Chapter 1
Move Out

When Xie Qing woke up, she found herself lying on the landing of the stairs, with a soft brown wool carpet beneath her. A beautiful and elegant girl was holding onto the carved staircase handrail, limping as she walked up, looking down at her.

A name automatically appeared in Xie Qing’s mind: Xie Yun.

She was the fraternal twin sister of this body.

Xie Yun spoke, “Xie Qing, you were the one who pushed me down the stairs first, and now you want to accuse me?”

When she said “push,” some spittle landed on Xie Qing’s face.

Xie Qing felt nauseous, wiped her face with the back of her hand, and quickly stood up, trying to imitate the original owner’s tone, “What do you mean by accusing first? Didn’t you push me? Then where did the bump on the back of my head come from? Look, it’s as big as a pigeon egg.”

“A bump?” Xie Yun’s eyes flashed impatiently, “Xie Qing, this is home, not your police station, and certainly not your bloody autopsy room. You know Mom and I don’t like you talking like this, so why do you insist on doing it?”

“Sorry, occupational habit.” Xie Qing gestured towards Xie Yun’s foot with her chin, “You sprained your ankle, and I have a bump, so we’re even. I’m going upstairs.”

“You…” Xie Yun’s eyes widened in surprise.

Xie Qing knew why she was surprised. After an accident, she was no longer in the real world but had transmigrated into a fictional novel called “Rebirth in 1995.”

Xie Yun is the novel’s protagonist, and when Xie Qing transmigrates into the original owner’s body, Xie Yun is reborn. The sisters didn’t get along well; one looked down on forensic doctors, and the other was jealous that the other could grow up with their parents. Although there were no major conflicts, they often bickered, and their hearts and faces were not in harmony. According to the plot, she should have reacted strongly to Xie Yun’s veiled insult to forensic doctors, then pushed Xie Yun again, so that their mother, Chen Yuehua, who had just returned home, would see it. But she was not the original owner, and having read the novel, she couldn’t empathize. Moreover, although the sisters had conflicts, it was mainly because their parents were biased, and it had little to do with Xie Yun herself.

It’s better to resolve enmity than to create it. Since she was new here, it wouldn’t hurt to take a step back.

Xie Qing moved her foot, preparing to go upstairs, but Xie Yun suddenly grabbed her hand.

Xie Yun’s hand was cold and clammy with sweat.

Xie Qing felt uncomfortable and instinctively shook it off, “Speak properly. Why are you grabbing me?”

Xie Yun immediately took a step back, her right foot stepping onto the stair tread.

“Ha!” Xie Qing sneered, turning her right hand to grab Xie Yun’s, “Be careful. If you fall again, it won’t be my fault.”

“Xie Qing, how can you talk to your sister like that?” Chen Yuehua returned, immediately blaming Xie Qing without distinguishing right from wrong.

This reminded Xie Qing of her biased parents in her previous life, and she felt extremely disgusted. She let go of Xie Yun and turned to go upstairs.

Chen Yuehua angrily said, “Xie Qing, where are your manners?”

Xie Qing replied without looking back, “I was raised by my grandfather, a country child with no manners.”

“You…” Chen Yuehua was at a loss for words, “Your grandfather was a university professor, not a country…”

“Bang!” The sound of a door closing upstairs cut her off.

Xie Yun limped downstairs, took the handbag from Chen Yuehua’s hand, and said, “Mom, forget it. It’s not a big deal.”

Chen Yuehua took the handbag back, “What do you mean it’s not a big deal? You’re a classical dancer. If your ankle gets injured, your career is over, do you understand?”

Xie Yun shivered at the thought of her previous life, hugged Chen Yuehua’s arm, and weakly defended herself, “Mom, I just sprained it a little. No need to worry too much.”

“Still, you need to be more careful.” Chen Yuehua changed into slippers and helped Xie Yun sit on the pearwood sofa, “What was it about this time?”

Xie Yun said, “My brother called and said he would take me hiking tomorrow. She heard and insisted on going too.”

Chen Yuehua shook her head with a bitter smile, “I thought she would mature a bit after graduation, but she still has no ambition.”

Xie Yun raised her eyebrows, “But it’s different now. If it were before, she wouldn’t have given up without arguing with Mom.”

“In my opinion, she’s even worse now. She used to at least call me Mom, but now… forget it, let’s not talk about her.” Chen Yuehua put Xie Yun’s foot on her lap, “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Xie Yun tried to move her ankle, “No need, just ice it and apply some ointment.”

