The night sky above Thimphu glittered with countless stars, their silver light spilling over the quiet valley like a soft veil. A cool breeze drifted through the slightly opened window, carrying the refreshing scent of pine forests after an evening drizzle. In the distance, rows of prayer flags fluttered gently under the moonlight, whispering silent blessings into the night.

Most of the city had already fallen asleep.

Only a handful of apartment windows still glowed with warm light.

One of them belonged to Wangmo.

"...Finally."

She stretched her sore shoulders and let out a long sigh before dropping onto her soft bed. The mattress bounced slightly under her weight as she reached for the phone lying on her bedside table.

The room reflected its owner perfectly.

A bookshelf filled with fantasy novels stood against one wall.

A small potted cactus rested beside neatly stacked notebooks. A half-finished cup of milk tea sat on the study desk.

On the wardrobe hung a traditional Bhutanese Kira she had carefully prepared for the weekend. Everything was tidy...

Except for the mountain of snacks scattered across her bed.

Potato chips.

Chocolate bars.

Spicy crackers.

Roasted peanuts.

Two empty instant noodle cups.

"... Balanced diet," Wangmo muttered with a completely straight face. She grabbed another packet of chips.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The sound echoed through the quiet room.

Her phone vibrated.

Mom ❤️, "Don't stay up too late reading novels again. Remember to eat breakfast tomorrow."

A smile naturally curved across Wangmo's lips. She quickly typed back.

"I will."

Then she quietly added to herself,

"...Probably."

Another message arrived immediately.

"I'm serious."

Wangmo laughed.

"How does Ama always know?"

She placed the phone aside before opening the novel she had been reading for the past three days.

Its title was displayed proudly across the screen.

《The Heavenly Phoenix of the Apocalypse》

One of the highest-rated apocalypse novels online. Thousands of glowing reviews praised it as a masterpiece. Wangmo had believed every single one of them. Until tonight.

"...Masterpiece?"

She snorted.

"We'll see."

She resumed reading.

The story had reached its climax. The noble heroine stood elegantly beside the First Prince, while countless zombies surrounded the ruined imperial capital. The entire kingdom had become a sea of blood.

Corpses littered the streets. Smoke billowed into the crimson sky. The heroine looked heartbreakingly beautiful as she sacrificed everything to protect the people.

At least... That was how the author described her.

Meanwhile... The villainess was once again making terrible decisions.

Wangmo covered her face with one hand.

"Oh, come on..."

"No."

"No."

"No!"

"Don't run after him!"

She pointed dramatically at the phone screen.

"Your family's richer than half the kingdom!"

"You own grain stores!"

"You have silver!"

"You have servants!"

"And you're wasting your time confessing your love?"

She almost wanted to crawl into the novel and drag the villainess away by the ear.

"If I knew a zombie apocalypse was coming in one month, I'd empty every grain warehouse before anyone else even realized something was wrong."

Her imagination immediately ran wild.

"Rice..."

"Salt..."

"Cooking oil..."

"Medicine..."

"Seeds..."

"Candles..."

"Horses..."

"Blankets..."

She paused. "...Tea."

"I refuse to live in any world without tea."

Satisfied, she nodded firmly.

"And chili."

"Definitely chili."

The serious expression on her face made it look as though she were discussing national security instead of apocalypse preparations.

She continued reading.

The villainess ignored every warning. Ignored every chance to escape.

Ignored the strange illness spreading among villages.

Ignored suspicious disappearances.

All because...

She wanted the First Prince to look at her.

Wangmo slapped her forehead.

"I can't believe this."

"The apocalypse is literally knocking on your door, and you're worried about romance?"

She buried her face into her pillow before letting out a dramatic groan.

"If I were you..."

"I'd forget the prince."

"I'd rather marry a warehouse full of rice."

Silence filled the room.

Then...

She burst into laughter at her own joke.

Several minutes later...

She reached the final chapter.

