This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m
《Lover’s Trap》 was a celebrity dating show broadcast entirely live, with a different lineup of guests invited each episode.
Because of the live format, viewers could savor the sweetness the moment it happened, while also satisfying the curiosity of certain gossip-hungry onlookers through an unedited, full-process livestream.
As a result, ever since it began airing, 《Lover’s Trap》 has been deeply loved by netizens. Every season’s guests were met with an enthusiastic welcome and eager anticipation.
However, after the guest list for the latest season was announced, it stirred up an enormous uproar online.
Just one hour before the livestream began, the production team finally revealed the names of the guests.
The moment the name ‘Su Zhi’ appeared, the netizens who had been eagerly guessing who would attend instantly exploded.
Who was Su Zhi? She was a notoriously well-known ‘vase actress[1]just a pretty face jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1472060_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1472060_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });’ in the entertainment industry, someone who had successfully entered show business on the strength of a single side-profile photo. Her looks were so stunning that they seemed almost to defy nature itself.
Unfortunately, her EQ and IQ were inversely proportional to her beauty.
Over the past six months, even fans who had initially been drawn to her looks had withdrawn one after another. There was no other reason. Su Zhi simply had too many outrageous stunts.
Half a year ago, Su Zhi had first claimed on Weibo that she was the true daughter of the wealthy Su family. She was immediately slapped in the face by the official account of the Su Corporation, and then labeled a ‘clout-chaser’ by the Su family’s son.
After that, Su Zhi seemed to give up on herself entirely, with scandal after scandal emerging nonstop.
Accusations like being a ‘number lady[2]shùzì xiǎojie; an internet slang that refers to an actress who can’t remember her lines and relies on reciting numbers instead, such as saying ‘one, two, three, four’ on set, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1472060_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1472060_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });’, abusing assistants, throwing her weight around, being unprofessional were rampant. Her fans also went around stirring trouble and clout-chasing everywhere, offending a whole circle of people in the industry.
Not long ago, insiders even revealed that Su Zhi had tried to latch onto Movie King Qin.
When his fans heard the news, they completely blew up.
Our Movie King Qin is someone you think you can covet?! This is nothing but a toad wanting to eat swan meat[3]to have unrealistic ambitions, desiring something far beyond one’s capabilities or status jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1472060_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1472060_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });!
His fans rushed overnight to Su Zhi’s Weibo to denounce her. In the end, it shot straight onto the trending searches, and Su Zhi was publicly mocked by netizens all over again.
This incident made even passersby who hadn’t known her before develop an instinctive dislike for the name ‘Su Zhi’.
So when the production team announced the guest list, not only did the fans of the other participating celebrities react strongly, but even ordinary netizens had huge question marks popping up over their heads.
Among them, many quick-fingered netizens had already posted comments the moment they saw the list.
【??? What’s going on? Production team, what are you doing? You actually invited Su Zhi onto the show. I just want to ask, do you even want ratings anymore?!】
【Are shows nowadays so desperate for buzz that they’ve completely lost all shame? You dare invite Su Zhi, the queen of clout-chasing? Did you even consider how my idol would feel?!】
【Director, are you blind?! I get annoyed just seeing Su Zhi’s face. You even invite artists with such rotten character? What kind of filthy under-the-table deals must you have going on?!】
【What’s there to guess? It’s obvious it’s that kind of ‘unspoken rule’. After all, Su Zhi’s face is still decent.】
【Su Zhi, if you have even a shred of shame, hurry up and quit the show yourself. Otherwise, I’ll definitely make you regret joining this program. Just you wait!】
When Su Zhi opened the program’s livestream page, all she saw was a screen filled with the two words ‘Su Zhi’.
She sat in the makeup room arranged by the production team, her eyes unblinking as she watched the dense barrage of curses aimed at the original owner of this body scroll past. A smile without the slightest warmth curled at the corner of her lips.
Seeing this expression, the system 007 in her mind couldn’t help but start trembling.
After hesitating for a long while, 007 finally spoke in a cautious electronic voice.
