Chapter 2: Hit on the head by a book.
Shen Waqing felt like her head was just a hairbreadth away from falling off her shoulders. It throbbed painfully, and her eyes were heavy as she tried to force them open.
One hand was holding up her forehead while the other braced against the desk in front of her. Slowly, she looked around.
Where am I?
Through her blurred vision, Shen Waqing saw students in uniform seated around her.
Looking down, she realized she was also wearing a uniform — a white, short-sleeved, button-up shirt and a blue pleated skirt.
"What's happening?" she muttered weakly. The ache in her head slowed her thoughts. Shen Waqing closed her eyes, furrowing her brows in pain.
"Student Yuwei!"
Her desk was smacked loudly, jolting her upright. Her eyes flew open in shock.
"I've been calling you! Did you leave your mind at home? Your English scores are already so low, and you still refuse to listen in class..."
The unfamiliar yet oddly familiar woman in front of her kept yapping in a high-pitched voice. Shen Waqing stared at the woman's brightly painted lips opening and closing, unable to fully grasp what she was saying.
Though this was her first time seeing the woman, she somehow had a memory of her.
It was the English teacher.
No — Yuwei's English teacher.
The body she now inhabited belonged to Yuwei.
Her head throbbed even more as she managed to speak.
"Teacher, my head hurts."
"Does your head really hurt, or are you just making excuses to avoid submitting your homework?"
The teacher continued nagging. By now, the entire class was staring at her.
Shen Waqing shifted uncomfortably under their unfriendly gazes. Cold sweat ran down her back. The pain was getting worse.
"Teacher, she really isn't feeling well. She's been complaining about her head since this morning."
A soft voice spoke up behind her. "How about I take her home?"
"Whatever, whatever. Just don't disturb my class," the English teacher waved dismissively.
Shen Waqing recognized the girl who spoke up — Shi Mei. They were about the same height. She was Yuwei's best and only friend.
Unfamiliar memories kept pouring into her mind, and it felt like her brain was about to split apart.
"Teacher Chen always picks on you. It's gotten worse since your grades dropped. I really can't stand her class anymore," Shi Mei complained while supporting her out of the classroom, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"I can walk on my own."
Not used to people being so physically close to her, Shen Waqing tried to pull away, but her body felt weak.
"It's better to go home and watch a movie or something instead. Thank goodness you're sick," Shi Mei sighed in relief, oblivious to her discomfort.
Shen Waqing's apartment wasn't far from school. After getting a sick permit, they were allowed to leave through the school gate without any questions.
By the time they arrived at the apartment, she was thoroughly drained.
Lying on the bed with her limbs spread out like a starfish, she stared blankly at the ceiling, memories running amok in her mind like a movie on fast-forward.
"Oh... Is this a new bag? I didn't see it last time I came. It's an original Louis Vuitton, isn't it?"
Shi Mei's voice came from the closet, where she was rummaging through Yuwei's belongings.
Shen Waqing frowned and looked over.
Shi Mei had the blue bag slung around her arm, admiring herself in the full-length mirror beside the closet. She narrowed her eyes, clearly pleased.
"It looks good. Can I borrow it?"
"No."
Shen Waqing replied instinctively. Her brows scrunched up and she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Huh…?"
Shi Mei clearly hadn't expected that.
"It was a birthday gift, so I can't give it to you," Shen Waqing said slowly, pulling the memory from the swirling flood in her mind.
Yuwei's birthday had been the week before. No one celebrated it, but her adoptive parents had sent her the bag as a gift. Still, it was something she cherished.
"It's not a big deal. Can't you let me use it just for tomorrow?"
Yuwei hardly ever refused her. It wasn't the first time Shi Mei had taken something from her — and whether she would return it was left to her.
"No. I can't," Shen Waqing said bluntly. "There's no need for you to stay. I want to take a nap. Thanks for bringing me home. Let's talk tomorrow."
Shi Mei was taken aback. She clutched the bag for a moment, reluctant to let go, but eventually put it back slowly.
"Okay then. See you at school tomorrow."
No need to push it. I'll ask her again when she's in a good mood. She'll definitely say yes then. She glanced at the bag once more before turning around.
After seeing her off at the door, Shen Waqing headed to the kitchen.
She found some painkillers in the top cabinet and washed them down with a glass of water. The apartment was quiet and empty. The pain in her head slowly began to subside.
She had transmigrated as Yuwei.
Still feeling uncomfortable, she sat down on the cold floor, trying to comb through her tangled thoughts.
Yuwei was seventeen — two years younger than her — and a student at Province High School.
She wasn't very smart, but she was known to be hardworking, always placing in the top ten. But that had changed about six months ago. Now her grades had dropped to around 20th.
Shen Waqing frowned as she continued to dig through the memories.
The book — or world — she was in was titled To the Moonlight in My Heart.
The character Yuwei, whose body she now inhabited, was just a minor cannon fodder in the story.
The protagonist was her sister. More specifically, her adopted sister.
Like many webnovel heroines, the protagonist had suffered a tragic life. She was kidnapped at the age of five and ended up in an orphanage. Her parents searched everywhere for her, but all efforts were in vain.
Grief-stricken, they adopted another daughter — Yuwei.
Now, fifteen years later, the real daughter had been found. That marked the beginning of the novel.
Just as Shen Waqing was deep in thought, a book fell from the ceiling and hit her square on the head.
"Ouch!"
Her eyes welled up with tears as she rubbed her head.
"Where did that come from?"