The villainess lay on the ground, dressed in crimson robes stained with blood.

The First Prince held his sword without a trace of hesitation. Beside him, the heroine watched calmly, her expression filled with what the author called 'boundless compassion.'

The prince's voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Your greed has brought countless deaths."

The villainess smiled bitterly. She never defended herself. The sword fell.

Everything ended.

A single line appeared on the screen.

"Justice had finally triumphed."

The words remained motionless.

Wangmo stared at them for a long time.

"...Justice?"

She locked her phone and tossed it onto the bed.

"I don't buy it."

She folded her arms.

"The villainess deserved punishment for what she did..."

"...but not like this."

Her gaze drifted toward the moon outside her window.

"What if she had simply stopped chasing the male lead?"

"What if she spent that month preparing instead?"

"What if..."

"...someone gave her another chance?"

The room became strangely quiet. Even the wind outside seemed to stop. A faint white light flickered beyond the window.

Wangmo frowned.

"Hm?"

She rubbed her eyes.

The light vanished.

"...Guess I'm hallucinating."

Yawning, she switched off the bedside lamp. Darkness embraced the room. Only the moonlight painted pale silver patterns across the floor.

Within minutes, Wangmo had fallen asleep, hugging her pillow. The silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Then.....

A tiny white orb appeared above her bed.

It pulsed gently, like a beating heart.

A childish voice echoed inside the room.

"Searching for a designated soul..."

Another voice interrupted immediately.

"Target acquired."

A brief pause followed.

Then....

"Warning."

"Soul identification mismatch."

The glowing orb froze.

"Attempting correction..."

A few seconds later, the calm mechanical voice unexpectedly sounded flustered.

"...Correction failed."

"...Wrong soul selected."

Silence.

Then came a tiny, guilty cough.

"...Oops."

Golden light suddenly blossomed throughout the room, wrapping Wangmo's sleeping figure in countless shimmering threads.

The mysterious voice hurriedly exclaimed, "Emergency compensation protocol activated."

"Binding successful."

"Dimensional transfer commencing."

The light grew brighter...

Brighter...

Until it swallowed the entire room.

Far away...

In another world where towering palace walls kissed the clouds and spring blossoms painted the gardens in shades of pink and white...

A luxurious chamber lay silent.

Delicate silk curtains swayed gently with the morning breeze. The fragrance of sandalwood lingered in the air.

A beautiful young woman dressed in crimson robes sat motionless beside an open window, a half-finished embroidery resting on her lap.

Without warning....

Her body trembled.

The embroidery slipped from her fingers and fell softly onto the polished wooden floor.

Her eyes slowly closed.

At the same instant...

The golden light surrounding Wangmo rushed across countless worlds and disappeared into the young woman's body.

Silence returned.

Several heartbeats later...

The young woman's eyelashes quivered. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

She opened her eyes.

Confusion filled those once proud phoenix like eyes.

"...Where..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"...am I?"

Outside the window, birds sang cheerfully as servants moved about the bustling Wang Manor, completely unaware that fate had quietly changed.

No one knew...

That the soul inside Lady Wangmo was no longer the original owner.

And no one knew...

That in exactly thirty days, the peaceful kingdom would descend into a nightmare where the dead would walk among the living.

Warm sunlight filtered through layers of crimson silk curtains, painting golden patterns across the polished wooden floor.

A gentle breeze slipped through the half-open lattice window, carrying the fragrance of blooming peonies and freshly cut grass from the courtyard below.

Birds chirped cheerfully among the ancient maple trees, their carefree songs filling the quiet morning.

It was a peaceful scene. Far too peaceful.

"...Mmm..."

Wangmo frowned as a dull headache pulsed through her temples. She instinctively reached toward her bedside table.

"My phone..."

Her hand searched the empty air.

Nothing.

She frowned deeper.

"...Where did I put it?"

