Chapter 4

That day, the rain wouldn’t stop, and the forest appeared dark and chilling.

Rainwater trickled down the tree trunks, gathering at their bases. Probably due to long-term soaking, a foul stench of rotting wood emanated from the tree roots.

Following the roots forward, there was a badly mutilated corpse. She lay on her back on the ground, and the rain had washed away the blood on her face, revealing a delicate appearance—it was none other than Bai Weiwei.

“You’re really hard to kill,” Huo Linyuan said. Just after he spoke, his body suddenly trembled and he collapsed to his knees.

“Huo Linyuan, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t scare me!”

“Say something!”

Sweat began to form on Huo Linyuan’s forehead, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

An Lan’s heart tightened. She anxiously hovered around Huo Linyuan like an ant on a hot pan.

She kept urging him to go to the hospital.

But Huo Linyuan couldn’t hear her.

Suddenly, a mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.

An Lan was stunned by the scene before her.

As she tried to assess his injuries—

Suddenly, the sky darkened, thunder boomed, lightning flashed, and a torrential downpour began.

Immediately after, she was sucked into a mass of dark fog by a powerful force. An Lan had no time to resist and slowly lost consciousness. Only faint voices echoed in her ears…

“Ding, host detected. 1%, 5%… 30%, 70%, 100%…”

“Ding, binding successful. World collapse initiated. Rebirth starting.”

An Lan abruptly sat up, drenched in sweat and gasping for air, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest.

Clutching her chest, she looked around and realized she was in a large pit.

Why does this place feel so familiar?

She stared blankly at the sky—even the moon rose blooming by the hole was in the same spot.

Had she been reborn?

“Ding, Host, you’ve indeed been reborn!”

“Who’s there?”

Startled by the sudden voice, An Lan nervously scanned her surroundings but saw no one. She stood up cautiously, her heart thudding wildly like a frightened rabbit.

“Host, I am the Hey Xiu Hey Xiu System, serial number 008. You can call me Xiao Ba (Little Eight).”

“Your name is… weird…”

“Ahem, Host, please don’t mind those details…”

“Oh, so you’re the one who brought me back to life?” An Lan recalled hearing someone speak as she lost consciousness. It sounded just like this voice.

“Yes, Host. The resentment in this world is too strong. So you’re needed to rewrite it.”

“Resentment? You mean from me?” Ever since An Lan discovered that this world was a novel, her resentment had grown. Why should her things be handed over to the so-called female lead?

Just because she’s a supporting role? A disposable character?

She refused to accept that!

“Host, you’re not the only one. In the last life, after the female lead Bai Weiwei died, all the supporting male characters who loved her began to awaken. They believed they were favored by fate and couldn’t accept being toyed with by one woman. They became angry and filed complaints with the main system. The main system couldn’t handle the pressure, so I was sent to bind with you. This way, you can not only change your fate but also others’.”

An Lan remembered that Bai Weiwei’s admirers were all elites—geniuses in their fields—and yet they all humbled themselves to please her. It had always puzzled her.

Now she knew they, too, were controlled by the novel’s plot.

“If that’s the case, why did you choose Bai Weiwei as the female lead in the first place? Didn’t you know her true nature?”

“That… was a system malfunction,” the system finally replied after a long pause.

“Xiao Ba, since you want me to change the story, shouldn’t you offer me some real benefits?” An Lan took the opportunity to ask.

It made no sense—Bai Weiwei had golden cheats in her past life, but she had none.

“There are benefits, Host. You get three newbie lottery draws.” As it spoke, a transparent panel appeared before An Lan.

A large spinning wheel appeared, filled with question marks instead of labeled prizes. Below was a round button.

An Lan lightly tapped the button, and the wheel spun wildly. Soon, it stopped on one segment.

“Congratulations, Host. You’ve won ‘Skin Like Jade.’”

“…”

An Lan wasn’t impressed. She’d rather get something practical, like ‘Super Strength,’ so she wouldn’t struggle with labor.

“Host, you don’t like it?” The system was puzzled—previous hosts were thrilled with beauty-related prizes. What girl didn’t love being beautiful?

An Lan didn’t respond and spun again. She got “Lips Like Crimson” and “Honest Puppet.”

Her eyes lit up when she saw the Honest Puppet. She carefully read its description: Point the puppet at someone, and for one week, everything they say will reflect their true thoughts.

This was useful. An Lan already knew who she’d use it on.

“Ding, Host, would you like to use ‘Skin Like Jade’ and ‘Lips Like Crimson’ now?”

“Yes.”

Those functions didn’t matter much, so she might as well activate them.

As soon as she spoke, the sallow skin on her hand turned snow-white and luminous like fine porcelain in the sun.

Watching this transformation, An Lan grew curious about her lips too.

Unfortunately, there was no mirror around. She’d have to check later when she got back to the educated youth camp.

“Comrade An?”

Suddenly, a deep and pleasant voice snapped An Lan back to reality.

She turned toward the voice—and saw a handsome face bathed in sunlight. The rays outlined his facial features with perfect clarity.

With deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and tanned skin beneath a military-style haircut, he looked rugged yet undeniably attractive.

“It’s me, Huo Linyuan.”

Seeing Huo Linyuan again, An Lan felt a surge of emotion and forgot she used to be terrified of him.

Huo Linyuan paused, surprised by her enthusiasm. In his memory, An Lan was always scared of him—she’d either lower her head or walk away when she saw him.

But he didn’t think much of it. He figured the girl must have been frightened after falling into the trap.

“Wait here. I’ll go find a vine to pull you up.” And with that, Huo Linyuan disappeared from the opening of the pit.