Shen Yuling didn’t know how much more ruthless she could be. In her first life, she had never killed anyone. In her second life, the first person she killed was Liu Jingyi.
“Miss Shen, I hope you can help me.”
For a moment, Shen Yuling couldn’t tell whether she was dreaming or already awake.
Yet everything before her eyes—the existence of the system, the woman also named Shen Yuling standing before her, and every detail she recounted—felt all too real.
So real that Shen Yuling couldn’t dismiss it as an illusory dream.
Shen Yuling circled around “Shen Yuling,” her gaze scrutinizing the other woman.
Her own pure and lovely appearance had grown somewhat tiresome over time.
Look at “Shen Yuling”—her figure graceful, her face enchanting. If used for acting, it would surely be more interesting.
Moreover…
The story “Shen Yuling” told was indeed challenging and full of difficulties.
Such a thrilling life actually sparked Shen Yuling’s interest in the so-called transmigration.
“Agreeing to transmigrate isn’t impossible, but before I agree, I have a few questions for you.”
“Please ask, Miss Shen.”
“Are your targets of revenge only Liu Jingyi and Liu Shihan?”
Shen Yuling narrowed her eyes.
“Of course not!”
“There’s also… Feng Moheng!”
When mentioning Feng Moheng, “Shen Yuling’s” expression turned icy, with disgust and hatred flickering in her eyes.
Seeing this, Shen Yuling couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
At least this woman wasn’t blinded by love.
A man who wavered and juggled between two women was the true source of all tragedy.
Shen Yuling continued asking, “What about that Emperor?”
These two men were the only ones who had entangled themselves deeply with the “Shen Yuling” before her.
“Him…”
“Shen Yuling” paused slightly, as if carefully choosing her words.
“I actually didn’t interact with him much. He was the lofty Emperor, and my affairs had nothing to do with him.”
“However, in my second life after rebirth, I wanted to use his power to seek revenge.”
“But no matter how hard I tried to seduce him, he remained unmoved.”
“No, I should say, which woman in the inner palace didn’t wish to gain the Emperor’s favor? Sadly, not a single woman could occupy a place in his heart.”
Shen Yuling felt genuinely helpless toward figures like emperors.
From a modern perspective, an emperor was nothing but a “rotten cucumber.”
He merely saw women as tools to balance the court and produce royal heirs. Could such a person be worth marrying?
Unless one only sought power and status.
But according to “Shen Yuling,” this Emperor had achieved remarkable accomplishments for the nation.
The two starkly different evaluations of “good emperor” and “rotten cucumber” clashing together left her feeling utterly confused.
It seemed impossible to judge someone in the position of an emperor from any single moral standpoint, because such a person’s life was never truly their own.
The system, listening nearby as the two girls began discussing the Qian Yuan Emperor, grew anxious.
“You must not touch the Qian Yuan Emperor!”
Shen Yuling couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“He’s the Emperor—what could I possibly do to him? Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the capability.”
The system hurriedly explained.
“You may not know this, but this world was originally set with the Great Male Protagonist Line of the Qian Yuan Emperor unifying the four nations. His achievements are enough to make his name immortalized in history, truly a magnificent imperial legend.”
“Only later did the romance line between the male and female protagonists gradually emerge.”
“This great male protagonist is the Qian Yuan Emperor, Quan Minghe, while the initial romance line was set between Feng Moheng and ‘Shen Yuling,’ though it later changed to Feng Moheng and Liu Jingyi.”
At this point, the system paused briefly.
“Every world has its predetermined storyline, which absolutely cannot be easily altered.”
“Take this romance line, for example. Because Liu Jingyi replaced ‘Shen Yuling,’ the world did not collapse.”
“But if something goes wrong with the Great Male Protagonist Line, and there is no capable person to replace Quan Minghe, the entire world would collapse.”
Shen Yuling curled her lips.
“Quan Minghe… truly a name befitting a great male protagonist. ‘Ming’ below, ‘He’ above.”
The system listened to Shen Yuling’s muttering but didn’t quite understand.
“What does that mean?”
“Shen Yuling” also looked confused, her innocent fox-like eyes gazing curiously at Shen Yuling.
Seeing this, Shen Yuling sighed softly.
She remarked with emotion, “‘Ming’ below, ‘He’ above. This phrase means the greatness and radiance of the heavens shine upon the mortal world, with brilliance and distinction manifesting in the sky.”
“Just listen to this name—every character exudes an unparalleled aura of nobility, truly worthy of being set as the great male protagonist.”
After experiencing the frustration of being nominated for Best Actress three times but never winning, she had grown to despise these so-called protagonist auras.
It seemed that no matter how hard others tried, they could never reach the starting line of those born with innate luck.
Nothing in the world is as unfair as this.
