Chapter 2

"Ding-dong—" A notification chimed from Emily Johnson's phone as she gripped the steering wheel with one hand, glancing at the screen. It was a voice message from her mother.

"Emily, your cousin's baby is already a month old. When are you bringing a boyfriend home?" Mrs. Fan's voice echoed through the car speakers. "Oh, and help me with this PennyDeals deal! Just one more click!"

Emily rolled her eyes and expertly opened the PennyDeals link. Just as she raised the phone to her face, the tires hit a rock, jolting the car violently.

Thud!

The phone smacked hard against her forehead. A sharp pain shot through her skull, and darkness swallowed her vision.

"Damn, this can't be happening..." were her last thoughts before she blacked out.

When she opened her eyes again, Emily found herself lying on a hard wooden bed. A patched-up mosquito net hung above her, and the air smelled of firewood.

"Where am I?"

Instinctively, she reached into her pocket—and to her shock, her phone was still there. The screen lit up, displaying the PennyDeals interface.

Ding— The phone vibrated with a new notification.

Emily's pupils constricted.

Wasn't this the period novel she had binge-read last night?

Fragments of memories suddenly flooded her mind, the pain so intense she curled into a ball. When it finally subsided, she understood what had happened.

She had transmigrated.

Into the book.

As the cannon-fodder female lead—the male lead's ex-wife.

In the original story, the character also named Emily Johnson despised rural life and constantly schemed to return to the city. While the male lead was away on business, she abandoned her two young children and fled back to the city. As a result, her youngest son suffered permanent disability from untreated high fever.

Later, the male lead took the children to the city, where he met the female lead—a college graduate who not only cured the boy's hearing but also gave birth to a daughter, completing their happy family of five.

And the original Emily? After returning to the city, she married an abusive man and was eventually beaten to death.

"This is too cruel..." Emily wanted to cry but had no tears left.

She looked around—the earthen walls, the kerosene lamp, the chipped enamel mug—this was unmistakably the countryside of the late 1970s.

"Mom, I'm hungry." A timid voice came from the doorway.

Emily turned to see a boy about five years old standing by the doorframe, holding a toddler no older than three. Both children were painfully thin, their clothes patched and worn.

These were the two sons she had abandoned in the original story.

The older one was David, the younger Tommy.

Emily's heart clenched. According to the plot, in just a few days, she was supposed to abandon them and run away.

"Wait here. I'll make you something to eat," she heard herself say.

In the kitchen, Emily fumbled with starting a fire. Thick smoke choked her, making her cough until tears streamed down her face.

"Mom, let me help." David appeared behind her, skillfully taking the fire tongs from her hands.

Watching the child's practiced movements, Emily's nose stung.

What five-year-old should know how to do this? Just how neglectful had the original Emily been?

At the table, the two boys devoured the simple corn porridge. Tommy, with grains stuck to his lips, looked up at her with a bright smile. "Mom, this is delicious."

Emily's eyes burned.

She made a decision then and there.

To hell with the plot! To hell with the female lead! These two children—she was keeping them!

As for the male lead... She'd deal with him when he returned. According to the original story, he was currently in the south trading electronic watches and wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Ding— Her phone buzzed again.

Emily looked down. The PennyDeals screen now displayed: Deal Successful!

Below it, in smaller text: Congratulations! You've received a Transmigration Starter Pack. Claim now?

Her heartbeat quickened.