In a simple, quite small and tidy room. A tiny fragment of lights spilled out from the gas lantern by the side of the wooden desk, illuminating the soft milky skin of a long and thin palm caressing a tiny hand bronze mirror that was standing upright on its leg, reflecting a fair figure inside.
Her lip parted slightly before shutting down without emitting a single sound, seemingly stuck in her throat. A pair of large eyes staring back at her quietly with a trace of confusion. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, placing her palm over her face.
She took a deep breath, slowly glancing outside the window in the starry sky. In this eerie silence a gentle breeze blew the curtain softly, creating an illusory afterimage in the night. The bright red moon hung outside, bathing everything in this gloomy night the color of blood like a photography darkroom she have heard before.
----
What would you do if you get transmigrated into one of your favorite novel? Being passive: Living to your fullest with joy and experiencing wonderful sceneries you never see before, Be an audience: Witnessing the novel's story in real time and cheering for your protag and his group or, Step right into the story: Changing the future, saving the character you liked, join force with the protag and save the world?
Everyone's answer differently depending on their perspectives and their ways of doing things. Liu Fangshi is the first kind of person. Deduct the cheering part.
She doesn't like involving in troublesome matter, or standing in the limelight, usually Liu Fangshi prefers to stay in her own fort than going out in the battlefield called 'socialize', ah yes, coupled with some of her perks like laziness- cough, she's basically an incarnation of a sloth.
Though there's a tailor-made choice for her but Liu Fangshi's mood is as unstable as a tide, one moment she might decide to stand and watch the protag getting beaten up and the next moment she might decided to... well, stand and watch, but now her mind is playing the 'what if', a few example like what if the protag decided to lay low and never go provoked the tiger in the first place? What if he have prepared himself better than this? What if he just ran away instead of choosing to be a gentleman and getting his beaten up till his mom can't recgonize him like an honest man.
Back to where we are previously, that's what Liu Fangshi promised to her fantasy daydream that will never ever happen, be a good passerby and watch the show. But too bad it seems that will never be the case as her dream shattered into pieces when she slowly realizied who she has become, the original body's identity.
"I'm going to kill myself! Don't come near me!"
"M-Megose? Oh no my Megose wait a minute listen to this aunt-"
"With this, curtain! I'm going to suffocate myself with this curtain to death!"
"..." Christine's face turned blank.
"..." What? Are you questioning my choice of method?
A large pair of hateful eyes staring back unyieldingly at the woman who seems to be in her thirties with a face faintly similiar to her own infront of her with wrathful look.
"I WILL NEVER MARRY THAT BASTARD!!!"
----
Many hours ago, in the middle of the night.
'Even if I'm blind no matter which angles I look at it this is definitely not my face at all'
The woman in the mirror stared back at me with an emotionless eyes. A bright forehead, long blond hair scattered behind her back and her shoulders, slid down to the back of her waist, a pair of black onyx gems revealed itself the moment she opened her large doe eyes, like a treasure chest showcasing its good inside.
I dazedly raised my palm, tried to pinch my cheek and used the pain to see if I'm really dreaming or not, though my hand couldn't stop shaking so much that I had to give up.
"...Nevermind"
But what worried me the most right now is that scary moon outside, I think I actually have a vague idea that I might, surprisingly, living in a different world at this moment. It could simply be a random silly little guess but still an unpleasant one. If I had to frankly put it this could be some kind of novel or game, I'm more leaning on the former. What's truly wonderful was that I might know what shitty world I'm in right now.
'Please, good lord... don't let it be what I think'
Just by simply thinking about it and my brain almost exploded in joy. I caressed my forehead in distress, wishing sincerely for someone's meteorite to put an end to my suffering. Surely, death is the most beautiful thing you could ask for in here. If my assumption was right then that would be equivalent to shooting my own feet, how funny, jinxing myself the very first moment I came here.
What an idiot I am for planting a death flag like that.
While I was falling deep in thought I rubbed my palms together unconsciously, I frowned harder and harder as I began to use my brain the way I should as an intelligent creature whose IQ suppassed that of a bacteria, it would be a shame if I didn't. Why even born with one if you don't know how to use it properly, I might as well scoop it up and slam dunk it into a trash bin.
'I supposed to be in my room a moment ago, enjoying my peaceful time like a normal person... then why I'm here?'
"Oh."
A certain part of memory slowly unfolded before my eyes.
A woman sitting on her cradle rocking chair with the word 'Liu Fangshi' written with a sharpie or some kind of painting material, the interior huddled with multiple layers of blanket. Suddenly, she fell off her chair, clutching her chest tightly with a blank face and slightly opened mouth that couldn't usher out any sounds. Her breathing stopped abruptly without any warning and she forever never woke up again.
I blinked again and the unfamiliar dark room with only light sources coming from the lamp glass and that strawberry red moon indicating my return, not only this cleared up the question I have but brought me even greater confusion.
'Liu Fangshi was my name?'
'If my memories served me right I don't remember having any regrets, tears shitting tragic life or yearning wish? Why in the fucking shit I'm being transmigrated over here?'
Since there was no way of knowing it for the time being, just ignored it and moving on for now.
I sighed and silently gazed at the moon. I'm pretty calm actually, though a little tightened and anxious but mostly I was able to keep myself together despite waking up in an unfamiliar world.
