The first thing Xiao Zhi noticed was the smell.
No burnt coffee. No dusty cat fur. Instead, a faint and elegant smell, like what a luxury spa she imagined would be. Xiao Zhi couldnt tell what exactly the smell was, but it was definitely not her apartment's.
She opened her eyes and winced. The sunlight was too bright. Her apartment was so poorly ventilated that it was basically gloomy all day.
She sat up slowly. This wasn't her creaky mattress. The bed was firm but also softer than anything she had ever touched. Her pillow felt like a cloud, definitely not the ten-yuan one from the bargain bin.
Her brain froze.
"…So… is this… heaven?"
She glanced at her hands. Pale, slender, with perfect nails that look like they belonged on a magazine cover. Not her hands. Absolutely not. She wiggled her fingers, half expecting them to vanish.
They didn't.
"Oh my god. Did heaven give me a hand transplant?"
She kicked off the covers and instantly regretted it.
Her body was wrapped in layers of robes heavy with embroidery. The weight nearly dragged her back into bed.
Stumbling to her feet, she stood up and caught sight of a mirror. Or at least that's what she thought it was. It looked too dull, and the bronze colored glass didn't reflect her face properly.
But it still made her freeze.
She saw a stranger staring back.
Porcelain skin. Hair flowing like dark silk. Dressed in robes finer than anything she had ever touched. It's her face, alright, but somehow different. She looked less like a person and more like the lead actress of a period drama she binge-watched on the weekend.
"Heaven is real…" she whispered, touching her cheek with her manicured fingers. "I must've been really, really good in my last life."
A laugh slipped out. "Forget heaven. This is a miracle. I never even washed my hair more than once a month, and don't get me started on nail salons." She wiggled her fingers again at the mirror. "Manicure by angels. I could get used to this."
But before she could cheer any louder, the door creaked open.
A maid rushed in and nearly tripped. Her eyes went wide.
"Princess Lian Zhi! You're awake!"
Xiao Zhi blinked. "…Come again?"
The maid bowed so low her forehead almost hit the floor. "Thank the heavens. After you collapsed in the garden, we feared the worst."
Princess. Lian Zhi.
Wait, she recognised that name. Where had she heard it before?
Her stomach dropped. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Wait. Princess Lian Zhi? The Concubine-born? The tragic character from the manuscript I'd been mocking last night?" She muttered.
Her smile faded. "Maybe heaven isn't that nice after all." Her eyes wandered the room. The incense. The wooden windows. The phoenix embroidered bed. The silk robes. Every detail screamed that manuscript.
"No way. Heaven wouldn't give me that nightmare. Couldn't they at least drop me into a peach blossom garden with a dozen hot immortals? Or a cheesy CEO romance? Anything but this."
"Your Highness?" the maid whispered, snapping Xiao Zhi back to reality.
Xiao Zhi forced a crooked smile. "Yep. Totally normal. Princess Lian Zhi. That's me."
Before she could even think, another servant appeared. "Her Highness is summoned to the great hall. Immediately."
"Summoned? Great hall?" Before she could process anything, the maids pulled her hand "Hey, wait!"
The maids were swarming her, tugging at her robes and hair, pushing her along. She nearly tripped on the silk robes with every step.
The hall they dragged her into was massive, lined with jade pillars and golden dragons. Officials stood stiffly on both sides, staring without blinking.
At the throne sat a man in dragon robes. His presence was heavy as a storm. She didn't need anyone to explain. He was the Emperor.
Beside him, a woman with a similar design robe sat calm and sharp. Her posture was composed, and her smile was thin as a blade. One look from her made Xiao Zhi feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. Must be the Empress, she thought.
In front of them, a girl was kneeling, sobbing.
"Father! I cannot marry into the Tughril Khanate. They are cruel, heartless barbarians. Please spare me!"
That must be the first princess, Lian Yue.
Xiao Zhi's brain screeched.
No. No no no! She knew this scene. This was where the tragedy began. The First Princess cried her way out, and the concubine-born Lian Zhi got thrown to the wolves.
Her blood ran cold. She had read this chapter last night. She'd laughed at how stupid Lian Zhi was, a noble sacrifice and tragic death. And now she was that idiot.
The Emperor's voice echoed across the hall. "The Khanate requested the First Princess. To refuse now is an insult. They will see it as war."
Princess Lian Yue sobbed harder. "Father, please! I'll die if you send me!"
Then the Empress spoke, calm but with authority. "Yue'er is frail. Forcing her would kill her. But…" Her eyes slid toward Xiao Zhi. "Lian Zhi is strong. She will endure."
Xiao Zhi's pulse spiked. Did she just volunteer me as tribute?!
"Enough!" The Emperor slammed his hand on the throne. "Very well, it is decided. Princess Lian Zhi will wed the prince of the Tughril Khanate!"
The decree landed like an axe.
Lian Yue sobbed prettily, but when she lifted her face, Xiao Zhi caught it: a quick, sharp glint of triumph.
Xiao Zhi's mind went blank.
What kind of heaven was this?
No wings and clouds. No angels with harps. No.
This was budget heaven. Glitched heaven. A cruel joke wrapped in silk.
And she was the punchline.
Back in her quarters, she collapsed onto the bed. Her head was splitting open. Princess Lian Zhi will wed… The words looped in her head like a cursed ringtone.
She buried her face into the pillows. "Why me? Out of all the books, why this one?"
Her voice muffled against the silk. "I would've taken a CEO novel. I'd marry some domineering president who secretly makes breakfast at 7 a.m. Heck, I'd even take a cultivation world. At least there'd be magic. But noooo. I got the tragic character express ticket."
She rolled over and stared at the embroidered ceiling. The phoenixes seemed to laugh at her misery. "You guys think this is funny? Ha. Ha."
In the book, Lian Zhi died miserably. Someone who was betrayed, forgotten, erased. Now that "someone" was her. She hugged the silk quilt tighter.
"Nope," she whispered. "Not happening."
She tugged the quilt over her head. "God? If you're listening… can I get a setting change? Please? I did good things in the past, right? Recycling, donations, and that one time I helped an old lady cross the street. That counts, right?"
Just as she finished her one-on-one complaint session with the heavens, her door slammed open.
"Zhi'er! Are you all right?" A middle-aged woman rushed in. Her eyes were wet with worry. "I heard the news." She stopped in front of her, trembling with outrage. "How could the Emperor do this to you?"
Xiao Zhi froze. Her breath caught in her throat.
"M… Mama?"
Her eyes widened as she stared at the familiar face. The same face she hadn't seen since she was sixteen.
Her mother. Alive. Standing right there.