I Redeemed Him, But Who Will Redeem Me? - Chapter 1

A sharp pain shot through her fingertip, like a needle stabbing deep into her nerves.

Lin Xicai’s eyes snapped open. She gasped, her breathing unsteady, her chest rising and falling. Her body felt both strangely light, as though it had shed years of illness, and yet weak, like someone just recovering from a serious disease.

In front of her was a blank exam paper. In her hand was a black gel pen with its needlepoint tip pressed against her finger, black ink slowly seeping out, staining her pale fingertips.

The room was quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Lin Xicai looked around in a daze—everyone else had their heads bent, writing diligently on their papers.

No one seemed to notice her abnormality.

Two unfamiliar teachers stood at the podium, whispering to each other.

An exam room?

Cold sweat broke out on Lin Xicai’s back. She couldn’t figure out what was happening.

Her last memory was lying on the operating table. The doctor had given her anesthesia and asked her gentle questions. Then the drug took hold, and her consciousness slipped away. So… what was this?

Her fingers trembled slightly. She reached out and picked up the metal pencil case on the desk.

On the reflective green surface at the bottom of the case, she saw a pure, delicate, unfamiliar face staring back at her.

Her chest tightened violently, coldness spreading through her spine until her whole body froze.

The breeze flipped her test paper, revealing a name she didn’t recognize—Zhong Fei.

She didn’t know how this absurd situation had come about, but one thing was clear: this body, this identity, did not belong to her. Somehow, she had… become someone else.

Lin Xicai tried to recall, to pull on this body’s memories, but all she found were her own. Nothing about this girl.

Was this transmigration? Or just a hallucination after a failed surgery?

“Don’t drift off. Focus on the test.”

At some point, the invigilator had walked to her side. His voice carried an unmistakable note of warning.

Years of schooling had ingrained fear and respect for teachers into her bones. Though she hadn’t attended much school because of her heart condition, Lin Xicai instinctively forced herself to lower her gaze to the exam paper.

Her cold sweat grew heavier.

The page was covered with dense text and problems, enough to make her head ache.

She… couldn’t do it.

Not a single question.

Lin Xicai had congenital heart disease. After junior high, she spent most of her days bedridden. She had barely attended high school. On the rare occasions when her health allowed her to attend a few days of classes, it was only to relax her mood. She had never sat for exams.

Her family cared more about her health than her studies. They always reassured her, saying once the surgery was done, they’d hire tutors and she’d catch up.

—So even though she had technically been in high school for two years, her actual knowledge was stuck back at logarithms. Her reserves were basically zero.

Holding the exam paper felt like sitting on pins and needles. Every second dragged unbearably, sweat soaking through her.

This isn’t a nightmare, is it? She used to have recurring dreams of being thrown into an exam hall, unable to answer anything, suffocated by fear. Now that same panic gnawed at her reality, tearing away her fragile calm.

Her face alternated between pale and flushed as she stared down the monstrous math paper for two long hours. When the end finally neared, she scribbled random answers on the multiple-choice section, handed it in with relief like she had finally died, and rushed out.

The teacher gave her a look as they collected her paper—meaning unclear.

As soon as the exam ended, Lin Xicai grabbed her bag to bolt, but at the door, three girls stopped her. They seemed to know her well, linking arms with her and asking about the answers.

Surrounded, Lin Xicai forced an awkward smile.

Faced with their expectant eyes, she hesitated, then whispered bleakly, “…I didn’t answer them.”

The girls froze, exchanged glances, then subtly stepped away, their expressions cooling.

“Don’t joke around.” The one with a high ponytail shot her a look, voice laced with sarcasm. “Then again, how could small fry like us be worthy of checking answers with the top student of the grade?”

The other two tugged her sleeve, trying to ease the tension.

But Lin Xicai barely heard them. Her brain roared with one phrase—top student of the grade?!

Her throat tightened. She asked hoarsely, “She… my grades were really that good?”

The ponytailed girl rolled her eyes. “Playing humble—what’s the point?”

The three left together. Lin Xicai stood frozen in the corridor, her body ice-cold.

