Chapter 1 An Unexpected Arrival in a Strange World
Lin Lai's mind was a blank slate as she stared at the man seated on the sofa opposite her. His face was devoid of any expression.
“Lin Lai, I hope you’ll think this through. Sign this contract, and you’ll receive twenty million along with your freedom.”
Her head throbbed. Brother, what’s your name? Twenty million? In RMB or USD? Wait—what kind of question is that? Where am I? Who is he?
Her mind buzzed with these three pressing questions, leaving her utterly dazed.
“Um…” She was about to ask for clarification when the man spoke again. “Lin Lai, Longyu Huatai apartments—plus fifty million. Will you sign or not?”
Her sixth sense warned her that the man’s patience was wearing thin. Sensing the urgency, Lin Lai grabbed the contract without even glancing at the contents and signed her name in a flourish, fearing the proverbial duck in hand might fly away.
Jiang Yuan exhaled lightly, his mood seemingly lifted. Rising from the sofa, he declared, “This villa is yours as well. Consider it compensation for the years that have passed. From now on, may we go our separate ways in peace.”
Still grappling with the surreal situation, Lin Lai’s mouth moved faster than her brain, spouting lines she’d unconsciously picked up from a countryside soap opera. “Peaceful, peaceful—let’s take separate paths and move toward the horizon.”
Jiang Yuan was momentarily taken aback, but he said nothing more and left.
An overwhelming wave of powerlessness engulfed Lin Lai. Her wildly beating heart refused to calm down. What in the world was this? A soul transfer? Why didn’t it play out like the novels? And why did she have no memories?
Awakening to discover you’ve transmigrated—what’s the protocol for this? How does one return? Online answers preferred, urgent.
Jumping off a building? Too painful, and what if she survived but ended up crippled?
Drowning? But she couldn’t swim, and she’d heard drowning was excruciating.
After much internal struggle, Lin Lai decided to live well and let the story unfold however it might. She was a proud youth of a glorious socialist society—what was there to fear?
True to his word, Jiang Yuan acted swiftly. By noon, Assistant Zhou arrived at the villa, holding two property deeds and a check for fifty million.
“Miss Lin, here is a check for fifty million, along with the property deeds for Longyu Huatai and Xiyu. These now belong to you.”
Lin Lai’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the ‘snow-white silver’ in Zhou’s hands. This wasn’t just money—it was her survival toolkit in this unfamiliar world.
“Miss Lin, the CEO also wanted me to relay that he hopes you won’t bother him again in the future, or he’ll take everything back.”
Snatching the documents from Zhou’s hands, Lin Lai slung an arm around his shoulders like an old buddy. “My friend, ask around—I, Lin Lai, am known for my word. As long as the money’s right, I’d even call God Himself!”
Zhou’s lips twitched. Her words caught him off guard. Wasn’t this Lin Lai a completely different person from the last time he saw her?
Having fulfilled his boss’s orders, Zhou quickly left the villa.
Lin Lai stared at the check and the two property deeds on the table, her mind wandering. Just moments ago, she’d been a struggling, nameless artist, dirt poor and barely scraping by. And now, in the blink of an eye, she was filthy rich.
Humming an off-key tune, she sang to herself, “I’m rich, I’m rich—like a poor serf singing a song of freedom…”
Over the next two days, Lin Lai came to terms with her sudden windfall. She decided to visit the Longyu Huatai apartment. Why? Simple: she really wasn’t fond of the villa. The apartment was a standard three-bedroom, two-bath layout with a spacious balcony. She hired a design company to renovate it, intending to make it her sanctuary. Meanwhile, she planned to sell the villa.
Her new identity remained a mystery. The original owner’s phone lacked any contacts labeled parents, siblings, or close friends. No one reached out to her either. What an awkward situation.
She sold off the original owner’s designer handbags and clothes, as luxury goods held little interest for her. Having been a broke homebody in her previous life, she didn’t care much for such external symbols of wealth. Clothes and bags just needed to be practical—price didn’t matter.
As for the collection of towering high heels that screamed danger? Lin Lai offloaded them at bargain prices, unexpectedly earning over two million in the process.
Lin Lai had always loved painting. In her previous life, her parents had scrimped and saved to send her to the best art school. She hadn’t let them down, earning her degree and studying under a master painter. She’d scraped by doing freelance gigs online to fund her artistic pursuits.
Now flush with cash, Lin Lai didn’t bat an eye at spending. Expensive sketch pads? Bought. Top-quality paints favored by renowned artists? Bought—twice, just in case.