Still half asleep, she patted around the bed. Instead of touching a charger or her phone...

Her fingertips brushed against smooth silk sheets embroidered with golden phoenixes.

"Huh?"

Her eyes slowly opened.

The unfamiliar ceiling came into view first. Dark wooden beams carved with intricate dragons stretched above her, while a luxurious canopy bed draped in flowing crimson curtains surrounded her from all sides.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Then she sat upright so suddenly that the curtains swayed.

"..."

"...Where am I?"

The room was breathtakingly beautiful. A bronze mirror rested upon a carved sandalwood dressing table.

Rare jade ornaments decorated the shelves.

An elegant guqin stood near the window. Delicate porcelain vases overflowed with fresh plum blossoms.

Everything looked as though it had stepped straight out of an ancient historical drama. There wasn't a single modern object in sight.

"No..."

"This can't be..."

She hurried off the bed.

Her bare feet touched the cool wooden floor as she stumbled toward the bronze mirror. The reflection staring back froze her in place.

A young woman with flawless porcelain skin.

Long black hair cascading like silk.

Bright phoenix-shaped eyes.

Delicate cherry-red lips.

A tiny beauty mark beneath her right eye.

She was stunning. Almost unreal.

Wangmo slowly lifted a trembling hand.

The woman in the mirror did the same.

"..."

"I..."

"I really transmigrated."

Just then.....

A violent pain exploded inside her head.

"Ah!"

She staggered backward, clutching her temples. Fragments of memories flooded into her mind.

Laughter.

Banquets.

Arguments.

A handsome prince.

Jealousy.

Loneliness.

Heartbreak.

The memories came faster and faster until they merged with her own.

Several long moments later... The pain finally faded.

Wangmo remained standing silently.

"So..."

She whispered softly.

"My name is still Wangmo."

The original body's name was also Wangmo.

The only daughter of the Wang family. The richest grain merchants in Tianyun Kingdom.

Spoiled by her parents since childhood. Loved by her elder brothers. Admired for her beauty.

Yet...

Everything changed after she fell hopelessly in love with the First Prince. Trying to gain his affection, she constantly opposed the novel's heroine.

Every trap.

Every misunderstanding.

Every mistake.

Eventually...

She became the notorious villainess hated by everyone.

Wangmo let out a helpless sigh.

"What a terrible way to live."

She couldn't even bring herself to hate the original owner.

The original Wangmo wasn't born evil. She had simply loved the wrong person. And trusted the wrong people.

She walked back toward the dressing table.

Among the neatly arranged jewelry boxes lay a folded calendar written in elegant brush strokes.

Almost absentmindedly, she picked it up.

The moment her eyes landed on today's date....

Her pupils shrank.

"..."

"..."

"...Thirty days."

Exactly thirty days before the zombie apocalypse.

Thirty days before the first infected villager appeared outside the capital.

Thirty days before entire cities fell overnight.

Thirty days before civilization collapsed.

She stared at the calendar for several seconds.

Then...

A slow smile spread across her face.

"I still have time."

She laughed softly.

The sound echoed through the empty chamber.

"I actually have time!"

In the original novel, the villainess had spent this entire month following Wangdi around like a lovesick fool.

Confessing.

Jealous of the heroine.

Creating misunderstandings.

Wasting every precious day.

By the time the zombies appeared...

It was already too late.

Wangmo crossed her arms.

"Not me."

She shook her head decisively.

"I don't want the male lead."

She paused.

"...Actually..."

"I don't even want to see him."

A prince couldn't be eaten. A prince couldn't fill an empty stomach.

But rice...

Rice could save lives.

Immediately, her mind switched into planning mode.

"First..."

"Food. Lots of food."

She began counting on her fingers.

"Rice."

"Wheat."

"Salt."

"Cooking oil."

"Dried meat."

"Medicinal herbs."

"Seeds."

"Candles."

"Warm clothing."

"Blankets."

