Xiao Yu’s life was nothing short of a joke—never blessed with fortune, but always well-acquainted with hardship.

Born into a poor family, she could have managed with poverty alone. But with an older sister above her and a younger brother below, life was a constant cycle of hunger and temporary relief.

Her family was close-knit, yet the extended relatives were full of petty squabbles. Life wasn’t good, but it wasn’t unbearable either. Her parents had gentle temperaments, and their children inherited the same. But Xiao Yu, determined to carve out a better life, slowly learned to be tough—because kindness alone didn’t put food on the table.

Over time, she became the kind of person she least wanted to be. But in the end, it didn’t matter who she was—what mattered was surviving.

After stumbling her way through childhood, she borrowed money and headed north as soon as she turned eighteen, ready to make something of herself. Of course, with no background, no connections, and only a pretty face to her name, all she could manage was scraping by.

Then, after much effort, she landed a boyfriend—a perfect specimen of tall, rich, and handsome. Everything about him was flawless… except for the fact that he wasn’t affectionate, wasn’t gentle, and didn’t love her.

And then, one day, he found someone he truly loved. Without hesitation, he kicked Xiao Yu to the curb—so ruthlessly that it left her reeling.

But Xiao Yu had grown up throwing tantrums at her grandmother’s feet just to get an extra bite to eat. She wasn’t the type to accept defeat easily. So, she pulled out the tricks she had learned in her village and clung on.

And then… well, then she was crushed. Completely and utterly.

Xiao Yu had never imagined that life could be this cruel. But there was a resilience in her bones—an unyielding strength that only grew under pressure. The harder life tried to break her, the straighter she stood.

No job? Fine, she’d be a cleaner. Not allowed? Then she’d scavenge for trash. One way or another, she would carve out a corner in this world. What, was someone going to physically erase her from existence?

As long as she wanted to live, she would.

Even if she lost her legs, she’d use a wheelchair. If she couldn’t scavenge, she’d beg. Xiao Yu clawed her way through life, refusing to surrender. But she never expected that survival itself could be such a humiliating struggle—that as a beggar, she barely even had the right to exist.

In the end, she died in the crossfire of a street fight between men who didn’t even know her name.

What kind of life was this? she thought bitterly.

Even death refused to be merciful. It came slow, dragging her through the agony of blood loss with horrifying clarity. Instinctively, she tried to crawl away—if she still had breath in her lungs, she would fight to stay alive. But who could possibly win against Death?

No matter how unwilling she was, in the end, Xiao Yu took her final breath.

And with it, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind: “Host, you’ve finally died.”

Xiao Yu: “…What the @#￥%&*?!”

Xiao Yu was the kind of person who could survive in the harshest of environments—not just because of her stubborn resilience but also because she had a natural ability to let things go. The only time she had ever clung to something was with her ex-boyfriend, and well… that had ended in disaster.

People who knew how to move on didn’t waste away in sorrow, didn’t lose their minds, and didn’t stand on rooftops contemplating a jump.

So when Xiao Yu realized she was dead, she spent a grand total of three hours mourning before she started trying to adapt to her new ghostly existence.

Meanwhile, the system kept shouting at her, but she ignored it. “What do you mean ‘you’ve finally died’? Do you have any idea how hard I fought to stay alive? Were you just sitting around waiting for me to drop dead?!”

404: “Host, why are you ignoring me? Host? Host?? Hooost—???”

The system introduced itself as 404, supposedly a guidance system designed to lead people toward a happy life.

Xiao Yu let it sit in the cold for another hour before finally asking, “How do you guys even pick your hosts?”

404 practically vibrated with joy. Finally! She was responding! It eagerly replied, “We pick the most miserable ones! The more tragic, the better!”

Xiao Yu: “…” Wow. Thanks a lot.

“Host, here’s the deal—I have a book. A new world needs a host, and you’re the perfect candidate. When would you like to depart?”

“…What do you mean?”

404 patiently explained, “Our system is designed to guide hosts toward the pinnacle of life. But to start fresh, you’ll need to be reborn into someone else’s body. And in exchange for that new identity, you’ll have to fulfill the original owner’s last wish.”

That made sense. It was a trade, after all. You couldn’t just get all the benefits without paying a price. Xiao Yu understood that much.

“So you’re saying I can start over in another world?” she asked, considering the idea.

“Exactly!” 404 chirped. “Here, let me show you one of my success stories. This girl, Luo Qian? Her life was downright tragic. She spent her entire retirement savings—300,000 yuan—on medical treatments, and in the end, she still didn’t make it. That’s when I stepped in! Under my expert guidance, she worked day and night, got promoted, got a raise, became a top executive, took over as CEO, and—uh—married a rich and handsome guy. So? Feeling a little excited yet?”

Xiao Yu: “…That impressive, huh?”

404 puffed out its nonexistent chest with pride. “Of course! Let’s get going right away!”

“Hold on,” Xiao Yu interrupted. “Who exactly am I being reborn as?”

“A rich young lady,” 404 declared confidently.

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up. “A rich young lady?” But she still kept her composure, cautiously asking, “There’s… nothing else, right?”

404 hesitated for a moment before replying, “N-No… nothing else. Probably.”

Xiao Yu: “…”

Well, living—even if it meant clinging on—was still better than dying. Since she had the chance to start over, why not take it? If completing a task meant she could be reborn into a life of luxury, enjoying wealth and privilege she had never known, then why hesitate?

So, when Xiao Yu opened her eyes to a world of stark white, she was genuinely confused.

Even when she realized she couldn’t move, it still didn’t fully register.

