"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!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
