Bella sighed deeply as she stared at the bowl of plain rice porridge in front of her. She craved the rich flavors of Sichuan Boiled Fish or the spicy kick of Chongqing Skewers.
“…” Her protests fell on deaf ears!
“Swallow…” Bella began to call out to Swallow, but the latter’s smirking, somewhat eerie gaze silenced her. Swiftly, she changed her words, “Swallow says~~ the spring here is the most beautiful!”
…
“It’s autumn now…” Swallow, with a slight curl of his lips, reminded Bella, his voice a gentle melody.
“What do you want if not to eat?” Bella questioned.
Swallow: “To think.”
“What do you want to think about?” Bella pressed.
Swallow: “Mmm.”
“I’m asking you, what exactly do you want to do?” Bella’s patience was wearing thin.
Swallow: “You!”
Bella, a 20-year-old woman and a 21st-century homebody, would have still been glued to her computer if not for the power and water outage that left her with no food at home.
Just as Bella got dressed and descended the stairs, contemplating whether to have Sichuan Boiled Fish or Chongqing Skewers later, she was startled by the screeching sound of an emergency brake. A white sedan bore down on her, and with a “Bang—!” she watched herself fly through the air, colliding with another vehicle. Was this a test of Earths gravity? She thought, I’m done for…
“Damn, that hurts,” Bella muttered as she felt like her bones had been crushed, the pain radiating throughout her body, particularly in her lower body. It was fiery and intense. What was happening?
She slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find herself not in a hospital but in a forest. Had she not died?
“Ugh, it hurts so much,” Bella complained, her voice clear and melodious like a oriole’s song—definitely not the voice she had known for twenty years.
Looking at her wrists, though bruised and bloodied, they were not broken, and her hands seemed smaller than before. Glancing down at her clothes, she saw not her beloved T-shirt and jeans but tattered silk garments. What was going on?
Am I…? The absurd thought rose in Bella’s mind…
She forced herself to sit up, waves of pain hitting her. Ignoring the discomfort, she looked around and spotted a lake nearby. Using the water as a mirror, she was stunned by her reflection.
What a face! Arched eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like pearls, long and curled lashes, skin like condensed cream, a delicate nose, and cherry lips. Despite her ragged clothes, the beauty radiating from within was undeniable!
Bella stared at the unfamiliar face in the lake, then burst into laughter. She had always believed she hadn’t done anything to deserve such misfortune. Now, it seemed, fate had smiled upon her. She had been reborn into a stunning beauty, and though it seemed the body’s previous owner had suffered, what did it matter? She was a modern woman, and modesty was not as important as life itself. Since she hadn’t died, she would live life to the fullest!
Bella picked up the torn clothes from the ground, pulling them around her and tying her hair into a ponytail. She then smeared mud on her face and body to disguise her appearance. She had no means to protect herself yet, and she couldn’t let her face cause more trouble.
With her new look, Bella set off along the lake, habitually checking her wrist for the time. She realized there were no watches in this era!
After walking for what felt like ages, she collapsed under a large tree, sprawling out and panting. “I won’t enjoy life if I die from exhaustion first,” she muttered to herself. Soon, soft snoring sounds filled the air as she fell into a deep sleep, her body too exhausted to resist rest any longer.