Every Time I Die in the Arms of the Male Lead Transmigration

If someone asked what it felt like to turn into an old lady? Ning Meng felt she could definitely answer that question. The truth was too terrifying. She struggled to digest this reality, lifting her hand into the light coming through the window to look. Wrinkles, dryness, sagging skin. She swallowed, reaching out from under the quilt with her other hand to touch it. Putting both hands together made it even more obvious. It wasn’t her eyesight failing; the texture was truly like the bark of an old tree in autumn. Even though she’d been sick and hospitalized for a long time, she remembered how many people had envied her good skin – fair, delicate, smooth, and slippery to the touch. Even if her skin had deteriorated from lack of sunlight, it should still be the skin of a young girl, right? No matter how bad, could wrinkles possibly grow? How could it, in the blink of an eye, become the skin only an elderly person would have? Realizing something was seriously wrong, Ning Meng immediately tried to struggle up from the bed. But after writhing for a while, she only managed to shift the quilt slightly and couldn't even roll over. It seemed she had turned into an old lady. ... Rewind to a few minutes ago, at First Hospital. "Bed 12, Ning Meng." The doctor flipped through the medical records. "She can be sent to the morgue." Hovering mid-air, Ning Meng watched the nurses wheel her own body into the morgue and cover it with a white sheet. Consciousness faded quickly. An unknown amount of time passed. She felt squeezed into a narrow, dark space, unable to move. Her surroundings were silent, yet faint sounds began to emerge moments later, growing from whispers to a crescendo, eventually coalescing into a sentence? "Madame? Are you awake?" "Madame hasn't woken up yet. Let her rest a little longer." "The doctor says Madame is advanced in age now, she mustn't be upset anymore. We have to be more careful from now on." That single initial sentence had multiplied into several, but they weren't loud, gradually becoming audible. Not long after, the sounds vanished, and her ears reclaimed their quiet. Ning Meng regained awareness in the darkness and opened her eyes. The scene before her was dim. She stared blankly at the ceiling above. Blinking, she realized everything had a slight blur. Had she awakened back in the morgue? Revived amidst the corpses? At that terrifying thought, goosebumps instantly covered her skin. Trapped alone surrounded by bodies, scenes from zombie movies and horror novels flooded her mind. Soon, however, she realized the incongruity. The slow realization finally reached her brain. Her eyesight wasn't sharp, but she could sense the exquisite beauty of the room. The bed beneath her was incredibly soft and comfortable, and a delicate fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose. She lay stiffly, lost in thought. Lying in one position for so long, her body felt stiff. Ning Meng tried to move, wanting to turn over, but struggled in vain for half a day, making no progress. That sense of oddity resurfaced stronger than before. The curtains swayed, letting in a sliver of light – faint, yet sufficient to reveal the hand before her. A hand covered in wrinkles. ... "Huff." Ning Meng let out a long sigh, finally snapping out of her daze over turning into an old lady. Just then, a voice sounded in her mind: "Ning Meng, hello... I am your System." It came suddenly, strangely. Ning Meng's barely recovered mind blanked again. This is insane! Not only had she become an old lady, but now there was another voice in her head? Was this a dream or something? The voice reminded her: "You can... talk to me in your mind..." Struggling to control her emotions, she asked, "Who are you?" "I am a System from the JJ Transmigration Department... Since your original body's life span ended prematurely, in the hasty arrangements, only this one body fits the criteria..." Ning Meng pieced some things together. She read novels and knew what systems were, but never imagined it happening to her. Skepticism remained. The System seemed anxious. It was newly assigned; if this host complained, it would be recalled. It had worked hard to get this good assignment... Ning Meng was silent for a moment, thoughts whirling rapidly in her head. She asked calmly, "What's the purpose of finding me?" "In your previous life, you accumulated virtue and performed good deeds. This life was meant to be one of ease and pleasure, but an accident caused an early death... This was a mishandling by our Transmigration Department..." The System hurriedly projected her past. A transparent screen appeared before her eyes. The screen displayed her portrait, showcasing her life like a sci-fi movie. Seeing it from an observer's perspective felt completely different. It was true: she had transmigrated. From a university student, she was now attached to the body of a sixty-something-year-old grandmother. Because, at this stage, only this body met the requirement for the "ease and pleasure" life. While Ning Meng was still lying in bed wallowing in misery, the System appeared again. It said hesitantly, "Could you... give me a rating?" Ning Meng mentally selected the 10-point option. The transparent screen wavered like ripples on water for a few seconds, then disappeared. The bedroom door suddenly opened. She instantly reverted to pretending to be asleep. Footsteps approached the bedside, paused, then moved away toward the window. Hearing the sound of curtains being drawn, she cracked an eyelid to peek. The room was immediately flooded with light. A young girl stood not far from the bed, her back to Ning Meng, doing something unknown – every movement was gentle and quiet. Ning Meng squinted, covertly