Chapter 1: Transmigrated and Married Off

Lin Bingwei stared blankly at the man in front of her as he quickly got dressed.

His features were sharp and well-defined, his shoulders broad, his waist narrow.

He said, “I have to leave now. I know this is unfair to you, but once this mission is over, I’ll take a long break and make it up to you.”

Zhang Tingyuan’s voice carried a trace of apology. In the end, he picked up his military coat and strode away.

It was an urgent mission from the organization—he had no choice but to go.

After the door closed, a long while passed before Lin Bingwei’s brain finished processing the memories of the original owner. Her soul fully merged with this body.

Finally able to move, Lin Bingwei let out a breath.

She had transmigrated into a novel, and her new body belonged to a pitiful, weak-willed supporting character—a “doormat” widow. Not only that, she was the real daughter in a switched-at-birth scenario, while the fake daughter thrived in luxury.

From the moment she was born, misfortune had followed her relentlessly. Even in death, luck had never once favored her.

Yesterday, for example. She had just married a decent man, thinking she had finally found stability and could live a good life.

But in the middle of the night, a telegram messenger knocked on the door, delivering orders for him to catch the earliest train back to his unit.

He said he would make it up to her? Make it up, my ass! He was going to die soon—she’d only be left with a cold corpse.

Three years ago, Zhang Tingyuan’s older brother had died. Now, he was about to die as well.

His parents had only these two sons, and soon, both would be gone.

The blow was too much for them. His father collapsed, paralyzed, and his mother was left half-dead from grief.

The weight of the entire family fell on Lin Bingwei’s shoulders. Not only did she have to take care of her in-laws, but she also had to raise the son Zhang Tingyuan’s elder brother had left behind.

Lin Bingwei was an honest person. Zhang Tingyuan and his parents had treated her well, so she had chosen to stay.

But good people shouldn’t meet such a tragic fate.

Maybe… she could try to change it?

Lin Bingwei quickly put on her clothes and shoes, rushed to the main hall, and grabbed the old-fashioned compass on the ancestral altar. Then, she hopped onto the family’s bicycle and pedaled furiously toward the city’s train station.

By the time she arrived, she was completely out of breath.

Fortunately, the train hadn’t left yet. She was still in time.

She tried to rush onto the train to find him, but a female attendant with a loudspeaker stopped her.

“Comrade, show me your ticket.”

Lin Bingwei said, “I don’t have a ticket. I’m here to find someone.”

“You can’t board the train without a ticket. If you’re looking for someone, do it from outside.”

At this time, train windows could still be opened, and friends and family sending off their loved ones were all gathered outside, leaning against the windows.

With so many people, how was she supposed to find him? And the train was about to leave!

Thinking quickly, Lin Bingwei turned to the female attendant and pleaded, “Comrade, please help me! Use your loudspeaker to call for someone. His name is Zhang Tingyuan—he’s a soldier. We just got married yesterday, and he’s leaving today. I just want to say goodbye.”

Hearing that it was about a soldier, the female attendant’s expression became more serious. Seeing how anxious Lin Bingwei was, she nodded repeatedly and then raised the loudspeaker to help her call out.

“Comrade Zhang Tingyuan, your wife is looking for you. If you hear this, please lean out of the window and wave.”

She repeated the announcement several times. About two or three minutes later, Lin Bingwei finally spotted Zhang Tingyuan leaning halfway out of a window up ahead.

She let out a sigh of relief, thanked the female attendant profusely, and then sprinted toward him.

Zhang Tingyuan looked surprised. “Why are you here?”

Lin Bingwei pulled out the compass and stuffed it into his hands.

Zhang Tingyuan stared at it in shock. “Why did you bring my dad’s compass? This is his livelihood!”

Her father-in-law was a feng shui master specializing in burial sites. Who knew if doing this kind of work too much had brought him bad karma, leading to his miserable fate in old age?

Both of his sons had died, and his grandson, now three years old, remained dazed and silent, refusing to speak.

He himself had been so devastated by the blow that he was left paralyzed.

“Dad told me to bring this to you,” Lin Bingwei said. “He did a divination for you. This trip will be extremely dangerous. You must place this compass over your heart to escape disaster.”

Zhang Tingyuan frowned. “Isn’t my dad only good at feng shui for yin dwellings? When did he start fortune-telling?”

Lin Bingwei: “…” Are those two different professions?

“Anyway, just listen to him. Make sure—absolutely make sure—to keep it over your heart, especially when you’re on a mission. The moment you get back to your unit, sew it right here.” She tapped the spot over his heart forcefully. “Do you hear me? If you die, I’ll remarry immediately.”

She looked fierce, her tone filled with frustration.

Behind them, the station loudspeaker announced the train’s imminent departure. Zhang Tingyuan chuckled, pressed the compass against his chest, and nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Lin Bingwei watched as the train pulled away, not turning back until it disappeared from view.

There was no way Zhang Tingyuan would abandon his duty just because of a few words from her. She couldn’t stop him from going on missions, so she had to find another way.

She remembered that in the book, he was shot—right through the bulletproof vest, straight into his heart.

The vest didn’t stop the bullet. But what if she added a compass on top?

That compass looked pretty solid.

If even that didn’t work… then all she could do was leave it to fate.

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By the time Lin Bingwei returned home, it was almost ten o’clock.

Her mother-in-law, Li Yurong, hurried out to greet her. “Daughter, why did you go see him off? It’s such a long trip—must be exhausting. Have you eaten breakfast?”

Lin Bingwei shook her head.

“Then sit down, I’ll get you some food.”

Li Yurong bustled into the kitchen, scooping out breakfast while saying, “Eat up quickly. We still have to visit your maternal home later.”

Lin Bingwei sat down silently and started eating, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of revenge against the Lin family.

The custom here was to visit the bride’s family on the second day of marriage. With Zhang Tingyuan gone, she would have to go alone.

But her mother-in-law had just said she would accompany her to apologize to her in-laws.

What Lin Bingwei didn’t know was that the Lin family didn’t care whether she returned or not. The only thing they cared about was the return gifts she would bring.

Those wolves in human skin wouldn’t stop until they had squeezed the very last drop of blood from her.

Why did they treat her that way? Because she wasn’t even their biological daughter.

Over twenty years ago, her birth parents had been forced to flee overseas due to social turmoil.

However, because Lin Bingwei was born weak and required hospital care, her family couldn’t take her with them immediately. They entrusted her to another woman in the same hospital room, offering a large sum of money in return.

The couple, seemingly honest and simple, had just had a daughter of their own and agreed without hesitation.

They took both children home and told everyone they were twins.

Ten years later, Lin Bingwei’s biological parents finally found a way to take her overseas. They sent a friend to the Lin family to bring her back.

But by then, the Lin family had already harbored sinister intentions. They kept Lin Bingwei and sent their own daughter abroad instead.

From then on, Lin Bingwei endured constant beatings and scoldings, suffered endless hardships, and was ultimately married off to the Zhang family—an infamous household that everyone in the neighboring villages shunned.

The Zhang family had been practicing yin feng shui for generations.

Zhang Tingyuan’s uncles had all died young. His older brother, too, had fallen to his death while inspecting a grave. His nephew was simple-minded.

To the neighboring villages, the Zhang family was cursed. Nobody wanted to associate with them—let alone marry their daughters into such a family.