C1 She Entered the Novel

Su Ye woke up coughing and sputtering from the water, instinctively flailing her arms. Wasn't she just on her way back to the city when she collided with a truck? How did she end up in the water?

"She's alive, still alive! Hurry up and get her out of there. The merchant's carriage is coming in a few days. If this wretch dies, how are we going to explain it to them?"

Merchant? Carriage? What are they talking about? Before Su Ye could make sense of it, she swallowed more water and blacked out again.

When Su Ye came to, she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes. She coughed, her chest aching, and croaked, "Water, I need some water."

She vaguely heard footsteps approaching and felt a bit of gratitude. She had no idea what happened after she lost consciousness, but surviving both a car accident and nearly drowning seemed like a stroke of luck.

But before she could fully appreciate her survival, a splash of cold water hit her face. "You dare ask for water? Didn't you get enough when you jumped into the well? You're lucky you didn't drown, you fool!"

Shivering from the splash, Su Ye forced her eyes open and finally took in her surroundings. She was in a shabby thatched hut, lying on a pile of branches with a thin, tattered blanket over her.

She noticed the person's clothing. Was that... traditional attire? In recent years, traditional styles had made a comeback, with more people appreciating their intricate designs. But this outfit was made of coarse fabric, nothing like the finely crafted garments she was used to seeing.

"Playing dumb again, huh? You've been like this since you were a kid, always so useless. How dare you try to jump into the well..." The woman in front of Su Ye grabbed a nearby stick and started hitting her with it.

"Bai Yun, what are you thinking? The family wants you as a bride to counteract bad luck. Do you know what a blessing that is? If it weren't for the perfect match with the young master's horoscope, you wouldn't have this chance. And yet, you tried to end it all. Just wait and see how I teach you a lesson today!"

The stick struck Su Ye a few more times, twisting her face in pain. The blows finally cleared her head, but she was tied up and couldn't fight back. Bai Yun... the name sounded familiar to Su Ye.

She had gone to the outskirts of the city today because the magazine was planning to launch a few new columns and needed to invite some well-known authors. To show sincerity, she had read all their novels or other works. She had indeed seen this name before; it was from a novel written by the author she met today... a character who dies right after appearing, not even making it into the extra chapters written to pad the story.

Could it be... she had somehow ended up inside the novel? She was originally a medical student. The nanny van collided with a speeding truck, and before losing consciousness, she assessed the blood loss and knew the assistant in the passenger seat was dead, and the driver likely didn't stand a chance either.

She had been sitting in the back, slightly better off, but with fractures in her right leg and ribs, and head injuries causing dizziness, vomiting, and ringing in her ears—symptoms of a concussion. Even if she survived, she'd be bedridden for a while. Now, although her whole body hurt, it seemed more like surface pain from a beating, and the weakness didn't feel like post-concussion symptoms.

Su Ye was a staunch materialist. Even though she'd read quite a few time-travel novels recently, she absolutely didn't believe in such things. But given the current situation, was there a better explanation than time travel?

"This worthless girl, might as well be dead for all the good she does. Doesn't say a word, a real waste of space. Yet somehow, she's lucky enough to be a perfect match for the eldest young master of the Shaang family!"