Vincent Chen had always believed karma was bullshit.
That belief lasted exactly until the moment a piano fell on his head.
Yes, a piano. In the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Because apparently, the universe had a sick sense of humor and thought killing people Final Destination-style was hilarious.
His last thought before everything went black: This is so stupid.
When Vincent opened his eyes again, he wasn't in a hospital. He wasn't in heaven. He definitely wasn't in hell—though given his dating history, that would've made sense.
Instead, he was floating in what looked like the inside of a screensaver from 2003. Blue grid lines stretched infinitely in all directions.
"Welcome, Host!" A cheerful voice chirped from nowhere and everywhere at once.
Vincent spun around—or tried to. Hard to spin when you don't have a body. "What the—who's there?"
A blob of light materialized in front of him. It pulsed like it was excited. "I'm System 69420! But you can call me Bai Yun!"
"...System what now?"
"69420! Isn't it a great number?" The blob bounced. "Anyway, congratulations! You've been selected for the Scumbag Redemption Project!"
Vincent stared at the floating blob. "The what?"
"Scumbag Redemption Project!" Bai Yun repeated enthusiastically. "You died with negative karma points—"
"I did not—"
"—so you'll transmigrate into various novel worlds as scumbag characters and redeem yourself by making the male leads fall in love with you!"
"So I'm in hell," Vincent said flatly.
"No, no! Think of it as... a chance for personal growth!"
"I dated badly. I didn't murder anyone."
"Host, do you remember Ryan? Mark? Chen Wei? That barista whose number you never called?"
Vincent grimaced. Okay, so he'd been a bit of a player. Maybe more than a bit. "That still doesn't explain the piano."
"Cosmic justice works in mysterious ways!" Bai Yun chimed. "Now! Are you ready for your first world?"
"What if I say no?"
"Then you'll be stuck in this void forever! Fun, right?"
Vincent closed his eyes—metaphorically, since he didn't have eyes right now. "...What do I have to do?"
"Simple! Enter the world, replace the scumbag character, don't do the scumbag things they were supposed to do, and make the male lead's favorability reach 100 points! Oh, and don't die. Dying is bad for your score."
"And if I complete all the missions?"
"You get to reincarnate! Fresh start, clean slate, maybe don't be a scumbag in the next life?"
Vincent thought about it. Eternal void or a chance to live again? Not exactly a hard choice.
"Fine. But if this is some kind of elaborate prank—"
"Wonderful! Transmitting to World One in 3... 2... 1..."
"Wait, I'm not ready—"
Everything went white.
The first thing Vincent noticed was that he was wearing heels.
The second thing he noticed was that he was about to die. Again.
A truck barreled toward him, horn blaring,
Vincent's body—her body?—stood frozen in the middle of the street, tears streaming down her face.
Move! Vincent's brain screamed at limbs that didn't feel like his own.
At the last possible second, muscle memory kicked in. He threw himself backward, heels and all, hitting the pavement hard as the truck roared past, missing him by inches.
Vincent lay on the cold ground, chest heaving, staring up at the night sky.
"Host! You're alive!" Bai Yun's voice chirped in his head. "Great job not dying!"
That's the bar we're setting? Vincent thought .
"Current Identity: Yu Li, 24, actress. Status: Universally hated. Favorability with Male Lead Ren Jingchen: -50 points. Mission:
make him fall in love with you.
Vincent pushed himself up, becoming aware of several things at once:
He was wearing a tight red dress that was absolutely not his style,He had long black hair,andThere were photographers across the street, cameras flashing.
A sleek black car had stopped nearby, and someone was getting out
"Yu Li!" A cold voice,"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Vincent turned to see the most beautiful man he'd ever laid eyes on.
Tall. Probably 6'2". Sharp features that could cut glass. Dark eyes that looked like they could freeze hell over. Dressed in an immaculate black suit. And sitting in a wheelchair.
That's the male lead?
Vincent's mouth went dry.
"System," he thought frantically, "who is this?"
"That's Ren Jingchen! Film Emperor, age 28, wheelchair user due to car accident three years ago. Currently hates Yu Li for—"
"I don't care what she did," Vincent interrupted. "How do I fix it?"
"Well, the original Yu Li was about to throw herself in front of that truck because Ren Jingchen rejected her confession and called her pathetic—"
Ren Jingchen wheeled closer, his expression carved from ice. "Was this another one of your schemes? Get me to pity you?"
The photographers were having a field day. Vincent could already see the headlines: Desperate Actress Yu Li's Suicide Attempt After Film Emperor's Rejection!
He had to salvage this. Fast.
Vincent took a shaky breath, channeling every ounce of dignity he'd never actually possessed. "No."
Ren Jingchen's eyebrow lifted. Clearly, he'd expected tears, pleading, or dramatic declarations.
"No," Vincent repeated, brushing dirt off the dress and immediately regretting the heels. "This was... a mistake. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"You expect me to believe—"
"I don't expect you to believe anything," Vincent cut him off, surprised by the steadiness in—her?—voice. "And you're right. I was pathetic. Throwing myself at someone who clearly doesn't want me? That's not just pathetic. That's sad."
