowing Jia Yu is quite wealthy herself. "Royal."
"What?" Jia Yu questions.
"Jia Su is royal."
Jia Yu's eyes squinted. "What's her situation? If Jia Su is the daughter of a wealthy royal family. What is wrong?" There is always a problem with a person who wants to run away from their own life. In Jia Su's case, she isn't simply running from one country to another; she is leaping worlds. There must be a huge reason - problem - to why Jia Su wants to leave.
The woman exhales and her eyes drop towards the two cups of water. "Jia Su is lonely." Technically, the woman isn't lying. To a certain extent, Jia Su is a lonely person. If she were to tell Jia Yu of Jia Su real situation then she would only tear up the Border.
A jolt of pain rushes into Jia Yu's heart. Although Jia Yu is surrounded by people - only three - who love her; she does often feel lonely.
There are times when she feels like no one in the world understands her.
Of course, she wouldn't leave the uneasy problem go unsolved. Jia Yu goes to a psychiatrist once a week to discuss her problems. Her psychiatrist would often ensure her that there are moments when people would often feel empty...undesired...lonely.
Jia Yu wonders what her psychiatrist would do when she doesn't show up to her appointment.
Would he call her?
Would he report that she is missing?
Would he still charge her for a missing session?
"Look," the woman said, snapping Jia Yu back into reality. "There isn't much you need to do except live a comfortable life as Jia Su. It may be lonely, but it isn't horrible."
"There's more," Jia Yu said.
"A lot of people dislike Jia Su."
And there it is.
"They won't do anything to you - or Jia Su - only talk behind your back. But, it really doesn't matter because from what I read, you enjoy staying indoors. So, stay indoors as Jia Su!" The woman attempt to persuade Jia Yi in agreement.
Jia Yu bit her lower lip, "I don't have to worry about wealth?"
The woman nods her head.
"No one would bother me? Only rumors behind my back?"
She nods eagerly.
"And I won't get hurt in any way right?"
"Your emotions may."
Jia Yu shrugs impassively. She had long grown immune to people talking behind her back. She realizes the more she raises her social status, the more people will talk about her. It can be good or bad, she no longer cares.
She bit the edge of her lip. "I want to know more about my family."
The woman exhales faintly, knowing Jia Yu is getting more comfortable with the idea of temporarily accepting the life of Jia Su. "Your father is a distant relative of the royal family. Although you all hold no real power in the kingdom, you're still quite wealthy. The status itself will gain your respect wherever you go."
"My mother?"
The woman smiles warmly, "A very kind woman."
Despite it not being her real mother, Jia Yu's body warm at the thought of having parents again. She admits, she misses her father and mother. Even when it is only temporary, she would gladly accept their affection.
"Any siblings?"
The woman feels like she is being interviewed for a job. She brushes aside the odd emotions. "One older brother."
Jia Yu's lips twists. She wonders if having an older brother is the same as having a younger one.
What Jia Yu didn't realize was that despite being called: JieJie. She doesn't really behave as if she is Cheng Yu's older sister. Most of the time, Cheng Yu is the one babying her. Sometimes, Cheng Yu thinks the government had messed up their paperwork and wrote down incorrect birth years.
"Love life?"
There's a deathly long pause from the woman before she smiles. "You're single."
Jia Yu exhales at the thought of being single even in another life - even if it doesn't belong to her. Then again, it's probably for the better. If Jia Yu were to have a husband or lover, things are bound to become complex. Feelings may develop where it shouldn't be.
"I would like to clarify-" the woman state "that this will be temporary," she wants Jia Yu to feel reassured; how she wouldn't be stuck in another world forever.
Jia Yu scans the contract and nods, "Okay. I will sign."
The woman slides the contract and pen across the table.
"But-"
She did not enjoy hearing that word.
"I need some sort of safety net."
The woman tilted her head, "Safety net? What do you mean?"
"From what I experienced. Sometimes, things don't go as smoothly as they should."
"If you're asking for some sort of superpower, I can't do that. It doesn't necessarily exist in this world."
That sentence made Jia Yi realizes that there may be a world with superpowers. She slightly feels dejected not being able to enter those worlds. It would benefit her supernatural stories.
Plus, she always wanted to know how it feels to be able to control something with her mind or bend an element of nature.
She pushes away those meaningless thoughts. "No, I meant. For example, since I'm wealthy and kind of a part of a royal-ish family, people may attempt to kidnap me for ransoms. They may torture me or do disgusting stuff. I don't want that."
It's better to be conscious of a new environment.
Maybe, that's one of the reasons why Jia Yu could not naturally socialize with others.
She's too cautious.
One may say, risking endless hours in a near bankrupting company in the middle of a cut-throat city for their meaningless stocks hoping one day it may salvage is risky.
They wouldn't have known that Jia Yu works two to three other jobs to sustain her income. She was a waitress, dog walker, and a personal tutor.
"No. Not that. I mean, I don't want bad things to happen to me while I'm there," Jia Yu clarifies.
"We...can't control what may or may not happen because what's bound to happen surely happen."
Jia Yu wants to flip the table of bullshit.
"But, I can tell you that if you simply live a quiet life away from all political events. Everything will be okay."
Jia Yu exhales while the woman maintains her smile. However, she wants to cry because of the mountain of questions Jia Yu had given her.
