C3 Bai Yun's Short Life

Su Ye figured her body was just exhausted and had fallen into the water, so she didn't pay much attention to the harsh conditions and fell asleep fully clothed.

Her sleep was restless. She recalled many things—not her own memories, but those of the original owner of her body, all about Bai Yun. It was as if she were a bystander, watching scene after scene unfold in her dreams. When she awoke, her face felt damp. She touched it and found it wet with tears.

Bai Yun's life ended at sixteen. The story of the Bai family never mentioned her again. The novel described her as having drowned herself, but what Su Ye saw was a different scene.

Bai Yun had a cousin named Lin Mu, the only scholar in the village, who was always courteous and polite to her. Bai Yun had feelings for him. She didn't want to marry into the merchant's family, but she was too timid to resist. Lin Mu wrote her a letter, asking her to meet him by the well behind the village, promising to take her away.

Bai Yun struggled with the decision for a long time before finally deciding to leave with Lin Mu. Little did she know, what awaited her was not her lover, but death. Lin Mu pushed her into the well. As she faced the well, Lin Mu quietly approached her from behind, so she had no defense. Su Ye could almost feel Bai Yun's despair in that moment when she fell into the well and looked back at Lin Mu.

With the whole "falling into a novel" setup, Su Ye wasn't too surprised by anything that happened. Even though the dream felt like watching a TV drama, the sadness she felt in this body was real. This must have been the short life of Bai Yun.

Su Ye felt like she had slept for ages, but when she woke up, it was still dark outside. She had no idea what time it was. Thanks to Bai Yun's memories, she was now familiar with her surroundings. Initially, Su Ye thought Bai Yun had been locked in the firewood room to prevent her from doing something drastic. But now she realized this was actually Bai Yun's room.

The door was locked, but behind the pile of firewood, there was a small window. Climbing out led to the backyard gate of the Bai family. Bai Yun often snuck out at night to find food by the river, as getting a meal at home was rare, let alone a full one.

The first thing Su Ye did at the river was use the water's surface as a mirror. Her appearance was completely different. Her once charming and beautiful face was gone, replaced by Bai Yun's, which was covered in dirt and bruises. Still, her features were delicate and pretty. Likely due to long-term malnutrition, her cheeks were hollow, giving her a tired look. She glanced down at her body, which was painfully thin. Bai Yun was supposed to be sixteen, but her flat chest showed no signs of development. Su Ye was originally about 5'8", but Bai Yun seemed to be only around 5'5".

Su Ye sighed, "Where's the promised start as a general's wife? Aren't all the time-travel stories about becoming a princess or a duchess? At the very least, they're about being the daughter of a prime minister with plenty of money to start a business, then bumping into an emperor or a prince to kick off a romance. Fairy tales really are just lies."

Su Ye didn't know how to fish and couldn't find anything edible by the river after searching for a long time. Hungry and a bit dizzy, she used the flint Bai Yun had hidden here. The spark startled her. Just as she started to warm up, she noticed two people approaching from a distance. Although they were dressed in men's clothing, their figures clearly showed they were two young girls.