Ren Jingchen's eyes narrowed.
Vincent turned to face him fully, ignoring the cameras"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I'll stay out of your way from now on."
Before Ren Jingchen could respond, Vincent walked away on wobbling heels, head held high, leaving the Film Emperor staring after him in complete confusion.
[Ding! Ren Jingchen's favorability: -50 → -45!]
[Mission Update: Survive first encounter ✓]
"Five points?" Vincent"I nearly died and I only got five points?"
"Rome wasn't built in a day, Host! You did well for your first encounter!"
Vincent looked down at his—her—body. The dress was ruined. The heels were torture devices. And he was living in the body of a woman who'd apparently made it her life's mission to harass a man in a wheelchair.
"Bai Yun?"
"Yes, Host?"
"I hate you so much right now."
"That's the spirit! Now, let's review Yu Li's memories so you don't mess up again!"
As information flooded Vincent's brain, he learned exactly how terrible his new identity was.
Yu Li: daughter of wealthy business magnates, spoiled since birth, mediocre actress who got roles through connections, and utterly obsessed with Ren Jingchen to the point of sabotaging other actresses and staging multiple "coincidental" meetings.
In the original plot, tonight's truck incident was supposed to be her death. A tragic accident that would've sparked briefly sympathy before everyone moved on. The story would continue with the original female lead and Ren Jingchen's romance.
But Vincent had changed that.
Which meant all bets were off.
Vincent found himself in Yu Li's apartment.
taste"—and collapsed on the white leather couch.
Tomorrow, he'd have to figure out how to be an actress. How to navigate the entertainment industry. How to turn a -50 favorability rating into 100.
But tonight?
Tonight, Vincent was going to figure out how to walk in heels.
Vincent woke up to seventeen missed calls, forty-three text messages, and a splitting headache.
Also, he had boobs now. That was still weird.
"Bai Yun," he groaned, "please tell me last night was a nightmare."
"Good morning, Host! You're trending on Weibo!"
"...Is that good or bad?"
"Let's see: #YuLiSuicideAttempt, #RenJingchenHeartless, #DesperateActress... I'd say 70% bad, 30% sympathy points!"
Vincent grabbed the phone on the nightstand—and scrolled through the messages.
Manager Chen (15 messages):
Yu Li, what the HELL
Pick up your phone
The company is going insane
Call me back NOW
Mother (8 messages):
My dear daughter, are you alright?
Your father is very upset
Please come home for dinner
We need to discuss your... career choices
Unknown Number:
You're pathetic
Stay away from Brother Jingchen
Jump next time
Vincent's blood ran cold at that last one. Jesus. Yu Li's fans—or rather, anti-fans—were brutal.
"System, show me today's tasks."
A blue screen materialized in front of him:
[DAILY TASKS]
Attend morning company meeting ✗
Practice acting skills (0/2 hours) ✗
Improve public image ✗
Don't piss off the male lead ✗
[MAIN QUEST]
Ren Jingchen's Favorability: -45/100
[SHOP]
Acting Skill Book (Beginner): 100 points
Beauty Maintenance Pack: 50 points
Plot Hint: 200 points
"Wait, I have points?"
"You started with 500 starter points! Spend wisely!"
Vincent thought about it. He needed acting skills if he was going to survive in the entertainment industry without Yu Li's connections—which he planned to ditch eventually. But plot hints could prevent disasters...
"System, what happens if I complete daily tasks?"
"You earn 50 points per day! Plus bonus points for major plot milestones!"
Decision made. Vincent purchased the Acting Skill Book.
The moment he confirmed, knowledge flooded his brain. Method acting. Emotional recall. Character analysis. Scene breakdown. It wasn't master-level, but it was enough to not embarrass himself.
[500 points → 400 points]
His phone buzzed again. Manager Chen, calling for the eighteenth time.
Vincent sighed and answered. "Hello—"
"YU LI! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
He held the phone away from his ear. "I'm at home. I just woke up—"
"Just woke up?! Do you know what time it is?! The director of 'Autumn Moon' just called! He wants to replace you!"
Vincent's brain scrambled through Yu Li's memories. 'Autumn Moon' was a period drama she'd gotten through her father's investment. A supporting role that was supposed to be her "serious actress" breakthrough.
"Replace me? On what grounds?"
"On the grounds that you're a PR nightmare! Yu Li, the photos from last night are everywhere! Standing in the middle of the road, crying over Ren Jingchen, nearly getting hit by a truck—"
"I wasn't—" Vincent stopped. Arguing wouldn't help. "Where's the company meeting?"
"Tianyao Entertainment headquarters, tenth floor. You have twenty minutes."
"I'll be there in thirty."
"Yu Li—"
Vincent hung up and stared at his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
Yu Li was beautiful.Long black hair, delicate features, perfectly proportioned face. The kind of beauty that opened doors in the entertainment industry.
But beauty without talent was just a pretty vase.
Time to change that.