Song Qingya closed her eyes. In a mont of hazy consciousness, she once again saw that mysterious progress bar suddenly jump to 65%.
’How strange. Why would it pop up at a ti like this?’
Just then, Fei Jin’s voice, slightly chiding and hushed, sounded by her ear.
"Qingya, you’re not paying attention."
His tone held a hint of dissatisfaction, shrouded by restrained emotion.
He bit her lip, his voice low, husky, and leaving no room for refusal. "Look at ."
"Mm..."
She gave a soft sound of assent, but the full, apologetic murmur never left her lips.
When he lifted his gaze, the gloom in his eyes hadn’t completely faded. Instead, it gathered like storm clouds between his brows, adding a deep lancholy to his expression.
A resolute thought ford in Fei Jin’s mind:
’No matter who or what the future holds, I will unhesitatingly eradicate anything that dares to disrupt our lives or tear us apart.’
’All potential threats must be snuffed out in the bud.’
’From now on, I can’t let anyone get close to our world ever again.’
「anwhile.」
「In the Qi City detention center.」
Wen Wei was already in handcuffs, being escorted by two female officers toward the cell block.
Her feet dragged across the floor with a SHUFFLING sound. The fluorescent light overhead flickered with a cold, white glow, making her face look ghastly pale. She gritted her teeth.
Her eyes remained fixed on the gray wall ahead. She didn’t dare look back, afraid her tears would fall the mont she did.
She didn’t want to show weakness in front of these people.
But her heart felt as if a piece of it had collapsed, leaving an empty void where no hope could take root.
She was only twenty-five. She was supposed to be adored and praised, not locked in this small room with four high walls, listening to the sound of iron gates clanging shut one after another, each one colder than the last.
How could she not feel hatred?
She hated Song Qingya to the bone—the woman who had taken everything from her.
Every night, she hid a piece of straw pulled from a broom under her pillow. She would use her fingernails to whittle it into the shape of a small doll, then sew on two eyes with black thread and draw a crooked mouth.
She would hide the doll under her blanket and take it out secretly in the middle of the night. Holding it in her hand, she would squeeze its head with her fingers, sneering as she whispered curses—that Song Qingya would die a horrible death, that she’d get hit by a car or have her face mauled by a dog, that no one would even erect a tombstone for her after she died.
Her voice grew louder and louder as unstoppable tears stread down her face.
But as soon as her voice died down, she would imdiately stuff the doll back under the bedboard, wipe the tears from her face, and pretend nothing had happened.
To others, she looked like she was going crazy, muttering nonsensically to the air.
The other won in the cell had long since gotten used to it. So squatted in the corner cracking sunflower seeds, spitting out the shells while giving her side-eye. Others simply scoffed out loud.
A woman with dyed red hair sneered, "Yo, Wen Xiuxiu, putting on a show again? Let us know when you’re filming a movie. We’ll co support you. We’ll even be your extras, free of charge."
A few others nearby burst into laughter. So clapped along in agreent, while another deliberately mimicked her action of pinching the doll, pretending to chant a curse.
Whenever she heard this, Wen Wei would lift her chin, her face a mask of disdain.
She stood up, walked to the middle of the cell, and straightened her back. Her gaze swept over everyone. "You think you’re worthy of watching my performance? I’m a future top-tier celebrity, a superstar who’ll earn tens of millions per film! If this were after the year 2000, you wouldn’t even be able to touch my posters! You wouldn’t even get the chance to stand next to my car! Laugh all you want now. When I get out, you’ll all be on your knees looking up at !"
After speaking, she turned her back on them, her fingers digging tightly into her palms.
’No one believes what I’m saying right now,’ she thought, ’but I have to believe it. Only if I believe it myself will that fire inside not go out.’
At three in the afternoon, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the cell. Then, a guard opened the outer door, poked his head in, and shouted, "Wen Xiuxiu, co out. Soone’s here for you."
Everyone was stunned. Even the woman cracking sunflower seeds forgot to spit out the shell. "Her? Who?"
The guard didn’t answer, just urged Wen Wei to hurry up.
Soone had specifically asked for Wen Xiuxiu, and it was a young, handso man.
The man was tall and slender, with a pair of silver-rimd glasses perched on his nose. He wore a neat white shirt, buttoned all the way to the top.
The cuffs were rolled up slightly, revealing firm forearms. His leather shoes were polished to a shine, and he carried a black briefcase.
The mont he saw Wen Wei, his brow furrowed.
Her hair was a ss, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her clothes were wrinkled. There was a cracked, bloody line at the corner of her mouth. Though her eyes glared at him, they betrayed exhaustion and panic—nothing like the radiant protagonist he had imagined.
’Is this person really the Wen Xiuxiu from the book?’
’How did she end up looking like this?’
But the file was perfectly clear. The ti, place, and events all matched. There couldn’t be a mistake.
"You’re Wen Xiuxiu?"
Wen Wei froze for a mont, then nodded subconsciously. "Who are you?"
He didn’t answer, rely staring at her for two seconds before pulling a piece of paper from his briefcase and holding it out through the bars.
"Wen Xiuxiu, I’m here to save you. If you’re smart, you’ll do as I say."
"Who are you?"
Wen Wei asked warily, her voice tight and her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Who I am isn’t important," the man said, standing still, his tone steady. "You just need to know that I can get your sentence reduced. Weren’t you sentenced to three years? I have a way to get you out early. How early depends on your cooperation."
"Really?"
Wen Wei’s heart raced. Her chest heaved, and her breathing grew ragged.
"Of course it’s real. I have no reason to lie to you, especially not now."
She was so excited her palms began to sweat, but staring at the stranger’s face, she didn’t dare to fully believe him.
"Then why are you helping ?"
She took half a step back, her gaze locked on his eyes.
"Because," the man leaned closer, his steps soft as he lowered his voice, "we have the sa goal. We both want to overturn the current situation and change what has already happened."
The light suddenly returned to Wen Wei’s once-dull eyes.
"I knew it... I knew it! I’m the protagonist! How could the protagonist stay unlucky forever?! Fate was bound to give a chance to turn things around, and this is it!"
An almost fanatical smile spread across her face. The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably, and even her shoulders trembled slightly.
And the man, seeing her reaction, finally confird his suspicions. He muttered to himself, "I was right... This world really is from a book, exactly as described in the original story."
Wen Wei was about to be sent to prison in less than twelve hours. This man was like a sudden light in the darkness.
She asked eagerly, "Benefactor, you ca all this way to help . I should at least know your na, right? When I get out, I’ll be your loyal servant for life! I will definitely repay you. Please, tell your na."
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