Chapter 1: Morning Dream
Deep, hollow darkness. A bone-chilling wind. Shadowy, indistinct figures drifted and circled around him.
Silent lightning cast a bleak, ghostly green glow that illuminated the space for an instant before vanishing without a trace.
Chirp!
A crisp bird call pierced Ding Songyan’s ears, jolting him and sparking a glimmer of consciousness within his muddled state.
Where is this...
Where am I...
A dream? Ding Songyan suddenly had a realization, and his previous memories came flooding back.
Damn it!
He cursed in his heart, filled with resentment and frustration, finally understanding his current state.
How did I end up running into a bunch of idiots?
In his youth, he had been precocious, clever, a good student, and decent at sports. He had always held himself in high regard, looking down on this person and scorning that one, so arrogant that he barely acknowledged anyone else. But once he left school, reality crushed him. His confidence and pride were shattered. Though he hated to admit it, he knew that during that period, he had been both insecure and hypersensitive.
When it rains, it pours. Later, his family faced a crisis, but fortunately, there were always people by his side to encourage and support him. They helped him grasp opportunities even while he was trapped in an unhealthy, irrational state of constantly hurting himself and those around him. Bit by bit, he regained his confidence, pulled himself out of the abyss, and finally succeeded in his business, amassing a considerable fortune.
He had thought everything would only get better. After a banquet, he chose to continue reminiscing and dreaming of the future at a street food stall with several investors and key partners. During the meal, the investors got into a verbal altercation with some young men at the next table, which escalated into a shoving match. He rushed over to mediate, trying to resolve the dispute. Adhering to the philosophy that "a person of wealth should not stand under a dangerous roof" and the principle of yielding for the sake of peace, he was even prepared to swallow his pride, offer an apology, and endure the humiliation. Who would have thought...
"Big brother, are you sick in the head?"
"You’re going to stab someone over such a trivial matter?"
"If you had just said you were crazy, I would have stayed far away! A dead investor is better than a dead me!"
"Do you have to be such a blockhead?"
"Fortunately, it looks like I’m not dead yet... though, I don’t think I’m awake either..." Ding Songyan’s thoughts were not entirely clear; they remained muddled.
He struggled to wake from this dream, but felt as if his body were pinned down by an invisible weight. Every step was a struggle, and his eyes felt as if they were wrapped in a curtain of darkness—open, he could see nothing; closed, he could not shut them.
Chirp!
The bird call came again from afar, sounding as if it were separated by a world, hazy and indistinct.
Ding Songyan instinctively walked toward the direction of the sound, stumbling and staggering.
He grew clearer, his pace quickened, and he felt lighter.
The surrounding darkness was like smoke, the figures like dreams, and the constant birdsong felt like the only reality in this world.
Suddenly, a ray of light pierced the darkness, followed by another.
Ding Songyan’s eyes snapped open, only to be forced shut by the glare, his eyes welling with tears.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp..."
The crisp, melodious birdsong echoed in Ding Songyan’s ears, not far away, as if separated only by a wall.
"You’re awake?" A voice filled with pleasant surprise followed, sounding even more beautiful than the birdsong.
Ding Songyan finally adapted to the light and opened his eyes again.
He assessed his physical state, searching for the pain that should have been there, while looking at the person before him.
It was a young girl of only fourteen or fifteen, wearing her hair in a double-bun style. She was dressed in a light green, silver-trimmed, straight-collared short jacket over a pale yellow, lightweight skirt. Her features were as delicate as a painting—fresh, clean, and lively.
At this moment, the girl was crouching in front of Ding Songyan, looking at him with concern.
Ding Songyan was a man who had attended many business banquets, seen much, and experienced much, yet he was still momentarily dazzled by the girl’s beauty.
However, he was more concerned with other questions:
Which hospital is this?
Is it not a bit unprofessional for a nurse to wear Hanfu? This doesn't make the patient feel very secure!
"How... is my condition?" Ding Songyan spoke, only then noticing the dryness of his throat, as if his voice did not yet belong to him.
At the same time, he habitually observed his surroundings.
At this sight, he froze again:
This was not a hospital, but a dilapidated temple with a broken statue. Weeds grew through the cracks in the stone floor, and sunlight, accompanied by the fading birdsong, shone through holes in the roof and empty windows. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wooden pillar.
Mistaken for dead, dumped in the wilderness, and found by a girl in Hanfu who came to take photos? Having read countless novels in his school days, this thought flashed through Ding Songyan’s mind.
He immediately dismissed this possibility, as there had been many witnesses, and there was a police car at the street corner; it was unlikely that those idiots would have had the chance to escape with a "corpse."
The girl answered Ding Songyan’s question with great joy:
"I checked, you’re fine!"
Fine? Ding Songyan looked down at his abdomen.
No pain at all... This scene... This attire...
Could it be... did I transmigrate?
No, please! I haven't even started to enjoy my life yet!
