Chapter 1: For 20 Bucks, I Transmigrated into a Book

"Twenty bucks. Street fight on Xinsheng Street. You in or not?"

Seeing Qi Meili's message, He Huanhuan shot up out of bed.

Twenty bucks! That was a lot!

She immediately typed back: "When?"

Xinsheng Street was in the county seat, and it would take her three hours to walk there.

"Three in the afternoon. Just tell me, are you coming or not?"

"Sister's in! Wait for me!"

She got up and put on her shoes right away. It was already eleven-thirty—if she didn't leave now, she wouldn't make it in time!

"I'm off to make some money!"

She shouted into the empty room and set off without hesitation.

At two fifty-eight, Qi Meili stood on the street corner, tapping her foot anxiously. "What the hell is He Huanhuan doing? She said three o'clock—why isn't she here yet?"

If it weren't for the fact that this girl was a real pro at cursing people out, she wouldn't have bothered waiting for her!

Just as she finished speaking, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

Zhao Xiaojuan quickly grabbed Qi Meili and rushed over. "She's here! Sister Huan's here!"

If He Huanhuan didn't show up, Zhao Xiaojuan would have felt completely unsure of herself.

He Huanhuan had a foul mouth, and most people couldn't out-insult her.

The three gathered, and Qi Meili looked annoyed. "Why are you so late? Where's your sense of honor?"

Showing up late for a fight was seriously embarrassing!

He Huanhuan waved her hand, unable to speak. Damn it, she was dying of thirst!

She stood there for a moment to catch her breath, then held out her hand to Qi Meili. "Twenty bucks. Transfer it to me."

Qi Meili was even more annoyed. "You think I'd stiff you?"

He Huanhuan shot her a look. "Cut the crap. You're the worst at paying up. No money, and I'm heading back."

She turned to leave, and sure enough, Qi Meili panicked. "Don't go! I'll transfer it right now!"

"Come on, I never said I wouldn't pay... What kind of person are you? And we're supposed to be sisters!"

Grumbling, Qi Meili sent her a red envelope. He Huanhuan opened it and saw: 13.52.

"What's this supposed to mean? You messing with me?"

It was supposed to be twenty!

Qi Meili looked guilty. "That's all the money I have!"

And even that she'd stolen from her dad!

He Huanhuan shook her leg. Well, she was already here...

"You owe me seven bucks! Remember to pay me back!"

"Fine!"

Money collected, time to fight!

Qi Meili led the two of them charging toward the malatang shop on Xinsheng Street. "That bitch stole my boyfriend! Sister Huan, curse her out for me!"

They pushed open the door, and before she'd even laid eyes on anyone, He Huanhuan's curses were already flying. "You motherfcker! So you're the one stealing my sister's man? Your mother—"

Before she could even get her footing, a big liquor bottle came flying straight at her head!

Her eyes rolled back, and she passed out on the spot!

Damn it!

This gig was a total loss!

She didn't have health insurance!

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a clean white hospital bed. The huge room had only her bed in it.

Shit. They played dirty.

Putting her in a private room—how many fights would she have to pick to pay that off?

That was totally ruthless!

She got out of bed, planning to sneak away.

Before her feet could touch the floor, the door to the room suddenly opened. Caught off guard, she turned her head and met the gaze of an elderly man.

The old man was wearing a cream-white Tang suit, with a gentle, refined air—he looked like the kind of traditional Chinese doctor who charges a fortune!

Without a second thought, He Huanhuan rolled her eyes and collapsed back onto the bed.

She was dead. Don't call her.

"Miss, since you're awake, please come home. The master and madam have been waiting for you for a long time."

Huh?

What the hell?

She cracked one eye open just a slit. The old man looked at her with a kind, affectionate face. "Miss, I know you must be in a lot of pain right now. But what's done is done. The master and madam will make it up to you."

She blinked. What was this old guy rambling about?

She didn't understand a single word.

'Master and madam'? Were they shooting a TV drama?

But then a sharp pain shot through her head, and a foreign consciousness rushed into her body like a cyclone.

"I'm sorry. I was in so much pain. I just wanted to end it—I didn't think it would drag you into my body... I'm sorry..."

A voice full of guilt echoed in her mind. He Huanhuan did a full-body shake like she was doing calisthenics. "What the hell! Back off, back off! I don't want any part of this! Stay away from me!"

"Huh?"

The tearful voice choked mid-sob. "What do you mean? What's 'stay away'? Do you want to ride a horse or something?"

"You don't know what 'stay away' means?"

He Huanhuan sat bolt upright. "Then what the hell are you?"

The voice started crying again. "I'm He Huanhuan..."

"Like hell you are!"

He Huanhuan was furious. "You're stealing my name? Believe I'll slap your mouth shut?"

......

The voice in her head suddenly got a lot weaker. "I really am He Huanhuan..."

"You're my grandson!"

She bared her teeth and spewed curses, scaring the old man in the Tang suit into backing away. "Doctor! Call the doctor! The young lady has gone mad!"

After sniffling for a while, the voice in her head finally managed to explain things.

He Huanhuan had transmigrated into a book—a story about a swapped-at-birth rich and poor daughter.

That voice in her head was the unlucky real daughter, whose parents—who had just recently passed away—suddenly turned out to be her adoptive parents. Her biological parents had forcibly taken her back.

A luxurious estate. Endless money.

Strangers she had to call 'Mom' and 'Dad.' And the fake daughter who targeted her...

Everything about her new home made her feel inferior, timid, and miserable.

In the end, crushed by all that pressure, she died of depression.

She thought it would be an escape. But when she opened her eyes, she was back on the day her biological parents first claimed her.

The tide of pain wrapped around her like a net she couldn't break free from. She couldn't escape.

She couldn't take it anymore, so she chose to end her own life.

This whole game of fake and real daughters—she was done playing.

But she never expected that her choice would harm a stranger.

She watched He Huanhuan's soul get pulled into her body, unable to do anything to stop it.

Just thinking about He Huanhuan having to endure all her pain made her feel worse than death itself!

He Huanhuan picked her nose. "You're already dead—how can you feel worse than death? You're so illiterate, you know that?"

......

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this. I didn't think it would turn out like this."

She shrank into a foggy little ball, looking like she could dissipate at any moment.

He Huanhuan raised a hand. "Hey, I got a question."

"Ask anything! If I know it, I'll tell you!"

She could feel she didn't have much time left. She wanted to help He Huanhuan as much as she could.

She had to tell her what the Gu family was really like—and the heart-wrenching tactics they used.

So she wouldn't have to suffer through all of it.

He Huanhuan opened her eyes wide with wisdom and asked, "What's this 'real daughter fake daughter' stuff?"

......

The little foggy figure nearly scattered into nothing. "It means I was originally the Gu family's daughter, but we were swapped at birth, and they only found out recently..."

"Oh, that! Swapped babies!"

He Huanhuan sat cross-legged. "You rich people and your fancy terms. 'Real daughter fake daughter'—it's just a baby mix-up! No big deal!"

The foggy figure froze. "No big deal?"

He Huanhuan nodded. "No big deal at all! Haven't you watched TV? There are shows where people marry the wrong wife! They just swap back and still get married—it's all small stuff!"

"If this is small stuff, then what's the big deal?"

He Huanhuan frowned. "There is one big thing. Kind of urgent."

"What?"

"That 13.52 I earned hasn't been spent yet! Can you spend it for me? I worked hard for that money—I walked three hours for it!"

“......”