Xia Xiaolan was awakened by crying.
She remembered leading her team in successfully completing a challenging merger and acquisition case. Afterwards, they all attended the celebration party. Under her subordinates' constant urging, Xia Xiaolan drank more than usual.
However, she wasn't entirely lost in a drunken haze. On her way home, she overheard her new assistant speaking to her boyfriend on the phone, "I'm escorting Madam Xia home. She lives alone, yes, she isn't married... What use is it for Xia to earn so much money when she’s still a single woman?"
Half-drunk, half-awake, Xia Xiaolan didn't confront her new assistant directly at that moment.
Even with a successful career, a powerful woman without the ornament of marriage always becomes the subject of rumor mills. This is particularly true for Xia Xiaolan, who is strong-willed and plain-looking. Some colleagues in the company whispered behind her back that because she is not pretty, old and picky, it would be a miracle if she could get married. Xia didn't mind that people gossiped about her personal life, but this new assistant, with her loose tongue and lack of intellect, had the audacity to chat about her boss's private life right in front of her.
She decided to replace this assistant in a couple of days.
Once she got home, her hired nanny, Zhang Aunty, kept reminding Xia to drink less and take better care of herself.
Xia threw herself onto the soft, large bed and promptly fell asleep.
She had a strange dream in which she became another person in the 198s. In her dream, she encountered some unfortunate events and out of anger, rammed her head into a pillar. Xia found it laughable, as she wasn’t the kind to take her life over some minor issues, considering the years of hardships she underwent.
However, the dream was too vivid.
She was awakened by a woman’s low sobs that gave her a splitting headache.
For some unknown reason, her quilt felt uncomfortably damp, making Xia feel as if she was soaked in sweat. Just as she managed to open her eyes, she was taken aback by the dark, sallow face before her!
"Xiaolan, you're awake? You really scared me...Are you still in pain, sweetheart?"
The dark, sallow face belonged to a skinny woman who looked so fragile she might collapse at any moment.
Xia wondered, had she not woken up from her dream yet?!
The woman shed tears in a stream, "Xiaolan, promise mom, won't you stop doing such foolish things, okay?"
Hurriedly nodding, Xiaolan watched as the woman wiped her eyes with her sleeve, the worry on her face fading into a half smile.
"Mom will go make you something to eat, you wait here."
Shutting the door behind her, Xiaolan, with a throbbing headache, began to observe her surroundings. An old wooden bed creaking at the movement of the straw-stuffed mattress, a faded yellow mosquito net gathered at either end of the bedpost by a hook, four patches sewn onto a faded quilt, at the side of the bed a string controlling a simple electric lamp.
Xiaolan pulled the string and the dim light flickered on, barely illuminating the room.
Grimacing at her headache, she got off the bed. The only decent piece of furniture in the room was the dressing table by the window. In the mirror, a fragile face reflected back: a pointed chin, big eyes, a straight and refined nose—nary a single flaw. A bandage, soaked in blood, was wrapped around her head, which added a touch of helplessness to her appearance... Xiaolan gasped. This was the so-called foxy beauty often talked about by people!
Of course, this was not her face!
If Chief Xia was even a third as attractive as this face, she wouldn't have to deal with people's sarcastic comments behind her back.
Xiaolan gave a smile and watched as her reflection mirrored the gesture, the ripple in her eyes could melt anyone's heart; then she pulled a face in the mirror, but not even that could tarnish the beauty of her mirrored image. It really felt too unfair. Thinking about her original appearance, calling it average would have been overselling it. Without significant investment in appearance, she actually looked rather plain.
The world didn’t fully revolve around one's looks, the higher the stakes, the more the importance shifted to one's abilities.
But coming from a humble background with little external help, the initial struggle was really tough. While she worked incredibly hard, others just needed to flutter their lashes and pretend to be cute to land contracts. Even after studying round the clock to upgrade her professional skills, she couldn't even get an appointment with a manager! Perhaps if she were just a little prettier, she wouldn't have had to toil away for over 20 years to taste the fruit of success.
Houses, cars, savings, and position—she was barely able to enjoy the fruits of her labor when, after just one night’s rest, she woke up as a seemingly identical "Xiaolan" from 1983. This Xiaolan was just 18 this year, beautiful enough to make celestial beings jealous. But, for some inexplicable reason, she sought to end her life by crashing into a column.
The "Xiaolan" of the past was dead. For some reason, 30 years later, Xiaolan woke in this body. Her sleep was marked with a rush of randomly assorted memories, making Xiaolan feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
Creak.
The door was pushed open, and a skinny, sallow-faced woman carrying a chipped enamel bowl entered:
"Xiaolan, your mom has steamed eggs for you. Hurry up and eat them while they're still hot."
The woman was cautious, her attitude even a bit submissive. She is Liu Fen, the mother of Xiaolan.
Xiaolan opens her mouth, yet the word "mom" never makes its way out.
She doesn't know how to interact with Liu Fen. Her recollection of Xiaolan's previous attitude towards Liu Fen was terribly poor. Should she continue to be an unfilial daughter, or pretend to be suffering from amnesia, starting a new life as a dutiful child?
While Xiaolan hesitates, the half-closed door is brutally swung open.
A few people barge into the room. Leading the pack is Xiaolan’s grandmother, along with two of Liu Fen’s other daughters-in-law, and a few grandsons and granddaughters. They carry an intimidating presence. This means trouble!
The high-cheekboned matriarch's eyes are ablaze with fury. She snatches the enamel cup from Liu Fen’s hand and pushes her over.
"You've given birth to a shameless daughter who has disgraced the entire family. And you dare to steal eggs from the house to feed her? You want to play the pity card by banging your head after a few scolds? Do you think I care? If you want to die, go and jump into the river, banging your head isn’t going to help!"
Her words are venomous, far from the loving tone one would expect from a grandmother. Instead, she sounds more like Xiaolan's enemy.
Struggling to get up, Liu Fen clasps onto the old woman's leg, pleading.
"Mother, she just woke up, please give her another chance..."
