Chapter 5

Xu Yinghuai stepped out of the elevator, her mind still replaying the stunned expressions of Chen Xi, Linda, and Zhou Zirong as they stared at her in disbelief.

The scene was like a horror movie looped endlessly in her head, accompanied by Chen Xi’s delayed laughter.

Damn it!

She felt like her performance had been so terrible that it might as well have been the end of the world.

It was over—15,000 yuan, gone…

She was now going to have to take over Chi Yi’s exhausting, day-and-night-reversed lifestyle.

Only at this moment did Xu Yinghuai start to feel real fear.

And it was also now that she began to regret it.

Why had she insisted on clinging to her pride—a pride that might feel good for a moment but wouldn’t earn her a single cent?

What was the point?

She really wanted to poke her own spine and ask herself—

—What. Was. The. Point!?

When she walked into that office earlier, she had already prepared herself to pour tea for Zhou Zirong if necessary.

So what if she had told a little lie, praised Zhou Zirong a bit?

So. What?!

It wasn’t like a lightning bolt was going to strike her down in the 21st century for lying.

Yet she had blurted out something as ridiculous as—“Zhou Zirong is a person.”

Xu Yinghuai felt like crying from her own stupidity.

Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair and gave it a hard rub, venting out some of her emotions. When she finally let go, she felt an unusual sensation in her palm.

Curious, she looked down—and was immediately startled by the handful of hair in her hand.

Back when she was a content creator, image management was everything. If she kept losing this much hair, wouldn’t she turn bald like a monk?

Feeling a lingering sense of dread, she quickly patted her head, as if trying to coax the remaining hairs to stay in place.

But come to think of it, she used to run her hands through her hair all the time without losing so much of it.

This must have been the result of Chi Yi’s prolonged exhaustion.

Realizing this, Xu Yinghuai took a deep breath and focused inward, checking if there were any other discomforts in Chi Yi’s body.

After all, this body was hers from now on. She had to take good care of it.

The first thing she noticed was that her stomach felt painfully empty.

Searching through her memories, she realized that Chi Yi had skipped breakfast just to save money.

Glancing across the street, she saw a convenience store.

She decided to go buy some oden—something warm and filling.

As she pushed open the glass door, a cheerful voice greeted her.

“Welcome!”

Xu Yinghuai walked straight to the oden section.

The clerk had just added fresh ingredients, and the broth was bubbling away, sending waves of delicious aroma into the air.

The scent made her stomach growl.

She hadn’t eaten oden in ages—strict dieting had been a part of preparing for her past modeling gigs.

Scanning the options, she mentally picked out what she wanted and was about to order when—

She suddenly remembered Chi Yi’s debt.

The hopeful smile on her face froze.

Pulling out her phone, she checked her WeChat Pay, Alipay, and online banking balance.

Her smile vanished completely.

Gripping her phone tightly, she sluggishly pointed at a floating white radish slice and forced a smile.

“Hi, I’ll have two pieces of radish.”

“Two pieces?”

“Yeah, just two.”

“…”

“…And extra soup, please. Thanks.”

—

Holding her “luxurious” bowl of broth with two radish slices, Xu Yinghuai found a seat.

The city of Huai’an had a way of dropping temperatures suddenly and unexpectedly.

Chi Yi had only been wearing a thin knitted sweater today. It had been fine inside the office, but the moment she stepped outside, the wind cut through her like a knife.

Goosebumps covered her skin, and even her hands felt numb.

Clutching the bowl, she let the warmth seep into her palms before picking up a skewer to eat.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

A friend request popped up.

She glanced at the name—【Linda】.

Immediately, she dropped the radish skewer and grabbed her phone with both hands.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Even when she had received the invitation for the V Fashion Show, she hadn’t felt this nervous.

The verification message was clear as day—

“Congratulations, you passed the interview!”

Without hesitation, Xu Yinghuai tapped “Accept.”

Images of 15,000 yuan flashed through her mind like a beautiful dream.

She was still celebrating when another message arrived—

It was a transfer notification.

Her breath caught as she saw the number.

A 2 followed by four zeroes.

20,000 yuan.

She blinked.

She moved her phone away, stared out the window, then brought it back and counted again.

Still 20,000.

It was real.

She swore she could hear the heavenly chime of money entering her account.

Oh my god!

What kind of miracle was this?!

Another vibration.

Linda: “This is your advance salary. The boss insisted on paying it upfront.”

“By the way, he thought you did well, so he gave you a 5,000 yuan raise.”

“Tomorrow is your official first day. No tardiness or early leaves. I’ll send you the job details soon, including the boss’s habits and film set protocols.”

Suppressing her overwhelming excitement, Xu Yinghuai quickly replied—

“Got it!”

—“Amazing!”

The moment she sent it, just as her finger lifted from the send button—

She heard a voice.

A faint, familiar voice in her head.

Xu Yinghuai froze.

Had she misheard?

It was much weaker than before, but still unmistakable.

They had agreed—once she called Chi Yi’s mother, Chi Yi would leave.

So why was she still here?

Holding her breath, Xu Yinghuai listened closely.

Nothing.

Maybe she was just hallucinating from hunger.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought.

But then—

Her lips curled upward involuntarily.

The voice returned.

And this time, she wasn’t just hearing it—

She was speaking it out loud.

“Thank you. Really, thank you so much…”

“Now, at least my mom’s medical bills are covered…”

Xu Yinghuai’s heart clenched.

“Chi Yi?” she whispered.

“…You’re still here?”

“…I was waiting,” Chi Yi admitted softly. “Waiting for the interview results.”

“I don’t mean to distrust you—I believe in you. I just… I just couldn’t leave before making sure my mom was taken care of.”

A lump formed in Xu Yinghuai’s throat.

She wanted to scold Chi Yi.

She really did.

But instead, her heart ached.

“You’re an idiot,” she choked out, voice trembling.

Tears welled up and fell.

Her body—carrying two souls—was now crying and laughing at the same time.

Chi Yi laughed weakly. “I’m going now. Everything’s settled.”

Then a deep male voice suddenly spoke—

“ID 178293867. You finally sent your location. Took us a while to find you. Let’s go—we’re already behind schedule.”

“…Okay.”

A ferryman.

Chi Yi’s guide to the afterlife.

Xu Yinghuai quickly asked, “Will her next life be happy? Safe and comfortable?”

The man hesitated, then answered, “Yes.”

Relief washed over her.

“That’s good.”

Chi Yi whispered her final goodbye—

“I leave everything in your hands.”

—

Xu Yinghuai blinked as golden light flooded the window.

Then—silence.

A world without Chi Yi.

She whispered to the fading light,

“Safe travels.”