Body Swipe

The sun shone with intense brightness, hitting the bush mercilessly, changing it of all its green color. Yellow was what should have been seen on the grass, but instead, it was red. Bodies lay scattered in different angles, still and lifeless.

However, in the middle of the bushes, a lone figure stood, staring forward with empty eyes.

She was a girl of about ten years, her small face covered in bruises, wearing a white dress now stained red, while her long brown hair was a mess. She was surrounded by dead bodies, yet her gaze remained fixed forward.

The men sat in a car, each holding a gun. The one in the middle grinned darkly, revealing his rotten teeth, then aimed his pistol at her.

The girl remained motionless, her breath quickening, but her expression unchanged. Then, the harsh sound of the gunshot rang out.

Her eyes snapped open. Her heartbeat thundered as she lay on the bed, a non-rebreather mask on her face, her neck drenched in sweat.

At the same time, a door opened, and a girl in a nurse's uniform stepped inside. She quietly closed the door and walked toward the bed. Checking the empty IV fluid, she prepared to replace it with a new one.

However, when she bent to check the patient's wrist, the patient grabbed her with surprising strength. The nurse gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She looked at the girl on the bed, finding her eyes sharp, as if on intense edge.

"Miss Yanran," the nurse softly called, a hint of surprise in her tone.

When the nurse spoke the name Yanran, the girl's eyes darkened, and her grip tightened.

"I have to call a doctor," the nurse said, attempting to leave, but the grip remained firm. She looked at her and gently patted her hand. "It's alright. Everything is fine now. You're in the hospital. You survived."

Hearing where she was, she let go of the nurse's hand, her body relaxing. As the nurse left to call the doctor, she turned her gaze to the ceiling, recalling the reason for her current situation.

When the memories returned, her hands clenched into fists.

Not long after, the doctor arrived, checked on her, and removed the mask. With a gentle voice, he asked, "Can you hear me?"

She remained silent, staring blankly. When she remembered the fall, she hadn't thought she could survive, and yet here she was, without even serious injuries.

"What is your name?" the doctor asked to assess her memory.

She paid them no attention, her mind focused on where she should start searching for the mastermind behind her misfortune. What about the detective? How did the world see her now?

"I think she's still in a daze. We'll keep monitoring her. Call her guardian and inform them about her awakening. Ah, and the officers," the doctor instructed.

Upon hearing the mention of officers, she frowned and turned to them. Her throat was dry, making it painful to speak, but she forced out the words, "I… don't… need them."

The doctor and nurse exchanged glances, watching her in confusion. She had spoken, but her words were strange.

Soon, she was taken to a lab where her entire body was scanned. The doctor examined the results on the computer. Once her tests were complete, she was brought back to the ward.

In his office, the doctor faced Yanran's so-called guardian. He parted his lips to explain but stopped when he noticed the man's expression.

The guardian was a good-looking young man with a buzz cut, wearing a neatly tucked-in shirt with suit trousers. A wristwatch on his hand completed his smart appearance.

However, for a guardian, he seemed too nonchalant. As he waited for his sister's results, he played with his phone.

"Mr. Zhang Jiahao, about your sister—"

Jiahao raised his eyes to him. "Even our last names don't match. Who listed me as her guardian? I know Yanran wouldn't dare do that. We're just neighbors."

The doctor watched him in confusion. "You're not her guardian?"

"I'm not," he replied before pausing, then adding, "I used to be." Under his breath, he muttered, "But since I'm here… what's her condition? She couldn't have any serious problems, right?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow slightly. This man clearly cared. "She's fine. However…"

At the word "however," Jiahao shifted in his chair and straightened. "You said she was fine."

The doctor pointed to the scan of Yanran's hand. "There was minor nerve damage in her right hand. She shouldn't use it for heavy tasks like carrying heavy objects, or it might lead to the possibility of paralysis."

"What? Argh, so bothersome," he muttered, frowning as he imagined the worst scenarios. "Anyway, she's left-handed. That won't be a problem, right?"

In the ward, a figure stood in the bathroom before the mirror, eyes wide in terror as she stared at her reflection. She raised her hand and touched her face—it felt real.

"What's going on? Why… why do I look… why am I seeing that damned officer?" Even saying the words felt unreal. How could she explain such a strange illusion?

She closed her eyes. Even if she were hallucinating, it shouldn't be this ridiculous. She calmed herself, then opened her eyes again.

Indeed, she was seeing her reflection as someone else.

She looked at her hands and body. They felt different. She was slimmer and taller than the body she now inhabited. She didn't even feel as flexible as she always had, but she had dismissed it, thinking it was because she had just woken up.

Her heart pounded as she struggled to make sense of what she was seeing.

"Yanran!" A voice called from outside.

The name confirmed everything. Since she woke up, she had only been addressed as Miss Yanran. She hadn't thought much of it before, but now… she stumbled back, fear gripping her.

No. She had to find answers to this bizarre situation.

She rushed out of the room and stopped upon seeing the figure standing in the center.

Jiahao scanned Yanran's body and scoffed. "I'm starting to believe those with dark hearts die hard. Look at you, coming out in one piece after such an accident. So disappointing."

He expected the usual reaction from Yanran—her pretending to act tough—but instead, she only stared at him as if she were lost, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Who… am I?" she asked, her eyes filled with a desperate hope for a certain answer.

Jiahao looked at her in disbelief. "You expect me to fall for that? The doctor confirmed you're fine, and now you're pretending to have amnesia?"

She dashed toward him and grabbed his shirt, her gaze cold as she demanded, "What happened to me? What did you do to me?"

Jiahao's heart skipped a beat. He knew Yanran was cold, but she had never looked this murderous, let alone spoken with such a threat. He was the one who should be asking what happened to her.

She had asked the wrong question.

So she changed it. "What happened to…?" She hesitated before finishing, "Lin Lijun?"

"Hah," Jiahao exhaled, straightening as he removed her hands from his shirt. "Prosecutors are handling her case. Don't even think about it. The case was assigned to—" He pointed to himself and grinned. "Sad news after waking up from a month in a coma, right?"

She already knew about her coma. What she wanted to hear wasn't that.

She stepped forward. "What happened to Lijun?"

Jiahao took a seat. "She isn't dead. But she won't be waking up anytime soon."

Her eyes widened. But she still couldn't believe the madness.

"Take me to her."

"Hey, you're not in good shape yourself, and the case is—"

"Now!" she shouted. "I want to see her."

Jiahao narrowed his eyes. Had she lost her mind after that accident?

Soon, they stood before a hospital room door. Inside, a body lay on the bed.

She hesitated. If she stepped inside, there would be no turning back.

Pushing the door open, she slowly walked inside while Jiahao followed behind. She approached the bed and stared at the girl lying there, breathing with the help of medical equipment.

She looked half-dead. There was no denying after seeing the face. The bizarre truth was clear. The one sleeping was her, Yet she was also here. She was Lin Lijun, but in Yanran's body.