Chapter 1

“Miss Chu, are you sure you want all of this?”
The man bowed and scraped, a sly smile plastered across his face.

Chu Sangning nodded, still not satisfied. She pointed to the pile of thick quilts and thermal underwear in front of her.
“Are you selling these too?”

“Of course! How many do you want?”
The man hovered around her like a busy bee, a bottle of unopened mineral water in hand, ready to serve his personal gold mine at any moment.

Miss Chu was spending money like water, buying things in bulk. His small daily goods processing factory had been on the verge of closing—who would’ve thought that just when he saw no way out, Miss Chu would show up?

“I’ll take however many you’ve got. Oh right, do you know where I can find a meat processing plant—for beef, lamb, and maybe live chickens, ducks, or geese?”

“I do! My cousin’s brother-in-law runs one. Uh, Miss Chu, if I may ask… there’s no way you can use all this stuff yourself, right?”

Chu Sangning replied calmly, not a hint of panic.
“It’s nothing. I’m planning to open a large supermarket. Just doing it hands-on, you know? I can’t really trust anyone else with it.”

The man nodded along enthusiastically, though he didn’t believe a word of it. After all, who in S City didn’t know Miss Chu? A famous heiress—her family life might have been a mess, but that didn’t change the fact she had money. Lots of it.

Everyone had seen her name on the rich lists. No one knew her exact net worth, but it was high.

As for this “opening a supermarket” story? Probably just a rich girl playing house. Poor people play with toys; rich people open actual stores just for fun.

“Alright then, it’s a deal. I want everything listed here on paper. If you can help me source it all, I’ll pay you double.”

Jackpot! The man cheered inwardly—he’d just made tens of thousands with a few sentences. He patted his chest and promised Miss Chu he’d get everything ready within two days.

Chu Sangning didn’t linger. She picked up her bag and drove off.

When she got home, she dismissed the maids and let them rest. Once the whole house was quiet, she lightly brushed her hand across the table—and a glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice appeared, as if by magic.

This was her deepest secret, something she had never told anyone.

After she turned eighteen, her grandfather had given her a jade pendant left behind by her late mother. One day, by accident, she unlocked its hidden power: a mysterious, time-frozen space—over a hundred square meters in size.

Not even her grandfather knew about this.

Somehow, Chu Sangning had a feeling she would need that space one day. So whenever she could, she stored extra supplies inside. In that suspended space, nothing changed—whatever you put in would come out exactly the same, even after a week.

She didn’t have much else, but she had plenty of money. Thinking of her scumbag dad, who had forgotten his daughter the moment he got a new wife, Chu Sangning curled her lips and dialed his number.
“Dad, I’m out of money.”

On the other end, the man responded perfunctorily,
“Oh, Ningning? Out of money? I’ll have my secretary transfer another five million.”

That was the entire conversation.

Her father had no problem throwing money at her—as long as she stayed far away from him, his new wife, and their precious son. Yes, they were a “perfect little family”—without her.

Seeing the seven-digit bank transfer arrive, Chu Sangning calmly ended the call. She’d been running errands all day, and soon after lying down on the sofa, she drifted off to sleep.

Her dreams were strange and surreal. She saw many people—sallow and skinny, but full of energy. And… herself?

Startled, Chu Sangning woke with a jolt. She sat upright on the sofa, trying to steady her breath.
The girl in her dream looked exactly like her—every expression and gesture mirrored her own.

Unsettled, Chu Sangning searched the internet for dream interpretations. The results were all over the place, so she decided to play it safe—she ordered dozens of bags of rice, flour, and even vegetable seeds online.

Her allowance had just come in. Without blinking, she stocked up on essentials.

Two days later, the factory owner called. When she arrived, she found two walk-in freezers packed with hundreds of kilos of beef, lamb, and even some pork.

“Miss Chu, if you’re really opening a supermarket, this isn’t enough. I also prepared canned fruit, snacks, fresh fruit—the works. If you’re going to sell, you have to sell everything.”

Chu Sangning smacked her forehead. Right.
After transferring the payment, she went on a spree at a nearby supermarket. She filled two shopping carts to the brim with snacks, candy, chocolate, and biscuits—everything you could think of.

Only when everything was packed and stored away did Chu Sangning feel secure.

Because of her family, she had always lacked a sense of safety. Hoarding things made her feel more in control.

As usual, Chu Sangning went to bed early. But this time, when she opened her eyes again… she was on a train.

“You’re awake.”
A girl with braided hair sat beside her, looking pale and dull. She spoke in a flat tone.

“Yeah… What happened?”
Chu Sangning felt panicked inside, but her face remained calm.

“You had a fever. If it weren’t for Zhao the educated youth noticing, we wouldn’t have known.”

Suddenly, two or three people crowded around her, fussing over her wellbeing.

Still feeling weak—and totally unsure of what was happening—Chu Sangning said softly,
“I’m a little out of it. Can I rest for a while?”

“Of course, of course. You just rest, Comrade Chu.”

“Yeah, Sangning, take it easy. If you need anything, just call us—we’ll be right here.”

Chu Sangning smiled and nodded. After they left, she turned to the girl beside her.
“Thank you for looking after me.”

“It’s nothing. We’re all educated youths—we should help each other.”
The girl turned away, replying stiffly,
“You rest. I’m going back to my seat.”

Once she was alone again, Chu Sangning leaned against the window and took a sip of water, moistening her lips. She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep—while her mind was racing.

What the hell was going on?
Why had she suddenly ended up here after just falling asleep?
And why was her name also Chu Sangning?

Thinking back to the strange dream, a chill ran down her spine.
Was this really just an accident?

She thought carefully.

This new body’s girl was also named Chu Sangning. Her mother had died young, and her father was a low-level manager at a biscuit factory in Lu City. She was their only child. Since his wife Qiao Xizhi passed away, Chu Yuanlin never remarried—choosing instead to honor her memory for the rest of his life.

Having his daughter around had eased his loneliness a bit. But in the end, neither of them could escape the fate of being sent to the countryside…