Chapter 2: The Devil
1951 Words
Chapter 2: The Devil
Morning arrived beneath a veil of mist, the fragrance of blooming gardenias drifting over the Song family's ancestral estate.
Nuo Nuo's heart pounded violently as she opened her eyes.
She stumbled toward the mirror.
The face reflected there was familiar.
It was her own.
Yet beside the mirror stood a framed photograph.
In it smiled Song Nuo Nuo.
Her smile was dazzling and carefree, and she looked about fifty percent like Nuo Nuo.
This was Song Nuo Nuo's bedroom.
Nuo Nuo sank onto the floor in despair.
It's over...
Last night, she had transmigrated into Song Nuo Nuo's body.
Now she finally understood why Qiu Li had killed her.
Something supernatural had happened.
Realizing she wasn't the original Song Nuo Nuo, the male lead had sensed danger and eliminated the outsider without hesitation.
Yet death hadn't sent her back to her original world.
She was still Song Nuo Nuo.
What's going on?
A page had been torn from the calendar beside her bed.
Written in playful lettering were the words:
Wednesday, September 18.
A loud knock suddenly shook the bedroom door.
A woman's mocking voice rang out from outside.
"Song Nuo Nuo! Don't think hiding in your room will solve anything! Whether you like it or not, you're going to Young Master Qiu's place. Get out here!"
The moment she heard the words "Young Master Qiu," Nuo Nuo instinctively shivered.
She remembered those emotionless eyes.
No...
He's terrifying.
I'll die.
But she also understood her current situation.
The male lead had strangled her to death.
Time had rewound.
She had returned to the point before Song Nuo Nuo was sent to Qiu Li.
Her face turned pale.
If even death couldn't send her home...
Then she had no choice but to continue living as Song Nuo Nuo.
Originally, this had seemed like nothing more than an ordinary CEO romance novel.
But after living inside it...
She realized the male lead was completely insane.
Terrifyingly so.
Nuo Nuo couldn't help recalling how casually he had murdered her while smiling.
A lingering fear still gripped her heart.
She never wanted to experience that again.
Qiu Li had spoken only two sentences before killing her.
Those two sentences had become the source of her nightmare.
"You're not Song Nuo Nuo."
"You're beautiful. Before I fall in love with you... die."
Nuo Nuo wanted to cry.
What kind of overbearing romance was this?
Did other people who transmigrated into novels have to deal with something this horrifying?
The male lead thought she was beautiful...
So he killed her.
Slowly climbing to her feet, she encouraged herself with trembling determination.
Live.
No matter what, I have to survive and return home.
To stay alive, there were only two rules.
First—
No one could discover that she wasn't the real Song Nuo Nuo.
Second—
She absolutely could not let Qiu Li develop feelings for her.
She had to stay as far away from his ideal type as possible.
The Song Nuo Nuo from the novel might have suffered a miserable ending...
But she had at least survived.
Nuo Nuo herself hadn't even lasted a few hours.
The woman outside grew increasingly impatient.
"Song Nuo Nuo! If you don't come out right now, I'll have someone drag you there."
Nuo Nuo pursed her lips.
Her gaze landed on Song Nuo Nuo's collection of cosmetics.
Oddly enough...
A sense of calm settled over her.
Had she never transmigrated, she might have become a professional makeup artist after graduation.
She had always possessed exceptional talent.
Even in high school, she had accepted private makeup commissions.
She carefully applied foundation across her cheeks.
Using the photograph beside her as reference, she recreated Song Nuo Nuo's features with meticulous precision.
The tiny tear mole beneath her eye disappeared beneath concealer.
She subtly altered the shape of her eyeliner, lifting the corners of her eyes just enough to recreate Song Nuo Nuo's confident charm.
Almost miraculously...
The breathtaking beauty Qiu Li had noticed vanished.
The girl in the mirror now looked exactly like Song Nuo Nuo.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
You can do this, Nuo Nuo.
Opening the door, she found the woman still waiting outside.
She appeared to be around forty, wearing heavy makeup.
Nuo Nuo's heartbeat thundered in her chest.
Fortunately, the woman merely frowned.
"Go change into the dress from yesterday."
Nuo Nuo nodded immediately.
"Okay."
It worked.
The woman hadn't recognized anything unusual.
She should be the heroine's mother.
If even she couldn't tell the difference...
Then few others would.
And if someone ever did notice?
She could simply claim that everyone had only ever seen her wearing makeup.
This...
Was her lifeline.
Returning to her room, she found a velvet gift box waiting on the bed.
Inside lay a white silk dress.
It suited a seventeen-year-old perfectly, innocent and elegant.
But putting it on meant only one thing.
She would become the gift presented to the male lead.
Remembering the thunderstorm from the previous night, her body trembled again.
She had encountered Qiu Li only once.
Yet the fear he inspired had already seeped into her bones.
If she wanted to survive...
She had only one option.
Restore the original storyline.
Become Song Nuo Nuo.
Be sent to Qiu Li as a decorative "vase."
Attempt to elope with Hang Rui.
Wait for the heroine to take over the plot.
After that...
Nuo Nuo should disappear from the story.
She even had a bold theory.
Perhaps only by completing the original plot could she return home.
But when she reached the part about running away...
