"The surgery was successful."
Annie removed her mask and said wearily to Lu Qianqian.
"The shrapnel... it's all been removed."
"It didn't damage any vital organs."
"She is very lucky."
"And also... incredibly tough."
"Her physical constitution is the best I've ever seen."
Hearing Annie's words, Lu Qianqian's tense body gradually relaxed.
She nearly collapsed to the floor.
"Can I... go see her now?" she asked.
"Of course," Annie nodded.
"But she's still under anesthesia and needs quiet."
Ji Wushuang was transferred to a private room.
Lu Qianqian walked into the ward.
She looked at Ji Wushuang lying on the bed, her face as pale as paper.
Her tears could no longer be held back and streamed down.
But this time, she made no sound.
She simply sat quietly by the bedside.
Then, she began to study frantically.
She found the hospital nurses, asking for instruction on various first aid knowledge.
From how to bandage a wound, to how to measure vital signs.
She found a thick copy of The Field Survival Manual and began studying it earnestly.
She vowed never to let what happened today repeat itself.
Never to let herself become a burden to anyone again.
Ji Wushuang woke up on the third day.
Ji Wushuang, true to her name meaning "Peerless."
Lucky and tough.
When she opened her eyes, she didn't see the white ceiling.
Instead, she saw a face etched with exhaustion and worry, yet utterly focused.
Lu Qianqian was holding a medical notebook she had procured from somewhere.
Reading it while softly murmuring something.
"...Shock index equals heart rate divided by systolic pressure. Normal value is 0.5; greater than 1 indicates shock..."
Her voice was very soft, still carrying a hint of hoarseness.
Yet, this voice felt like a warm current flowing into Ji Wushuang's heart.
"Water..."
Ji Wushuang uttered a faint syllable.
Lu Qianqian's head snapped up, seeing Ji Wushuang's open eyes.
Her eyes instantly reddened.
But she didn't cry.
She just quickly pressed the call button.
Then, picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in water.
And carefully moistened Ji Wushuang's parched lips.
Her movements were clumsy, but very gentle, very soft.
Ji Wushuang looked at her, at this girl who seemed reborn in just a few days.
Her eyes no longer held the spoiled willfulness from their first meeting.
Nor the fear she had faced danger with.
All that remained was a settled resilience and sense of responsibility.
Ji Wushuang wanted to say "thank you" to her.
But in the end, only two words came out.
"Not bad."
Lu Qianqian was taken aback for a moment, then, she smiled.
...
Time passed, several more months.
The gunfire and explosions of Country K seemed like a distant memory.
This was Country T.
A country whose name was hard to find even on a map.
Red earth and a scorching sun seemed to be the eternal themes here.
At a dusty temporary medical camp.
Several large white tents stood lonely on the barren plain.
This was another aid station for "Doctors Without Borders."
Lu Qianqian was crouched in the shade of a tent.
She wore a volunteer T-shirt.
She was changing the dressing on a little girl's arm wound.
Her movements were no longer as clumsy as before.
They were skilled and gentle.
Sweat dampened the hair on her forehead, sticking to her cheeks.
Her skin was tanned a healthy honey color.
A few smudges of dust still clung to her face.
Those eyes that once only showed willfulness and confusion now held only focus and calm.
She was a completely different person from the exquisitely doll-like young lady of a few months prior.
The little girl was very well-behaved, not crying or fussing.
Just staring at her with big, clear black-and-white eyes, full of curiosity.
"All done."
Lu Qianqian tied the final knot.
She looked up and gave the little girl a gentle smile.
She took a piece of candy from her pocket.
And handed it over.
The little girl happily accepted it.
In the local dialect, she whispered, "Thank you."
Lu Qianqian smiled and patted her head.
After completing the research in Country K, her and Ji Wushuang's footsteps began appearing all over the world.
From war-torn borders to plague-ridden villages.
From drought-cracked deserts to flood-swept river valleys.
She had seen too much death.
And also too many resilient lives struggling to survive amidst hardship.
She was no longer afraid, nor confused.
She had found something more important than the identity of "the Lu family heiress."
Just then.
Ji Wushuang walked quickly to her side.
She handed over a satellite phone.
On the screen was a piece of news from back home.
"Qianqian, take a look at this."
Lu Qianqian, somewhat puzzled, took the phone.
When her eyes fell upon the headline, bolded and enlarged in bright red font.
She felt as if struck by lightning.
[Shocking Secret! The Inside Story of the Eighteen-Year True and False Heiress Saga in the Top-Tier Lu Family, A Meticulously Orchestrated Life Swap!]
Buzz—!
Lu Qianqian's mind went completely blank.
She felt the whole world spinning.
She couldn't make out the dense text in the report.
But those few key phrases were exceptionally glaring.
"Cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest."
"Liu Mei's daughter."
"Deceived for eighteen years."
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She wasn't the Lu family's daughter?
She was the daughter of that woman—Liu Mei—who had destroyed her family?
So, everything she had possessed for the past eighteen years.
Her father's affection, her mother's doting, her brothers' indulgence...
All of it was a lie?
A life she had stolen from someone else?
A massive wave of humiliation and absurdity threatened to drown her.
She instinctively wanted to scream.
To burst into loud sobs.
To immediately return to Jingzhou and confront everyone!
But when her gaze swept around.
Seeing those children still striving to live on this barren land.
Seeing those international doctors still standing firm at their posts under harsh conditions.
Seeing the steadfast Ji Wushuang beside her, always protecting her...
A completely different emotion slowly overwhelmed the shame and panic about to erupt.
She remembered many things.
Remembered her eldest brother's almost cold attitude towards her over the past six months or so.
Remembered the "Young Leaders Independence Plan" her eldest brother had forced her to join.
Remembered the words her eldest brother had said to her when seeing her off at the airport.
"Qianqian, the value of a life never depends on where you stand, but on where you look."
"I hope you can find the sky that truly belongs to you."
At the time, she hadn't fully understood her brother's deeper meaning.
Only at this moment did she awaken as if from a dream.
Instantly, she understood all of her eldest brother's struggles!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