She blinked a few times, listening to the noisy chatter around her. That’s when it finally clicked—she had transmigrated. And the original owner of this body… was currently in a hospital.

“404, why do I feel like this hospital room doesn’t quite match the lifestyle of a rich young lady?”

Silence.

At first, Xiao Yu assumed 404 just hadn’t arrived yet. It never crossed her mind that the system simply had no idea how to respond.

“Mommy.”

A soft, childlike voice pulled her attention away.

Xiao Yu turned her head and saw a little boy. He was beautiful—big, bright eyes, a delicate, upturned nose, and an irresistibly cute mouth. The kind of child who made people want to scoop him up and hold him tight.

But he was far too thin. So thin that not even a trace of baby fat remained. His little hands were practically skin and bones, and his head seemed too large for his fragile body, as if it might topple over at any moment.

“Wipe hands.”

The boy struggled to wring out a damp towel from a nearby basin before carefully wiping Xiao Yu’s hands.

He couldn’t have been more than two or three years old.

Looking around the hospital room, Xiao Yu realized there were only patients and their families—no nurses, no caretakers. Just this tiny child, struggling to care for her all on his own.

Something in her chest twisted with guilt. A child this young should be running around, playing and laughing—not carrying responsibilities far too heavy for his little shoulders.

After the little boy finished wiping her hands, he hugged a washbasin nearly as big as himself and carefully carried it to the restroom to empty it. Then, with the now-empty basin in hand, he ran back, climbed onto Xiao Yu’s hospital bed, and gently helped her drink some water.

He was incredibly well-behaved, his movements practiced and efficient. After setting the cup with a straw aside, he reached for a small bag by the pillow, pulled out a wallet, and took out two yuan.

“Mommy, I’m going to buy breakfast.”

As the boy left, an elderly man in the next bed sighed. “Your kid is really something. The hospital food is expensive, so every day, he takes a few coins and runs out to buy the cheapest meal he can find. And on top of that, he takes care of you all by himself—never a moment to rest. A tough life for a little one.”

Xiao Yu, still unsure of the situation, didn’t dare respond carelessly. She simply nodded.

But inside, she was fuming.

404, get out here right now. What the hell is going on?!

Silence.

Not even the faintest mechanical hum, let alone a proper response.

That’s when Xiao Yu finally realized.

You. Lied. To. Me.

“L-Lied? No! I d-didn’t lie!” 404 stuttered—an impressive feat for a mechanical system.

Xiao Yu let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t lie? Then explain this! When exactly did you mention I’d be reborn as a paralyzed woman?!”

404 let out an awkward cough. “Well… I mean, the only people willing to give up their bodies for you to transmigrate into… are probably those who’ve had a pretty miserable life, right?”

Xiao Yu let out a cold laugh. “Fair point. I can’t argue with that. But—could you not have mentioned this before I got here?”

404 let out a squeaky chirp, then cheerfully replied, “Of course not! What if you refused to come?”

Xiao Yu: “…” No rebuttal. Absolutely infuriating.

404 quickly tried to console her. “Host, don’t worry! You have me! I’m a responsible and highly capable system. Trust me—I’ll help you reach the pinnacle of life and achieve ultimate happiness!”

Xiao Yu was silent for a long moment before finally asking, “Can I switch to another world?”

404 instantly chirped again, delighted. “That would be a no!”

…Right. Xiao Yu got it now.

With a deep breath, she asked, “Fine. Then tell me—what was the original owner’s wish?”

404 was relieved that the host was accepting reality so quickly.

Until—

“EVEN IF I COMPLETE THE TASK, YOU EXPECT ME TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE IN THIS BODY? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!”

“Uh…” 404 hesitated before quickly adding, “Don’t worry! I’m a powerful, top-tier system. I have golden fingers! With me here, I’ll whoosh and fix your body in no time!”

Only then did Xiao Yu reluctantly accept her fate. “Fine. Then tell me—what was the original owner’s wish?”

In response, 404 dumped the entire story’s plot straight into Xiao Yu’s mind.

Most people who transmigrate at least land in a book they’ve read before.

Not her.

What even was this novel?

Was this one of those new releases from the years she had spent struggling to survive?

Xiao Yu had been too busy scraping by to indulge in books, but she knew that in her high school days, novels with this exact kind of cliché setup were all the rage.

The story followed a classic trope:

The male lead was a wealthy second-generation heir. The female lead was a poor but noble-hearted girl. Through a twist of fate, she somehow offended the male lead. But, being a righteous, unyielding woman who wouldn’t bow for mere survival, she quickly caught his attention.

Then came the endless back-and-forth—the misunderstandings, the love-hate relationship, the parade of side characters trying to break them apart.

And, of course, after overcoming all obstacles, they lived happily ever after.

Xiao Yu roughly grasped the story’s trajectory and asked, “Oh, so which character am I? Given how miserable my life is, I must be a side character, right? But I don’t recall any female side characters having a kid?”

404 tossed another wave of information into her mind.

And just like that, Xiao Yu absorbed the original owner’s memories.

“…I’m ten years before the novel even starts?!” Xiao Yu deadpanned. “Then what the hell do I need that novel for? It’s completely useless!”

404: “Oh, by the way, did you see the supporting male and female characters in the book?”

Xiao Yu: “I did.”

404 sighed. “Pretty tragic, right?”

“Yeah,” Xiao Yu admitted. In the end, both supporting characters ran away from home, and their whereabouts were unknown.

“Exactly. Those supporting characters are actually the children of this body’s original owner,” 404’s mechanical voice said coldly and mercilessly.

“…” What the actual hell!?

=^_^=