"Ugh... my head’s killing me..."
Nina Hart kept her eyes shut, her forehead throbbing like someone was jabbing it with needles.
Wasn’t she just dragged away by the waves? Did someone pull her out?
Then why on earth did her head hurt so bad?
She slowly cracked her eyelids open, her lashes trembling a little.
And the second her eyes adjusted, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
What kind of hospital is this? Tiny and shabby didn’t even begin to cover it.
The whole room couldn’t be more than a couple square meters. Besides the so-called “bed” she was lying on, there wasn’t even space to squeeze in another person.
To make things worse, the place was piled high with all sorts of random junk.
Right in front of her was a broom and a dustpan, and overhead there was a wobbling stack of clutter teetering like it could come crashing down at any second.
With a grunt, Nina pushed herself upright. That’s when she realized — this wasn’t a bed at all.
She was lying on some dried grass with a ratty old sheet tossed over it.
She blinked, confused. Do hospitals like this still exist?
Or maybe… she really was dragged off to some backwoods village and rescued by some local folks?
BAM!
The door suddenly burst open with a loud kick.The door, already barely holding together, gave way instantly with a loud crack. Wood splinters and dust scattered everywhere.
A girl in a light yellow dress stood at the door. She looked cute on the outside, but the moment she opened her mouth, that sweetness vanished.
"You’re up and didn’t make a sound? Thought you were dead or something! Anyway, since you’re not, hurry up and get in the kitchen. If my parents come back and the food's not ready, you’ll be in trouble!"
As soon as Nina Hart saw the girl, a flood of memories rushed into her head like a crashing wave.
Her head had been hurting already, but this made it way worse—felt like it was about to blow up.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Nina looked like she’d seen a ghost. She’d actually time-traveled?
And not just anywhere—she landed smack in the middle of the hungry, freezing 1970s!
Even crazier, the girl she became was also named Nina Hart!
The memories pouring into her mind explained everything: while her real body was getting dragged away by the sea, this Nina had hit her head on the edge of a table. Somehow, their souls had swapped.
The girl whose body she now had was just seventeen, fresh out of high school. She'd just passed the entrance test for a machine factory job, and in a week, she was supposed to start working there.If things were only that simple, it’d be a whole lot easier. But trouble had a way of landing right at her door.
This Nina Hart wasn’t even their own kid—she was just crashing at her uncle’s place.
Her Uncle Henry worked over at the shoe factory, while his wife, Sophia Hughes, also worked there, but mostly doing support jobs.
They had two kids. The oldest, Michael Hart, was already twenty-two, married, working at the machinery plant, and had a baby girl that was just turning one.
Their youngest, Jessica Hart, was a year older than Nina—eighteen, out of high school, but still jobless.
Now this cousin Jessica, she was selfish to the bone. She didn’t wanna be sent off to the countryside like the others, so she secretly used Nina’s name to fill the spot, snatching the chance that was supposed to be hers.
The bump on Nina’s forehead? Came from that very fight—Jessica shoved her, and bam, Nina hit her head on the edge of the table.
Jessica also seized the chance to snatch that jade gourd pendant their grandma had left for Nina.
"And what’s with the attitude? Get up already!"
Nina still didn't say a word.To Jessica, Nina staying quiet just meant she was throwing a tantrum. She snorted and snapped, "You giving me that attitude now? Let me tell you straight—getting sent to the countryside is the best thing that'll ever happen to you. If it weren’t for my parents taking you in, you’d be locked up like your folks, labeled as stinking intellectuals. Got it?"
Nina shot back, “Then why don’t you take that ‘blessing’ for yourself, idiot?”
By now, Nina had pieced it together—the girl in front of her was Jessica Hart, the original Nina’s cousin. That blow to the head? Jessica did it.
And if she hadn’t arrived in time, the original Nina would be long gone.
So, Jessica wasn’t just some spoiled bully—she was practically a murderer.
She stole her spot for work, yanked her jade gourd pendant, cracked her skull, and now expected her to take care of the whole household while still injured?
What kind of monster does stuff like that?
"What did you just say to me?" Jessica’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You dare speak to me like that?!"
"What, this too hard for you to handle?" Nina pressed her temples, clearly fed up. “Get out. Now.”
"This is my house! You’re the one who needs to go! I’ll tell my parents and they’ll throw you out on the street. You belong in the labor camp with your disgrace of a family!" Jessica was fuming. Nina usually acted all timid—what the hell had gotten into her today?
Damn it!Nina Hart pushed herself up from the ground slowly, her face blank as she walked toward Jessica Hart.
Jessica thought she’d finally given in. She sneered and said, "So I’ve gotta curse you out for you to behave, huh? What a worthless..."
Before she could finish, Nina raised her leg and kicked her right in the stomach. Jessica stumbled back several steps and landed square on her backside with a loud thud.
"You hit me! You actually dared to hit me!" Jessica gasped, her face twisted in pain. "You crazy bitch! You’ve lost it!"
Fuming, Jessica scrambled up and rushed toward her, only for Nina to land another solid kick, harder than the first.
Jessica crashed into a tall stack of clutter beside her.
With a crashing noise, everything fell over, burying Jessica underneath. She groaned, unable to move.
"You’re dead meat! Just wait till my parents and my brother come home! They’ll beat the hell out of you for this!" she yelled, struggling through the pile of junk, her face contorted from the pain as she fought to stand.
Barely steady on her feet, she dashed for the door without looking back.
She was frightened now. All she could think was getting away first. That girl had gone nuts—real nuts. If she stayed, who knew what Nina might do next?"You brat, stop right there! I swear I’ll kill you!"
"You really need some new lines. Can’t you come up with anything else?" Nina Hart gritted her teeth through the dizziness, raised her foot, and gave Jessica Hart another good kick, right on the backside.
Jessica stumbled out the door, hitting the ground hard and looking completely pathetic.
Nina didn’t let up. She stepped out after her, flipped her over roughly, and yanked the jade gourd pendant right off her neck.
"That’s mine!" Jessica screamed, lunging to grab it back. "It’s mine, you shameless tramp, give it here!"
Nina kicked her away without even blinking. "Have you no shame? Since when was this yours? Why not just say the whole country belongs to you too?"
Jessica had taken a few solid kicks by now. Every part of her hurt so bad she couldn’t even get up. All she could do was lie there, watching Nina walk back into the room.
Truth was, Nina was running out of steam herself. She’d learned a bit of self-defense before, but this body she was in had taken a hit — there was no strength in her limbs.
After those few kicks, her head started spinning like crazy, and bright spots danced in front of her eyes.
