Chapter 5

With a soft ding, the elevator stopped on the twelfth floor. The hallway was long. The motion-activated lights illuminated one after another as Shen Ci walked forward, then quietly went dark behind her. She stopped in front of Room 1201, her fingertip hovering over the fingerprint lock for a moment. The original owner’s memories told her that this was “home.” Click. The door opened, and warm yellow light spilled through the gap. Shen Ci stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Before she could even change her shoes, she heard a soft cough coming from the living room. “Yoyo?” The voice was deep, carrying a hint of exhaustion and uncertainty. Shen Ci froze. She turned toward the sound and saw a man sitting on the sofa in the living room. He was in his forties, with slightly graying temples, yet the years had done nothing to diminish his handsome appearance. His features were deep and sharply defined, with a tall nose and a clean, distinct jawline. Even with two buttons of his shirt undone and his tie hanging crookedly to one side, he still possessed a refined, masculine air shaped by years of experience. Only his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. They were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them, clearly showing that he had been awake for a long time. “Dad…” Shen Ci blurted out, her voice dry and hoarse. The word seemed to rise instinctively from somewhere deep within this body, carrying a warm, familiar affection. Shen Xiaoming stood up and looked her over. “You weren’t…” He frowned, his voice filled with confusion. “You said on WeChat that you were staying at a female classmate’s house tonight?” Shen Ci’s heart skipped a beat. Fragments of the original owner’s memories surged into her mind. The original Shen Ci had planned to stay at the male lead’s place that night, so earlier that evening, she had lied to her father, telling him she was attending a female classmate’s birthday party and would be spending the night with her classmates. “I…” Shen Ci opened her mouth, but her throat tightened. She was really not good at lying. Shen Xiaoming’s gaze fell on the fingers clutching the hem of her clothes. Her fingertips had gone pale, and they were trembling slightly. He suddenly sighed. The sigh was soft, like a fallen leaf drifting into a deep pool, yet it made the entire living room feel heavier. He walked over without questioning her or blaming her. He simply patted her shoulder gently. “Go wash up,” he said in a low voice. “After that, get some rest early.” … The novel was written from the perspective of the female protagonist, Su Zijin, so it never mentioned anything about the original Shen Ci’s family situation. According to the original owner’s memories, the family had already fallen apart when she first started elementary school. Her mother, a woman who pursued the ultimate in romance, could no longer tolerate her husband’s dullness and lack of romance. After signing the divorce papers, she immediately remarried and went abroad, living the life she had always dreamed of. From then on, there was no word from her. Over the years, Shen Xiaoming had been both father and mother to his daughter. He had to manage the business and support the family while also taking care of his daughter’s daily needs and studies. This taciturn father had carried the entire weight of the family through every storm alone. It had not been easy. Late that night. Shen Ci closed her eyes, expecting to toss and turn for a long time. After all, this was not her bed. Yet sleep came much faster than she had imagined. There were no heart palpitations. No metallic taste rising in her throat when she woke in the middle of the night. No dull ache beneath her ribs from tossing and turning restlessly. Nothing. There was nothing at all. The heart in this body beat so steadily, like the distant tolling of a temple bell at dawn and dusk—unhurried, calm, and powerful. Standing on the fragile boundary between wakefulness and sleep, Shen Ci almost burst into tears. A miracle. She could only repeat the word silently in the haze. It was not medical skill. It was not medicine. It was a miracle. Some kind of power beyond her understanding had gently lifted her soul from a broken body and placed it inside this perfectly healthy vessel. She had not even had time to be frightened or wonder where the original owner of this body had gone. Sleep washed over her like a gentle tide, and at last, she allowed herself to surrender to it. Just before sinking into a deep sleep, she said silently in her heart: Thank you. She did not know whom she was thanking. Perhaps it was the last trace of consciousness left behind by this body. Perhaps it was some unseen hand manipulating the threads of fate. Or perhaps she was simply thanking this healthy body itself. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for letting me know, for the first time, that breathing could be this free, that falling asleep could be this peaceful, that being alive… could be this easy. Shen Ci sank into a dream, a faint smile forming at the corners of her lips without her even realizing it. Outside the window, the moonlight washed over the night, falling upon her steadily rising and falling chest. Beneath it, her heart beat with strength, steady and unhurried, as if it were making up for all the sleep she had been deprived of during the first twenty years of her life. When Shen Ci opened her eyes the next morning, a minimalist ceiling light hung above her, its rounded shape resembling an upside-down full moon. The deep, uninterrupted sleep she had not experienced in years left her dazed for a moment. She was still in this body. The realization was clearer and more certain than it had been the day before. Shen Ci sat up, moving so quickly and effortlessly that even she was not used to it. She looked around the room and finally got a proper look at the bedroom. It was spacious, a fully equipped suite filled with the advanced technology of this era. Warm water streamed over her body as Shen Ci looked at the delicate, rosy face in the mirror. At last, she let out a long breath. She no longer obsessed over why she had come here, nor did she wonder whether this was merely a dream she would wake from at any moment. Since Heaven had given her this healthy body, she would live well—and live greedily. After washing up, Shen Ci changed into a comfortable set of loungewear and walked out of her room. The living room was even more spacious and brightly lit than the bedroom. A faint fragrance lingered in the air, mixed with the enticing aroma of something sweet and crisp. With his back to her, Shen Xiaoming was busy in the open kitchen. “You’re awake?” He did not turn around. His voice was gentle, with a slight huskiness from the early morning. “The coffee is freshly made, and the pancakes will be ready in a moment. Yoyo, go sit down first. I’ve already set the table.” Shen Xiaoming was not good at cooking, but he always tried to prepare simple meals according to his daughter’s preferences. Shen Ci walked over to the kitchen and watched as her father plated the freshly cooked fried eggs and pancakes. She instinctively reached out and took the warm bone china plate from him, naturally placing it on one side of the already-set dining table. “Try this. I just ground these coffee beans I bought recently.” Shen Xiaoming pointed to the black ceramic cup steaming on the table. Shen Ci nodded and looked at the coffee beside her. According to her memories, this was a common drink in this era, something similar to tea. The original owner seemed particularly fond of it. She picked up the cup and took a sip. Her brows drew together almost imperceptibly. It was bitter. Strangely, the taste felt familiar. In her previous life, when she had been bedridden for years, she had spent much of her time drinking bitter herbal medicine. That bitterness, lingering from her throat all the way down to her stomach, had long since been etched into her very bones. And the coffee in front of her had a bitterness that shot straight to the top of her head, bearing an uncanny resemblance to those dark, bitter medicinal brews. She had never expected the original owner to actually enjoy this. Shen Ci lowered her head and looked at the dark brown liquid in the cup for a moment before quietly setting it back on the saucer. Respect, but no understanding.