A Chi slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a hazy, indistinct mist, and she felt as if she was lying on a soft, comfortable cloud of cotton.
Where is this?
She was clearly gathering herbs on a cliffside when it rained, and she was struck by lightning!
Struck by lightning? Is this heaven?
She sat up abruptly, her eyes subtly scanning the misty surroundings.
In the mist appeared a girl in a pure white dress, her figure slender and graceful, her pale, almost translucent skin making her look no different from an angel if she only had wings.
A Chi wondered if she was an angel. She looked at the girl doubtfully and asked:
“Do you know where this is? Am I dead? And are you the angel of this place?”
The girl in the hazy mist approached A Chi, and A Chi immediately stood up.
The girl’s face became clear, exquisitely beautiful yet cold and indifferent.
A Chi had traveled many places, but she had never met a girl so beautiful.
A beauty that was melancholic and aloof, yet so graceful, made her gaze in fascination.
“This is the boundary between life and death – where the souls of those who are not yet dead drift.”
“I am not dead, but you are.”
The girl’s low voice rang out, making A Chi panic.
She hadn't even had a chance to fall in love, to roam all over the mountains and forests of China, and now she was dead.
Before she could grieve or lament, the girl spoke again:
“I am Chu Wan – the eldest daughter of the Chu family.”
“When I was 18, I met A Chen. We became friends, then lovers.”
“He passed away when I was 20. Now I want to find him.”
“But I need your help!”
“Me? How can I help you if I’m dead?”
Chu Wan chuckled softly, her face becoming even more beautiful and charming, which flustered A Chi.
“My life isn’t over yet. If I want to find him, someone must live out the rest of my life in the mortal world for me.”
“You will be reborn, but as Chu Wan, living my life for me.”
“Isn’t that… borrowing a corpse to return a soul?”
A Chi exclaimed in astonishment. This was something against nature, something she only thought existed in novels, and she never expected it to happen to her.
Her mind was a tangled mess. She would be reborn, but not as A Chi, free to roam everywhere, but as Chu Wan – the esteemed eldest daughter of the Chu family.
Chu Wan looked at her, nodded, and continued in a low voice:
“That’s right. You get to live again, and I will go find him.”
“We both benefit.”
“We have different personalities. What if others discover I’m not you?”
“You’ve mostly lived in the mountains, unfamiliar with big cities. How can you pretend to be Chu Wan? What if people say you’re possessed by a ghost then?”
Chu Wan smiled faintly and gently patted her shoulder as if to comfort her:
“When your soul enters my body, you will have all my memories.”
“Moreover, I live alone, so no one will find out.”
The warm, low voice poured into A Chi’s ears, reassuring her.
She would live again, and she could also help this beautiful girl, Chu Wan, find her beloved, and even experience love herself for once. It was truly a perfect outcome.
A Chi looked at Chu Wan and nodded:
“I will help you.”
“I hope you find your A Chen soon.”
“Thank you for letting me live again.”
“Alright, I’ll lead you now.”
Chu Wan took her hand and led her through the hazy white mist. The further they went, the more A Chi saw only white. If Chu Wan hadn’t been holding her hand, she might have thought she was walking alone.
Suddenly, Chu Wan’s low voice rang out:
“From now on, you will be Chu Wan. I hope you live well.”
“I’m sure you’ll treat A Chuan very well. He’s a very lovable boy.”
“I’m truly sorry!”
A Xuyen? What? Excuse me?" Before she could even finish thinking, So Uyen reached out and shoved her downwards. She frantically clutched at nothing, but fell into the void, causing her to lose consciousness.
So Uyen turned to face the tall man dressed in pitch black, his face obscured by a bizarrely shaped mask, and said in a low voice:
"– I've finished the mission. Now, can you take me to find A Tram?"
"– So Uyen – Miss So, you truly are clever to have managed to trick that young girl into taking your place!"
His cold voice rang out:
"– It'll be quite interesting when she wakes up and discovers she has a husband and children."
"– It's true that I am the young miss, and it's true that I now live alone in America."
It's just that I haven't had time to tell her that I have a husband and children.
It's not really deception, just an oversight.
A mocking laugh rang out, making So Uyen feel a pang of guilt, but she still forced herself to look up at him. He said:
"– Alright, don't I know you well enough? Let's go."
He turned and walked away. So Uyen stood still, looking towards where A Chi had fallen, and quietly said:
"– I hope you live well, live well for me as well."
With that, she turned and followed him.