The angry blare of the horn startled Zhao Zhenzhen. She turned her head—well, well, the white driver’s light had turned yellow.
“Are you getting on or not!” the driver called out to Zhao Zhenzhen.
The moment he spoke, the group dancing wildly inside the bus noticed Zhao Zhenzhen. Someone immediately lunged to the window, leaning half her body out, chewing gum as she shouted at her, “Hey! Look who it is! Chinese student Zhao!”
“Zhao!” the crowd on the bus chorused, raising their hands in greeting.
“Hurry up and get on.” The gum-chewing girl grinned with ill intent. “Come up and dance with us.”
Zhao Zhenzhen said nothing. She glanced at the driver. He stared straight ahead without so much as a look at them—clearly irritated by the delay, yet he said nothing. None of what Zhao Zhenzhen had imagined happened: no cursing, no slamming the door shut, no speeding off.
That alone told her that as an adult, he too didn’t want to provoke this little clique.
And now that clique had set its sights on her.
Zhao Zhenzhen’s head ached.
“What are you spacing out for! Get on the bus!” The gum-chewing girl grew impatient.
The men and women who had been dancing enthusiastically also stopped, standing there with faint, knowing smiles fixed on Zhao Zhenzhen.
She swept her gaze across them—some looked indifferent, others wore expressions of eager anticipation for a show.
If this were a comic, black smoke would be curling off these people, and the whole panel would probably be pitch dark.
As for those whose eyes wavered with hesitation or whose faces showed reluctance, Zhao Zhenzhen ignored them outright, even quickly glancing past without meeting their eyes.
These were the “bottom rung” of the school—people who got bullied themselves and couldn’t fight back. There was no way they’d step forward to speak up for her at a moment like this.
Zhao Zhenzhen couldn’t ask them for help either. In fact, she hoped they could protect themselves well enough; if they got bullied a little less, she’d be thanking her lucky stars.
With that thought, she tuned out the clique staring at her with malice and said to the driver, “I feel like walking today.”
The driver froze for a second, shot a quick glance into the bus through the rearview mirror, and with a stiff face grunted, “Suit yourself,” before neatly closing the door and driving off.
The yellow Virtual Lightbulb above his head turned white again.
As the bus slowly pulled away, the clique on board let out disappointed boos. Amid their playful shoving and laughter, the gum-chewing girl still had half her body hanging out the window, shouting at Zhao Zhenzhen, “See you at school!”
Her sharply arched brows were raised even higher now, making her look all the more aggressive. Paired with her insulting hand gesture, she embodied the image of a vicious girl to perfection.
Zhao Zhenzhen smiled, flipped her the middle finger, and shouted back, “Sure! See you at school!”
It was only a matter of returning the favor, but the gum-chewing girl reacted like a provoked lioness. Amid the laughter inside the bus, she screamed “Bitch!” at Zhao Zhenzhen and even tried to climb out the window to go at her directly.
Luckily, the bus was moving fairly fast, and people inside held her back, so the gum-chewing girl didn’t manage to jump off.
But the cursing didn’t stop.
Zhao Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, looked bored, and picked at her ear with her pinky, then flicked it.
That successfully made the gum-chewing girl’s profanity fly even faster, though by now she was too far away—only the shrill, grating voice carried over, the actual words lost.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
The wheels rolled softly over the road with a faint hum. Zhao Zhenzhen turned her head and found Kate sitting in her Jeep.
She had witnessed everything that just happened.
Zhao Zhenzhen turned her head and caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past the window before disappearing.
Probably Mrs. Dalins.
“You’re going to have trouble at school,” Kate said.
Though she offered this advice, her expression toward Zhao Zhenzhen held something that hadn’t been there before—a hint of surprise, a touch of admiration.
This Chinese exchange student had been staying at her place for over half a year now.
To be honest, Kate’s impression of her had always been middling at best.
Too quiet.
That kind of quiet carried the heavy scent of someone on the margins.
The moment she’d laid eyes on her, Kate was certain this Chinese exchange student would become a target for the bullies at school.
There was nothing wrong with being quiet, nor with having a reserved, transparent personality. But this environment couldn’t accommodate someone like that.
Going unseen was the equivalent of being someone you could push around without consequences.
Given the nature of her work, Kate could understand someone like Zhao—but understanding didn’t mean she approved.