Yet, after hearing “Shen Yuling’s” story, she couldn’t help but feel another wave of emotion.
Perhaps reincarnation truly is the accumulation of blessings from one’s previous life.
Gains come with losses, causes lead to effects—why should she be so fixated on it?
Doing her best within her capabilities is enough.
Of course, luck also plays a part in this world.
Take Liu Jingyi’s transmigration, for example. Wasn’t it an extremely rare event, a tiny probability among countless small worlds in the galaxy?
A one-in-a-billion chance, almost negligible.
As for someone like her, who flutters about aimlessly, it’s better not to expect luck to descend without reason.
Doing her best within her abilities, and as for the final outcome, she could have expectations but also needed to take it lightly. Only then could she live freely and unrestrained.
“Alright, I’ve finished asking about the matters concerning the involved parties.”
“Next, it’s your turn, dear system.”
The system was stunned for a moment, then felt a hint of delight.
The future host actually thinks I’m cute.
“Host, please feel free to ask. I will answer all your questions without reservation and do my utmost to resolve your doubts.”
Shen Yuling slightly raised her gaze, looking directly at the softly glowing system interface.
“If I complete the mission, can I return directly to this world?”
“Of course, Host. Rest assured, I will safely and accurately bring you back. You don’t need to worry about that at all. You can even freely choose the time of your return.”
Shen Yuling nodded gently.
“What about the timeline of the return? I mean, do the two worlds share the same flow of time?”
“Host, ten years over there is equivalent to just one day here. So even if you spend a long time there, not much time will have passed here when you return. You don’t need to worry about this, Host.”
Shen Yuling nodded again. That was good.
She didn’t want to come back as an old woman. She was quite satisfied with her appearance—it served her well when she needed to deceive others.
“If I unfortunately die in that world, will I have another chance?”
“That won’t be possible.”
“Host, if you truly die in that world, you will vanish completely. I won’t be able to bring you back, so please be very careful.”
Shen Yuling’s expression stiffened slightly.
As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch. This seemingly tempting task still carried significant risks.
She fell silent for a moment.
“If I successfully complete the task, can I really have three wishes granted?”
“Yes, Host. As long as you complete the task, I will definitely fulfill three wishes for you as promised. You can rest assured about that.”
“Good. I’ve asked all the questions I have.”
“Now, I have two conditions. As long as you can agree to these two conditions, I will accept this task.”
“Please go ahead, Host. But I must remind you, your conditions cannot be too far-fetched. My abilities are also limited.”
“My first condition is that after I go to that world, I hope you, this adorable system, can transform into my maid and stay by my side, assisting me in completing the task.”
After all, Shen Yuling came from a completely different world. Having someone by her side who understood her language and whom she could fully trust would at least prevent her from feeling too lonely. Moreover, she could also make the most of the system’s remaining value. Why not?
Upon hearing this condition, the pure white space seemed to fall silent for a moment, as if the system had never encountered such a situation before.
Shen Yuling didn’t rush it, quietly giving the system time to consider.
The system quickly sent a message to its superiors about the situation.
After receiving an affirmative reply, it happily responded, “That’s possible!”
It even felt a hint of anticipation.
After all, it had never taken on a human form before.
“My second condition is that I hope to be transported to the moment when ‘Shen Yuling’ was just born.”
Shen Yuling had always been the type to make thorough preparations in advance after setting a goal for herself.
The first step was to fully integrate into that world, clearly understand its rules and principles, and learn what kind of person was considered truly outstanding there. Only then could she strive to become outstanding herself and better complete the task.
The system answered decisively, without hesitation.
“Alright.”
“But…”
The system hesitated.
“Just say what you have to say.”
Shen Yuling was a straightforward person and disliked others being indecisive.
“You will share all the life experiences and emotions of the original female lead. The unbearable pain she endured, the agony of unfulfilled desires—everything she went through, you will have to experience firsthand.”
The system’s words finally poured out all at once.
Shen Yuling fell silent.
Originally, she thought she was merely an observer of the story, there to save the original female lead, but…
Back when she had just entered the entertainment industry, she wasn’t very good at acting. In order to portray someone else’s life convincingly, she would force herself to immerse in the love, hatred, and emotions of the character she was playing.
Now, it was just a deeper form of sharing. The more she immersed herself in the role, the better she could achieve her goal.
“Alright, let’s share.”
Truth be told, Shen Yuling was not without desires. She wasn’t indifferent to the three wishes the system mentioned either, but if she revealed her desires too early, her bargaining chips would diminish.
That’s why Shen Yuling always presented herself as impervious to all temptations.
Among the three wishes, there was one she absolutely had to fulfill—she wanted to see someone again…
So, this mission—she was determined to take it on!