Chapter 2

Staring at the dim, sallow face in the mirror for a long time, Xu Yinghuai still couldn’t process what she was seeing. She refused to believe it. Using her finger, she poked at the swollen red pimple on her right cheek.

“Hiss—ouch.”

It was real. It was really on her face.

But this face…

There were no bright, captivating fox-like eyes.
No cute, upturned nose.
No full, delicate smile.

…

No wonder when she bumped into Zhou Zirong just now, he didn’t even start with his usual sharp-tongued insults.

Putting Zhou Zirong aside for now, Xu Yinghuai felt utterly, completely hopeless.

Back in the day, when her father called her—while she was studying abroad—to tell her that their family had gone bankrupt, she hadn’t even felt this desperate.

Xu Yinghuai had always been diligent and hardworking, but she was never considered a top student. Under Zhou Zirong’s constant pressure, she had come to accept that there were clear differences in intelligence and emotional acuity between people.

Of course, the rivalry wasn’t one-sided. Even though Zhou Zirong consistently ranked first in class, Xu Yinghuai still thought he was an idiot. He might be able to fool exam papers, but he couldn’t fool her sharp, discerning fox eyes.

Zhou Zirong was an idiot.
A ridiculously ugly, colossal idiot.

Even if he had won a Best Actor award… even if…

Regardless, the thing Xu Yinghuai had always been most proud of was the face her mother had gifted her.

Even though, in the first nineteen years of her life, this face hadn’t served much practical purpose.

But when their family went bankrupt and was left with massive debts, Xu Yinghuai had relied on this face to become a beauty influencer and pay it all off.

Yet now… she opened her eyes—

Smack.

Her only golden ticket was gone.

Xu Yinghuai felt as if she could hear thunder rumbling above her head.

If it weren’t for the advancements in science and the invention of lightning rods, she was convinced she would be struck down by a bolt from the blue. If this were a cultivation novel, this would be her heavenly tribulation—the one she couldn’t survive!

“Hello… I don’t know who you are, but could you help me go to an interview?”

A timid female voice echoed hesitantly in her mind.

The surroundings were too quiet. Combined with the strange sensation she’d felt earlier when she had stumbled out of the elevator, Xu Yinghuai was now completely certain—there was another person inside this body.

Although it made absolutely no sense.

Shaking off her previous despair, Xu Yinghuai focused on the first question the voice had asked.

“I’m Xu Yinghuai. You should’ve heard of me, right? I’m a beauty influencer.”

“…”

“Sorry, I… I don’t really have much free time, so I don’t watch many videos.”

“What?! You’ve never heard of me?” Xu Yinghuai was displeased.

Relying on muscle memory, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and scrolled through it. Sure enough, there were no familiar social media apps installed. She clicked her tongue and complained, “What do you even do in your free time?”

“I…”

“Never mind, no need to explain. I’ll download them for you. You can watch them when you relax later.”

“Uh…”

Xu Yinghuai quickly navigated to the app store, downloaded the missing social media apps, registered an account, and followed herself.

Satisfied, she opened her own profile and began spamming likes on her videos.

“Um… could you maybe do this later? The interview is about to start. Can you prepare first?” The voice reminded her.

Xu Yinghuai paused. “Interview?”

“What interview?”

“For what job?”

The voice weakly explained that her mother was seriously ill and hospitalized, and she desperately needed money. This job as an assistant paid ¥15,000 a month, so she had applied.

Xu Yinghuai thought about the 11th floor, then about who she had just run into. The corner of her mouth twitched.

“You’re not interviewing to be Zhou Zirong’s assistant, are you?”

The voice hesitated. “Uh… I think the surname was Zhou… Let me recall… Yes! It’s Zhou Zirong.”

“Him? That stingy bastard is offering ¥15,000 for an assistant?” Xu Yinghuai was stunned. “Are you sure this isn’t a scam?”

“But… it really says ¥15,000.” The voice insisted, “If you don’t believe me, you can check the job listing. It’s all clearly written there.”

Hearing that, Xu Yinghuai switched to her home screen and scrolled. Her eyes landed on the rows of job-hunting apps.

She couldn’t help but sigh internally. She must’ve been really desperate for money.

With that thought, she opened the designated app, checking the listing while casually asking, “By the way, what’s your name? We should at least introduce ourselves.”

“I’m Chi Yi. ‘Chi’ as in ‘late,’ and ‘Yi’ as in ‘fleeing the scene of an accident.’”

Xu Yinghuai couldn’t help but comment, “Who introduces themselves like that? ‘Late and running away from the crime scene’? That’s terrible for your fortune!”

Chi Yi, who had introduced herself this way for over twenty years: “…Then how should I say it?”

“You should go with ‘Late, but ultimately at peace.’ Doesn’t that sound better?”

Chi Yi: “…”

“Actually… yeah.”

“That does sound better.”

Pleased with Chi Yi’s response, Xu Yinghuai smirked and nodded.

At that moment, she saw the job listing Chi Yi had mentioned.

[Hiring a personal assistant – ¥15,000 per month. Details to be discussed in person.]

So brief it felt like a scam. If it weren’t for the official verification from a studio, she would’ve dismissed it entirely.

“You’re really sure about becoming Zhou Zirong’s assistant?” Xu Yinghuai confirmed again.

“Yes… I am.” Chi Yi replied. “I can’t find another job that pays this well.”

“Really? Didn’t you graduate from a good university? Your major seemed to have decent career prospects.”

Having spent some time in Chi Yi’s body, Xu Yinghuai had absorbed bits and pieces of information.

“You… you found out.” Chi Yi sounded flustered. “But that’s all in the past. Right now, I desperately need this job. My mom is in the hospital, and my two other jobs combined don’t pay as much. At least with this, I won’t have to work twenty-hour days anymore. I can even have time to rest or visit my mom.”

“Mm…” Xu Yinghuai pondered for a moment before cautiously asking, “So… eventually, I’ll return to my own body, right?”

“This body and the job will still be yours?”

Chi Yi hesitated for a few seconds before replying honestly, “Probably not. I think… I already died.”

“The ferryman told me that my cause of death was… overwork.”

“When I got on the elevator, my chest started feeling tight. Then there was a sharp pain, and everything went dark. But now I’m back, though I keep hearing a system voice telling me I’m already dead and should hurry to my next life.”

“So, from the looks of it… I’m really dead. This body… should be yours now.”

—

!

?

Xu Yinghuai felt another imaginary lightning bolt strike her head. She was on the verge of tears.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then… if that’s the case, I—I… I can’t help you! Zhou Zirong and I are sworn enemies!!!”

With that, she grabbed her bag and bolted toward the elevator.