She continued listing supplies under her breath.

"Horses."

"Carriages."

"Farming tools."

"Water barrels."

"Medicines."

"And..."

She suddenly stopped.

"...Tea."

A serious expression appeared on her face.

"As a Bhutanese..."

"I refuse to survive any apocalypse without tea."

She nodded firmly.

"And chili."

"There must be chili."

Her solemn expression made it seem as though tea and chili were more important than the apocalypse itself.

Just then...

Knock.

Knock.

"My Lady?"

A gentle female voice came from outside the room.

"Have you awakened?"

Wangmo immediately composed herself.

"...Come in."

The wooden door opened quietly.

A young maid wearing a pale green dress entered while carrying a silver basin of warm water.

She looked no older than sixteen.

Bright eyes.

Round cheeks.

A warm smile.

She bowed respectfully.

"My Lady, Master and Madam are waiting for you in the dining hall."

Wangmo looked at her carefully.

Then...

Recognition flashed through her eyes.

"Xia He..."

The maid blinked in surprise.

"My Lady remembers this servant's name today?"

Wangmo froze.

She remembered.

Xia He.

The most loyal maid in the entire Wang Manor. When the zombie outbreak began...

Everyone fled. Only Xia He stayed beside the original Wangmo until the very end.

She had sacrificed herself to buy time for her mistress to escape.

In return... The original Wangmo still died at the hands of the zombies.

Wangmo's chest tightened.

Looking at the smiling young girl before her, she silently clenched her fists.

This time...

You won't die.

Not you.

Not my family.

Not anyone I can save.

Outside the window, the manor was full of life.

Servants laughed as they swept fallen petals from the stone pathways.

Guards chatted while changing shifts.

Children of the servants chased one another beneath blooming peach trees.

Everything was peaceful.

Everything was beautiful.

No one knew...

That beneath this tranquil world, an invisible countdown had already begun.

Thirty days remained.

And this time...

The story would no longer follow its original script.

Morning sunlight poured over the sprawling Wang Manor, bathing its black-tiled roofs in a warm golden glow.

Delicate pink petals drifted lazily through the air as a gentle spring breeze swept across the courtyards. The fragrance of blooming peonies mingled with the aroma of freshly steamed buns and congee drifting from the main dining hall.

Servants hurried back and forth along the stone pathways, each carrying trays of food or baskets filled with fresh vegetables gathered from the manor's gardens.

Everything appeared peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Standing outside her bedroom, Wangmo quietly looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar world before her.

The chirping birds...

The smiling servants.

The guards laughing while changing shifts...

In just thirty days...

Many of them would become nothing more than names buried beneath blood and despair.

She slowly clenched her fists.

"Not this time."

Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the crimson sash around her waist and walked toward the dining hall.

Every servant she passed immediately lowered their heads respectfully.

"Good morning, My Lady."

"My Lady."

"My Lady."

Wangmo smiled politely at each of them. The servants blinked in surprise.

Lady Wangmo... Actually smiled?

The arrogant young lady who usually ignored everyone had greeted them back.

Several servants secretly exchanged puzzled glances.

"...Did our young miss wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"...Or perhaps she finally realized smiling doesn't cost silver?"

One elderly maid lightly smacked the younger servant's shoulder.

"Don't gossip."

"...But it really is strange."

Wangmo naturally overheard every word. She simply smiled helplessly.

Looks like the original owner's reputation really was terrible...

The dining hall was magnificent.

Thick sandalwood pillars supported the high ceiling, while delicate paintings of mountains and rivers decorated the walls.

Sunlight streamed through wide lattice windows, illuminating a long dining table already filled with an impressive breakfast.

Steamed buns.

Rice porridge.

Pickled vegetables.

Fresh fruits.

Roasted duck.

Noodles.

Soy milk.

The table alone was enough to feed twenty people.

At the head of the table sat a dignified middle-aged man dressed in dark blue robes.

