Chapter 1

Shen Wu woke up with her entire body aching, her mind filled with hazy, intimate images. As she sat there in a daze, a sharp scream followed by an exaggerated rant suddenly echoed from outside.

The scream and rant were oddly familiar.

It seemed…

She wasn’t the only one who had transmigrated into a book.

Her best friend, who had once vowed with her, “We don’t need to be born or die in the same year, but we’ll stick together through thick and thin,” had transmigrated too.

Shen Wu didn’t even have time to check the ambiguous bruises on her body before hurriedly throwing on her clothes and stepping outside.

She ran into another disheveled woman coming out at the same time.

Their eyes met.

Shen Wu: “Ten years of life and death, we’re apart but together?!”

Xu Yin: “Five years of life and death, same fate!”

Both exclaimed almost in unison, and as Shen Wu threw herself at Xu Yin, Xu Yin rushed toward her as well.

Their commotion was loud enough to wake up everyone in the courtyard, who turned to look at the two women at the door. Moments later, they exchanged glances with the people next to them.

“What’s going on?”

“I thought those two didn’t get along?”

“Yesterday, when the third and fourth brothers were picking up their brides, the two of them were spitting at each other!”

“Tsk, I saw it too. Shen Wu even tried to secretly kick Xu Yin.”

“It was Xu Yin who tripped Shen Wu first!”

…

Unbothered by the gossip, Shen Wu and Xu Yin clung to each other. Shen Wu wrapped her arms tightly around Xu Yin’s waist, only to cry out in pain: “Ouch, ouch, ouch! I feel like my waist is going to snap!”

Loosening her grip a little, Shen Wu saw tears brimming in Xu Yin’s eyes and noticed the fresh hickey on her neck.

“Sister, you went a bit too hard last night, didn’t you?” Shen Wu’s mouth twitched.

Xu Yin’s gaze swept over Shen Wu. “And you’re not much better yourself, are you?”

The fragmented memories of the previous night lingered in their minds. Xu Yin vaguely recalled being with a man. His low, husky groans still echoed faintly in her ears. She’d thought it was a dream, but the soreness in her body and the faint bruises on her fingertips told her otherwise.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Shen Wu shifted her gaze and lowered her voice. “What’s going on here? Weren’t we on a beach vacation?”

Xu Yin glanced around and replied dramatically, “I remember we got caught in a rip current. I sank first, and you followed soon after. Then I blacked out after swallowing a ton of seawater. When I woke up, I was here.”

As Xu Yin spoke, disjointed fragments of memory flooded Shen Wu’s mind. Her eyes widened as she stared at Xu Yin, who looked just as stunned.

“We’ve transmigrated into a book!”

Xu Yin shouted.

Her voice was so loud that an elderly woman wearing a gray, coarse cotton jacket stormed out of the house, glaring at them.

“What’s with all the racket so early in the morning?” the old woman scolded. “You’re already fighting at the crack of dawn? I don’t care what grudges you two had before, but now that you’re married, you’re family. You may hate each other, but you’d better behave at home. Got it?”

She continued without waiting for a reply, “The brothers are out working in the fields. You two, go make breakfast!”

The old woman’s stern demeanor and narrow, intimidating eyes made her look rather fierce. Shen Wu, still struggling to process her transmigration, thought the woman resembled an NPC from a game.

“Did you hear me? Now that you’re part of the Lu family, you’ll follow my rules. Otherwise, no breakfast for you!”

Although Shen Wu had inherited the original owner’s memories and vaguely remembered the plot from the novel, she desperately needed to discuss the current situation with Xu Yin in private.

The two exchanged a look and nodded slightly.

Shen Wu asked the old woman, “Where’s the kitchen?”

The old woman pointed to one of the rooms.

Shen Wu headed in first, and Xu Yin followed reluctantly, her high and mighty demeanor making it clear she only entered because of Shen Wu.

To the others, however, it seemed like Xu Yin was begrudgingly joining Shen Wu due to their poor relationship.

Once they were inside, the courtyard buzzed with murmurs.

“What’s gotten into them so early in the morning?”

“They’re so loud they’ve woken everyone up.”

A woman in her thirties with shoulder-length hair came out and complimented the old woman, “Mother, you’re amazing. I heard those two always fight, but a few words from you, and they obediently went to cook together.”

The old woman’s smile deepened as she glanced at the woman’s belly. “This one’s a boy, isn’t it?”

The short-haired woman smiled softly as she looked at her belly. “I think so. I’ve been craving sour foods.”

…

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Shen Wu and Xu Yin hadn’t even started cooking.

Xu Yin raised her voice. “Just two nights ago, I was trash-talking this book. And now we’ve actually transmigrated into it? Who hates us so much they not only wrote us into a book but also gave us such pathetic roles?”

Shen Wu, keeping watch at the door, replied, “Given how obnoxious we are, there’s probably a long line of people who hate us. How would I know who did it?”

It wasn’t surprising that Xu Yin was angry.

This book had been recommended by a mutual friend, along with a string of laughing emojis.

Set in the 1970s, the story was about poverty and a host of quirky characters. But Shen Wu and Xu Yin’s roles weren’t just minor—they were downright embarrassing.

In the novel, they were a pair of troublemakers constantly at odds with each other, scheming and sabotaging one another. They were repeatedly outsmarted by the female lead, who lived a luxurious life while they starved, eventually being kicked out and becoming drifters.

Their downfall ended with them sinking into the lowest depths—literally and figuratively.

Ironically, Shen Wu and Xu Yin had been sitting by the beach villa, roasting this very book for hours before going to bed. When they dreamed of drowning, it felt like poetic justice.

The next day, their planned dive trip turned into a real-life dive when they were swept away by a rip current.

And now they were here.

Xu Yin suddenly asked, “By the way, was the man you were with last night good-looking?”

Shen Wu raised an eyebrow. “What about yours?”

Xu Yin brushed her messy hair aside, her face flushing. “He was handsome. I wasn’t completely out of it last night. I thought it was a dream, so I figured, if I’m going to die, I might as well enjoy myself. But if he’d been ugly, I’d have chosen to stay pure and go straight to hell.”

Shen Wu thought back to the man from last night. Her memories were vague, but she recalled that the room had only been lit by a dim oil lamp. Judging by his touch, he had a great physique.

And his deep, muffled groans? They were pretty nice too.

Lost in thought, Shen Wu forgot to keep watch.

A sharp voice snapped her out of it.

“You two, stop slacking! The men are back from the fields. Get cooking!”

The old woman’s shrill voice, accompanied by a spray of spit, made Shen Wu instinctively step back in disgust.

At the same time, she heard several male voices outside.

Peeking out the small window, she saw two tall men walking in. Both had broad shoulders and narrow waists, with excellent physiques. Looking closer, they seemed like brothers—similar in appearance but different in demeanor. One looked cold and aloof, while the other was smiling and chatting.

A thought popped into Shen Wu’s mind.

“Which one of them did I marry?”