watching her movements. The door was carefully pushed open. Another young girl entered, gingerly carrying a bouquet, and stood beside the first. It was currently summer in Yanjing. The sun beat down fiercely, the air thick with dryness. A branch laden with clusters of small, white flowers reached near the window, accompanied by the clamor of cicadas. "Hey, don't touch those flowers. The Young Master ordered their positions not to be moved." "Oh, I almost forgot. These are fresh ones; we need to swap them out." Potted plants weren't allowed inside the room, but other plants were sometimes needed, hence the use of flower arrangements like this. Lichun glanced out the window with a sigh and bent down to carefully change the water in the vase. The Madame came from a fisherman's family. Accustomed to a simple home, she felt the large mansion lacked life after marrying into the Shi family and had complained about it for years. After the eldest Young Master inherited the Shi family, he built her a small villa. Though smaller than the mansions, this villa’s interior was meticulously refined, with furnishings that were rare and exquisite. Lichun rearranged the flowers, her mind wandering anxiously. She wondered when the Madame would wake up. If she didn't wake soon, she feared they would be held responsible by the Young Master. Once Lixia finished her tasks, Lichun leaned in and whispered, "Lichun, when do you think Madame will wake up? Was it worth getting into such a standoff with the Young Master over a child?" Lixia glanced at the bed and said dismissively, "When the Third Young Master left all those years ago and never came back, Madame never said it, but she must have regretted it in her heart. Now, especially with the news that the Third Young Master is gone, it was only natural she acted on impulse, wanting to bring her grandson back. If it’s really not the Third Young Master’s bloodline, then it could at least be kept as a comfort for the Madame." The Third Young Master was the Madame's youngest son. Lixia made it sound so simple, but Lichun felt there was more to it. The Third Young Master’s story was well-known to those who looked into it. The incident back then was huge and even made the news. News eight years ago wasn’t like it is now; reports back then were mostly factual. A few days ago, a child, about seven or eight years old, appeared at the main mansion. He had things belonging to the Third Young Master, claiming lineage. Some said he resembled the Third Young Master a bit – it was possible he was his son. However, the Young Master’s stance wasn't clear. He only tidied up a small room for the child to stay in. Lixia said casually, "That ghost frightened the Madame. The Young Master has already dealt with it." When the Madame heard the news, she insisted on bringing the child to the villa. The Young Master disagreed. Madame sneaked to see him and ran into a bold rogue ghost… something happened. "Where did that ghost even come from?" Lichun muttered under her breath. The Shi family specialized in Feng Shui. At the main mansion, ghosts were only kept in designated places to perform tasks, and this villa was the purest and most tranquil location. It was truly reckless of that rogue ghost to dare come here; it wasn’t afraid of being destroyed. ... The two of them were completely unaware that the occupant of the bed had woken up. Ning Meng eavesdropped for several minutes, catching only fragments of their conversation. Their words left her scratching for more information, feeling an odd sense of familiarity, as if she’d heard this story somewhere before. She asked the System: "What were they just saying?" The System replied: "They said this body... encountered a ghost, which is why this happened." Ning Meng shuddered instantly. She was terrified of ghosts. Her gaze immediately shifted to the quilt covering her. It was summer. Outside, the sunlight was intense, but inside the room, it felt remarkably cool. It was different from an air-conditioned coolness because she didn't see any air conditioning. Even covered by the quilt, she felt no heat or restlessness; instead, a comfortable coolness radiated from within. What kind of high-tech magic was this? Sensing her confusion, the System piped up: "There’s a formation set up in this room. It’s beneficial for your body." Ning Meng echoed: "Formation?" "Mmm... The furniture and objects in the room are mostly square. There's a principle: 'favor square, avoid circles.' Plus, the placement of cabinets, potted plants, and such... it actually creates a balance of yin and yang, ensuring warmth in winter and coolness in summer. It's especially beneficial for an elderly body." The System couldn't help elaborating: "Feng Shui formations mostly utilize external objects placed according to timing, location, and harmony to achieve their purpose and function. This formation, while basic, serves a good purpose. The Feng Shui master who set it up must be quite skilled." Ning Meng suddenly asked: "Are you... a Feng Shui System?" The System replied shyly: "I just... studied a bit by myself..." Ning Meng: "..." Seizing the moment before they noticed she was awake, she stretched her arms under the quilt. She touched herself from head to toe – there was no possibility of mistake. This was absolutely an old lady's body, and slightly plump at that. What the System said was true. This wasn't a dream. Hearing faint movement from the bed, both girls turned around. Lixia coaxed, teasingly, "Madame, if you're awake and pretending to sleep, are you trying to scare poor Lixia? Lichun just prepared delicious snacks, kept warm for you. Won't you get up and take a look?" Even after hearing this, the old lady didn’t open her eyes, but her eyelids trembled slightly. Lixia found it a bit amusing.