Since she was six years old, Qin You had been glued to the spot in front of her family’s bulky old television, refusing to budge—just like any other child.
However, Qin You had been clever from a young age. While other children were obsessed with the illusory stories inside that little box, fantasizing about becoming heroes, swordsmen, fairies, or princesses, she had realized early on that it was all fake. It was nothing more than people on a screen putting on a performance.
But this realization didn’t dampen her fervor in the slightest. She stared obsessively at the men and women on the screen, thinking to herself—I want to be a big star just like them. I want to be a big star whose name everyone knows and can call out.
Unfortunately, although she would introduce herself by saying, “I’m Qin You, ‘You’ as in ‘Youwu’—a stunning beauty,” fate was not so generous to her.
She looked ordinary—so ordinary that she completely disappeared the moment she stepped into a crowd. In fact, calling her “ordinary” was almost a compliment, because she was so plain that even the most meticulously prepared makeup couldn’t make her stand out.
The invincible Asian beauty magic had finally met its match in her.
But that couldn’t stop her from pursuing her dream of fame, her actor’s dream.
When she abandoned her excellent academic prospects to venture into the entertainment industry, her relatives all shook their heads, thinking she was a fool. Later events only prompted them to voice that classic sentiment: “I told you so.”
Qin You’s innate physical qualities were too poor. Even though she was a quick learner and her acting skills grew sharper with time, she could never land a lead role. She couldn’t even get a supporting role that was remotely interesting. After all, the entertainment industry was overflowing with handsome men and beautiful women waiting in line for even the smallest part. A director would rather have a beautiful woman play an ugly character than let a truly plain woman play a role that wasn’t supposed to be pretty.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about plastic surgery, but for her, minor adjustments weren’t enough. The stiffness brought about by major surgery would prevent her from making facial expressions—and she wanted to be an actor, the best and most popular actor. Even when she was just an extra, she was still planning for that distant, unreachable dream.
Later, she finally seized an opportunity. She played a “Rong Mo Mo” type villain in a hit drama. She portrayed the character’s ruthlessness and madness so vividly that she became a source of psychological shadow for a whole generation of viewers.
Finally, people recognized her. The year that drama aired, when she walked into the subway, children as young as five or six would turn pale at the sight of her and burst into uncontrollable wails.
She also experienced walking down the street only to be suddenly cursed at by middle-aged people shouting her character’s name, throwing bottles, or even throwing vegetable leaves from their shopping baskets at her.
For a moment, she felt bewildered.
She was finally “famous” now. To put it exaggeratedly, viewers across the country recognized her face, but was this really the kind of fame she wanted?
After that drama aired, she gradually began to receive roles, but every character that actively sought her out was a crazed, ugly caricature.
Qin You accepted them and performed them, but the indignation in her heart burned brighter and brighter—even more so than back when she had to fight others for a chance to be an extra.
***
“Heh—heh—”
It hurt.
In the pitch-black darkness, Qin You could only feel a sharp pain in her neck. As for every other part of her body, there was only numbness.
A second in reality felt like an entire lifetime to Qin You. Suddenly, she discovered that the darkness before her eyes wasn’t because there was no light in the room, but because her vision was blurry and failing. She could vaguely see two white ribbons above her on either side of her face, stretching up to a height she couldn’t see.
Was she hanging herself?!
But how was that possible?!
She didn’t have time to think about the reason. She flailed her arms and struggled. She seemed to hit something, and suddenly, with a loud crash, something collapsed, and she plummeted to the floor.
“Heh—heh—”
She struggled to take large gulps of air. Every breath felt like fire in her throat, dry and agonizing. Her vision was still half-dark, and her brain was buzzing, making her incredibly dizzy.
A thought suddenly popped into her head—could it be that one of her anti-fans had sneaked into her house to murder her?
It wasn’t impossible. She hadn’t made any personal enemies; the ones who hated her most were the anti-fans brought about by that hit drama. Many people simply couldn’t distinguish her from the character. Or perhaps they could, but since the character was fictional, their hatred had nowhere to go and could only be poured onto her, the actress.
But she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind because as her vision gradually recovered, she noticed many things were wrong.
For instance, the carpet beneath her hands—her apartment never had a carpet. For instance, the layout around her was completely unfamiliar. And for instance, her hands… these weren’t her hands.
A even more absurd thought arose in Qin You’s mind. Gathering the last shred of strength in this body, she crawled up from the floor, leaning on nearby chairs, cabinets, and tables to reach the dressing table.
A face appeared in the large mirror.