From first place… to last place. Once the results come out, how am I supposed to explain? Will they treat me like a monster and drown me in a pig cage?

The other subjects were no better than math—one torment after another. By the time the final test ended that afternoon, she felt half-dead.

But the trials of this world were only beginning.

She stood by the railing, staring at the unfamiliar campus, at the strange crowds below, sinking into a sea of confusion and fear.

—She didn’t know her family here. She didn’t even know this body’s address.

Where was she supposed to go? What would happen when she got there? Why was she thrown here? How could she get back?

Sighing, Lin Xicai pulled out her phone, hoping to find some clues about the original owner.

Just then, a sharp, impatient voice called from below:

“What are you standing there for? If you keep dawdling, you can walk home by yourself!”

Lin Xicai looked down. A girl in the same school uniform stood there, a pink designer backpack on her shoulders. She was too far to see clearly, but her irritation was vivid.

Uncertain, Lin Xicai pointed at herself. The girl’s face darkened further, and she turned on her heel toward the school gate.

Panicking, Lin Xicai rushed downstairs, clinging to this as a lifeline.

By the time she reached the gate, the girl was already storming into a car. Lin Xicai hesitated, then followed her inside.

The girl clearly disliked her. She shifted toward the window, placing her pink backpack between them like a barrier.

The girl was beautiful, soft-featured with a hint of baby fat, pale and delicate, but her brows carried an unrestrained arrogance—a child raised with every luxury.

The same car picks up two students… sisters, maybe?

Before she could guess further, the girl spoke sharply, “How many times have I told you? Don’t make me wait more than five minutes. Next time, take the bus yourself. If it weren’t for Aunt Ping’s sake, what right would you have to ride in this car with me?”

“And another thing—my brother might be coming home today. If you want to stay in the Fu family peacefully, you’d better drop any thoughts you shouldn’t be having…”

She spoke with deep contempt, her dislike practically tangible.

Lin Xicai stayed quiet, memorizing her words greedily, trying to piece together the original owner’s life.

The forty-minute ride passed in a storm of insults. By the end, Lin Xicai had gained a rough understanding of the situation.

The girl was Fu Xuefan, the real young lady of the Fu family.

The original owner was just the daughter of a maid. Her mother had nursed both children after Fu Xuefan’s mother died, and the family treated them kindly. But the original owner was selfish, vain, and ungrateful. She sabotaged Fu Xuefan’s grades despite being paid to tutor her, sowed discord, and let people assume she was related to the Fus without correcting them.

Worse, there were hints she even harbored improper thoughts about Fu Xuefan’s older brother.

Lin Xicai: …

What kind of universally-hated script is this?

And surely, there was more to come.

By the time they reached the Fu villa, Lin Xicai was resolved to act cautiously.

Instead of dining with the Fus like the original owner used to, she feigned illness and returned with her mother to the staff quarters—only to find their apartment clean, cozy, and far better than expected.

Her mother greeted her warmly, surprised but delighted when she called her “Mom” and asked for food. Even a simple meal lit up her face with joy.

Guilt twisted in Lin Xicai’s chest. How long had it been since the original owner ate with her mother?

Between bites, she forced a smile. “From now on, I’ll eat with you. I won’t bother going to anyone else’s table.”

Her mother’s eyes softened, brushing hair from her cheek. “Good. I’ll cook something nice for you.”

After a pause, Lin Xicai asked hesitantly, “If… if my grades suddenly dropped, would you be disappointed?”

Her mother blinked, unbothered. “Grades fluctuate. Don’t stress yourself.”

Lin Xicai lowered her gaze. Fluctuate? At this point, it would be more like a crash landing.

Lying awake that night, she scoured the phone for clues, piecing together the original’s social life. By morning, exhausted but determined, she set off early by bus, unwilling to ride with Fu Xuefan again.

But the moment she stepped onto campus, she felt it—

That gaze.

Sharp, oppressive, coiling around her like a snake.

She looked around. Nothing unusual. Students bustling about as always.

But she knew it wasn’t her imagination.

The weight of that stare pressed on her, tugging at her like invisible strings.

It was as though she had been shoved onto a stage, under the scrutiny of a hidden, dangerous audience.