As the traffic crawled during the notorious rush hour, Audrey, who had just been hospitalized with a concussion, couldn't help but look visibly pale despite the driver's skillful maneuvers.
Anthea sat beside Audrey, her heart aching as she watched Audrey cover her mouth in discomfort.
Anthea reached out to gently stroke Audrey's back, her expression filled with concern. "We should have heeded the doctor's advice and stayed in the hospital for two more days. This isn't a minor issue. What if there are lingering aftereffects?"
"I'm really fine, Mom," Audrey said, trying to reassure her mother. "Besides, I've already completed all the necessary checkups. But, you know, I just can't stand the smell of disinfectant in the hospital. It makes me feel nauseous."
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital did indeed make her want to throw up, but it wasn't the real reason she insisted on being discharged immediately.
She just didn't dare to stay in the hospital any longer.
She never expected that one day she would experience something as extraordinary as transmigration, and to make it even more surprising, she found herself inside a novel she had just read.
She transmigrated into the body of a minor character from the novel, someone who had been fortunate enough to benefit from her mother's marriage to a wealthy family. For a few years now, she had relished the life of a privileged young lady, enjoying all the comforts and luxuries it had to offer.
Her stepfather treated both her and her mother fairly well. While they weren't particularly close, he was generous and provided them with everything they needed.
If she had just lived quietly without causing any trouble, she would have lived a worry-free life even in the next lifetime.
However, the original host was determined to cause trouble, and her wealthy stepfather's facade made it difficult for her to grasp her true identity. She deluded herself into believing she had become the heiress of the wealthy family and even fantasized about competing with her stepfather's three biological children for the family inheritance.
It's like she has a pig brain that had been caught between the doors. The consequences were easily predictable. Before she could even access the center of power within the Lance family, the eldest brother, the one with real authority, sent her off to Africa.
This unfortunate turn of events also dragged her mother, Anthea, into the mess. After the incident, Anthea insisted on following her daughter wherever she was sent.
As she was not the protagonist of the story, there were no further mentions of the mother-daughter duo in the book after that point. However, the outcome could be easily imagined – lacking any power or ability in that far-off place, the ending was almost certain to be unfavorable.
Audrey's timing for transmigration was rather fortuitous, and she felt relieved secretly.
Before Audrey transmigrated into this body, the original host had learned that her stepsister had entered the family's company and had insisted on going there herself. However, her stepfather had refused, using the excuse that she was still too young. Thus, she caused this whole commotion as a result.
The goal was not to force her step-father to let her work in the company. Instead, she wanted the outside world to know that she was a member of the Lance Family.
Her hospitalization this time was entirely orchestrated by herself. She pretended to be in a car accident, admitted to the hospital, and waited for her stepfather to visit her. As soon as he appeared, people she had arranged would take photos and videos. When the time was right, she would release them, and the public would then know that she was a daughter of the Lance Family.
One must admit that this person not only had naive ideas but also executed them in a foolish manner.
What kind of person was Gary, her stepfather? He was an extraordinary thousand-year-old fox and had obviously seen through her deepest thoughts. Moreover, he led a remarkably busy life, occupied with various responsibilities day in and day out. He might not visit the hospital to check on his own biological children when they fell ill, let alone extend his care to her, his stepdaughter.
Audrey was lost in thought when Anthea called her a few times before she came back to her senses.
"Audrey, what are you thinking about? Your phone keeps ringing."
Audrey smiled at Anthea and took out her phone from her bag. The caller ID was Linda.
She knew this person. She was the best friend of the original host of this body. The two would talk about everything. In fact, Linda was the one who suggested for her to fake hospitalization.
Audrey didn't really want to answer the call, but she realized that Linda was a crucial part of the plan. If she didn't pick up, who knew what Linda might do, and then Audrey would truly have no way out.
She answered the call.
As soon as the call connected, an urgent female voice came through from the other end,
"Audrey, how is it? I'm on my way to the hospital. Has your stepfather arrived?"
Furrowing her brows, Audrey suppressed her disgust and tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible, "Linda, you don't need to come. I have already been discharged from the hospital."
"What?" Linda's voice on the other end exclaimed.
The sharp sound pierced through Audrey's eardrums, causing her head to throb, and she felt tempted to throw her phone away.
"I'm on my way home. We can talk later."
Upon saying that, Audrey quickly ended the call.
As soon as she hung up, she noticed Anthea looking at her with a hesitant expression.
"Mom, what do you want to say?" Audrey asked.
Anthea took a deep breath but didn't speak immediately. Instead, she casually glanced at the driver sitting in the front seat.
After a moment, she finally asked Audrey, "Was that a call from Linda just now?"
Audrey noticed Anthea's gesture and understood that she was not referring to the call itself. Still, she didn't press for more information and simply replied, "Yes, she wanted to come to the hospital to see me, but I told her I had already been discharged, so she doesn't need to come."
As there was a driver sent by Gary sitting in the car with them, they didn't say anything more. Anthea noticed Audrey's continuously uneasy expression and thought she might be feeling car sick. Concerned, she asked Audrey to lie down on her lap and rest with her eyes closed.
Originally, Audrey wanted to refuse, but when she saw Anthea's loving and caring gaze, she eventually lay down.
While lying there, Anthea gently stroked her back with an affectionate and tender expression on her face.
Audrey, who hadn't experienced motherly love for over twenty years, couldn't help but feel a warm surge in her heart.
If she had to say, the original host not only lived a worry-free life but also had a mother who loved and cared for her. It was a happiness greater than many people in the world could ever imagine. Yet, she didn't know how to appreciate it, always greedy and reckless.
Now that she had transmigrated into this body, she couldn't possibly follow the original host's plan, even if it meant disregarding the loving mother who cared so deeply for her.