Chapter 8

The Wen Residence, ten minutes before the incident occurred.  

After Wen Miao greeted the live-stream audience, the host said, “We all know that Miss Wen has remarkable achievements in dance. Could you give us a demonstration?”  

Wen Miao replied softly, “Of course.”  

This had been arranged with the program team before the live broadcast—a dance segment to help the audience get to know her better.  

Wen Miao’s ballet talent had been taken from a young ballerina, so even without preparation, she could handle the situation effortlessly. But with practice, her performance became even more flawless.  

Wen Miao smiled, then rose onto her toes and began a ballet piece called *Emerald Lake*.  

*Emerald Lake* was the dance that had made Wen Miao famous and solidified her reputation in ballet.  

The piece was renowned for its countless difficult moves, including several grand splits. Performing it required not only skill but also stamina—without over a decade of dance experience, it was nearly impossible to execute well.  

Yet Wen Miao, having learned it in less than half a month, performed *Emerald Lake* at a university freshman gala. The recording of her dance went viral online, earning her the title of “genius.”  

Now, she was about to perform *Emerald Lake* again in front of the live audience, and everyone was thrilled.  

A servant started the music. Wen Miao took her starting pose, then began to dance.  

Her movements were light and graceful, like a swan playing by the endless emerald waters.  

Her expression carried just the right touch of melancholy, instantly transporting the audience to that lakeside.  

**[Wow, Wen Miao never disappoints. She’s amazing!]**  

**[I was mesmerized when I first saw that video online, but seeing it live is even more stunning.]**  

**[So envious! And Wen Miao isn’t just a ballet prodigy—she’s a genius in other fields too!]**  

**[This is like a protagonist’s script. A novel’s female lead is right here among us.]**  

While the audience buzzed with excitement, Wen Miao reached the halfway point. Here, there was a basic ballet move—the fouetté turn—which was no challenge for her at all.  

The audience eagerly awaited the continuation of her beauty, but at that moment, as she executed the turn, Wen Miao suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.  

The host and the live audience were stunned.  

**[What happened? How could she fall? This move shouldn’t be hard for her.]**  

Some of Wen Miao’s devoted fans quickly made excuses.  

**[She must be tired—there were so many jumps earlier!]**  

**[Yeah, yeah, everyone makes mistakes!]**  

Most of the audience accepted this explanation, but a few who had studied ballet for years frowned.  

Wen Miao’s fall didn’t look like exhaustion—it looked more like a beginner’s mistake, someone unfamiliar with the move.  

But seeing most of the comments defending Wen Miao, this small group stayed silent.  

On the floor, Wen Miao was just as confused.  

How could she have fallen?  

Ever since she had acquired her ballet talent, she had never once stumbled.

Wen Miao was somewhat irritated but didn’t suspect anything. She got up from the ground, intending to continue dancing.

What happened next, however, completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.

When Wen Miao, who had previously danced like a graceful swan, began again, she lost all her ethereal charm and instead moved as clumsily as a turtle.

Even the ordinary audience could tell something was wrong now.

[????]

[W-what is Wen Miao dancing?]

[It looks awful! It’s like a completely different person compared to before!]

[And did you notice? A huge scar suddenly appeared on Wen Miao’s face!]

[???]

[Oh my god, it’s true!]

When the dance ended, Wen Miao expected applause, but when she opened her eyes, she saw the host and cameraman staring at her in horror.

Thinking her perfect performance had stunned everyone, she casually brushed the hair from her face.

But then she realized—why did her hands look so ugly?

Her hands should have been fair and slender, but now they were stubby and thick.

These weren’t her hands. These weren’t her hands!

She looked into the mirror and saw her reflection—a face marred by a massive birthmark, with a cleft lip.

Wen Miao was terrified. What was this?

Why had her face become like this?

Panicking, she grew hysterical. The live-stream audience, shocked by this abnormality, fell eerily silent, with even the barrage of comments dwindling.

At that moment, someone pushed through the servants’ attempts to stop her and entered in a wheelchair.

That person was Yu Fanlian.

As soon as this woman appeared, part of the live-stream audience instantly recognized her, and the comments surged.

[Who is this? Why did she suddenly show up here?]

Some viewers who knew Yu Fanlian quickly responded.

[Oh my god, isn’t that someone from our school? Her name is Yu Fanlian—she was my senior! She had an amazing voice and was scouted by talent agents, but she vanished overnight for some reason.]

[Yes, yes! That’s my senior!]

[But why is she here? And she looks furious!]

Of course Yu Fanlian was furious. Anyone who had something stolen from them would feel the same. But she steadied herself and unleashed all her pent-up grievances at Wen Miao: “What’s wrong? After all this time, you don’t even recognize your own face anymore?”

[What does she mean by that? “You don’t recognize your own face?”]

[Oh my god, now that she mentions it—have you noticed Wen Miao’s face looks exactly like that child star’s?]

[Right, right! Wasn’t her name Xue Xiaoyi?]

Xue Xiaoyi had once been a famous child star, at the peak of her career four years ago. But overnight, she disappeared and never appeared on screen again.

Later, fans captured photos of her current state—her face had aged horrifically, to the point where even her fans barely recognized her.

