The False Heiress In The 1980s

1. Waking Up in a New Life

Lin Yuqi blinked her tired eyes as she stared at the glowing screen in front of her. The soft hum of her laptop filled the quiet room. She had stayed up all night, determined to finish five chapters of her new novel—her readers had been demanding more, and she didn't want to disappoint them. The life of a cooking vlogger and novelist was exciting but exhausting, and deadlines loomed everywhere.

She took a deep breath and stretched her arms, feeling the tension in her neck and shoulders. Maybe she would reward herself with a new recipe to test out in the kitchen later—something simple but nostalgic, a comfort food dish to soothe her tired soul.

But that was her last thought before everything went black.

When Lin Yuqi opened her eyes again, she was no longer staring at her laptop. The sleek, modern apartment she had worked so hard for was gone, replaced by the dim, drab walls of a small, unfamiliar room. She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding, her body feeling strange. The bed she was in was a single-sized frame with a plain, worn blanket that smelled faintly of soap. A wooden desk stood against the wall, accompanied by a rickety chair. Stacks of books were scattered on the floor—some in English, others in Chinese, with a few high school exercise books tossed carelessly on top. There was no bookshelf in sight.

Her eyes scanned the titles. The Handmaid's Tale lay next to a worn Chinese novel, Furong Zhen (芙蓉镇), a famous novel set during the Cultural Revolution. Both were familiar to her, but they looked old, as if time itself had trapped them in this place.

Where am I?

Panic surged through her as she swung her legs out of the bed, her bare feet hitting the cold concrete floor. She rushed to the small window, pushing aside the thin, faded curtains. 

Outside, the light was beginning to fade; the sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the row of identical five-story buildings. There was a stillness to the scene, as if the world had slowed down. A few people walked briskly across the courtyard below, dressed in simple clothing, their movements muted and hurried.

This wasn't her world. This wasn't her apartment.

She turned back to the desk, her hands trembling as she scanned the few items on it. A small calendar caught her eye, and when she saw the date, her stomach dropped.

September 24th, 1987.

1987?

Her breath hitched. She grabbed the calendar, as if holding it tighter would somehow change what it said, but it stayed the same—unmoving and terrifying.

She had been transmigrated! No, this was impossible!

This kind of thing only happened in the novels she wrote or read, not in real life.

Lin Yuqi's head throbbed suddenly, and she pressed her hands to her temples, groaning in pain. Her mind flooded with memories, but they weren't hers—they belonged to someone else. A girl... a girl who shared her name. Lin Yuqi.

She could see the girl's life playing out in front of her, flashing through her mind in sharp, painful fragments. Her parents—cold and selfish, especially Mother Lin, who never hid her disdain for her daughter's beauty. Father Lin, pragmatic and distant, more focused on his position in the military than on his children. Her younger brother, a spoiled brat who had been pampered simply because he was born a boy.

And then there was Chen Xiang. Lin Yuqi's indifferent fiancé. He was a platoon leader, but their engagement had never been about love. He was ambitious, arrogant, and saw Lin Yuqi as little more than a tool to enhance his standing. Her heart clenched at the memory of his dismissive words, his cold eyes, as if she were just another task to be dealt with.

But what had broken the original Lin Yuqi was Xia Ning—the real daughter. The girl who had appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be the true child of the Lin family. At first, it had seemed impossible. Lin Yuqi had lived 18 years as the beloved daughter of Father and Mother Lin, and yet, after a DNA test, the truth was undeniable.

Xia Ning was the real daughter. Lin Yuqi was a fake.

Her parents had been quick to act. With Xia Ning's return, they no longer had a use for Lin Yuqi. When Zhang Wei, a businessman from the countryside, came with his 500-yuan bride price, Father and Mother Lin had seized the opportunity. They didn't want to return the money, so they decided to send Lin Yuqi in Xia Ning's place.

Zhang Wei—a pig farmer from the rural village. Lin Yuqi's chest tightened as she felt the old Lin Yuqi's anger and despair rising within her. She had been betrayed by the only family she had ever known. Her life, her identity, had been a lie. And now, they wanted to cast her aside like she meant nothing.

The original Lin Yuqi couldn't bear it. Locked in this small, simple room, she had taken sleeping pills and drifted into eternal sleep.

Lin Yuqi gasped, clutching her head as the memories swirled violently. The ache in her chest was not just physical—it was emotional, the remnants of the original Lin Yuqi's broken heart lingering within her. She sat back on the bed, breathing heavily as she tried to steady herself.

She was here now, in this girl's place. In this world. And this wasn't a dream.

BAM BAM BAM.

A loud knocking sounded from the door, startling her out of her daze.

"Lin Yuqi!" a shrill voice called from the other side. It was Mother Lin—Zhao Meihua, the woman who had already emotionally discarded her. "Come out! Stop hiding in your room and get ready for dinner!"

Lin Yuqi stared at the door, her heart still racing as she realized what was happening. This was her new reality.

She was no longer the successful cooking vlogger and novelist from modern China.

She was the false heiress in a world that had already turned its back on her.