Chapter 15 – Her Face

◎ The beauty-obsessed Xue Huiyu was utterly thunderstruck! ◎

[Host, you misunderstood. System 1070 is a “Side Character Resurrection System,” not a “Villain Redemption System.” Healing the villain and turning him to the good side is not the core purpose of the resurrection system. While doing so can earn you a lot of resurrection points, if you still haven’t earned 100 points within 100 days, you still won’t be able to resurrect after the time is up. The goal of the resurrection mission is to return to your original place in the world.]

[And to be selected by the resurrection system, you must meet three conditions: First, your remains must not have been discovered. Second, in this plane of existence, there must be someone who strongly misses you — this powerful longing is what calls your consciousness back to the world of the living. Third, and most importantly, you yourself must have a deep and urgent desire to live. This intense emotion is what ultimately activates the resurrection system and grants you the chance to return to life.]

Xue Huiyu had very few friends or relatives — she couldn’t imagine anyone who would miss her that much…

And her relationship with Pei Wenyu was just a façade.

The three great joys of a man’s life: getting promoted, getting rich, and his wife dying. Their marriage was purely a business arrangement, so how could there be any real feelings? At most, the car accident they shared might have left him traumatized and unable to remarry for a while.

As for why her body hadn’t been found yet… she suspected they didn’t try too hard to look for it. Otherwise, how could they not find her in the sewer?

As for her father… a man who pushed her into a business marriage — how much true affection could he possibly have had for her? Even if he shed a few crocodile tears after her death, she would never forgive him for cheating on and betraying her mother!

Then… could it be Pei Yuqi?

Ignored coldly by his father, abused to the point of injury by the nanny… and in those helpless times, longing for a mother he had never met…

Children without mothers are like grass. Xue Huiyu had also lost her mother as a child and had always missed her deeply.

Thinking of her own child curled up in a corner, crying quietly while longing for the mother he had never seen — only to be told that his mother didn’t want him, wouldn’t hold or feed him, and even considered him a burdensome nuisance — Xue Huiyu’s heart twisted in pain.

From the moment she learned she was pregnant until her death, Xue Huiyu had never looked forward to the child’s birth, nor had she liked him for even a second. During the postpartum month, she had barely held him…

All those sarcastic and hurtful words said to Pei Yuqi were true — not slanders made up by Xia Lanzhi and Zheng Huiwen to torment him.

But in the few days her soul stayed by Pei Yuqi’s side, Xue Huiyu — who had once been resigned to her death — started to regret.

— If only I had held him more when I was alive…

— If only I were still alive…

Then she could truly be there for her son.

Hold him, kiss him, teach him to speak…

She could protect him from any bullying.

And when Pei Wenyu got into the car accident, she had a real, desperate wish to come back to life.

Though she resented him for breaking his promise, she was terrified he might die like she did. What she feared more was that Pei Yuqi, who already had no mother, would also lose his father — truly becoming an orphan. Even if Pei Wenyu was an irresponsible father!

Now, knowing what kind of future awaited Pei Yuqi, her desire to live was even more urgent!

She had to race against time — 100 days! No second to lose!

Thinking about how her baby was still at home waiting for her return, probably worried because she hadn’t come back for a day, Xue Huiyu immediately yanked the IV out of her hand, leapt from the hospital bed, and rushed straight to the bathroom.

She had struggled in the water for so long last night — she must look like a complete mess. She had to put on a beautiful face to meet her precious baby!

But when she looked into the mirror with anticipation, Xue Huiyu’s eyes widened in shock. She pinched her face in disbelief.

“Why isn’t this my face?! Whose body is this?!”

Even though she’d mentally prepared for the possibility of a new face, Xue Huiyu still couldn’t believe she had to complete all her missions looking like some random nobody…!

[Host, the body you’re using is still your original body. We restored it to its condition one minute before the car crash. The change in your face is just an illusion technique.]

In the mirror, the young woman’s face was extraordinarily average — the kind of face you’d forget at a glance.

Though her features hadn’t changed much, her original beauty was completely unrecognizable. It was like a dull layer of fog had settled over her — so plain and ordinary she would never stand out in a crowd…

Only the sapphire diamond earring on her right ear sparkled brilliantly — lavish and noble, totally out of place on that forgettable face.

Just imagining having to spend 100 days with such a face left the beauty-obsessed Xue Huiyu utterly devastated!

As the lead dancer of a ballet troupe, beauty was essential — either breathtaking beauty or unforgettable elegance. If not beauty, then at least grace.

