“Let’s go, it’s been seven days already!”

“That thing about the movie king cheating is all fake!”

“Ugh, we waited so long, and in the end, got nothing but disappointment!”

The paparazzi left one by one, heads hung low in frustration.

Only Xia Chengcheng remained, lying flat in the grass while clutching her Canon R3.

A week earlier, Xia Chengcheng and a few fellow paparazzi had snuck their way to the movie king’s private villa.

No one could tell whether the movie king was simply too patient or if they had all received false intel. For seven days, they hadn’t captured a single useful scoop.

The others eventually gave up and left.

But Xia Chengcheng still hadn’t given up.

Her instincts told her that this scoop was real.

……

On the morning of the eighth day, brilliant sunlight bathed the villa.

At last, the villa’s front door opened.

A man emerged, holding a woman in his arms. The two were intimate, chatting and laughing as they walked out together.

From the nearby bushes came the faint sound of camera shutters clicking.

Xia Chengcheng, utterly satisfied, put down her camera and admired the images on the screen.

Just judging from the pictures, the two looked like a sweet, loving couple.

However, the movie king had a wife.

And his wife was an average-looking middle-aged housewife, not the glamorous young woman in the photos.

He was a Best Actor winner, known for doting on his wife.

What a cruel joke that image now seemed.

Beaming with triumph, Xia Chengcheng packed her gear and prepared to leave.

But the moment she stood up, her foot slipped.

“Sh*t!”

The curse escaped her lips instinctively.

The next second, her head slammed into a rock, and she lost consciousness completely.

────ρя


When Xia Chengcheng opened her eyes, she found herself in a clean, well-lit room. In front of her was a mirror surrounded by various makeup products. It looked like…… a dressing room?

What was going on? Hadn’t her head been split open?

Completely confused, Xia Chengcheng leaned toward the mirror.

She checked her head. It was perfectly fine.

But the girl in the mirror made her pause. Though the face was identical, there was a faint sadness between her brows.

Xia Chengcheng felt that the woman in the mirror was her, and yet not her.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she rushed to check for her equipment.

Damn, it was gone. Her camera had vanished, and all she had on her was a handbag from H Brand.

“Sh*t!”

She swore again.

Just then, the door to the dressing room was kicked open. A balding middle-aged man stormed in and began yelling at her.

“Xia Chengcheng! Can you stop causing trouble for once?! Ji Jinghan is a rising star! You’re a third-rate actress! How dare you hit her?! Do you still want to survive in this industry?!”

Xia Chengcheng frowned instinctively. A rising star named Ji Jinghan? No— she knew the entertainment industry inside and out, and she had never heard of anyone by that name.

And her, a third-rate actress? What a joke. She was clearly a paparazzi!

Xia Chengcheng said nothing, quietly observing the man in front of her.

After his tirade, the balding man pulled out his phone in anger and shoved it in her face.

“Look what you’ve done! The entire internet is flaming you! You’re done for!”

Xia Chengcheng took the phone. On the screen were two women— one seemed to be her, the other she didn’t recognize.

In the footage, ‘Xia Chengcheng’ shoved the other woman hard, and the latter fell to the ground, eyes full of tears.

A vivid red palm print marked the other party’s cheek.

A flood of angry comments streamed across the screen.

【Damn! Xia Chengcheng’s gone too far! What did Ji Jinghan ever do to deserve that?!】

【Just because she’s rich, she thinks she can do whatever she wants! Can someone kick this disgusting woman out of the industry already?!】

【And don’t forget how she got between Ye Shiwen and Han Jialin! I swear, I feel physically sick every time I see this woman now! Get lost!】

【Homewrecker, get out of the industry! Go die!】

Xia Chengcheng mentally filtered out the rest of the comments, which were even nastier.

It was obvious now. The beautiful, arrogant woman in the footage was her. And the fragile, pitiful little white flower must be the so-called ‘Ji Jinghan’ that the balding man had mentioned.

The man snatched his phone back with a glare.

“At the press conference half an hour later, you’d better give Ji Jinghan a proper apology! Otherwise, be ready to pay the penalty for breaching your contract!”

With that, the balding man turned and stormed off.

Xia Chengcheng watched his receding figure with clear disdain in her eyes, crossing her arms and letting out a light snort.

〖What are you sneering at?〗

A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind, puzzled.

“I’m laughing at how brainless everyone in this world is.” Xia Chengcheng replied. “This is clearly a trap set by Ji Jinghan, and yet everyone just bought it.”

〖How is this a trap set by Ji Jinghan?〗 The voice sounded even more confused. 〖Wasn’t it Xia Chengcheng who acted arrogant and bullied Ji Jinghan?〗

While the voice spoke, Xia Chengcheng heard the flipping of pages in her head, as if the voice were searching through some documents. After a moment, it muttered, 〖But the novel clearly says so……〗

“Who are you?”

Xia Chengcheng leaned lazily against the makeup table, changing her posture.

〖Ah! Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself!〗 The voice replied sheepishly. 〖Hello, Host! You’ve transmigrated into a novel! I’m your system! Here to guide you in completing tasks in this fictional world!〗

As soon as the voice finished, a book suddenly appeared in Xia Chengcheng’s hands. The title read, 《After Rebirth, I Became a Top Star in the Entertainment Industry》.