His features were stern, his eyebrows thick, and although time had added a few strands of silver to his hair, his posture remained straight as a spear.

The head of the Wang family.

Wang Zheng.

Merchant King of Tianyun Kingdom.

The wealthiest grain merchant in the empire.

Beside him sat an elegant woman wearing pale lavender robes.

Her gentle smile carried a warmth that instantly reminded Wangmo of her own mother back in Bhutan.

Madam Li.

Kind.

Patient.

The heart of the Wang family.

Three young men occupied the opposite side of the table. Each possessed different appearances.

Different personalities.

Yet all shared one thing in common.

The moment Wangmo entered..... All three looked toward her.

"Little Sister."

The eldest brother smiled warmly. He was Wang Jun, calm and dependable, the one who managed the family's businesses alongside their father.

The second brother, Wang Rui, leaned lazily against his chair with a teasing grin.

"Finally awake?"

"I was beginning to think you'd slept until next winter."

The youngest brother, Wang Chen, barely eighteen years old, enthusiastically waved both hands.

"Sister!"

"Hurry!"

"The buns are still hot!"

Wangmo stopped walking. Her eyes slowly swept across every familiar face.

These were the people... Who loved the original Wangmo unconditionally.

Even after she repeatedly embarrassed the family by chasing the First Prince...

They never abandoned her.

Instead...

They quietly cleaned up every mess she created.

According to the original novel...

All of them would die.

Her father would sacrifice himself buying time for the family to escape.

Her eldest brother would be bitten while protecting refugees.

Her second brother would die during a grain convoy ambush.

Her youngest brother... Never even reached adulthood.

A lump formed in Wangmo's throat.

Without realizing it... Her eyes became slightly red.

Madam Li immediately stood up.

"Wangmo?"

She hurried over.

"My child."

"Did someone bully you?"

Before Wangmo could answer....

Her three brothers had already risen from their seats.

The second brother rolled up his sleeves.

"Who was it?"

"I'll break his legs."

The youngest brother nodded fiercely.

"I'll help!"

The eldest brother sighed.

"You two..."

Then he looked at Wangmo with concern.

"Little Sister, tell us."

Father Wang quietly put down his teacup. His voice remained calm.

"...Who made my daughter cry?"

The atmosphere inside the dining hall instantly changed. The servants lowered their heads.

Everyone knew.

Although Master Wang was famous throughout the kingdom as a fair businessman...

He became terrifying whenever his precious daughter was wronged. Looking at the worried expressions surrounding her...

Wangmo suddenly laughed.

"...No one bullied me."

She rubbed the corners of her eyes.

"I was just..."

"...happy."

Everyone froze.

"...Happy?"

Second Brother whispered toward the eldest.

"...Did our sister hit her head?"

The youngest secretly nodded.

"I think so."

Father Wang frowned.

Madam Li gently touched Wangmo's forehead.

"...You're not sick."

Wangmo couldn't help laughing even harder.

"...I'm really fine."

She looked around the table. At her family.

A warmth she hadn't expected slowly spread through her heart.

So this...

...is what having such a big family feels like.

Back in Thimphu, she had always wished for siblings.

Now...

She suddenly had three overprotective brothers. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"Come."

Madam Li gently held her hand.

"Breakfast first."

"No matter what happened..."

"...We'll solve it together."

Those simple words almost made Wangmo cry again. She silently nodded.

"...Mm."

As everyone took their seats once more, laughter gradually returned to the dining hall.

No one noticed...

That Wangmo's gaze occasionally drifted toward the windows.

Beyond the peaceful gardens.

Beyond the bustling streets of the capital.

An invisible countdown had already begun.

29 Days, 23 Hours, 42 Minutes...

Although no one else could see it.

Someone or something was quietly watching.

And deep within Wangmo's soul...

A tiny golden light pulsed for the very first time.

As if it had finally gathered enough strength to awaken.