'On the basic law of transmigration, I should be in novel I've read before'
'Then this is going to be a hell load of works'
Judging from an uncountable amount of books resting inside the cramped room in the memory that appeared just now was the best proof of it. Thinking back that I would have to recall every single one I had read before, the finished one, the currently reading and the just-scrolled-past-a-few-chaps one already made me, Liu Fangshi, to had an illusion that I'm going to die suddenly for the second time.
Liu Fangshi the new face transmigrator died from a heart attack yet again. Some source leaked that she and heart disease are a fiance and they're destined to be together no matter which life it is.
Oh, wouldn't it be better to call it a vengeful creditor whom I may have or not been in deep shit amount of debts to.
That aside. Again, since there was no way of knowing it for the time being, just ignored it and moving on for now. Quote unquote.
"Argh... the red light is so annoying, why can't you be a normal one? Is it hard to do your job properly?"
It kinda irritated me, that color made me uncomfortable. I really didn't know if I was lamenting to myself with a bunch of nonsense against the world because of how pissed I currently was or just purely wanted to fuck this shit, laid down and waited for what's about to come honesty. Or both.
Above a layer of hazy clouds in the blackened sky filled with shining stars and lights, the moon above suddenly flashed a fair milky white before turning back to blood red like nothing happens.
I who had been scolding the moon just now: ...
"...Would be nice to have some cup of freshly brewed herb tea to accompany me in such a beautiful night"
Was I so frustrated just now that I saw a hallucination or was the sentence I just mumbled so carelessly have some sort of secret easter egg trigger thing that caused such a huge move from the moon?
I stared at an air ahead using a dead fish-like eyes technique, admiring the beauty of the wall with a straight back.
I honestly wanted to sleep but I'm not sleepy anymore, what to do.
----
"..."
Ah. Life sure is full of unexpectations.
I was staring blankly at the window to sorting out my entangled mind but who knows that the more I looked into that glasses window the more I noticed a dust and stain on its surface, the more annoyed I became.
Heck not to mention the entire room. I feel like a kidnapped princess being forced to live in a dragon's old and run-down castle. Every time I breathed in an oxygen here, I felt my lungs slowly drafting out a resignment paper ready to separate from my body at any possible moment.
Alright, just kidding. But the hygiene here is really poor so I decided to clean up a bit.
Yeah I did say 'a bit' but unexpectedly it took me on a time machine ride from midnight to morning, time sure fly fast huh? I'm not satisfied yet, I still got many things to wrap up here, too bad while I was pondering if I should throw those unnecessary furnitures out or not the knock on the door woke me up from my cleaning mode first. It seems that fate doesn't won't me to became such an uncivilized idiot who wrecked this owner body's belongings away the very same day I woke up in her body. That's fine, let's do it later then.
I hesitated a bit as I had already inherited memories from this body's original owner while I was having my time diligently cleaning up her messy room, so I had an idea who's there outside.
It seems she's living with her mother and her father. The family also had a couple of servants and maids accompanied them, though not much but it could be seen that this body's family had quite a stable income, as for her job, ah, there's no memory on that part so I assumed she doesn't have one yet? I don't know how this world works. Anyway, if I recalled it correctly her mother's younger sister is going to visit her today.
'It must be the butler'
"Please come in"
The wooden door that had been obstructing our faithful first meeting finally opened itself. A medium build old man with dozen of white hairline stripes spreading across his combed-back hair neatly, he wore a standard butler's uniform. The moment he met my eyes he was taken aback before shortly regaining his composure but his eyes still darting around the room cautiously.
'What? It's only day one and my identity about to get exposed? Is it because I acted too weirdly by tidying up my own room? Doesn't sound like it... Sigh, being a lady in a well-off family is quite hard not only do you have to be aware of your own relatives but also your servants too.'
'...I still haven't even finish my cleaning mission yet'
I tilted my head and staring back straight at him to asserted my presence. How's it? I did a great job right? Though it still got a long way to go but at least it was pleasantly decent enough. So what if I'm acting out of usual I'm still your master in the end you know? Although the soul is different but I'm still using the same body anyway, not to mention that it's only a tiny teeny small issue here.
'I spent my whole night cleaning, the butler must be so happy that I helped him relieving one of his tasks'
But seeing how the butler stood there unmovingly I felt a little bad for him. Aish, shouldn't I be the one to felt sad? You doubted me just because I tidying up my room! ...Alright I'm sorry for playing with you dear butler, I'm too excited just now.
"Sorry Hans, I'm feeling under the weather today"
I gave the butler the very same smile this body always did, muscle memory sure works wonder. I see two of Megose in his dark brown eyes' reflection giving me a gentle smile too. Hm, I like those black eyes of mine.
Hans the honorable head butler who had been serving both the mother and daughter since her childhood nodded at me with a smile. It's good to have such an understanding servant.
"Madam Christina is waiting for you downstairs, she told me to tell you that she has a good news for you"
"That's great"
I lifted up my palm over my lip and curved my eyes into a smile. On the contrary to what looked like outside I myself I'm not smiling right now, it's too tiring so this is already the most I could do after mustering up all my efforts. Butler Hans gestured to me, I walked out and heading straight downstairs to meet with my first formidable opponent.
The boss fight is about to start, here I come Christina.
I heard butler Hans heaved a small sigh of relief behind my back. He must be tired today, that's understandable, I must have worried him previously. Ah the more I thought about it the more ashamed I am.
'I'm sorry I should have held myself back from touching anything there'
I touched my nose to brushed off the leftover guilt I had and pulled my attention back to the woman down below sitting on the small sofa there, seemingly waiting for me.
"Christina"
I called out to her.
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Author's note:
Chapter 1 in nutshell