She hadn’t expected Zhao’s reaction today to surprise her.
She’d learned to fight back?!
Zhao Zhenzhen shrugged. “I’ll worry about it when I get to school. Worst case, I’ll run to the teachers’ office.”
“…Or the principal’s office?” Zhao Zhenzhen thought for a moment. “I’ll cry my way over there.”
Kate burst out laughing at Zhao Zhenzhen’s words. “I never knew you had it in you to be funny.”
“That’s because when I fainted, I dreamed of my country’s guardian deity, and He said to lighten up.”
Kate laughed so hard her shoulders shook, the Virtual Lightbulb above her head flickering on and off in sync.
A vibrant, brilliant green.
“Get in.”
Zhao Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze from Kate’s head and looked at her in confusion, as if she hadn’t understood.
“Get in. I’ll drive you to school.” Kate gestured to Zhao Zhenzhen again. “I graduated from that school too. Seeing me, they’ll hold back at least a little. Hurry up, I’m in a rush.”
So she was a retired big sister figure? Respect, respect.
Zhao Zhenzhen immediately thanked her, pulled open the passenger door, and slid smoothly into the seat.
She took this time to sort through her Golden Finger.
She’d roughly figured out what the Virtual Lightbulb colors meant.
Green: Friendly
White: Neutral
Yellow: Lawful Evil
Red: Evil
So far, those were the four colors Zhao Zhenzhen had seen.
Aside from that—
Zhao Zhenzhen snapped back to attention, and with a thought, tapped on the lightbulb above Kate’s head.
Sure enough, Kate’s virtual panel appeared.
[Name: Kate Wyne
Age: 26
Identity: Waitress at XX Restaurant / Print Model / *
Life Memory: Movie-watching
Life Simulation: ]
Zhao Zhenzhen noticed the change in the virtual panel and tapped on her own to compare. She found that the difference between her and Kate’s was the snowflake symbol and the Life Simulation section.
Strange.
Zhao Zhenzhen tapped on Kate’s [*] symbol. The symbol flickered but didn’t respond.
It was in a locked state.
Zhao Zhenzhen selected Life Simulation. This time, an image appeared immediately.
The scene was chaotic, like footage from a hidden camera.
Many tall, young women were standing in line, Kate among them.
She kept glancing at the length of the line, estimating how long it would take to reach her turn, while checking her makeup.
The person behind her in line patted Kate on the shoulder, smiling at her apologetically. “Hi, I’m Erin. Could you hold my spot for me? I kind of… need to use the restroom.”
Kate’s face was cold, giving her a cool, aloof look, but in reality she had a decent personality. She glanced at the girl behind Erin.
Erin immediately understood what she meant. “Don’t worry, I’m friends with all of them.” She turned and smiled at the people behind her. “Right?”
The few people standing behind her nodded and gave Kate a friendly greeting.
“Alright, just hurry up.” Kate glanced at the length of the line.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” Erin indeed returned as quickly as she’d promised.
She must have run, because after rejoining the line her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was breathing a little heavily. She also had a few cups of coffee in her hands.
“Thank you! You’re so kind.” Erin handed one of the cups to Kate.
Kate smiled and took it. She didn’t plan on drinking it, since her turn was coming up soon. Kate’s mind was a bit flustered, but holding something in her hands did help settle her nerves.
But Erin raised her coffee, gesturing to Kate. “Come on, here’s to a successful audition for both of us. Cheers.”
“Cheers.” The few behind them also raised theirs with a grin.
Kate went along with the mood and clinked cups with Erin, taking a sip.
She didn’t notice that as she drank, Erin exchanged a strange look with the others.
By the time Kate lowered her cup, they all looked perfectly normal again. As if nothing had happened.
Zhao Zhenzhen frowned at this, sensing something was off.
But the school was almost there, and at the current pace she probably wouldn’t see the ending.
Could this thing fast-forward?
Zhao Zhenzhen merely thought it, and it actually worked.
The footage sped up, and finally it was Kate’s turn to audition. She walked in, and when the director saw her, he glanced at the creative team—the white lightbulbs above their heads turned green.
Clearly, they were satisfied with Kate’s appearance.
Then the audition began, but after just two lines of dialogue, Kate’s features twisted strangely. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her back began to bend.
Through the simulation, Zhao Zhenzhen could sense Kate was fighting hard to endure, trying to straighten up and compose herself. But it was all in vain.