[What’s even scarier is—did you notice something else? Her voice sounds exactly like Wen Miao’s did before!]

Yu Fanlian’s words sent a shock through the audience, leaving everyone utterly bewildered.  

A chill ran down their spines, making their scalps tingle.  

Hearing Yu Fanlian’s words, Wen Miao froze for a moment before realization dawned—this was indeed her original face.  

Because her parents were closely related, Wen Miao had been born with various defects.  

The massive birthmark on her face had become her greatest shame, with countless people pointing at her and calling her ugly.  

Meanwhile, those who had neither money nor status flaunted beautiful faces.  

Wen Miao found it unbearably unfair—why should they shine brighter than her just because they were prettier?  

Refusing to accept this, Wen Miao soon discovered she had awakened an ability called **[Ability Plunder]**. By making physical contact, she could steal another person’s abilities, appearance, talents, or anything else she desired and make them her own.  

At first, Wen Miao only wanted a beautiful face. But gradually, her ambitions grew—she wanted the best grades, the most graceful figure, and more. Her desires swelled endlessly.  

Over time, she became so immersed in her patchwork beauty that she forgot what her original face even looked like.  

Now that she had reverted to her plain, ordinary self, the stark contrast left her suffocating.  

Wen Miao grew hysterical, her expression twisting into something frenzied and deranged.  

In public, she had always been poised and elegant—rarely had she ever appeared so wretched.  

Covering her face in shame, she screamed in despair, “What did you do?”! Why is this happening?!”  

Seeing Wen Miao in such a state filled Yu Fanlian with immense satisfaction.  

After finally reclaiming what was rightfully hers and regaining her voice, how could she possibly let Wen Miao off so easily?  

If not for that flash of red light, she would still be voiceless, forever robbed of her stolen traits, unable to even voice her grievances.  

Now, Wen Miao was facing retribution—everyone had seen her true face. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Because there were still so many others who, after having their talents stolen by Wen Miao, had lost all hope and stopped breathing forever.  

How could Wen Miao ever repay them?  

Yu Fanlian snarled, “Did you really think you could live happily like this forever? What isn’t yours will always be taken back!”  

“Today, I’ll expose you in front of everyone! You’re no prodigy—you’re a thief! You’re an **Awakener** with some kind of **Awakening Power** that lets you steal others’ appearances and talents, then pass them off as your own!”  

Her voice boomed, reverberating so powerfully it burned in everyone’s ears.  

For a moment after she spoke, not a single comment appeared in the live stream.  

But soon, a flood of messages erupted one after another—each expressing sheer disbelief.  

What? Wen Miao’s looks, talents, and knowledge were all stolen?  

After waiting so long, their confusion finally had an answer. So *this* was why Wen Miao had Xue Xiaoyi’s face and Yu Fanlian’s voice!  

Then… what about all her other talents and skills? Could they also be…?

The audience was stunned—this was absolutely a massive scandal!

The cameraman and host, sensing the situation was turning sour, hurriedly shut down the live stream. But they were too late. The viewers had already heard Yu Fanlian’s words, and some had even screen-recorded the video, spreading it far and wide.

Seeing her secret exposed, Wen Miao was furious.

A thick Contamination Source Aura began emanating from her body.

As she stared at her own terrifying face, overwhelming rage and a sense of injustice surged within her.

Why? Why could these worthless people have flawless looks, becoming celebrated violinists and pianists, while she was stuck with this hideous face? It was utterly unfair!

Everything she had painstakingly schemed for was now ruined.

Countless waves of contamination poured out from Wen Miao.

The host and cameraman were utterly panicked at the sight before them.

Wen Miao had actually become a Contaminant!

Awakeners and Contaminants were often just a step apart. Contaminants were usually Awakeners who had lost control.

Every Awakener was a potential Contaminant. If their sanity dropped to zero or they allowed themselves to spiral out of control, they would become Contaminants.

In this extreme situation, Wen Miao had willingly turned herself into a Contaminant!

Double pupils appeared in Wen Miao’s eyes, and octopus-like tentacles sprouted all over her body. Clusters of insect larvae crawled along the tentacles, with maggots dropping out.

Yu Fanlian and the others felt their scalps tingle at the sight, their sanity plummeting rapidly.

Though this should have been a scene of absolute horror, Yu Fanlian’s face showed no pain.

She had reclaimed what was rightfully hers. She had exposed Wen Miao’s true nature to the world. Even if she died now, she would have no regrets.

But the expected death never came. In the next second, Wen Miao, whose contamination levels had been skyrocketing, suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. She collapsed to the ground, utterly powerless.

Seeing the fleeting red glow, Yu Fanlian’s face lit up with adoration.

It was the God again! He had appeared once more, saving their lives yet again!

High above in the sky, Xi Le felt a bit awkward.

He had thought untying the threads would solve the problem. But then, that Tiny Person who had been tangled in the threads suddenly turned vicious, like an unlikable stray cat, sprouting weird tentacles and exuding a presence Xi Le disliked.

Yawning, Xi Le decided to help them one last time. He reached out and carefully poked Wen Miao with a toothpick.

Somehow, in the next moment, all the contamination aura around Wen Miao vanished. She lost her contaminating power and became an ordinary person.

Xi Le: “…”

He really hadn’t meant to do that.