〖T-that…… Although our mission is a bit difficult, as long as you successfully achieve a 100% plot deviation, you’ll receive a chance to make a wish. Any wish can be fulfilled. It’s just…… just…… if you fail to complete the main mission within one year, you’ll die according to the original owner’s ending in the novel.〗
The more 007 spoke, the smaller its voice became, until in the end it was barely louder than a mosquito.
After hearing 007’s words, Su Zhi softly said, “Oh”, casually tossed her phone onto the table, and lightly tapped the tabletop with her index finger.
Seeing her reaction, 007 became even more flustered. Even its neatly arranged lines of code began to tremble.
It knew very well just how ruthless Su Zhi could be.
Only after binding itself to Su Zhi did 007 go to look up her background information.
When it saw her past records, the entire system inevitably fell into doubt about its own existence.
The data showed that Su Zhi, along with her parents and older brother, had been set up by enemies and involved in a car accident. The other three died on the spot, and one was severely injured.
At the time, no one paid attention to the badly wounded Su Zhi at all. As a result, five years later, the fate of those people could only be described as miserable beyond compare.
The lighter punishments meant spending the rest of their lives behind bars, while the heavier ones meant dying without intact bodies.
So from the moment it saw those records, 007 understood that the woman before it was definitely not someone to mess with.
While 007 was shaking with fear, Su Zhi was calmly organizing the plot she had received half an hour earlier.
Half an hour ago, Su Zhi had suddenly fainted while paying respects to her parents and brother. When she opened her eyes again, she discovered she had transmigrated into a novel, into a person with the same name, the same height, and even the same appearance as herself. The one who brought her there was the very system 007 now chattering in her mind.
The novel she transmigrated into was called 《The Heiress’s Counterattack》. It told the story of the female protagonist, Su Zhiyan, who, despite suffering from a heart condition, still strove to pursue her dreams. In the end, she became the only Grand Slam Best Actress in the entertainment industry. Along the way, she unexpectedly gained the admiration of many suitors and the devotion of the male protagonist, finally marrying into a wealthy family and becoming the ultimate winner in life.
In the novel, the original owner was the vicious true daughter who targeted the female protagonist at every turn and repeatedly tried to frame her, only to be slapped in the face instead, ultimately serving to highlight the female protagonist’s beauty and kindness.
In the plot, the original owner’s reputation in the entertainment industry was completely ruined. Combined with the female protagonist’s admirers blacklisting her, she was forced to quit the industry. Abandoned by her family, she was thrown into a mental hospital. In the end, when the female protagonist’s heart could no longer bear the strain, the original owner ‘accidentally’ passed away, allowing the female protagonist to recover and live happily ever after with the male protagonist.
After the original owner’s death, not a single member of her family felt sorrow. Instead, they all rejoiced in the female protagonist’s rebirth.
After seeing the original owner’s memories, Su Zhi knew these plots had all been beautified.
The original owner had grown up in an orphanage. Unable to afford tuition, she had been forced to drop out after high school and start working. Unexpectedly, a candid side-profile photo taken by someone else went viral online, and she smoothly entered the entertainment industry.
However, with no background or education, a gentle personality, and a useless agency, many people treated her as a soft persimmon[4]pushover jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1472060_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1472060_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); to be squeezed at will.
Marketing accounts seeking clout often dragged her out to step on.
That was, until half a year ago, when the Su family found her.
Only then did the original owner learn that she was the true daughter of the Su family, while the beloved heiress was the one who had stolen her life.
What hurt her most was the Su family’s attitude toward her.
Her parents had no intention of restoring her identity, and her younger brother repeatedly warned her not to let the female protagonist learn the truth of her origins.
They were terrified that the female protagonist, fragile like a porcelain doll, might suffer even the slightest shock.
The original owner silently endured it all, trying to let her parents and brother see her obedience.
But on the day of the female protagonist’s birthday party, she finally broke.
Especially when she saw the female protagonist being protected like a little princess by the very family that should have been hers and receiving everyone’s blessings.
Meanwhile, she herself was like a clown who had wandered in by mistake, watching their happy family reunion while no one paid her any attention.