"Also-" the woman said, placing the cup of water in front of her. "You need to drink this."
"That's the Lost Liquid."
The fact that Jia Yu knows of the liquid that erases all mortal memories of anything related to the Border shocks the woman. "Yes, it is."
"Why do I have to drink it? I didn't become best friend with a dragon from another world."
The woman chuckles, "No. Just protocol," more protocol. Jia Yu wants to roll her eyes. "Mortals aren't supposed to have any memories of us. It will only take away memories of anything related to the Border. You may keep all memories as Jia Yu. We wouldn't unrighteousness take that away from you."
Jia Yu tilt her lips to one side, "Can I reach you if something goes horribly wrong?"
The woman nods, "If your life is in danger - like danger...danger - I will surely come and collect your soul immediately. We will discuss what to do if that were to occur. Don't worry, you're in safe hands."
Jia Yu is the type of woman who doesn't trust anyone else hands other than her own. Even after her best friend, Hu Lanying, review a contract; she also person wants to scroll through it before providing her signature.
Some may say, Jia Yu have trust issues.
No, she is simply overly cautious.
"But, won't I be confused exiting my world and suddenly entering a new one? I mean, anyone will go bonkers realizing that they enter another person's body," Jia Yu read enough transmigration to slightly grasp her situation.
"You're a smart woman, Jia Yu. You will figure out your situation," the woman stroke Jia Yu's ego.
"And if I break down instead?" Jia Yu understands how humans' mentality operates. When situations don't align, they would often scurry towards a dead end and break.
"We will send a message."
"Like a riddle?" Jia Yu doesn't enjoy solving riddles. She believes it is a waste of time.
"How about something on the line of - live your new life peacefully and eventually you will return to your old life?"
Jia Yu twists her lips, it sounds simple enough. Unfortunately, she also doesn't like simplicity. If life was simple, then there wouldn't be so much sorrow.
Jia Yu understands her limited options.
She could always stay at the Border and pray that they grab Jia Su's soul quickly enough so she can return. However, if they don't do it fast enough she will disappear...an action that is clearly different from death.
Death is part of a cycle.
Birth. Life. Death. Repeat.
Disappear...well...it ceases to exist.
Gone. Poof. No more.
Hesitantly, Jia Yu grabs the pen and scribble her signature across the paper.
The woman places the Lost Liquid in front of Jia Yu, who stares at it. "Life is meant to be Lived. Sometimes, it takes a good turn and other times, a bad one. It's a flip of the coin. It's not necessarily a bad turn to step out of your bubble."
There's a brief silence from Jia Yu as she swirls the liquid between her fingertips. "You're right."
The woman could not believe what had happened. She merely merges together a few quotes she found inside a few fortune cookies and it was enough to fully convince someone.
Without a second thought, Jia Yu grasp the cup and chug down the whole thing. She slams it down and looks at the woman. "I'm ready to step outside of my bubble and maybe pay someone to become my sugar baby."
Jia Yu realizes that this may not be a bad situation. In her life, she couldn't come up with enough thick skin to purchase love from an attractive man. However, if she becomes Jia Su she could shamelessly do that.
Who cares if Jia Su's reputation flushes down the toilet?
After all, she did steal Jia Lu's life.
"What?" The woman thought she heard wrong.
Jia Su shakes her head. "Nevermind."
A door appears beside them and they both stand up. The woman places out a palm, "It was nice meeting you, Jia Yu," the door crack open. "Enter it and you will become Jia Su."
Jia Yu firmly shakes it as if ending a business meeting. "It is nice to meet you too," she pauses, finally realizing one thing. "I didn't catch your name."
The woman smiles, "I don't remember."
Jia Yu looks into her eyes that hold a portion of sadness. Awkwardly, she fidgets with her hands. She feels as if apologizing would only make it worse, so she smiles. "I will see you later."
The woman nods and watches as Jia Yu steps inside the bright light. Then, it closes and she exhales in relief. Her body slumps on the couch and she sways her head back. "My name huh."
The door creaks open and the man who escorted Jia Yu pokes his head in. "Is she gone?"
Steadily, she nods. "Yeah."
He steps inside and closes the door before scattering towards her. "What are we going to do?"
"Find Jia Su and drag her ass back here. What else?"
"Will Jia Yu be okay? Eventually, she will find out that we transmigrated her into her own story."
The woman puffs her cheeks, "As long as she lives a quiet life away from the plot; she will be fine. We grab Jia Su, come back here, they drink the Lost Liquid, and switch back. Then, we're good to go. Worse comes to worst, we revert back time in that world."
Since the world Jia Yu had entered is still considered a trail world, they are able to rewind time and re-test its potential. They cannot do it in an already established world such as the one Jia Yu's body reside in. It could only move forward, not backward.
The man nods, "Hopefully, everything will be okay."
The woman tilts her head forward, her messy hair scatters across her red cheeks. "Hey, what's your name?"
The man tilts his head, it's been a long time since he had received that question. Once in a while, a mortal would enter and ask him, but that was it. He digs inside his mind for an answer but found nothing. It's a useless action. "Why are you asking that? You know everyone who works in the Border doesn't have names."
"Right. No names."
No names.
No information.
They are no ones.