Ding Songyan slowly raised his head, looked at the girl, and asked tentatively:
"Who... are you?"
He had just introspected on his current physical state and found not a single fragment of memory. Instead, his past memories had become clearer due to his recent ordeal.
In this situation, if he were to act to hide the fact that he knew nothing, it would be hard not to reveal flaws in future daily interactions. No matter how quick-witted he was, it would be useless, because one lie requires more lies to cover it up. When one has to lie about everything, being exposed is only a matter of time.
Therefore, without a concrete understanding of his situation, telling "partial truths" was the better, more optimal choice. He wouldn't have to expend effort acting or live in constant fear, and the people around him would find their own logical explanations.
The girl with the double-bun hairstyle straightened her posture, her eyes lighting up instantly. She replied with a smile, in a tone like someone performing a play:
"My dear brother, do you not recognize your sister?"
As she spoke, she observed Ding Songyan’s face, noticing that he remained serious, his brow furrowed.
"..." The smile on the girl’s face froze instantly. She blurted out, filled with a hint of panic, "Second Brother, you don’t remember me?"
Ding Songyan shook his head slowly, responding with extreme sincerity:
"I don’t remember anything."
The girl crouching before Ding Songyan suddenly stood up:
"Quick! Let’s go home quickly, and have Mother and Father take you to the medical clinic to see a doctor... Oh!"
She stopped halfway through rising, as if she had become a painting on silk.
"What’s wrong?" Ding Songyan asked instinctively.
The girl made a bitter face and stammered:
"My legs are numb."
Ding Songyan tilted his head slightly to look at the cobweb-covered rafters.
He stood up as well, confirming that he was wearing a moon-colored lan-shan robe and that his height was about the same as before his transmigration—nearly 1.8 meters.
"Okay, okay!" The girl finally recovered and reached out to grab Ding Songyan’s sleeve, wanting to pull him along.
Ding Songyan stepped back calmly, letting her hand grasp at thin air.
"Uh..." The girl looked up at Ding Songyan’s face, her black-and-white eyes filled with confusion.
Ding Songyan asked slowly:
"How can you prove that you are my biological sister?"
"This... I..." The girl was completely stunned, as if she had never expected to be asked such a question.
Her lips trembled, and she opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.
Ding Songyan explained earnestly:
"Miss, I don’t remember anything. If you are a bad person and I blindly believe your words and follow you home, wouldn't I encounter something truly terrifying?"
"That... that is true..." The girl was clearly persuaded, and then her eyes darted around. "I know! I know what to do! I’ll go back first and call Father and Mother; they can prove that I am your biological sister!"
Ding Songyan glanced at the girl, who had not yet fully grown up:
"And how will I know that the people who come are my father and mother?"
"..." The girl forgot to close her mouth.
After a few moments, she pouted, and a faint mist gathered in her lively eyes.
She cried out, aggrieved and with a hint of urgency and breakdown:
"I’ll have the neighbors come to verify it! I’ll take you to the yamen! Father is a clerk at the yamen; his colleagues can all prove he is your biological father! And I am your biological sister..."
"Fine, I believe you." Ding Songyan spoke suddenly.
"Ah..." The girl looked at Ding Songyan, bewildered.
He just believes me?
Ding Songyan nodded slightly:
"I can feel your sincerity, Miss."
Being able to proactively suggest going to the yamen and mentioning so many corroborating witnesses was enough to preliminarily determine she wasn't lying to trick him.
I’m betting you haven't seen The Truman Show!
"Sincerity..." The girl tilted her head slightly, examined Ding Songyan carefully for a while, and whispered, not very confidently, "Should we still go to the yamen to verify? You’ve made me start to doubt if you’re really my Second Brother. We should let others see... the clothes... the appearance... the height... the birthmark... everything matches..."
Ding Songyan checked his body in front of the girl, finding no wounds, and his energy was quite abundant.
He imitated the gestures from television and novels, cupping his hands in a salute:
"Miss, may I ask how I should address you?"
"How to address me?" The girl was suddenly amused. "You usually call me Little Sister. Second Brother, you really have forgotten everything."
She thought for a moment and explained in detail:
"You are my Second Brother, and there is an older brother above you. Both Father and Mother are alive. We came to Dingjiang Prefecture over half a year ago to stay with Aunt’s family, the Qin family.
"My given name is Qingyan. You can call me Little Sister or Sister Qingyan."
Ding Songyan digested this information, deliberately softening his attitude:
"Then what is our surname?"
The girl, Qingyan, said "Hmm," and tugged at a strand of hair outside her bun:
"Second Brother, you don’t even remember our surname? Our surname is Ding."
Ding... Ding Songyan’s gaze narrowed, and he suddenly had a premonition:
"Then what is my name?"
Ding Qingyan tilted her head and looked at Ding Songyan for a moment, then sighed, and said in a somewhat sad, muffled voice:
"Your name is Ding Songyan."
PS: Another chapter in a few minutes.
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