After drinking quite a bit, the original owner revealed her identity as the true daughter on Weibo. That also caused the female protagonist to learn the truth, become overstimulated, and faint on the spot.
Thus began the Su family’s series of denials. The original owner’s younger brother even mocked her as a clout chaser.
The female protagonist’s admirers, seeking revenge, deliberately spread baseless rumors about the original owner online.
Of course, those weren’t what dealt her the fatal blow. What truly destroyed her was the dating variety show now before her.
After being invited to the show, the female protagonist recommended the original owner to the production team, claiming she felt guilty and wanted to give the original owner an opportunity for exposure.
In the end, considering that the Su family was a major investor, the production team decided to invite Su Zhi.
The original owner only learned that the female protagonist was also participating an hour before the livestream. By then, it was already too late to withdraw, and she could only grit her teeth and endure until the end of the show.
What she didn’t expect was that her various attempts to avoid the female protagonist during the program would be interpreted by netizens as jealousy and hostility.
With the female protagonist as a contrast, the original owner instantly became a public enemy, despised by everyone.
The trending topic #WhenWillSuZhiQuitTheIndustry was repeatedly pushed onto the hot searches by haters.
At the end of the show, the original owner was splashed with sulfuric acid by one of the female protagonist’s obsessive fans right in front of the live broadcast, disfigured on the spot.
After her disfigurement, the male protagonist had her thrown into a mental hospital, and to further provoke her, he told her a secret.
The reason the Su family had looked for her was to use her as a heart donor to restore the female protagonist’s health……
If the original owner being found by the Su family was the novel’s turning point, then the dating show was the starting point of the female protagonist’s career.
While the original owner fell into the abyss, Su Zhiyan soared upward thanks to the show, continuing a life where she was doted on by everyone.
After sorting through the plot, Su Zhi suddenly felt that 007’s mission sounded rather interesting. Especially the original owner’s biological parents, who loved the female protagonist so irrationally and lawlessly, as if bewitched. It made Su Zhi itch to act.
And wasn’t the so-called plot deviation just another way of tormenting scum?
Su Zhi had always been open-minded, and she was also intrigued by the wish 007 mentioned.
As long as the mission was completed, could any wish truly be fulfilled?
As that thought crossed her mind, three familiar faces unconsciously surfaced in her memory.
Seeing that Su Zhi hadn’t reacted for a long time, 007 thought she was planning to quit and immediately shifted from panic to outright anxiety.
After all, it was currently bound to Su Zhi. If Su Zhi died, it would perish along with her.
Thinking of that, 007 racked its brain, trying to think of what promise it could make to boost her motivation.
At this moment, both the human and the system tacitly chose silence.
Just then, the door to Su Zhi’s makeup room was kicked open rudely. The person who entered was none other than the original owner’s younger brother, Su Chengyu.
Su Zhi wasn’t surprised by his arrival. In the original owner’s memories, whenever the female protagonist suffered even the slightest grievance, Su Chengyu— who always stayed by her side— was invariably the first to come looking for trouble, responding at a moment’s notice like a blunt cudgel.
Su Chengyu swaggered in. When he saw that Su Zhi was actually still sitting in the makeup room waiting for a makeup artist, a mocking smile spread across his face.
“So, you’re still waiting for a makeup artist? Let me tell you, as long as I’m here today, you can keep waiting. I just want you to know that a sparrow can never turn into a phoenix!”
Just as Su Chengyu was about to criticize Su Zhi from head to toe as usual, his gaze inadvertently swept over her eyes.
Those eyes, once as lifeless as an ancient well, now seemed infused with a soul, making Su Zhi transform from wooden and dull into something vividly alive.
Before Su Chengyu could figure out where that change had come from, he heard Su Zhi speak.
“If you think it’s too cold, just pile on some more dirt and stop hopping around. I don’t know whether a sparrow can turn into a phoenix, but I’ve certainly never seen ivory come out of a dog’s mouth[5]a sharp insult, implying the person is vulgar, malicious, or morally rotten, and incapable of saying anything good jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1472060_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1472060_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
The moment Su Chengyu heard Su Zhi’s words, the mocking smile on his face instantly froze. In the next second, raging fury ignited in his eyes.
