An ambulance took four people from Lin Jia’s house all at once.

Jiang Xi—who now should be called Jiang Xiaochan—wasn’t the most severely injured, but she was definitely the most emotionally unstable of the four.

—Freshly transmigrated, completely clueless about what was going on, and ended up getting hurt in Lin Jia’s place.

Jiang Xi, an adult inside a little girl’s body, was currently leaning on a teenager’s shoulder, crying her heart out without restraint.

“I feel awful!” she wailed at the top of her lungs.

“We’re almost at the hospital,” Lin Jia said, gently patting her back to comfort her.

The little girl’s forehead was soaked with sweat. Lin Jia had just wiped it off, but more beads of sweat quickly replaced it.

He asked, “Besides your hand, does anywhere else hurt?”

“Yes! It all hurts…” she sobbed loudly, “Everywhere hurts!”

Jiang Xi couldn’t even remember the last time she’d cried.

The grief rushed out like floodwaters from a broken dam, surging from every part of her body.

It hurt—her throat was sore. Why was summer so hot?

It hurt—her mother had died, her sister too.

It hurt—her sister had become a ghost and still wouldn’t leave her alone.

It hurt—she had randomly slept with some man, and it turned out he had ties to her dead sister.

It hurt—she had inexplicably transmigrated into her sister’s body, and worse, she had become a child.

It hurt—barely arrived in this new world and already had to deal with a messy situation. Thinking about how her sister liked this guy, Jiang Xi had helped him out half-heartedly, not even knowing if it was the right thing to do.

The pain barreled through her like a high-speed train, dragging all the chaos and discomfort in her life into the open.

She grabbed the nearest scapegoat and demanded compensation.

“You owe me.”

Sticky little fingers clung tightly to Lin Jia’s arm. Ignoring the handkerchief nearby, she insisted on wiping her tears on his sleeve.

“I’ll stay with you,” he said.

Letting the kid cry and fuss however she wanted, he responded with infinite patience, not realizing they were having two entirely different conversations.

Lin Jia had always meant what he said.

He stayed with Jiang Xiaochan.

She cried so hard that she fell asleep in his arms before the ambulance even reached the hospital.

But Jiang Xiaochan meant it when she said he owed her. Even in her sleep, she was thinking: I didn’t take that stab for nothing. I’ll get back what I lost.

When the doctor started administering the local anesthetic, the pain woke her up, and she opened her eyes again.

Leaning against Lin Jia’s chest, she weakly asked, “Where is this?”

“The hospital,” the doctor replied.

She spotted the red embroidered text on the doctor’s white coat: “Maocheng Hospital?”

“That’s right.”

Next, the doctor was getting ready to stitch her up. Jiang Xiaochan stared at the wound but wasn’t scared.

The doctor cleared his throat and looked toward Lin Jia.

“Look over here, there’s something yummy.” Lin Jia said in a coaxing tone, like talking to a child, trying to distract her.

He opened his empty palm.

With a quick swipe through the air, he produced a lollipop.

It was candy he had specially bought for her, in Jiang Xiaochan’s favorite flavor.

Jiang Xiaochan frowned. “I don’t want it. That’s kid stuff.”

Lin Jia lowered his eyes and carefully unwrapped the candy for her.

A sweet melon scent wafted out.

“Guess I’ll eat it anyway,” she muttered, opening her mouth reluctantly.

Lin Jia popped the candy in, and Jiang Xiaochan started sucking on it happily.

Feeling a bit better, she pulled herself together to deal with the mountain of information that came with transmigrating.

—First of all, this place was Maocheng. Looks like Lin Jia was from Maocheng too.

—He seemed to know Jiang Xiaochan.

—What she didn’t know yet: how this world compared to her original one, and how the two might be connected.

When in doubt, ask. She turned her eyes on the boy next to her.

“Your name’s Lin Jia, right?” she asked, lollipop in her mouth, eyebrows raised.