A face that did not belong to her.
Was this… borrowing a corpse to house a soul?
Though she didn’t know how she had died.
Suddenly discovering she was dead and had been reborn into a fresh corpse—what kind of reaction should she have?
Panic? Terror? Screaming at the top of her lungs? Finding a master to perform an exorcism? Or avoiding all religious figures from now on…
Faced with such a massive upheaval, many feelings indeed surged up in Qin You’s heart, but before they could reach her chest, they suddenly stopped.
Qin You abruptly pulled herself closer to the mirror.
What a beautiful face.
Qin You reached out and touched that face. It was young and lovely, adorned with exquisite, full makeup—a truly pure little beauty. However, with her sharp eyes, she noticed that the makeup didn’t quite suit the foundation of this face.
Qin You straightened up, glanced around the room, walked into the bathroom, picked up some makeup remover, and began to clean her face.
After the sound of splashing water died down, Qin You lifted her head and looked at the face in the mirror again.
Her breath nearly hitched. There was no other way to put it; the face in the mirror was too beautiful.
Even with her hair in a mess, her complexion pale, and water droplets clinging to her skin, she was still breathtakingly gorgeous.
Even the terrifying red mark on her neck only added a touch of tragic allure to such a face.
If this face had belonged to a pure little beauty while wearing makeup, then after removing it, she had become a stunningly beautiful woman. The difference was comparable to a female college student transforming into Marilyn Monroe.
A surge of wild joy suddenly erupted in Qin You’s heart. As if possessed, she touched this face—a face so blessed by heaven that she was practically born for success. Her eyes were filled with obsession.
What a truly beautiful face.
Every inch, every detail was perfectly formed.
In her previous life, what she hated most was her appearance. That face, ordinary to the extreme, had made her dream of being bathed in countless flashes and the admiring gazes of others an impossible feat.
But with this face…
She would become famous. She would be a blockbuster star. Every camera would be pointed at her, and everyone would be watching her.
She would become a big star.
Just as a somewhat crazed smile began to spread across her lips, a sudden, sharp pain struck her.
A flash of white light exploded before Qin You’s eyes, and her legs gave out simultaneously. She collapsed forward, nearly slamming her head into the white porcelain sink. But she was quick, reaching out to protect her face. Her pinky finger hit the sink, adding a new sharp pain to the already unbearable agony. But it was worth it, because her face must not suffer any damage.
Within the white light, fragmented images seemed to flash by.
It took Qin You a long time to realize that those images violently trying to burrow into her mind were the memories of this body. The scenes were piled together in a chaotic mess, making her feel so nauseous she wanted to retch.
“Heh—heh—”
Qin You had no idea how long it took her to receive those memories. She gasped for air and suddenly broke free from those memories that didn’t belong to her. Looking around, she found herself curled up in the corner beneath the sink.
As for those memories, it was as if she had watched a very, very long film. Most of the content had flown by at dozens of times the speed, while a small portion was highlighted and bolded, so vivid and clear it was as if she had experienced it firsthand.
She also understood the original host’s identity.
The original host had a face that would be a waste not to use in the entertainment industry, and she had indeed entered the industry.
The original host’s name was also Qin You, the same as hers.
Same name but different fate. This Qin You was beautiful, a natural-born star. After dropping out of high school, she managed to land a likable supporting role in an idol drama that a certain satellite TV station valued highly.
Qin You still remembered that drama. it was a television series from over ten years before her “death.” It had been a minor hit back then, and even ten years later, people would occasionally mention it when reminiscing about childhood memories. So… she had returned to ten years ago?
The supporting character the original host played was the female lead’s best friend—a bit silly and not very bright, but cute in her foolishness. Although she didn’t have many scenes, they were all effective roles that left an impression on the audience. For a pure newcomer like her, it was already an excellent starting point.
Furthermore, the male lead of that drama fell in love with her at first sight. This Qin You was only eighteen or nineteen, her girlish heart still intact. The favor of a big star left her overjoyed and dizzy with infatuation. Before long, she fell into a passionate love affair, her words and actions often hinting, “We are dating.”
Up to this point, Qin You didn’t think it was a bad move. A pairing of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was well-received, and the scandal between the two actually gave the original host a slight boost in popularity.
But the good times didn’t last long. Six months later, the male lead announced his relationship, but the person he announced wasn’t her—it was the young miss of Tianbai Film Company.
