Ruyi opened her eyes to a stark white ceiling, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling the air.
I must be in a hospital, she thought, recalling the last moment before she lost consciousness. Testing her limbs, she winced slightly—sore but intact. No broken bones, thankfully. She wondered how long she'd been out. It was a relief Zichen had been there; without him, she didn't want to imagine how her two "sisters" might have twisted the story.
She had been awake for a while now, but the room was still empty. Not that this was anything new. Ruyi's lips curled into a bitter smile. Her mouth felt parched. She raised her hand and pressed the call button.
Moments later, a young male doctor walked in, with Wen Xinyu trailing behind, her face full of apparent worry.
Seeing the lively Wen Xinyu, Ruyi felt a surge of irritation. Is she here to gloat? And what's with the "devastated widow" act?
"An Yang, could you check on Ruyi? Ruyi, when did you wake up? How are you feeling?" Xinyu's voice dripped with a concern as heartfelt as a perfect counterfeit.
A chill ran down Ruyi's spine. What in the world? Is she possessed? When did she become this considerate?
With a stranger in the room, Ruyi knew she had to put on a show of her own.
"It's nothing, really. I'm just a little thirsty. No need to worry. By the way, how are Uncle Wen and my mother? I didn't mean to worry them."
An Yang, who was in the middle of examining her, paused and looked at Ruyi with surprise. Her pale face was filled with regret, as though she felt truly remorseful. Glancing over, he saw that Xinyu looked just as shocked.
"Th-they're fine," Xinyu stammered, visibly caught off guard. "But Ruyi, are you sure you're alright? If there's anything wrong, just tell us. Don't keep it bottled up. I…"
Ruyi's brows furrowed slightly. What is Wen Xinyu playing at? And what's with that doctor's odd look? She was sure she had no memory of him.
Just as Ruyi was about to respond, Lian Zichen burst in, his face red with anger. He looked between the "worried" Wen Xinyu and the frowning Ruyi lying in bed, then unexpectedly exploded.
"Ji Ruyi! Why aren't you dead yet? Let me tell you, even if you died, I'd never like you. If you're so set on dying, do it somewhere far away and stop haunting me! Xinyu, ignore her—let's go. Just looking at her makes me sick." He grabbed Wen Xinyu's hand and pulled her toward the door, but Xinyu resisted, pulling back.
"Zichen, stop it. Ruyi just woke up; don't provoke her any further. There's nothing wrong with liking someone, and I won't let you belittle her like this." Tears welled up in Xinyu's eyes as she turned to Ruyi with a sorrowful smile. "Ruyi, I know you've always liked Zichen, but I never thought you'd try to end your life over it. Don't worry; I'll step aside for you. Just promise me you won't do anything so foolish again. Your mother only has you. If something happened to you, how could she bear it?" With that, she covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she ran out.
Watching her, Lian Zichen spat at Ruyi with undisguised contempt. "Ji Ruyi, you shameless wretch. I'd rather die than ever like you!" He stormed out after Xinyu.
"Wait, what…?" Ruyi's mouth hung open, frozen in disbelief. What is going on? This Lian Zichen… what did he eat to make him act like this? Normally, he followed her around like a devoted puppy. Those words were hers to say, not his! Was she dreaming? Or had she hit her head so hard she was hallucinating?
She pinched her thigh hard. Ouch. Not a dream, no hallucination. Still dumbfounded, she turned her gaze to the young doctor who had been observing everything with his arms folded.
What had Xinyu called him again?
"Um… Dr. Wang, oh, no… Dr. An. I just woke up. What's going on here?"
An Yang looked at her, his face unimpressed. Ji Ruyi was just as shameless as the rumors claimed. It was almost a waste for her to have such a beautiful face. But recalling Xinyu's tear-streaked expression just moments earlier, his face turned cold. "After examining you, Ms. Ji, I found that aside from a mild concussion, you're in perfect health. Though, if you're set on playing the 'amnesia' card, I'll humor you. Those two who just stormed out—Wen Xinyu is your stepfather's daughter, your 'sister,' and Lian Zichen is her fiancé, your future brother-in-law. But, Ms. Ji, you 'fell hopelessly in love' with your sister's fiancé. Unable to bear rejection, you chose to throw yourself from a height. Sadly, fortune favored you, and you survived. But the person who saved you… he wasn't so lucky. He's still in a coma in the next room. If you have any conscience left, you might want to check on him first." With a final glance at her dumbfounded expression, An Yang turned and walked out.
"Wait…!" Ruyi, thoroughly disoriented, tried to call him back. But what was she supposed to say? "Oh, sorry you didn't get the chance to see me die?" No, that wasn't the point. The real question was… I already said I was thirsty. Couldn't anyone spare a drop of water before they left?
Had they all been possessed by aliens? Why had the entire plot turned upside down the moment she woke up?
Alone in the hospital room and unable to move comfortably, Ruyi waited until Qiao Huixin appeared, looking at her with a heartbroken expression.
For half an hour, Qiao Huixin poured out her tears, her voice full of remorse and sorrow. But Ruyi, unable to make sense of it, interrupted in frustration.
"Mom… Mom, please, take a break. Just tell me—what year is it? What's my name, nationality, birthplace, family status, education, blood type, gender—anything, just make it as detailed as possible." An uneasy feeling was creeping over her.
Hearing this, Qiao Huixin looked at her with an even more hopeless expression, as if she was beyond saving, and walked away in despair.
In the end, it was a nurse who finally helped Ruyi understand the situation.
The conclusion: She really had transmigrated. She was now living in the twisted plot of her "little cousin's" childish web novel—a world centered on torturing the female side characters, idolizing handsome men, and filled with every imaginable trope: brain-dead drama, sanctimonious characters, cheesy romance, gratuitous violence, tasteless smut, and logic-defying melodrama. It was a sci-fi zombie apocalypse novel, loosely inspired by Resident Evil but distorted beyond recognition.
And the heroine of this twisted story was none other than Wen Xinyu. As for Ruyi? She was the cannon-fodder supporting character doomed to suffer endlessly.
Ruyi felt a surge of frustration so strong she nearly choked on it. She hadn't wasted time reading the novel, only skimming the first few pages out of morbid curiosity. The only details she knew were from her roommates' teasing summaries about her gruesome "death scene." She had brushed it off, thinking, Well, that's as ridiculous as I expected.
If only she'd known she'd end up here, she would have scrutinized every page with a magnifying glass.