Seeing her relaxed expression with no signs of pain, Chen Yuehua sighed in relief, “What about the hiking?”

Xie Yun said, “It’s just a little sore. I’ll ice it, and it’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

Hiking was just an excuse; in fact, Chen Yuehua had given her son the task of expanding Xie Yun’s social circle.

In her previous life, Xie Yun was afraid of worsening her sprain and didn’t go, but Xie Qing did, causing her to miss out on someone important.

For his sake, she had to go this time.

Moreover, it will rain all day tomorrow. Before we even reach the foot of the mountain, it will start raining, and the car will go straight to the hotel. She will just play poker all day.

…

Xie Qing closed the door and looked around the room.

The room was on the north side, where the sun couldn’t shine in, making it cooler than outside. It was about twenty square meters and didn’t have a private bathroom.

The furniture was nice, made of rosewood with a classical design. The 1.5-meter bed was covered with a luxurious peony flower bedspread, and the curtains were made of purple velvet.

Apart from being old-fashioned, there were no other issues.

If the original owner were still here, she would never agree with her. After all, the south side was Xie Yun’s room, which was connected to the dance studio, totaling more than fifty square meters, and had a private bathroom.

When the original owner returned in the autumn, the room was cold. She had asked to move to the west guest room, but Chen Yuehua refused, saying that her brother stayed there and their cousin often visited, so it wasn’t convenient to move.

Chen Yuehua didn’t intentionally mistreat the original owner, but she didn’t have much affection for her and was too lazy to care.

“Sigh…” Xie Qing sighed. How did she end up in a novel with such a complicated family relationship? If she had known, she wouldn’t have read such a boring novel… Stop complaining, being alive is better than being dead. She should think about what to do next.

After thinking for a while, Xie Qing made up her mind: she would leave the Xie family immediately and move into the dormitory.

The reason was simple.

She had no expectations or feelings for the Xie family and couldn’t act out a love-hate drama. Moreover, this book was mainly about getting rich and falling in love, and the original owner’s role was mainly as a contrast—Xie Yun used her foresight to save her family’s company, married the young boss of a listed company, and had a successful career in dance and fashion. The original owner, on the other hand, followed Chen Yuehua’s advice, quit her job as a forensic doctor, and married the second generation of a small business. That second generation was into drinking, gambling, and womanizing. She endured it all, relying on her family’s support and her status as a mother to barely maintain her position in the family.

She had no interest in being a puppet. It was better to leave early, break away from the original plot, and use the golden finger given to the female lead by the author to make some money and live her own life.

Xie Qing touched the patterns on the large wardrobe, “It’s a pity to leave and not see this exquisite furniture anymore.” She sighed regretfully, opened the door, took out a magenta-edged suitcase from the bottom, packed some reference books and a few changes of clothes, and carried the suitcase downstairs.

The mother and daughter were sitting in the living room, enjoying the fan and drinking cold beverages.

When Chen Yuehua saw Xie Qing coming down with her suitcase, her face darkened, and she put her cup on the coffee table with a thud, “What are you doing?”

Xie Qing smiled, “Nothing much. As a police officer, my work hours are irregular, and our home is far away. My mentor applied for a dormitory for me.”

At the mention of work, Chen Yuehua sighed, “Of all the jobs, you chose to be a forensic doctor. It will be hard to find a partner in the future. Our family doesn’t need your salary. Quit and work as a typist at your father’s company; it’s better than that.”

Belittling the forensic profession had become a common topic in the Xie family.

Xie Qing frowned and said indifferently, “You guys talk, I’m leaving.”

Chen Yuehua was left hanging, her face turning red with anger, “Get out, the farther, the better.”

She was a famous dancer in the country, always speaking softly. This was the first time she had spoken so rudely.

Xie Qing just informed them and glanced at the gloating Xie Yun before walking straight out the door.

The door closed, and the living room fell silent for a moment.

Chen Yuehua said, “Yun Yun, don’t you think Xie Qing seems different?”

Xie Yun nodded, “I felt she was different since she woke up.” She silently recalled events from her past life, “If it were before, she would have thrown a tantrum when Mom asked her to quit.”

Could it be that Xie Qing was reborn too?

Xie Yun suddenly shivered.

Chen Yuehua saw her pale face and wandering eyes and quickly grabbed her hand, “Yun Yun, don’t be afraid. If she dares to act up again, I’ll have your father teach her a lesson.”