“You b*tch! You actually dare call me a dog?! Who gave you the guts?!”
As he spoke, he swung his hand, trying to slap Su Zhi across the face.
He wanted to see exactly what it would look like when Su Zhi appeared in the livestream with a clear handprint on her face.
Just when Su Chengyu’s hand was only three centimeters away from Su Zhi’s cheek, it was lightly caught by a slender and jade-like hand.
That small hand didn’t seem to use much force, yet no matter how hard Su Chengyu tried, he couldn’t move his hand forward even half an inch.
Su Chengyu: “???”
Not only was Su Chengyu dumbfounded, but even 007, who was bound to Su Zhi, couldn’t make sense of the situation.
Its host’s combat strength was actually this high? Why wasn’t there even a single word about it in the data?!
Su Zhi, however, wasn’t surprised in the slightest. The moment she woke up in this body, she already knew that the power from her previous life had revived along with her transmigration.
Looking at Su Chengyu, Su Zhi raised her other hand and lightly patted his face. “Little brother, are you saving your brain as an inheritance because you’re too reluctant to use it? You should know one thing— before, I simply didn’t want to argue with you, but tolerance always has its limits.”
She didn’t use much strength, but Su Chengyu’s face still couldn’t withstand it.
Very quickly, under Su Zhi’s light pats, half of Su Chengyu’s face swelled up into a pig’s head in a short amount of time.
When Su Zhi let go of his hand, Su Chengyu’s nose was already gushing blood.
Su Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Kid, I didn’t expect that besides being weak, your body is this frail too. You’ve always been so arrogant. Are you being protected by the Animal Protection Association? I just wonder whether your dear sister’s body is as useless as yours.”
Su Chengyu was already somewhat dazed from those slaps, but when he heard Su Zhi mention Su Zhiyan, the fury that suddenly burst out of his eyes looked as if it wanted to tear Su Zhi apart.
Su Zhi clicked her tongue twice and said to him, “Before you worry about others, you should wipe your own nosebleed first. I really want to know, when your beloved sister sees you all bruised and swollen, will her fragile heart be able to handle it?”
Su Chengyu covered his nose with one hand and said hoarsely, “Su Zhi, just you wait. I definitely won’t let you off!”
After saying that, Su Chengyu quickly retreated and ran out of the makeup room.
There was only one thought in his mind.
Su Zhi was truly insane! She actually dared to lay hands on him!
Watching Su Chengyu’s rapidly disappearing figure, Su Zhi raised an eyebrow. She had thought he would make another move, but he ran away just like that. How boring.
After Su Chengyu disappeared, Su Zhi quickly turned to 007, who was trembling in the corner.
The moment 007 realized Su Zhi’s attention had shifted to it, it instantly felt like crying without tears.
〖Wuuwuuwuu, Host, is there anything you need 007’s help with?〗
Just as 007 was about to really cry, it heard Su Zhi’s voice, “I’ll take this mission.”
〖W-what?〗
The surprise came so suddenly that it almost scrambled 007’s internal code, but it quickly realized Su Zhi was serious.
In 007’s coding world, countless fireworks exploded in its mind.
007 immediately spoke in a flattering electronic voice inside Su Zhi’s head.
〖Host, I’ve just applied for a newbie gift pack for you. It’s already been delivered. Would you like to check it now?〗
Su Zhi shook her head. “No rush. The priority right now is the dating show in half an hour.”
When 007 heard that, the entire system tensed up at once.
That’s right! There were only thirty minutes left before the dating show, a crucial plot point in the novel, began!
But now, let alone a makeup artist or stylist, the host had been in the makeup room for over an hour, and there wasn’t even a shadow of a staff member to be seen.
It was as if the host was being deliberately ignored!
Just then, 007 suddenly saw Su Zhi pick up the scissors on the table and cut toward her waist-length hair!
〖007: ???〗
Ahhh, Host, don’t act on impulse!
・❥・
Robbin: Chapter schedule, either posting or unlocking, is every Monday and Thursday.
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