She didn’t treat Lin Jia like an elder, so she spoke bluntly, sounding rather rude. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.” He didn’t take offense.

Jiang Xiaochan bit the candy with a loud crack. “How old are you this year?”

“I’m thirteen,” Lin Jia answered.

He did look like a middle schooler. Jiang Xiaochan wasn’t surprised.

She asked, “How old am I?”

“You’re eight.”

“How long have you known me? How did we meet? Are we close?” She bombarded him with questions.

“I’ve known you since you were born. We’re neighbors.”

The rapid-fire questions made Lin Jia increasingly worried about her mental state. He turned to the doctor. “Could the anesthetic have messed with her brain?”

“No,” the doctor replied firmly. “It was just a subcutaneous injection, and the dosage was small.”

“Did you get a head injury when you were at my house?” Lin Jia cupped her little head, turning it from side to side.

“No, my brain’s fine,” Jiang Xiaochan swatted his hand away.

She stopped asking questions and started chewing on the lollipop again, falling into deep thought.

Jiang Xi couldn’t remember much from the past, which made aligning information all the more complicated.

From Jiang Xi’s memory, Lin Jia was someone her sister had met in the city. But now he said he was a neighbor.

Her sister—Jiang Xiaochan.

That meant… Lin Jia was her neighbor too.

But Jiang Xi had absolutely no memory of him.

Wait.

A chill ran down her spine.

If she’d transmigrated into her younger sister Jiang Xiaochan’s body in this world… then did Jiang Daxi still exist here?

The more she thought about it, the creepier it felt. Goosebumps rose all over her skin.

“Jiang Xiaochan… Jiang Xiaochan…”

Lin Jia’s voice brought her attention back. “It’s all done—the wound’s been treated.”

“The little one is very brave,” the doctor praised her as well.

Jiang Xiaochan forced a strained smile.

The doctor carefully instructed them, “Young man, make sure to take good care of your sister these days. Change the dressing on time, keep the wound dry, and avoid spicy or irritating foods. I’ll also prescribe some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medicine. Take this slip to the pharmacy.”

Lin Jia thanked the doctor repeatedly and took the prescription.

Before they left—

Jiang Xiaochan looked at her bandaged arm and deliberately asked one more question.

“Doctor, will my wound leave a scar?”

The doctor answered honestly, “Yes. Your wound is quite deep.”

Jiang Xiaochan tilted her head up, staring at the boy beside her with a pitiful look. “Lin Jia, did you hear that? The doctor said I’ll have a scar.”

Just as he was about to comfort her—

The child beamed brightly, the pitiful look on her face vanishing in an instant.

“So you have to remember this scar I got for you. Until it fully heals, you have to be nice to me, okay?”

“Okay,” Lin Jia agreed without hesitation.

Jiang Xi had her reasons for saying that—she had her own plan in mind.

In fact, she already had a clear goal for how to make Lin Jia repay what he owed.

Her little sister refused to let her go, haunting her every night, tormenting her endlessly. Before, Jiang Xi hadn’t had much she could do for her sister. But now, she did.

The original “Jiang Xiaochan” really liked Lin Jia—this was one of the few things Jiang Xi was certain of. If she could help her sister win over the person she liked, her sister would definitely be happy… Since she had taken over Jiang Xiaochan’s body, even if it was only temporary, there was a chance Jiang Xiaochan might return one day. Jiang Xi could pave the way for her in the meantime.

“Are you coming with me to the pharmacy, or do you want to wait here?” Lin Jia bent down and asked the child.

“I’m coming with you.” She clung to him tightly.

The fluorescent lights of the hospital made Lin Jia’s face look unnaturally pale, like a sheet of translucent white paper.

There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his lips were bloodless.

Jiang Xiaochan found it odd: Was he hot? But the hospital had air conditioning.

He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t ask.

