Have you ever had a lucid dream? That odd feeling of knowing you are somewhere you were not before? The murky consciousness between wakefulness and a sudden snapping of awareness? This was not like that at all.
This was more like waking up after having one too many beers with the co-workers because you thought you could out-drink the new hire nicknamed Iron-Liver-Iroh. Bad idea. But not the first time either. I pushed myself off the ground to a sitting position and tried not to lose my lunch. Or is it dinner?
I force open my eyes, and after blinking away the blurriness, I start to take in my surroundings. Beneath me were polished wooden floors. The walls were pure white and lined with torches. There, in front of me was a large, imposing door. Black in color and decorated with what seemed to be gold. To the left and right of me were long hallways. The windows along the walls let the light of the moon in, creating a somewhat ethereal feeling.
'A dream?'
A quick pinch to my inner thigh and attempting to breathe through my nose dissuaded me from that notion. I then noticed that I seemed to be dressed in a robe. It was dark with a gold trim not dissimilar to that of the door in front of me.
'Alright. Not a dream. I just happened to go from sleeping comfortably on my floor to sleeping not so comfortably on some stranger's floor'
"Cool."
I then notice that my voice sounds different and I have an accent while speaking English.
"Great."
Just as I was rising from the ground, hoping to get some answers or at least some water to wash this rank taste from my mouth, I heard the sounds of a woman screaming behind the door in front of me.
"FANTASTIC!"
I can't help but raise my voice. Either I am going crazy, I am having some kind of coma dream, I got summoned, or I transmigrated. And there is possibly a woman being tortured behind this door. None of those options seemed great at the moment as I tried my hardest not to freak out.
As the reality of my situation sinks in, the door opens, revealing a middle-aged woman with her hair tied in a bun. She wore a white robe and gloves on her hands. Her eyes quickly found mine, and a tired smile appeared on her face. She spoke in a language that seemed unfamiliar to my ears, yet I understood the meaning behind it.
"Lord Meng! The child is about to be born; please come in. Even if she denies it, every wife wants the husband there when she gives birth."
Without another word, she turns around, leaving the door open behind her.
'Husband? Child? Who's?'
Cautiously, I enter the room following the woman. After entering, I see a woman on the bed. Long black hair and sweat clung to her oddly perfect face. Wearing a white robe and covered with a blanket, she lies there breathing deeply. I must have made a sound because she opened her eyes to look at me. Ruby-red and unnaturally bright eyes stared at my face. For some reason her face grew confused before it scrunched up in pain, and the screaming resumed.
"Lady Meng Mei, you are going great! Remember deep breaths and push!"
The nurse spoke loudly but calmly to this Ming Mei, who was obviously giving birth. I say, obviously, due to the scene before me that could knock out a lesser man if described in detail. As it was, I just did as I always did when overwhelmed. I leaned against the wall and went to my happy place.
'Yes Ms. Aniston, I would like to see your trailer.'
'Ms. Ito, isn't the moon beautiful tonight?'
'Ms. Yifei, want to see my cat do a backflip?'
My happy place was shattered by the screeching of a baby.
"Congratulations, Lord Meng and Lady Meng. You have a perfectly healthy son."
The nurse had just finished wiping the infant off and handed them to their mother, where the child began to feed. The scene, if drawn by an artist, would undoubtedly earn several awards. As I was no artist, I just stood there awkwardly from my place near the door, not knowing what to do. These were strangers. People I don't know but are apparently my wife and child. Looking around, I found a chair near the bed but still close to the door. The nurse watched my actions and laughed.
"Lord Meng, men are all so similar. You are reacting just like my husband after our first."
My lips formed the customer service smile I had perfected over my 15-year career as a salesman. The room lapsed into a quiet that one could even say was peaceful, if not for my confusion ruining the scene.
'Well, sitting here isn't going to change anything or get me more information.'
I stood up and walked closer to the woman holding the child and looked closer. The child had his mother's face and, strangely enough, my nose. As in my actual nose.
'Did I look the same here?'
My thoughts ground to a halt when the baby finished eating and opened their eyes. He had reddish brown eyes that glowed in the dim light. We made eye contact, and the world faded away. He was so small. Untouched by the filth of the world. So full of life and potential to be shaped. And I could feel it in my bones.
'This is my child.'
My hand had unknowingly reached out for him, and his hand wrapped around my finger. It was right then I knew.
"I would die to protect you."
I heard noise around me, but I tuned it out. How was he so perfect?
A pat on my shoulder started me back to the present. I looked to my side and saw the nurse give me another smile.
"Lord Meng, I am sure the young master would be happy to hear that. But before you think about dying, shouldn't you give him a name?"
"A name?" I muttered. I stood still for a second. Any baby name I thought of didn't suit the culture I found myself in. I doubt David, Francis, or Todd would work.
"Feng." A weak voice muttered from the bed. As I looked at her, she seemed so tired, but her eyes seemed to dare me to disagree.
For a second the nurse looked from Meng Mei to me, looking worried. Before she could say anything, I spoke.
"Meng Feng. I like it." It seemed a bit silly to me, but it strangely fit. I smiled as I played with little Feng's hand.
Before I could spend more time with my son, the nurse cleared her throat.
"Lord Meng, the young master and the lady have had a long day. Perhaps we should give them some time to rest. I assure you they will still be here in the morning."
My smile faded, and reluctantly, I withdrew my hand from my son's grip. Meng Mei kept that puzzled look on her face the whole time. I gave her an awkward smile and stepped back.
"I'll see you two tomorrow."
I then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me and began walking.
"Now where am I going?" I muttered as I walked down the unfamiliar hall.
After walking for a while I began to see a few doors on either side of the hall. The first one was a storage shed, the second a kitchen, and the third a small bedroom lightly decorated.
'It will do for tonight.'
I climbed into the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the last hour. I woke up in what seems to be a mansion, with a beautiful wife and a perfect newborn son. I'm likely rich, considering that nurse was calling me "Lord Meng." That means no more sales calls, no kissing up to superiors for a raise that never happens, no more renting crappy apartments, and no more late nights playing single-player!
"Did I hit the jackpot?"
I honestly can't see how today could get any better.
[Detected Stranded Soul]
Instantly, I sit up in shock. No way I'm that lucky!
[Generating Transmigration Support Tool]
[Generating 1%]
A smile stretched across my face. I was smiling so hard my face was starting to hurt. Today is the best day of my life. Now I just have to wait until this finishes loading.
{1 hour later}
[Generating 9%]
My smile was a little shaky at this point. On one hand, I want to complain. But on the other hand—
"Whatever. I'll just check it out in the morning."
I rolled over and closed my eyes. For the first time since I was a kid, I genuinely could not wait until I woke up.
After a second, my eyes snapped open.
'Wait if I had a son then that means..'
"Damn it! Why didn't I get her nine months ago?! How come I had to miss the fun part of having a child?!"