〖System: This is a rebirth story. The female protagonist, Ye Shiwen, rises to fame after being reborn, becoming a top-tier celebrity! Book Xia Chengcheng was her stepsister, who secretly loved the male protagonist Han Jialin for years. But since Han Jialin and Ye Shiwen were in love, Book Xia Chengcheng kept trying to sabotage Ye Shiwen, only to be repeatedly countered by her.

Right now, the plot is at the point where Book Xia Chengcheng and Ye Shiwen’s best friend, Ji Jinghan, are both vying for the second female lead role in 《Immortal Vow》. A conflict breaks out, and Book Xia Chengcheng slaps Ji Jinghan, causing her to be vilified across the internet! As a result, Han Jialin grows even more disgusted with her. Alone and desperate, Book Xia Chengcheng ends up taking her own life.〗

“How cliché.” Xia Chengcheng scoffed. “Even a dog wouldn’t read this.”

〖System: ……〗

Ignoring her insult, the system returned to the original topic, 〖Just now you said that this was a setup by Ji Jinghan? Why do you think so?〗

The system didn’t understand, but it was curious and desperate to know the truth.

Xia Chengcheng flipped through the novel to the part the system mentioned. A cold, mocking smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“The video was filmed from a parallel angle to human eye level, so it couldn’t have come from a surveillance camera. The footage was very stable, with no shaking and no breathing sounds. It’s unlikely someone just happened to hold up their phone to film it.”

She scanned the dressing room and spotted a shelf full of beauty magazines.

“That video was probably recorded like this.” She placed her phone between a stack of magazines, leaving only the camera lens exposed. “Whoever did this knew exactly what would happen in the room and set it up in advance.”

As a seasoned paparazzi, no one understood this better than Xia Chengcheng.

The system suddenly caught on. 〖So…… Ji Jinghan deliberately provoked Book Xia Chengcheng, making her push her, and then got it all caught on video? Damn! Ji Jinghan’s ruthless! She dug a trap for Book Xia Chengcheng to fall into!〗

“I’ve got the gist of this story now.” Xia Chengcheng closed the novel and rubbed her hands together, her tone tinged with excitement, “Now according to transmigration logic, I’m supposed to turn the tables, slap the female protagonist’s face, change the original owner’s wretched fate, and rise to the top, right?”

The system went silent for a moment.

〖System: No, because you’re here to replace Book Xia Chengcheng. You can’t break character. Your mission is to act according to her set persona— loud, arrogant, and not very bright. You’re supposed to compete with the female protagonist Ye Shiwen for the male protagonist Han Jialin’s affection, lose everything, and die without redemption!〗

Xia Chengcheng: “???”

Now it was her turn to fall silent.

〖System: Also, since you’re dead, you need to earn ‘reputation points’ in this world to stay alive. These are gained from positive public opinion. But you’re currently blacklisted across the internet, with zero points. So your life will end at midnight tonight.〗

Xia Chengcheng: “……”

She asked coldly, “Can you speak human words? Oh, wait,” She added, changing her tone, “you’re not human. So yeah, of course you can’t talk like a human.”

The system exploded. 〖Hey! That’s so mean! ……I mean, you can’t just insult a system like that!〗

“So the original owner is dumb and brash, which means I can’t apologize to Ji Jinghan or expose her setup. Then what can I do? No matter what I do, there’s no way to recover my reputation or earn reputation points, right?” Xia Chengcheng sounded casual, but her eyes gleamed with sarcasm. “You’re not here to help me complete tasks. You’re here to make sure I die.”

The system immediately objected, 〖Host, how could you say that? Sure, it’s a hell-level opening— wait, I mean, it’s a tough start— but I’m here now! I’ll help you through it!〗

Xia Chengcheng didn’t say yes or no.

Just then, the dressing room door opened again. Xia Chengcheng looked toward the sound and saw her bald manager, Brother Zhang, standing expressionlessly in the doorway.

“The press conference is starting. Get out there and apologize to Ji Jinghan!”

〖Host, what do we do? The conference is starting!〗 The system panicked, flailing for several seconds.

Then it suddenly had an epiphany. 〖Wait, I got it! You can shut up and just kneel to her! That way it’s not technically an apology, but it shows even more sincerity! Genius, right?〗

Xia Chengcheng: “……”

She brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. “It’s just a press conference, right? Don’t worry, I’ll complete the mission. And I’ll do it better than you think.”

The system still felt uneasy, but Xia Chengcheng had already stepped confidently out of the dressing room.

────ρя


The press conference was being held on the same floor. As soon as Xia Chengcheng appeared, a barrage of flashing cameras lit up the room.

She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.

She used to be the one taking pictures. Now, she had become the target. It felt a little strange.

Ji Jinghan arrived shortly after. A bright red slap mark still bloomed on her right cheek.

The moment she saw Xia Chengcheng, a flicker of disgust crossed her eyes.

Ji Jinghan brushed past Xia Chengcheng and whispered just loud enough for her to hear, “Xia Chengcheng, don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you apologize. This time, I’m going to ruin you.”

Then she immediately put on her delicate little-white-flower act, walking pitifully toward her seat.

But before she could take two steps, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Ji Jinghan turned back and saw Xia Chengcheng’s radiant, striking face.

“You want to ruin me?” Xia Chengcheng arched a brow, her gaze amused.

Ji Jinghan began to panic, trying to pull her arm free, but no matter how she struggled, Xia Chengcheng’s grip was too strong.

Xia Chengcheng gave her a charming smile. “I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”

In the next second, without warning, she raised her other hand and delivered a sharp slap— this time to Ji Jinghan’s untouched left cheek!