Chapter 1 – Cousin

Early spring, 1972.
Inside the tablet workshop of Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical Factory, several female workers sat around a worktable filled with medicine and packaging materials, sealing and packing pills. As they worked, they chatted idly about their family affairs.

In a corner, Lin Yingxian quietly focused on packing pills with practiced ease, not joining in on the conversation.
Even if she wasn’t actively listening, the gossip still drifted into her ears.

Though she had worked in the tablet section for over a year and rarely saw the workers’ family members, she was well-versed in their stories—strangers whose lives she knew all too well.

Suddenly, the usual silent listener, Lin Yingxian, was pulled into the conversation.
“Xiao Lin, how’s your cousin who tried to commit suicide? Did she make it?”

Lin Yingxian looked up. Across from her, Zhong Hong’s face was full of concern, but she couldn’t hide the nosy glint in her eyes.

The others turned to look at Lin Yingxian as well, waiting eagerly for her response.
Thanks to the uncanny law of six degrees of separation, they didn’t even need to ask—word had already spread that Lin Yingxian had a cousin who attempted suicide and was rushed to the hospital.

Mentioning that cousin, Lin Yingxian’s face filled with worry and sorrow. “She was saved, but she hasn’t woken up yet.”

Seeing how upset she looked, the women refrained from pressing further.
Zhong Hong clearly wanted to keep gossiping, but the woman beside her shot her a look and tugged at her sleeve, forcing her to drop it and change the topic.

Lin Yingxian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn’t have much affection for that cousin—she only put on the heartbroken act to avoid becoming the center of gossip.

Just over a year ago, Lin Yingxian transmigrated into a novel about babies switched at birth.

In the story, a woman, devastated by her husband’s death, suffered a traumatic childbirth and was told she’d likely never conceive again.
Unwilling to let her only child suffer with her, she begged her nurse sister to swap her baby with one from a good family.
The baby’s target was born to Doctor Yan, Lin Yingxian’s aunt, who happened to be giving birth in the same hospital.

Yan Aunty’s biological daughter, Li Qing, was taken away by the grieving woman and raised in a dysfunctional, blended family where she suffered abuse.
Meanwhile, the woman’s own daughter, Yan Yingshu, remained in Jiangcheng and grew up pampered and doted on by Doctor Yan.

Before dying, the guilt-ridden nurse confessed the truth to Li Qing.
She had suffered for years, unable to live with her conscience, regretting how her moment of weakness ruined an innocent family and child.

But by then, the original Li Qing had already drowned.
Her soul had completely disappeared—replaced by a time traveler.

The transmigrator who took over Li Qing’s body uncovered the truth and came to Jiangcheng to reunite with her biological parents.
Aunt Yan had always been puzzled by how little Yan Yingshu resembled her, and upon seeing Li Qing—who looked just like her—she started to believe it.

After convincing them to visit the nurse for confirmation, the nurse confessed everything before passing away peacefully, having fulfilled her final wish.

Once the truth came to light, Li Qing was brought home by her biological family.

Yan Yingshu couldn’t accept reality. She slit her wrists in her room, and was only saved because Aunt Yan found her in time and rushed her to the hospital.

Lin Yingxian had no name in the original novel—just a background character.

If it hadn’t been for Li Qing showing up and exposing the baby swap, the relatives would’ve never known about Aunt Yan’s real daughter. Lin Yingxian wouldn’t have realized she was inside a novel either.
She only vaguely thought her cousins’ names felt familiar, but hadn’t made the connection.

After all, she’d read that novel years ago and had forgotten most of it.
It wasn’t until Li Qing arrived that her memories of the story gradually returned.

Back then, the novel was being adapted into a drama, and her agent handed her the script. She was set to play the female lead.
To understand her role better, she re-read the novel—only to find that the script barely resembled the source material beyond a few key plot points.

Later, she got caught in a scandal.
The role was recast right before filming began, and halfway through production, the investment funds dried up, the company went bankrupt, and the project was shelved.

Lin Yingxian had been a low-profile actress in the 21st century—never wildly popular, but well-respected, with several awards and solid roles to her name.
Her agent had always pushed her to break out, but Lin Yingxian had been content with her steady career and peaceful life.

Who would’ve thought that one night’s sleep would send her to the resource-starved 1970s, leaving her modern comforts behind?
Affected by residual depression in her new body, she thought she had gone mad—nearly ending up being treated as a mental patient.

She desperately wished it was all a dream—so she could wake up and return to her world…

…

Lunchtime came, and the workers started heading to the cafeteria in small groups.

On the way, Lin Yingxian ran into Jiang Lixia, her former middle school classmate. Jiang Lixia linked arms with her and began chatting warmly.

Jiang Lixia worked in the logistics department at the factory.
Since Lin Yingxian joined the pharmaceutical factory, they had gotten closer—though back in school, they hadn’t been particularly close.

Over a year ago, when Lin Yingxian first applied to the factory, she was assigned not to her intended role, but to the roasting room—a physically demanding job usually handled by men. There were only a few women there.
Thin and delicate, Lin Yingxian had struggled, but she gritted her teeth and endured.
She couldn’t afford to leave the factory.

Then Jiang Lixia gave her a chance.

At the time, Jiang Lixia was being bullied by a senior employee with connections.
Lin Yingxian taught her how to navigate office politics, how to survive and win people over. With her help, Jiang Lixia eventually stabilized her position in logistics.

In return, when Jiang Lixia accidentally learned that Lin Yingxian’s original position had been unfairly taken, she reported it to her uncle, Section Chief Wang from HR.

Chief Wang discovered that the person who took Lin Yingxian’s job was a relative of the deputy chief he disliked. He used this as leverage to suppress his rival.

Just over a month later, Lin Yingxian was transferred out of the roasting room to the tablet workshop, where she began packaging medicine—a much easier job with better pay.

That summer, a senior worker retired, and Lin Yingxian seized the opportunity to become a permanent employee. With that, she gained formal status and began receiving full benefits.

Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical was a key national enterprise with research backing from a central-level institute. It was massive, well-resourced, and offered enviable benefits.
Landing a permanent spot there was like striking gold.

With her new status, Lin Yingxian’s position in the family rose overnight.