Ram opened his eyes with some difficulty, the splitting headache making him extremely uncomfortable. "What's going on? My head hurts so much. Is this what it's like when a person dies?" Ram groaned softly.
"Ram? You're awake! Mom was so worried." Just as Ram was about to react, an anxious, doting voice came, followed by a pair of gentle arms embracing him.
"Ram? Mom? What exactly is going on?" Gradually, Ram finally sobered up.
But didn't his parents die in a car accident long ago? How could he have a mother? With a puzzled heart, Ram turned his head slightly and saw a middle-aged couple, over forty, standing beside him, staring at him with faces full of concern.
"Dad, Mom?" Ram looked at the two with some confusion. There was indeed a sense of déjà vu, but as it was his first time meeting the people closest to him in this timeline, he was still a bit slow to adapt.
"Ram," the woman looked at the dazed Ram with a face full of worry and tears in her eyes. Her choked words and sorrowful tone made Ram feel a pang of sadness. The middle-aged man also wore a look of deep concern.
Feeling the crystal tears from the woman's reddened eyes dampen the shoulder of his shirt, Ram's gaze grew even more bewildered. Despite her choked voice, the woman's words were quite clear.
Ram turned his head slightly and carefully surveyed his surroundings, hoping to find familiar memories in his mind. However, the scene around him made him even more lost and helpless.
A typical bedroom that also served as a study, with a few movie posters hanging on the white walls and some slightly worn furniture. "Where is this? This isn't my bedroom!" Ram immediately noticed the anomaly. He was certain this was absolutely not his Room.
But why was he here? Ram couldn't help but feel a surge of doubt. Gradually, as his thoughts returned, a memory that didn't originally belong to him began to appear in his mind.
After comparing the two sets of memories, Ram's experience had a specific term: rebirth.
In his previous life, after his parents died in a car accident, he relied on insurance compensation and family savings to complete his high school and university education. Aside from a few good friends, he had no other relatives, so he cherished the people around him very much. Although he was orphaned at a young age, he wasn't self-pitying; instead, he developed an optimistic, cheerful, somewhat cunning, and slightly mischievous personality.
After graduating from the directing department of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he worked for several years but remained an unknown, practically indistinguishable from a gopher on set. The entertainment industry was simply too difficult to navigate.
In the entertainment industry, there were always some actors that everyone looked down upon, yet they occupied the leading male and female roles in your favorite TV dramas. You would grit your teeth, wishing to "annihilate" them, but they would remain resilient, as if they had consumed some amrit, and their staying power was remarkable.
"Is this even fair?!" Ram gnashed his teeth countless times.
Then, on a rainy night, he was struck by lightning while answering a phone call and was electrocuted. Ram, who should have died without a doubt, never expected that fate would give him another chance.
It allowed him to transmigrate into this Native American family in Los Angeles, USA. The name of this body was also Ram, but unlike his previous life where his parents died early, he now had loving parents.
The middle-aged man standing by the bed was Jay Mishra, the father of this body, and the sorrowful middle-aged woman from earlier was his mother, Radha. The couple ran a Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. Though not wealthy, their family lived in harmony and warmth.
Ram, in this life, had also been electrocuted and fell into a coma while changing an exhaust fan at the family restaurant, which led to his body being occupied by the newcomer.
After understanding all this, looking at the deeply concerned couple standing by the bed, Ram suddenly felt a sense of guilt. He wanted to tell the middle-aged couple about this, but seeing their sad faces, if he told them the truth—that he wasn't their son, but a transmigrator—would they think he was crazy? Ram's words reached his lips but he couldn't utter them.
"Ram, how are you?" Radha asked with concern, seeing Ram on the bed looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
Didn't he, Ram, once have such a happy family, with a pair of parents who cared for and loved him?
Ram felt the profound concern of the middle-aged woman, and his eyes also grew moist. He called out somewhat awkwardly and hoarsely, "Mom, I'm fine, just a bit of a headache."
Upon hearing Ram speak, his tense mood eased slightly. As a mother, Radha, out of doting affection and trust in her son, didn't think too much of his unusual behavior. At that moment, her heart was filled only with the joy of her son waking up.
"A headache? Is it serious? Maybe Mom should take you to the hospital." Radha, seeing Ram had a headache, couldn't help but express her worry again. "It's okay, it's much better now. No need to go to the hospital. I'll be fine after a little rest."
"Then you rest first. Your dad and I won't disturb you." Seeing her son wanted to rest, Radha quickly pulled her husband and said. Father Jay Mishra, hearing Radha's words, also quickly added, "Yes, you should rest quickly. Your mom and I will go out first."
"En, I'm doing very well now. Since I'm already awake, you two don't need to worry anymore." Ram's emotions churned, and he forced a comforting smile at Radha.
After watching the two leave the Room, Ram finally let out a long breath. A gentle breeze stirred the curtains, carrying the refreshing scent of grass after the rain. Ram stared blankly out the window, immersed in this strange atmosphere, as if trying to clear his mind.
Struggling to control his wavering consciousness, Ram truly didn't know whether he should be overjoyed, at a loss, or simply experiencing false hope. But reality told him that this was real; he had truly transmigrated, his soul occupying this body.
Looking at the calendar on the wall, it clearly displayed the date: June 1995. Although his expression remained unchanged, his heart couldn't help but pound rapidly.
In the past, Ram had read some web novels, but only to pass the time, and he didn't believe in plot devices like transmigration. But when it actually happened to him, Ram truly realized how immense the shock of transmigration was!
The unfamiliar country and environment made Ram feel very lost at this moment. "Damn lightning, how could its power be so great? It can strike a person from India to the United States, and from 2025 to 1995."
How should he live his life from now on? Should he inherit his parents' restaurant? At this moment, Ram himself didn't realize that he had gradually accepted the parents of this body; otherwise, he wouldn't have even thought about inheriting the restaurant. This might be due to the influence of the previous owner's memories.
He didn't know how much time passed before a wave of fatigue washed over him, and Ram drifted off to sleep in a daze.
Waking up, Ram felt well-rested. Remembering that he still had to face an unfamiliar world, he couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, since I'm here, I'll make the best of it." After getting up and washing, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, carefully examining the appearance and build of this body.
He had a handsome face, fair skin, deep eyes, and short, Curly hair. The overall combination made him appear very masculine and full of manly charm.
Because he had practiced martial arts at a Indian martial arts academy since childhood, Ram's physique was strong and robust. In his previous life, while Ram wasn't ugly, he couldn't be considered handsome, and physically, although he had joined a martial arts club in college, he couldn't compare to this body, which had practiced martial arts since childhood.
From the memories, he learned that the previous owner of the body had been learning martial arts since childhood and had excellent aptitude. According to martial arts terminology, he had already reached the peak of Kalaripayattu (Verumkai) , which was quite remarkable for a young man not yet twenty-one.
He tried moving around and found his strength to be good and his movements very flexible. His ligaments, in particular, were well-maintained; he could even perform difficult moves like a forward kick. Feeling the condition of his body, Ram's mood improved considerably.
Having lived alone since junior high, Ram did not lack the courage to face such a sudden rebirth.
The Mishra family's financial situation was quite good; they had enough to eat and drink, and some savings. The house they lived in was spacious, and the family restaurant was near the residence, only a few minutes' walk away.