Chapter 1: Traveling Through Time

“Quick, quick, quick, let me have a good time for once!” The man impatiently fumbled with his pants. The woman struggled desperately: “Help! Let… let me go!” The man, eager and clumsy, couldn’t pin the woman down. Just as she was about to break free and run, he grabbed her by the foot and yanked her back!

Slap—! The man struck her hard across the face. “Behave yourself! If you don’t, just watch how I’ll deal with you!”

Lin Nanxiang had just finished a surgery that lasted twenty-six consecutive hours, barely managing to save the patient’s life. The sharp pain on her face jolted her awake, only to find a man trying to strip off her clothes! Grabbing hold of his fat, greasy hand, Lin Nanxiang roared in anger: “What are you doing?”

The man was clearly startled by her furious shout! He hadn’t expected the woman he had just slapped unconscious to wake up so quickly! Something about the sharpness in her eyes made him flinch for a second. But soon, his face twisted into a lewd grin again. “Good, good, you’re awake—that’s even better. I don’t want to sleep with a corpse. Awake is much tastier!” His yellowed teeth showed as his grin grew filthier.

“Argh!” The man suddenly screamed, clutching his forehead in pain. Lin Nanxiang held a stone in her hand, quickly scrambling to her feet!

“Blood…!” The man stared at his hand now covered in fresh blood, his forehead still gushing. His eyes flickered with malice as he glared at Lin Nanxiang. “You little whore, you dare hit me!”

As he lunged at her, Lin Nanxiang swiftly dodged behind a tree. Bang—! The man slammed headfirst into the trunk, his vision bursting into stars. While he was still dazed, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck—then everything went black.

Lin Nanxiang tossed away the stick she had used, dusted her hands, and looked down at the unconscious man. Lifting her foot, she was about to kick him down the slope, but then noticed his half-undone clothes. A thought flashed in her mind, and she decided to “help him out.”

Alright then! She stripped the man completely naked before finally delivering a fierce kick, sending his bare body tumbling down the slope. Glancing at the pile of clothes she had just pulled off him, she kicked them down after him too. The only thing left was his yellowed, foul-smelling underwear—Lin Nanxiang refused to touch it with her hands. Instead, she hooked it with a branch, lifted it, and tossed it down the slope along with the stick.

Just as she was about to leave, her eyes suddenly met a pair of deep, ink-dark pupils shining faintly from within the trees opposite her. Only then did she realize someone had been watching the whole time from the bushes. She had thought her actions had been flawless—but clearly, she hadn’t been alone.

A man had been hiding there, observing everything!

“Quick, quick, they’re right ahead in the trees. I saw it with my own eyes—Lin Zhiqing and Niu Ergou rolling around together on the slope. Their clothes were off, the man was so rough the nearby leaves were all knocked to the ground!”

Liu Dahua, timing everything perfectly, had brought a crowd of villagers to catch them in the act.

Lin Nanxiang scanned the mob that suddenly rushed up—men, women, young, old, a whole sea of people. It looked like they had dragged the entire Niujia Village here! If this had been the original Lin Nanxiang, Niu Ergou would likely have already succeeded. With the villagers bursting in to “catch them,” the trap would have been complete. It was clearly premeditated—no coincidence could be this exact.

“Lin Nanxiang, tell us—where’s your adulterer? Where is he now?” Liu Dahua demanded, her eyes sweeping the area, clearly searching for Niu Ergou. She was just as confused. She had plotted this with him beforehand: first trick Lin Nanxiang up the hill, then let Niu Ergou have his way with her, and afterwards, she’d lead the villagers to expose them, ensuring everyone witnessed their disgrace.

But now, while Lin Nanxiang was here—Niu Ergou was nowhere to be seen! Where had he gone?

“Bah! Shameless! Look at Lin Zhiqing’s clothes, all torn by a man. The scoundrel must be hiding nearby!” The village women sneered, glancing at Lin Nanxiang’s disheveled clothes. Their faces were full of contempt, as if they had already seen her seduce some wild man.

Though baffled at not finding Niu Ergou, Liu Dahua still raised her voice in accusation: “That’s right! Lin Nanxiang, where’s your man? Tell us, where’s the adulterer you were rolling in the bushes with?”

At that moment, the man in the trees—Zhou Yu—was preparing to leave. But Lin Nanxiang suddenly pointed her finger toward him.

The body’s original owner had nearly lost her innocence tonight. If she hadn’t woken in time, she would have been ruined by that greasy old bachelor. Since this man liked to lurk and watch the show, then fine—he could take the blame!

The crowd instantly followed her pointing finger and spotted the figure hidden in the bushes.

“Quick, quick, the adulterer’s there!” someone shouted.

In moments, Zhou Yu was surrounded by the villagers.

Only now did Lin Nanxiang clearly see his face. She had first noticed only the deep, ink-dark eyes—but up close, his features were strikingly handsome: sharp, chiseled cheekbones, thin, tightly pressed lips, and a dark, intimidating gaze now fixed squarely on her, pressing down with an unseen weight. It made Lin Nanxiang’s scalp tingle involuntarily.

At the same time, unfamiliar memories surfaced in her mind. No wonder this body had frozen in instinctive fear the moment she saw him.

It turned out the original owner actually knew this man—and they were even engaged.

The original Lin Nanxiang had been pampered for eighteen years in the city’s Lin family before learning she wasn’t their true daughter. Once the real daughter was brought home, she was sent back to the countryside.

At first, she refused to accept the truth, but she was still forced to return to the rural village. She didn’t even last a full day before she ran back to the Lin household. After all, she had been their child for eighteen years. When she returned, the Lin family softened and let her stay.

But within half a month, her adoptive mother coaxed her into replacing their son, Lin Xiangdong, and going down to the countryside as an educated youth.

Her adoptive mother promised that if she did this, she would always be treated as their real daughter.

Wanting desperately to remain the Lin family’s young miss, the original Lin Nanxiang—though unwilling—reluctantly agreed.