Xue Huiyu had always gone to great lengths to ensure she looked flawless from head to toe… But now, the face she prided herself on was gone! Replaced by a body that hadn’t yet fully recovered after childbirth! She was neither beautiful nor elegant! How could she possibly do anything with this body in 100 days?!

“Restore me to my pre-pregnancy figure!”

Her butterfly shoulder blades! Her mermaid lines! Her sacral dimples!

All gone!

Replaced by a slightly chubbier frame and a soft belly!

Gritting her teeth, Xue Huiyu growled, “You expect me to reclaim the lead dancer position in a hundred days with this out-of-shape body? Do you think being a ballet lead is easy? Or do you think losing weight and getting fit is just a piece of cake???”

The system replied hesitantly:
[Host, you’ve given birth. If we restored you to your pre-pregnancy figure, your medical records would show otherwise. If you’re truly resurrected in the future, how would you explain that?]

“…”

That… made a lot of sense. For a moment, Xue Huiyu had no comeback.

After all, a gynecological exam could clearly show whether someone had given birth. If they erased those signs, it would be a glaring inconsistency — a massive bug if she were to come back to life for real.

[Host, aside from your face, everything else is still yours — your voice hasn’t changed, and the calluses from years of dance and your birthmarks are all still there. Even your clothing and styling on the day you died have been preserved. Anyone who truly knows you will definitely recognize you. Don’t lose hope.]

“Recognize my ass!”

Xue Huiyu did have a birthmark, on her lower back.

She thought it was ugly, so when she grew up, she had a purple butterfly tattooed over it.

After she became famous from her dance performance, a ton of fans copied her and got the same butterfly tattoo — it practically became mainstream!

At one point, scammers even used her tattoo to impersonate her, seduce men, and extort them. A dozen men had fallen for it…

Also, a woman with a butterfly tattoo appeared in a leaked video on a certain adult website. Immediately, marketing accounts began fanning the flames, insinuating that it was her — claiming she had been secretly filmed and that her behavior was immoral — all in an attempt to smear her reputation. It nearly drove Xue Huiyu insane with rage!

And preserving her outfit from the day she died? That was even more ridiculous — who could remember what they wore three and a half years ago?

Even Xue Huiyu herself couldn’t recall how many pieces of jewelry she had, how many were stage props from ballet performances, how many were sponsored gifts, and how many were from her own company.

On the day of the car crash, Pei Wenyu had tricked her into thinking they were going to visit her father. She had just grabbed a random piece from her jewelry box that matched her outfit. She didn’t even remember what it was herself — let alone expect anyone else to.

Noticing the host’s emotional metrics spiking again, the system immediately tried to calm her:
[Host, Pei Yuqi is severely lacking in both maternal and paternal love. If you can earn his recognition as a mother and guide him onto the right path from a young age, your resurrection task will get a substantial bonus. I can even apply for a ‘golden cheat’ for you. Also, as your resurrection points increase, the illusion hiding your face will gradually fade…]

“But I need my original face for that! I worked so hard to build a relationship with my baby using that face! How is he supposed to recognize me with this one?!”

Xue Huiyu was furious.

“If I can’t use my original face, then at least give me a prettier one! People are naturally drawn to good looks! A pretty face at least increases the chances of getting through to someone! But with this face — it’s like I don’t even exist! If I fail this mission, it’ll be all this forgettable face’s fault!!!”

Slamming the table in frustration, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

Her vision went dark, and she staggered before collapsing to the ground. The sound of her fall drew in Zhou Qihua, who had come to visit her. He panicked and immediately called for a doctor.

As the rushed-in medical staff helped support her, a dazed Xue Huiyu mentally shouted at the system in alarm:
[My body is my foundation for everything! Isn’t this body a little too weak? I keep getting dizzy… Could it be some postpartum complication or—]

She was cut off by the system’s cold, deadpan voice:
[Host, your blood sugar has dropped to 2 mmol/L. You’re experiencing a syndrome characterized by excessive sympathetic nervous activity and impaired brain function. Common symptoms include hunger, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, anxiety, heart palpitations, cold sweats, pale complexion, elevated blood pressure, and tremors. If your blood sugar drops further, you may experience confusion, drowsiness, convulsions, or even coma…]

The more Xue Huiyu listened, the more anxious she became. She quickly interrupted:
[Is it really that serious?!]

[Host, this is hunger-induced hypoglycemia. You need to eat.]

“Grrrgle…”

Xue Huiyu: “…”