The green lightbulb above the director’s head flickered back to white as he frowned.
“Alright, that’s enough for now.” The director nodded at Kate. “Thank you. We’ll let you know.”
Kate forced a faint smile. She knew there would be no call.
But right now, she needed to get to the bathroom urgently.
“We’re here.”
Zhao Zhenzhen snapped back to reality and realized they’d arrived at the school gate. Kate was looking at her with a slightly puzzled expression.
As if to say, “Why aren’t you getting off?” while glancing at her watch.
“Thanks.” Zhao Zhenzhen got out and closed the car door. After a moment’s thought, she bent down toward the car window. “Kate, are you going to a film audition today?”
Kate’s eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly to hide it. “What?”
Clearly, she didn’t want anyone to know.
“I know this sounds a bit strange,” Zhao Zhenzhen said, “but when you go to the audition, you’ll run into some bad people. The one standing behind you—blonde hair, red dress—she’ll try to harm you. Remember not to accept anything she hands you. As long as you avoid her, you’ll pass the audition.”
“Huh?!” Kate looked utterly bewildered.
“Also.” Zhao Zhenzhen continued to give her the inside scoop. “Your appearance matches what the director and creative team are looking for. The audition content will likely be having you play a nurse who helps the protagonist—short-tempered but kind-hearted.”
“So you can start working on the character now.” Zhao Zhenzhen smiled and tapped the car window. “Come tell me when you’re back—I’m curious to know if it turned out the way I thought.”
“She’s leaving.” Zhao Zhenzhen said, not giving Kate any time to react, before turning and running into the school.
“Hey! How did you know?!” Kate poked her head out and shouted at Zhao Zhenzhen.
“I calculated it!” Zhao Zhenzhen called back. “No idea if it’s accurate or not.”
If she didn’t know, why did she say it so seriously? Kate had almost believed her.
Kate was both annoyed and amused. She shook her head, started the engine, and drove off.
When she was waiting in line for the makeup check, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
“Hi! Could you do me a favor?” The person sounded flustered and anxious.
Kate turned around. Before she could even get a clear look at the person’s face, she first took in her outfit. Zhao Zhenzhen’s earlier words immediately surfaced in her mind.
— Standing behind you, blonde hair, red dress. She’ll harm you.
“Hi?” Aileen blinked, trying to make herself look harmless.
Kate snapped back to reality and flipped Aileen the middle finger. “Cut the act. I know exactly what you’re trying to do. Stay the hell away from me, bitch.”
Aileen’s expression shifted instantly—the innocence on her face was completely gone.
And it wasn’t just her. The accomplices standing behind her all changed expressions too.
Kate caught on, gesturing back and forth between them. “So you’re all in this together! What, trying to pull dirty tricks to weed out the competition?”
Kate hadn’t lowered her voice when she said this. Everyone waiting in line for the audition heard it and turned to look.
“You—you’re talking nonsense!” Aileen’s voice was sharp but weak. “What proof do you have!”
“Do I need any?” Kate extended two fingers, pointing first at her own eyes, then at Aileen. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“You’re always thanking people with gifts, right? Drinks? Coffee?”
At that, not just Aileen but even her helpers all changed expressions.
It was plainly visible for everyone to see.
“You bitch!” A figure lunged forward in fury, grabbing Aileen by the hair and brawling with her. She shouted between punches, “So it was you who screwed me over last time!”
The scene descended into chaos—screaming, fighting, utter pandemonium.
Soon, Aileen and her group were escorted out in disgrace. The girl who had jumped in and traded blows with Aileen dusted herself off, swept her hair back, and walked up to Kate.
With a face smeared and battered, she extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Beth.”
“Kate.” Kate felt a sense of mutual respect and shook her hand.
“Good luck.” With that, Beth limped away.
There was no way she could audition looking like that now, but at least she’d gotten her revenge.
So satisfying!
Kate felt incredibly vindicated. Once her emotions settled, she suddenly remembered the hint Zhao Zhenzhen had given her.
She took a deep breath and quickly began mentally preparing for the audition.
Zhao Zhenzhen looked up and noticed that her panel had changed.
【Name: Zhao Zhen (Zhen)
Age: 17
Identity: 12th grader at a New York high school / Medium
Life Memory: Movie Watching
＋1】
Wait, what? How was she suddenly a medium?