Chen's mother was stunned. "Dead...dead? When did this happen? How come we didn't know? Who was it? Your classmate? Your colleague?"
Shen Mianmian shook her head with a faint smile, "Don't ask, I don't want to talk about it. I know I'm very sorry to you, but actually... you don't know, I've done a very good job for you, so... please don't interfere with me."
Knowing her daughter's temperament, Shen's mother hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Okay, we won't pressure you. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Your parents won't urge you anymore."
Chen Mianmian smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mom."
"You...you rest first, I...I'm going back too."
After that, Shen's mother ran away as if fleeing, wanting to tell her husband the shocking news.
Chen Mianmian lay back down on the bed and sighed—if only her mother weren't so understanding.
If only Dad wasn't a responsible husband and a good father.
If only the younger brother wasn't the kind brother who lets his older sister bully him at home but desperately protects her outside.
If they were all bad people, perhaps she could have stayed in the book with a clear conscience.
She calmly opened her phone, turned on the music player, and played the upbeat song "Good Days," trying to lift her spirits.
...
Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye.
This day marked the day Chen Mianmian retired.
After receiving her retirement certificate, she returned home to a bright and quiet house—she had been living alone since her parents passed away and her younger brother moved out after getting married.
I don't own a dog, I don't own a cat, and I don't even own a single potted plant.
A peaceful and uneventful life.
Someone once asked her what she does when she gets home, since she's never married, doesn't socialize after get off work, doesn't travel during long holidays, and doesn't keep pets.
This question really stumped her.
When her parents were alive, she would do housework and spend time with them after get off work.
After her parents passed away, she did housework after get off work and then spaced out.
Time flies when you're lost in thought.
Time flies when you're not daydreaming; before you know it, thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye.
She had thought that she would gradually forget that special experience, or perhaps that special dream, but she never expected that she would never forget it, and that it was still vivid in her mind.
She also tried to change things, such as going on blind dates and accepting advances from others, but all of them ended in failure.
The reason might be that there was always a voice calling to her in her mind.
A wave of fatigue washed over her, and she lay down on the sofa.
The soft leather sofa, like a large hand, holds her in its palm, carefully, as if holding a precious pearl.
She bought this sofa a few years ago.
When her younger brother moved to a new house, she, as the older sister, wanted to give him a piece of furniture as a gift, so she went to the furniture plaza to browse around.
When I saw this sofa, I didn't think much of it and just casually sat down for a bit.
The moment she sat down, the tender touch startled her, and several images seemed to flash through her mind.
She immediately paid for the sofa.
It wasn't being delivered to my younger brother, but to my own home.
Even when the salesperson offered to send a new sofa from the warehouse, she refused, insisting on having the sample.
After bringing it home, she would often curl up on this sofa in a daze, with only one question in her mind—was it really worth it? How could a mere year change her life so much?
Unfortunately, she never came up with an answer.
...
A sharp pain in her neck, coupled with a strong feeling of suffocation, instantly woke the sleeping woman from her deep sleep—a home invasion robbery?
When she opened her eyes, she was completely stunned.
But she wasn't at home; she was outdoors, surrounded by ancient houses, and someone was strangling her with a rope.
That's not the point. The point is that the two people who murdered her were wearing ancient costumes, specifically the attire of eunuchs from the Southern Chu Kingdom!
Previously, when Bai Qingzhou took the drug to fake her death, the emperor sent eunuchs and imperial physicians to check on her frequently, so she wouldn't mistake her for someone else.
She's back in her old clothes?
Perhaps because she had just transmigrated and her soul and body had not yet merged, and she did not need to breathe, she could feel pain and suffocation, but it would not cause any real harm.
The two eunuchs were probably used to this kind of thing. Their positions were tricky and skillful, and she couldn't resist. Finally, she had a flash of inspiration and simply pretended to be dead.
After a while.
The eunuch behind her, who was holding the rope, asked, "Is she dead?"
The eunuch pressing down in front of her reached under her nose and said, "She's dead."
Then the eunuch who had been holding the rope loosened it. "Oh, what a tragedy! Why was Lady Ning so stubborn and offended our Chief Eunuch Sun? What eunuch isn't corrupt? She even said she would report it to the Palace Attendant. Isn't that courting death?"
Having learned from her experience of transmigrating into a book, Shen Mianmian searched her memories as soon as she pretended to be dead, but found nothing.
Taking advantage of the moment the eunuch released her, Shen Mianmian seized the opportunity and pulled off the rope around her neck. She intended to fake her death to scare them, but found that her throat hurt so much that she couldn't speak. So she forced herself to calm down and ran towards the end of the alley.
The two eunuchs were startled, then shouted, "Oh no! She's escaped!" "Quick, after her!"
As she ran, Chenmian used her peripheral vision to check her surroundings for anything useful.
Unfortunately, the palace paths were so clean that there wasn't even a single pebble, so she couldn't find anything to use as a weapon.
Her soul and body were not yet fully integrated. She could barely control the body, but she had no feeling in her legs, as if she were walking on cotton. Two eunuchs had quickly caught up with her.
Chenmianmian finally ran out of the tunnel and turned onto a larger tunnel.
She was extremely anxious and vowed to survive no matter what. If this was the Southern Chu Kingdom, she would find him, even if the times were wrong, she would still get news of him.
Just as Shen Mianmian was about to be caught up, suddenly, some people walked up from the front.
The eunuch behind him exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, it's the Empress's entourage!"
"what to do?"
"What? What should we do? Hurry and chase after them! The Empress mustn't find out about this!"
Upon hearing that the group ahead was the Empress, Chen Mianmian immediately composed herself and focused all her energy on running forward as fast as she could.
As the Queen's procession advanced, Chen Mianmian ran towards it, and the distance between them quickly closed due to their combined efforts.
On the other side.
Sitting on her phoenix palanquin, the Empress saw a chase ahead and casually said to the eunuch beside her, "Go and see what's going on."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Upon receiving the order, Eunuch Qiao left the ranks and quickly went to meet her.
Upon seeing the approaching eunuch, Shen Mianmian hurriedly pointed to the eunuch behind her, crying out in a panic, "Help...me..."
Two eunuchs caught up and stopped abruptly, panting heavily. "This servant greets Chief Eunuch Qiao. This woman is dishonest; she just stole some silver from Chief Eunuch Sun. Chief Eunuch Sun has ordered us to arrest her."
Shen Mianmian wanted to explain, but her throat was burning and she couldn't speak at all. So she simply looked up, pointed to her neck, and showed Manager Qiao the marks on her neck.
Upon seeing the marks, Eunuch Qiao immediately guessed what had happened and pondered whether he should do Chief Eunuch Sun a favor, since Chief Eunuch Sun was the emperor's chief eunuch and could not be offended.
Seeing the hesitation on Eunuch Qiao's face, Shen Mianmian knew something was wrong. Taking advantage of the fact that the three eunuchs weren't paying attention, she turned around and continued running towards the Empress's carriage.
Everyone was shocked and immediately gave chase.
Chaos also broke out in the direction of the imperial carriage, and guards immediately came to protect the emperor.
As she drew nearer, Shen Mianmian recognized the woman seated on the phoenix carriage and cried out, "Transmigration...book..."
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