Lin Jia walked in front, with Jiang Xiaochan trailing behind.

Her steps were small and slow, and all the adults they passed by seemed like giants.

Jiang Xiaochan glanced left and right, trying to get used to the child’s perspective in this unfamiliar world.

“Are you having trouble walking? You lost a lot of blood today—maybe you’re feeling weak?” Lin Jia noticed her slow pace and offered an explanation for her.

Jiang Xiaochan immediately nodded.

He smiled and asked, “Want me to carry you?”

“Okay.” She didn’t bother being polite.

So, without another word, Lin Jia carried Jiang Xiaochan on his back.

—She smelled something nice. A scent she liked.

He had already finished the lollipop he bought, yet somehow, a trace of melon sweetness still lingered. She leaned close to his collar and took a sniff.

Lin Jia didn’t seem to have much strength to carry her. His arms loosely supported her calves. Wanting to smell the melon scent more clearly, Jiang Xiaochan scooted in closer and hugged him tighter.

That hug turned out to be the last straw that broke Lin Jia.

With a loud “thud,” he collapsed onto the hospital’s vinyl floor.

Even as he fell, Lin Jia didn’t forget to shield Jiang Xiaochan—he cushioned her with his own body to make sure she landed safely.

They had just left the emergency room, and now they were heading right back.

The doctor examined Lin Jia.

Three of his ribs were fractured.

He had a contusion on his left lung, and a small amount of fluid had accumulated in his chest cavity.

With injuries like that, Lin Jia must have been in excruciating pain—no one knew how he’d managed to endure it all this time.

…

It was getting late.

The doctor said Lin Jia had to stay in the hospital overnight and undergo further testing the next day.

The boy now lay flat on the bed, ribs strapped in place. His body looked thin and frail, his hair slightly yellow—clear signs of malnutrition.

Bored, Jiang Xiaochan plucked a strand of his hair and played with it in her hand.

She used the hair to tickle his eyelashes, and suddenly remembered what he looked like as a grown-up. For her, that was just this morning—he had been sitting on the little sofa in the hotel, looking at her with a smile and long lashes.

But Jiang Xiaochan knew Lin Jia wasn’t as easygoing as he looked.

The moment she transmigrated here, she saw him stabbing someone with a knife.

His lashes fluttered, and suddenly, those eyes opened.

Jiang Xiaochan jumped in fright.

“You’re not asleep?”

She quickly tossed away the stolen hair and looked elsewhere, feeling guilty.

“Nope, not sleeping.”

Grandpa Lin had already gone home; Lin Dongguang was still lying in the ER and couldn’t stir up any trouble for now. The only person Lin Jia had to worry about was Jiang Xiaochan.

“I’ll sleep after you go home. Earlier, I called your sister—she should be arriving soon to pick you up.”

At those words, Jiang Xiaochan’s eyes widened. She immediately perked up.

“What?! My sister? You mean Jiang Xi?!”

“Yeah,” Lin Jia replied casually.

Jiang Xiaochan stammered, “There’s a Jiang Daxi in this world? Y-You know Jiang Daxi?!”

He chuckled. “What nonsense are you talking about now?”

At the mention of Jiang Daxi, Lin Jia’s tone turned affectionate. “Daxi and I have been classmates since elementary school. Of course I know her.”

Jiang Xiaochan’s brain felt like mush.

—So Lin Jia was closer to Jiang Daxi than to her?

—How come she, Jiang Xiaochan herself, didn’t know that?!

Before she could ask more questions, a familiar voice called out from behind her…

“Jiang Xiaochan!”

A girl came rushing in.

Her half-dried hair draped over her shoulders, exposing a fair neck. With bright eyes and white teeth, she was as beautiful as someone who’d stepped out of an ink painting.

Ignoring her dazed little sister, Jiang Daxi went straight to Lin Jia’s bedside and sat down.

“I came right after your call. Jia Jia, is your injury serious?”