Parasitic Spirit
I am a Parasitic Spirit, lying dormant within different bodies.
Sometimes an angel, sometimes a demon.
1
Before that day, I never imagined such a thing could happen.
It was simply too bizarre, too incredible!
Christine was the happiest woman I'd ever met, because she'd married a good husband. In all their years of marriage, he'd always cherished and spoiled her. When they went out together, they always walked hand in hand, so intimate they seemed like newlyweds.
Whenever I saw them, I was consumed with envy.
I wasn't as lucky. I'd married a scoundrel—not just a drunkard and gambler, but a domestic abuser too.
I could honestly say the bruises on my body never had a chance to heal. He was skilled at hitting me where no one could see, delivering blows that left me suffering in silent helplessness.
I ran a laundry shop, and Christine often dropped off clothes for dry cleaning. One day, on a whim, I put on one of her outfits, imagining what it would feel like to be as happy as she was...
Then, a miracle occurred—I saw my reflection in the mirror, and I had transformed into her!
I could hardly believe my eyes. I rubbed them vigorously.
No mistake—I had truly become her! Rosy cheeks, smiling lips, radiating happiness from head to toe...
2
I was terrified. I quickly pulled off the clothes. I looked in the mirror again, and I was back to my old self—the same pale face and lifeless eyes.
How could this be? Was it the clothes? I gathered my courage and put the outfit back on. Sure enough, I transformed into Christine again.
It was definitely the clothes!
What about other people's clothes? Would they work the same way?
Driven by curiosity, I picked up another customer's garment...
In the mirror, I had become a man!
That day, I tried on every piece of clothing in my shop. Without exception, each one transformed me into its owner...
I'd once seen a fantasy film called The Cobbler. A shoe repairman, through a stroke of luck, gained a magical power—whenever he put on someone's shoes, he'd become that person and experience their life...
I never imagined that I, too, would possess such a magical gift!
3
After that, I began this fascinating game. Men and women, rich and poor—each transformation opened a new world...
I was like a parasitic spirit, lying dormant in different bodies, looking down upon the world of dust, mocking the teeming masses of ordinary mortals!
There was a wealthy woman who always carried an air of loftiness, claiming her clothes were all international luxury brands, and if I ruined them, I couldn't afford to pay even if she sold me.
I could only smile and fawn, agreeing with everything she said. You didn't cross clients like her—my daughter Bella's tuition depended on this income.
One day she came to pick up clothes just as I was eating lunch. Seeing my bowl of hot and sour noodles, she shrieked as if she'd been stung: "My God, you're eating that stuff? Won't my nice clothes reek?"
I scrambled to explain that all laundered clothes were sealed in bags and wouldn't be affected... I even gave her a discount to calm her down.
After she left, I grew angrier the more I thought about it. Getting scolded just for eating noodles—was this any way to live? When I picked up her clothes, a wicked idea flashed through my mind...
So I put on her outfit and went out!
4
Not long afterward, a piece of news went viral: a wealthy socialite, wearing a designer coat worth tens of thousands, was caught shoplifting at a supermarket—and what she stole was nothing but a few yuan's worth of stinky tofu...
When security caught her, she kept denying it, until they searched her designer handbag and found the jar of stinky tofu inside...
Some bystander recorded the scene and uploaded it online. The socialite's identity was uncovered, and she was utterly humiliated...
She must have been baffled. How did she become a thief?
When she came to collect her clothes, she was a shadow of her former arrogant self. She'd wrapped a silk scarf around her face and wore oversized sunglasses, covering herself up like a mummy—clearly afraid of being recognized.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. When I handed over her clothes, I noticed two scratch marks on the back of her hand. I looked closer and froze...
During my confrontation with security, I'd accidentally injured my hand. The scratches on her hand were identical to mine... Could injuries transfer as well?
Seeing me stare at her hand, the socialite self-consciously pulled it back. "What are you looking at? Don't you have hands of your own?" Then, with a huff, she asked, "Have you lent my clothes to anyone else recently?"
"I wouldn't dare touch clients' belongings," I denied flatly.
She hesitated for a moment, then left.
Clearly, she suspected someone had been impersonating her. But the injury on her hand made her discard that theory—after all, it was real, on her own body.
Having done something she couldn't remember, she probably assumed she was losing her mind!
Hmph. Served her right! After this experience, let's see if she'd dare act so haughty again!
5
Later, I used the same method to teach another person a lesson.
There was a famous entrepreneur who did charity work every day but ignored his elderly mother. She was his adoptive mother, who had raised him by scavenging scrap. Once he became successful, he started looking down on her scavenging ways, gave her a sum of money, and cut all ties.
His adoptive mother grew older, living in misery. When she fell ill, there was no one to care for her, and she just suffered through it alone at home...
I couldn't stand by anymore. I wanted to help her.
This entrepreneur was also a regular customer at my shop. When he came to pick up his clothes, I gave him a cup of drugged coffee. After he drank it and fell asleep, I put on his clothes, took his car, and drove to a charity gala that evening.
At the gala, "I" confessed to abandoning my adoptive mother and pledged to change my ways and care for her properly...
Afterward, I drove back, returned the clothes, stuffed him into his car, and left him on some random road.
When he woke up and learned what had happened, he probably thought he'd had an out-of-body experience!
Under pressure from public opinion, he had no choice but to treat his adoptive mother well. That poor old woman finally had a proper home...
As she was being driven away, I felt genuinely happy for her.
I decided that from now on, I would use my magical gift to help more people in need...
6
One day, Christine came by again.
Christine's other role was as Bella's elementary school teacher. She once again gently reminded me to pay more attention to Bella, saying she always seemed troubled, far more than a child her age should be.
I knew why.
My husband Ray had a terrible temper. Toward us mother and daughter, it was nothing but hitting and cursing. Living under that kind of constant pressure had taken its toll on Bella, both physically and emotionally...
But I was powerless.
I'd tried to file for divorce before, but Ray flatly refused, threatening that if I dared, he'd take us all down with him!
When he said that, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a rabid beast ready to devour someone.
I caved.
Even if I wasn't afraid of death, I had to think of my daughter.
7
Before marriage, I'd had a great love. His name was Howard—gentle, refined, and scholarly. Just as we were preparing for our wedding, an incident occurred. That incident completely derailed the course of my life...
One night, I was dragged into some bushes and raped. When word got out, my reputation was destroyed. Not wanting to drag Howard down, I broke up with him.
Later, Ray—the plumber—appeared. He said he didn't mind my past and wanted to take care of me for the rest of my life. In my despair, I settled for him. And my life slid into an even darker abyss...
After we married, Ray changed his tune. He weaponized my past against me. Whenever I displeased him, he'd drag it out and use it to berate me. Through his twisted framing, I became a shameless woman who'd seduced men of my own accord...
He felt cursed to have married me, so he channeled all his resentment into his fists, beating it out on me... He even resented my daughter by association, beating her too.
How should I describe my marriage? Like falling into a terrifying swamp. Unable to pull myself out, with no one coming to rescue me, I could only stand there helplessly as I sank ever deeper into despair...
I truly regretted giving birth to my daughter. Otherwise, I could have just ended it all.