Shui Qing has a tough life; she was born with a fate to outlive her husbands. She doesn’t know why her life is so miserable. Recently, her family arranged a marriage for her. The man had good conditions and was a manager at a factory.

In this remote countryside, a monthly salary of 70 yuan was considered quite good, and the betrothal gift could include a refrigerator.

Shui Qing worked as a factory girl, and the manager was her direct superior. After spending some time together, they found their personalities compatible and got married.

However, unexpectedly, just half a month after their marriage, her husband died, hit by a car outside.

She became a widow, known in the village as the widow who outlives her husbands. The men in the village avoided her.

She has been unable to find another man to marry.

……

The story Shui Qing read before going to sleep at night had a plot like this. The character who appeared in this plot was neither a protagonist nor a supporting role but just a minor character who appeared briefly said a line and was used by the author to fill up the word count—a mere passerby. Little did she expect that she would wake up today as this very passerby.

She enjoyed reading period dramas and would flip through some every night before bed. She remembered this particular passerby character because their name was the same as hers.

Feeling drowsy, she fell asleep while reading and woke up to find herself transported into the world of the novel.

A year had passed since she had transmigrated into the body of this widowed passerby character. The widow’s mourning period was over, and she could remarry.

The village matchmaker, eager to make money, wanted to arrange a marriage for her.

The original character’s family was not well-off, so she didn’t have much education. In this rural area, she finished elementary school and then went to work in a factory to support her family.

She thought her life would improve after getting married, but her husband died, and her life as a widow became increasingly difficult. She stayed with her in-laws, enduring their abuse, and couldn’t return to her maiden home. After the family division, she lived in the house her late husband had left her. Though she didn’t starve, she had no man to take care of her, and her parents worried she would be alone forever. They asked the matchmaker to find her a new husband.

However, everyone in the village knew about her previous husband’s death, so finding a good husband was impossible. The matchmaker introduced her to men with disabilities—blind, lame, or with broken limbs—all the disabled men in the village.

Although Shui Qing was a widow, she was still a charming young girl and refused to marry these men. The matchmaker found her difficult to please but eventually found her a suitable match.

The man was Shi Chen, a notorious wife-killer in the village. About a year ago, he had also married, but his wife died half a month after the wedding—hit by a bus while walking on the road. A fortune teller said he was fated to outlive his wives, making the villagers avoid him.

The matchmaker thought Shui Qing and Shi Chen, a widow and a widower, were a good match and introduced them to each other.

Shui Qing thought she couldn’t find a better man given her circumstances, so she agreed to meet him. She found him decent—not educated but a soldier with a good rank, earning a few dozen yuan a month. Plus, he was an orphan with no parents to care for and no in-laws to deal with. So, she agreed to the marriage.

Shi Chen liked Shui Qing simply because she was beautiful—the prettiest girl in the village. Even though she was a widow, he found her attractive and agreed to the marriage.

With both of them agreeing, the wedding was hastily arranged. Since it was a second marriage for both, they kept it simple, with just a meal to mark the occasion.

……

If Shui Qing had transmigrated before the marriage, she might have refused this arrangement. But the transmigration happened too late, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself on the night of the wedding.

It was now the evening of the wedding.

Shui Qing was waiting in the room for him to return, while Shi Chen was still outside drinking with others.

As Shui Qing regained consciousness, the original character’s memories flooded in, causing her head to ache. With the original character’s memories, she understood her situation—she was in a simple brick house, and pinching herself did nothing to wake her up.

She had transmigrated into a novel, but unlike others who become the main character, she was just a minor character. Shi Chen was also a minor character. The male lead in the book was described as an exceptionally good man. She thought that since she had transmigrated, she should at least find the male lead, but instead, she was with a minor character.

The book didn’t describe this man much, so he probably wasn’t very good-looking.

Shui Qing, being a 21st-century woman, wasn’t fond of this arranged marriage and wanted to divorce to pursue her own career. She had always thought that if she transmigrated into a period novel, she would be like the female lead—strong and beautiful, pursuing her own career. Even if she got divorced, with her modern mindset, she should still be able to live a good life.

She was preparing to bring up the divorce when the door opened, and Shi Chen entered.

Shi Chen was slightly drunk, swaying as he walked in. He closed the door and approached Shui Qing.

Seeing him enter, Shui Qing wanted to say something, but when she saw his face, she was instantly stunned.

He was so handsome!

He was very tall, estimated to be around 188 cm, and had to duck to enter the room. Dressed in formal attire, he looked dignified. He wore a white shirt and black dress pants with shiny black leather shoes, exuding an air of nobility. His chiseled face was striking.

Shui Qing had never seen such a handsome man in the real world and was immediately drawn to him. He was slightly flushed from drinking, and his buzz cut, likely from his military background, surprisingly suited him, giving him a roguish charm—a mix of nobility and roughness.

Just as Shui Qing was about to speak, he approached her and touched her clothes, saying, “Wife, I want you.”

Shui Qing blushed instantly. She had heard that soldiers were rough, but she didn’t expect him to be so direct. He seemed a bit drunk, his hands moving to her clothes.

Since it was her second marriage, she wore a loose-fitting, pink women’s suit, typical of 1980s rural wedding attire rented from a photo studio. He quickly removed her clothes, his hands moving to her breasts, “Wife, your buns are so big.”

Shui Qing couldn’t take his crude behavior. He was truly shameless.

Her breasts were indeed large, as the original character had a good figure, but the clothes were loose, and rural women in those days didn’t wear bras, only undershirts that hid their figures.

Impatiently, Shi Chen lifted her undershirt, exposing her breasts. Her fair, ample breasts were revealed, touching his hands. His hands moved to her nipples, and Shui Qing’s face turned red as he roughly fondled her.

……