At that time, the rumors about the two of them were still widespread. To clear his name, the male lead directly announced that it was Qin You who had been aggressively pursuing him for hype. He claimed he had only ever been with Gu Tianbai from beginning to end. He even released several screenshots of WeChat chat records. In the pictures, Qin You had sent him many inappropriate remarks, while his replies were polite and tactful refusals that maintained a distinct sense of distance.
The public was in an uproar. The original host’s image instantly shifted from a “naive, sweet girl” to a “shameless mistress trying to interfere and climb up.”
In an instant, “Qin You, get out of the entertainment industry!” was trending and stayed at the top for several days.
It could be considered an achievement of sorts.
However, only because Qin You could see her memories could she truly see what had happened.
Before announcing the relationship, the male lead had come to see the original host once.
According to his story, the young miss of Tianbai Film Company had taken an interest in him. Even knowing they were already together, she had used both threats and bribes to force him to break up with her. If he didn’t, she would suppress his resources and leave him with no roles to take. But how could he bear to leave her?
He said:
“Xiao You, the one I love is still you, and only you. Breaking up temporarily to be with Gu Tianbai is just an expedient measure. Once I’m famous enough that I don’t have to be at her beck and call anymore, I’ll come back for you immediately.”
Then, as the original host sobbed, the male lead continued: “But the prerequisite is that I have to be famous enough to get away from her, do you understand? So… tomorrow I’m going to tell everyone that we were never together, and that the previous rumors were just a publicity stunt by the production team. You must remember to say nothing. If the media and the audience think I’m straddling two boats, my career will be ruined, not to mention our future plans.”
“And if Gu Tianbai sees that the public thinks she interfered with us, she’ll be very, very angry. You won’t be able to get any more roles either. So say nothing; it’s for the best for both of us. Xiao You, do you understand?”
“I know you’re prone to acting on impulse, so give me your phone first. I’ll delete our old chat records, okay?”
“I know you feel wronged, but do it for me, and for our future.”
Qin You couldn’t help but let a cold sneer escape her lips. Someone actually believed that kind of talk?
—And someone did, specifically the original host.
The original owner of this body sobbed as she handed her phone over. The other party deleted every single one of their chat records, screenshots, and photos, clearing them completely.
What an idiot.
Qin You couldn’t help but mock her.
The next day, the male lead announced his relationship and stated that the previous rumors were merely to cooperate with the production team’s hype.
But things weren’t that simple. Shrewd netizens weren’t as easy to fool as he thought.
His statement had two suspicious points.
First, if the production team wanted to create hype, why didn’t they have him do it with the female protagonist? That was the standard path. A transition from an on-screen couple to a real-life couple was what the audience loved to see. What production team would dismantle their own show’s CP for no reason? Wouldn’t that just force the audience to break character?
Second, the original host’s acting was poor, and she was even worse at hiding her relationship—mainly because she had never seriously thought about hiding it. Unless someone was completely blind, they could see the pink bubbles between them and the original host’s heart full of love.
These two suspicious points caused his “only a publicity stunt” statement to trigger widespread controversy and discussion. Many people questioned if he was an irresponsible scumbag trying to climb the social ladder.
That was why the subsequent events occurred. The male lead extracted some misleading conversations from his own chat records and feigned sincerity as he stated that he hadn’t released them earlier only to preserve Qin You’s face and reputation, but now he was forced to do so because it was the only way to prove his “innocence.”
What followed was overwhelming vilification of the original host. Facing the malice from all angles of the entire internet, she collapsed in despair. To make matters worse, the only weapon she could have used for a counterattack had been personally handed over to the person she loved and trusted, who then unloaded the bullets. She could do nothing. The only thing she could do was escape, but where could she go?
The news of her being a shameless mistress trying to interfere and climb up was the biggest story of the moment. Opening her phone brought abuse; turning on the TV brought entertainment news about her; even opening the window, she could hear people talking about and mocking her.
Of course, what truly made all hope dash was her boyfriend’s betrayal. She repeatedly told herself that maybe it was just another part of the “expedient measure,” and maybe he would soon reappear and tell her he only did what he had to do…
To this, Qin You couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
But the male lead never appeared. She finally had to accept the fact that perhaps he had never loved her at all.
And that was more painful than the vilification of the entire world.
Carrying the agony of realizing her lover never loved her, she applied her most exquisite makeup, used her most beautiful ribbon, and decided to leave this world.
Qin You couldn’t help but mock her again. Not only was this person with the same name as her brain-dead, but her aesthetic sense was also problematic—after all, that elaborate, layered, and heavy makeup was a pure case of being counterproductive. Instead of highlighting her five features’ advantages, it completely concealed her unique traits.