Xie Yun wasn’t afraid; she just felt wrong. If heaven had mercy on her and gave her a chance to change her fate by being reborn, why did it also let Xie Qing be reborn?

In her previous life, she injured her leg in a car accident, could no longer dance, suffered from severe depression for three to four years, and died at the age of thirty-one. Meanwhile, Xie Qing happily worked her way up to become the administrative director at her husband’s company and had two children.

This is unfair!

With tears welling up in her eyes, she said with a sob, “Mom, it’s not entirely my sister’s fault. She grew up with Grandpa and wasn’t close to me. Plus, being a forensic doctor is tough on her. As her older sister, I should be more careful with my words.”

After saying this, she felt better.

When Xie Qing returned home after high school, she couldn’t learn to dance and focused on excelling academically. She wanted to study medicine but was assigned to the less popular forensic science program due to a one-point difference, which was quite ironic.

“Indeed, one should be more ‘careful.’ It’s basic decency not to speak ill of others in front of someone with a disability.” Xie Qing entered the room, nodded at Chen Yuehua, and said, “I forgot my water bottle.”

Xie Yun’s face turned red.

Chen Yuehua, embarrassed and angry, said, “I’m your mother. Can’t I say anything to you?”

Xie Qing picked up the red thermos on the coffee table, “Of course you can, please continue.”

She said this insincerely and walked towards the door.

Chen Yuehua, furious, said, “With your attitude, how dare you think about your brother’s classmates? I don’t think you’ll ever get married.”

“Just worry about Xie Yun.” Xie Qing’s tone was calm as she closed the door and left.

Xie Yun asked suspiciously, “Mom, what does she mean?”

Chen Yuehua didn’t know either and could only comfort Xie Yun, “As long as you can go, your brother won’t take her. Don’t worry.”

…

Xie Qing deliberately left ambiguous words for the mother and daughter to guess while she left the Xie family, humming random songs as she headed to the bus stop.

The Xie family lived in the Wolong Community at the easternmost end of Fengcheng, less than three kilometers from the beach but at least thirty kilometers from the Anhai City Public Security Bureau.

Fortunately, she was lucky today. The 161 bus, which usually took fifteen minutes to arrive, came in just three minutes.

Since it was Saturday, the dormitory building was quiet, and there was no one in the hallway.

Xie Qing dragged her suitcase to the third floor, took out the key to room 3011 from her bag, unlocked the door, and entered the room.

The room was like other dormitories, about thirty square meters, with four beds, four cabinets, and two desks, but no private bathroom. Fortunately, there weren’t many newcomers in the bureau, and few stayed in the dormitory. The original owner, being a forensic assistant, had a single room.

The original owner had already received the bedding—a complete set of military green, neatly stacked at the head of the bed.

Xie Qing quickly unpacked her luggage and left the room.

“Hey, Xie Qing, why are you here so early?” The door across the hall opened, and a fresh-faced young girl came out, “I didn’t bring everything. Do you want to go shopping with me?”

Xie Qing smiled, “I was just about to go. Let’s go together.”

This girl, named Li Ke, was of medium build, with big eyes, a round face, and slightly thick lips, giving a cheerful and handsome first impression. She was a top graduate from the police academy, the same age as Xie Qing, and a newcomer in the second team—Xie Qing’s forensic science program was five years, but she started school a year earlier.

The two walked downstairs side by side.

Li Ke glanced at her watch, “It’s almost five o’clock, so we can only go to the convenience store. Xie Qing, will you go to the mall with me tomorrow? I sweat a lot, and my clothes get dirty quickly.”

“Sure.” Xie Qing didn’t like the original owner’s taste or the original owner’s imitation of Xie Yun’s taste, so she didn’t bring many clothes and readily agreed.

The next morning, it rained, and the two went to the Friendship Mall in the rain, shopping for half a day and returning with full bags just before lunch.

When Xie Qing returned to the dormitory and was about to organize her cabinet, she heard a sharp and monotonous “beep” sound.

Hmm?

The electrical appliances weren’t on!

Xie Qing listened for a moment, then took out a pager from her bag. The small display read: “Come to the autopsy room immediately.”

The phone number wasn’t familiar, but the only person who would call her to the autopsy room was the original owner’s mentor.

There’s work to do!

Xie Qing didn’t dare delay. She threw her things into the cabinet, grabbed her bag and umbrella, and left the dormitory.