Seaside City, a high-end private villa.
White silk curtains swayed gently in the breeze, casting faint, shifting shadows.
Before the expansive floor-to-ceiling window, wisps of blue smoke curled upward from the reddish-brown sandalwood furniture. A man sat with a relaxed yet measured posture, his gaze piercingly cold.
“Remember, you are merely a substitute.”
Ge Yan opened her blurry eyes, first hearing the man’s pleasant voice.
Wait…
Ge Yan: “?”
Hadn’t she already died?
She died on her first trip out of the village for a business engagement—just after memorizing the program script, she was struck and sent flying by a large truck.
“Woman, do you understand?”
Only then did Ge Yan look up, sitting up from the bed, her entire body aching.
Standing by the window was a man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that exuded an air of restrained desire. His face was nothing short of a masterpiece carved by the gods.
Waking up to see such a handsome man should have thrilled Ge Yan to death.
But Ge Yan—didn’t recognize him.
As a wildly popular non-heritage handicraft influencer with millions of followers, Ge Yan had repeatedly gone viral by reviving and passing down nearly lost traditional non-heritage crafts. She had been invited to the annual Top 100 Influencers gala and had barely taken a bite of the entertainment industry’s tempting feast before… she died?
But it seemed she hadn’t died completely.
With a sudden “buzz” in her mind, a chaotic flood of plotlines rushed into Ge Yan’s memory, like a revolving lantern.
After sorting everything out, Ge Yan understood.
She had transmigrated into a book.
And not just any book—she had become the mute female lead in a tragic substitute romance novel.
The female lead even shared her name: Ge Yan.
The good news was that Ge Yan was also in the entertainment industry.
The bad news was that her reputation was terrible.
According to her memories, this was after the original host had offended the female antagonist, been thrown into a swimming pool by the male lead, nearly drowned, lost consciousness, was discharged from the hospital, and had just woken up…
“Hmm? Speak?”
Ge Yan snapped back to reality and looked at the man.
The male lead of this book, Shen Yuanming.
Why call him Shen Yuanming? Might as well call him Shen the Fool.
Young and already blinded, foolishly treating a green tea girl as his one true love.
Ge Yan frowned. “Say what?”
Shen Yuanming seemed not to understand. After a moment, his handsome face darkened.
“Ge Yan, what are you doing?”
Looking over, Ge Yan had already rolled out of bed and was heading toward the wardrobe.
Doing what?
Stay here and continue to be mistreated?
She wasn’t helpless or disabled. Born as a human, she stood tall and proud! Even if she died outside today or jumped from here, Ge Yan would not spend another day living in this place.
She was starting her antics again, playing the game of running away from home, feigning indifference to stir desire.
The man wearily pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone icy:
“If you don’t compete with Cen Yan for this role, five million.”
As soon as Shen Yuanming finished speaking, he was startled by a sudden noise and opened his eyes.
He saw Ge Yan execute a graceful diving motion back onto the bed.
“With a thunderous roar from the heavens, this humble servant will do whatever Master Shen arranges!”
Shen Yuanming: “…”
After a moment to process, Shen Yuanming slowly stood up and gently adjusted his impeccably tailored suit.
“I want you to give up Director Zhang’s personal selection and not take the role of the female lead’s second-in-command in his latest blockbuster.”
Director Zhang—his productions not only swept international awards but were also guaranteed box office hits domestically. Moreover, he didn’t accept actors who bought their way into roles.
Except for being stingy.
He spent all the salary budget on costumes, makeup, and set design, yet countless actors fought tooth and nail to get into his films, some even performing as a favor for zero pay.
Sacrificing oneself for art without pay—such a noble endeavor was better left to others.Who in their right mind would turn down five million?
Shen Yuanming took out a check and wrote a string of zeros with a flourish.
Ge Yan accepted the check as if receiving a treasure, though it felt light as a feather.
Shen Yuanming met Ge Yan’s gaze, a faint, mocking smile playing at the corners of his lips.
As if thinking, controlling her… wasn’t it just this simple?
A moment later, Shen Yuanming averted his eyes and left the room.
The tea in the purple clay cup was still steaming, untouched.
Ge Yan let out a sigh of relief, clutching the check, still somewhat in disbelief.
She sat down and poured herself a cup of hot tea, then suddenly remembered something and picked up her phone nearby.
She hadn’t turned on her phone for days, and as soon as she did, the notification sounds rang out like a machine gun.
Ge Yan instinctively held it farther away.
“What? Director Zhang’s new drama cast Sister Ge?”
“(Covering nose) White Lotus Sister, please get out of the film industry and stop meddling!”
“Better yet, pack up and get out of China!”
The comment section was a storm of chaos.
Aside from the private messages and comments from anti-fans, there were texts from her agent, Sister Zhao.
Sister Zhao got straight to the point: the day after Ge Yan was hospitalized, Cen Yan held a press conference, recounting her tragic experience of waiting three years for love only to have Ge Yan come between them. Now, Ge Yan was effectively blacklisted by netizens.
Before, Ge Yan was just a bit controversial but not entirely irrelevant. She was the only S+ tier artist in the entire company, and most of the white lotus roles in big productions were played by Ge Yan.
After all, though foolish, she was undeniably beautiful.
Forget acting skills—her exaggerated, self-pitying, and infuriating demeanor was unmatched in the entertainment industry.
Perhaps because she played too many white lotus roles, it became a stereotype, and Ge Yan’s anti-fans grew in number.
They mocked her for her one-dimensional acting, then claimed she was just playing herself, and finally, through baseless rumors, it evolved into accusations of moral corruption. Ge Yan was labeled the “female tumor” of the entertainment industry.
Fortunately, most of the scandals were vague and unfounded, and Ge Yan simply pretended not to see them.
Until three years ago, when Cen Yan returned to China, stirring things up again under the guise of “returning top star” and “true love of the Shen family heir, Shen Yuanming.” As the fiancée designated by the Shen family’s old patriarch while he was still alive, she naturally became the focal point of the conflict, and Ge Yan’s life grew increasingly difficult.
Sister Zhao concluded by saying that, despite all the difficulties, she had managed to secure a commercial opportunity for Ge Yan, but hoped she could overcome something…
A commercial opportunity? Ge Yan couldn’t ask for more.
But what kind of variety show required “overcoming”?
At the very bottom of the text was a link.
Clicking on it led to a variety show invitation titled The Unwanted Life.
Six celebrities would immerse themselves in rural life—plowing fields, herding cattle, working from sunrise to sunset.
Looking at the familiar poster of a rural village with smoke curling from chimneys, Ge Yan narrowed her eyes.
Wasn’t this just her comfort zone?
She immediately replied to Sister Zhao: I’ll go!
Turning off her phone, Ge Yan began to sort out her thoughts.
Currently, her fiancé was only in name, her rival was arrogant, her career was in shambles… but at least she was alive.
This starting point wasn’t exactly ideal.
But what had Ge Yan done before?
She had traveled to folk villages around the world, learning various intangible cultural heritage crafts.
Life in the village would surely be much more joyful and free than staying in this empty, oversized villa.Ge Yan extended her palm, waving it in the sunlight, unsure if she could still wield a hoe, and even more uncertain whether there were any osmanthus trees in the village now for her to make her signature osmanthus cakes.
Ge Yan stood up, gave herself a pep talk, and began packing her belongings.