Chapter 3: Conjecture

Complicated thoughts surged and tumbled in her mind, ultimately turning into nothing more than a sigh.

Lin Yu lowered her hand, picked up the blanket she had tossed aside, and brought it close to her eyes.

The room was pitch black, making it impossible to see with human vision.

She squinted for a while, then moved her chin slightly forward, bringing the tip of her nose close to the fabric and sniffing gently.

No particular smell.

Lin Yu let go of the blanket, turned over, and leaned forward, burying her entire face in the pillow.

She took a deep breath.

A faint, refreshing fragrance filled her senses.

After doing this, she straightened up, unconsciously knitting her brows.

There was no smell of blood, which meant that before she transmigrated, no bloody conflict had occurred.

‘So, how did the original owner die?’

‘Murder, or an accidental sudden death?’

‘If it was murder, what method did the other party use?’

Lin Yu felt as if she had just escaped a wolf’s den only to step into a tiger’s lair.

The panic of losing her memories after transmigrating, the helplessness of unexpectedly becoming a girl, and various speculations circled her mind like crows, their harsh calls interfering with her thoughts.

Lin Yu suddenly raised both hands and, starting from the sides, clapped them together forcefully.

“Smack!”

The burning pain on her cheeks dispelled some of the panic, making her a little more clear-headed.

‘Calm down, calm down.’

Lin Yu chanted softly in her mind, then slowly exhaled.

‘First, figure out my surroundings.’

‘There’s a bed, a blanket, a pillow—with objects like these, and a body structure very similar to a human female, it suggests that the world I’m in now should still be a place dominated by human civilization.’

‘Even better, it’s possible I’m still on Earth.’

This speculation rekindled a glimmer of hope in Lin Yu.

Perhaps she could see her parents again.

Pulling back her thoughts, Lin Yu began to explore.

She didn’t rush to get out of bed but instead lay flat on it, spreading her arms out to her sides.

‘Mm, neither side is touching an edge.’

‘It’s a very big bed, not a single.’

‘A double bed?’

She fumbled around nearby and, sure enough, found another pillow on the right side of the bed.

Lin Yu was speechless.

“…”

‘D*mn it, don’t tell me the original owner was already married?’

This speculation wasn’t entirely baseless.

After all, she had no memories of the original owner.

All she knew was that her current physiological s*x was female.

Everything else—appearance, age, name, relationships—was a complete mystery.

Based on the arrangement of items on the bed, the worst-case scenario was that his virginity was still intact, but she was already a wife, and even a mother to several kids.

‘F*CK!!!’

Lin Yu couldn’t help but raise her hand to rub her temple again.

‘Stop guessing randomly.’

‘Wild thoughts will only add to my stress and won’t solve any problems.’

She exhaled, pushed the offending pillow aside, and began to slowly feel along the headboard with one hand.

‘A light, a light, a light.’

Unfortunately, she didn’t feel anything resembling a switch.

Instead, on the edge of the bed, she grabbed a curtain that was hanging down.

It didn’t seem like a mosquito net; it was too thick.

It was probably something decorative.

Finally, she finished exploring the space on the bed and its surrounding edges.

There was no light switch, no nightstand—none of the usual objects.

Instead, there were four of these curtain-like decorations, all tied to the corners of the bed.

‘Such elaborate decoration? Must be a wealthy household.’

Lin Yu didn’t linger any longer on the soft bed.

She carefully moved her body to the edge, then lifted one leg, straightening it in mid-air and kicking a few times.

The long skirt hem bunched up around her waist, looking somewhat unseemly.

It was only after she had calmed down that she realized she had missed some details.

She was lying on the bed fully dressed, not in comfortable loungewear or close-fitting pajamas, but in very intricate formal attire.

There were two possible reasons for this situation.

First, the original owner was not in her own bedroom.

Second, the original owner did not lie down of her own free will but was moved here by someone else.

The second reason, combined with the original owner’s “dead” state, was highly suspicious.

‘So, who moved her onto the bed?’

As she thought about it, Lin Yu suddenly chuckled, then shook her head.

‘What a classic locked-room murder mystery.’

‘Perhaps I should find a pair of glasses to wear.’

After teasing herself, Lin Yu put her leg down and stepped onto the floor.

She was still wearing shoes.

She had felt them just now.

They were leather boots of some kind, but she couldn’t make out the style.

Lin Yu stomped her feet a couple of times.

The floor made a slightly muffled sound; it must be carpeted.

She stood in the darkness and didn’t walk around randomly.

Instead, she kept her calf close to the edge of the bed and slowly moved towards the right side.

There was a wall there, which would allow her to establish a direction first, to prevent bumping into things and walking around meaninglessly in a small area.

Rushing out without knowing the situation outside carried a certain risk.

Therefore, rather than looking for the door, Lin Yu needed to find a light source to dispel the darkness and make full use of all the information and tools in the room.

After all, a murderer who had killed “her” might be hiding outside.

Lin Yu walked very carefully, her hands exploring in front of her, her steps small, ensuring they didn’t exceed her arm’s reach.

“Hm?”

‘A cabinet?’

Lin Yu frowned at the cold, wooden touch.

She curled her fingers and continued to trace the outline.

‘No, it’s too short, and it’s flat.’

‘It should be a wooden desk.’

Slightly more at ease, Lin Yu took a step back, bent down to bring her line of sight level with the tabletop her hand was gripping, and began to feel around.

Before long, she grabbed a small, box-shaped object.

Finding something was a good thing.

Lin Yu straightened up and began to carefully examine the small object in her hand.

It was very light in her hand and felt rectangular.

She raised her hand again and brought her nose close to sniff it.

There was a slightly pungent smell, not very pleasant.

Lin Yu had a guess in mind.

She placed her finger on the narrower side of the small box and pushed gently.

“It’s open!” she couldn’t help but exclaim with joy.

Her fingers covered the half-open box, rolling back and forth.

They were stick-like things.

Sure enough, it was a box of matches.

At this moment, any pretense of composure seemed pale.

Lin Yu eagerly grabbed a matchstick and struck it along the edge of the box.

“Tsss.”

A faint sound was heard.

An orange flame ignited on her small fingertip, dispelling the suffocating, tide-like darkness.

‘Fire is the soul-light of human civilization.’

Lin Yu finally understood the weight of that phrase now.

She stared blankly at the match she was holding, the flickering orange light reflected in her eyes.

Perhaps the flame was too hot, or perhaps the orange light was too dazzling, but Lin Yu’s eyes began to ache uncontrollably.

The sudden change, death, transmigration—she had been teasing herself about her every move, using lightheartedness to mask the helplessness and panic in her heart, pretending to be an adult.

Before the long-brewing tears could streak down from the corners of her eyes, Lin Yu suddenly stretched her neck and tilted her head back.

She sniffled, lowered her head, and said in a stuffy voice, “Can’t waste the match.”

With reddened eyes, Lin Yu held the match forward and looked at the wooden desk she had just discovered.

A candlestick was sitting there.