She couldn't help trembling.
Don't be afraid, Nuo Nuo.
You're Song Nuo Nuo now.
If Qiu Li doesn't fall in love with you... he won't kill you.
When she went downstairs, she met the heroine for the first time.
Song Lian.
Song Lian was merely pretty.
She couldn't compare with Song Nuo Nuo's striking beauty.
But in those old CEO romance novels...
The male leads always preferred plain, spirited heroines who dared to argue back.
Song Lian was eating breakfast while chatting animatedly with the woman from earlier.
Her name was Zhao Jie.
Song Lian's biological mother.
Unlike the contempt she showed Nuo Nuo, Zhao Jie smiled warmly at her own daughter.
"All right. Do your best, Lian Lian."
A middle-aged man sitting nearby noticed Nuo Nuo coming downstairs.
The ease on his face disappeared.
After a sigh, he said,
"Nuo Nuo, come have breakfast first."
He was Song Zhan.
Years ago, he had kept a mistress outside his marriage, and Song Nuo Nuo was the result.
Both daughters had been born in the same month of the same year.
Feeling guilty toward Zhao Jie, Song Zhan had spent the past seventeen years giving in whenever she brought up the affair.
Meanwhile, Song Nuo Nuo had always been rebellious.
She ignored discipline, performed poorly in school, and frequently argued with him.
Their father-daughter relationship had never been close.
Nuo Nuo quietly sat down.
Song Lian's expression stiffened.
Laying down her chopsticks, she turned toward Song Zhan.
"Dad, I've heard Qiu Li isn't a good person. Can't we just get another bank loan? Sending her to him was never a good idea. That childhood engagement was only a joke. What if he refuses it and humiliates our family instead?"
If this had been the original Song Nuo Nuo...
She probably would have sneered,
"Then send yourself instead."
But Nuo Nuo looked at Song Zhan with hopeful eyes.
If they could avoid following the plot entirely...
That would be wonderful.
Just thinking about Qiu Li terrified her.
Before Song Zhan could answer, Zhao Jie shot Song Lian a glare.
"What do you know? Finish your breakfast and go to school. Don't forget to ask for leave on Song Nuo Nuo's behalf."
They had already borrowed everything they could—from banks and relatives alike.
The company's losses were simply too severe.
Without Qiu Li's financial help, the Song family's business would soon declare bankruptcy.
Nuo Nuo lowered her head.
Glancing at the calendar she had seen earlier, she realized today was Thursday.
She should have been in class.
Song Lian said nothing more.
Clearly unhappy, she stood up.
"I'm full."
Song Zhan drove both sisters out of the house.
First, he dropped Song Lian off at No. 7 High School.
Wearing the familiar blue-and-white school uniform, she disappeared through the school gates.
When Song Zhan turned around...
He found Nuo Nuo silently gazing out the car window at the bustling campus entrance.
She looked quiet.
Gentle.
Unusually obedient.
Thinking about what awaited her today, Song Zhan finally felt a trace of pity.
Trying to comfort her, he forced a smile.
"Don't be afraid. President Qiu is just... a little cold."
Nuo Nuo paused before nodding.
"I understand, Dad."
They both knew it was a lie.
Throughout B City...
Qiu Li's name was synonymous with immense wealth—
And ruthless methods.
Only as they approached the destination did Nuo Nuo learn the truth.
Today...
Was Qiu Li's birthday.
His thirtieth birthday banquet.
She thought about herself.
Only seventeen in this world.
Eighteen in her original one.
For a moment, she fell silent.
Those CEO romances always claimed that thirty-year-old men paired perfectly with eighteen-year-old girls.
"They know how to cherish women."
Qiu Li certainly had cherished her.
He'd strangled her to death.
That was certainly one definition of "cherishing."
Song Zhan handed her the gift box.
Afraid that his rebellious daughter might cause trouble and worsen the family's situation, he said sternly,
"Nuo Nuo, you need to understand. The company still owes ten million yuan. If President Qiu refuses to help us, our whole family will be ruined. I'll have no choice but to send you back to your aunt."
The threat was obvious.
Even without knowing the details, Nuo Nuo could imagine how terrible life with that aunt must have been.
Otherwise, the original Song Nuo Nuo would never have obediently gone to Qiu Li.
Nuo Nuo wasn't an actress.
She could only force a frightened expression onto her face.
"I understand, Dad."
This...
Was the same villa where she had died the previous night.
Only now, instead of thunder and rain...
It hosted an extravagant gathering of high society.
Luxury cars lined the entrance.
Cosmos flowers bloomed brilliantly throughout the gardens.
Song Zhan paid her no further attention.
He immediately disappeared into conversations with influential guests.
His failing company desperately needed connections.
Every second at Qiu Li's birthday banquet represented opportunity.
Opportunity meant money.
Nuo Nuo quietly stood by the doorway.
Holding the gift box tightly, she looked completely lost.
Real life wasn't like novels.
Back in her original world...
Her family had been poor.
Her father worked construction.
Her mother's hand had been permanently injured in a car accident.
Her parents had pinned all their hopes on her.
She had never disappointed them.
Obedient.
Hardworking.
Always volunteering to do chores.
Consistently one of the top students in class.
Her life had been simple.
Though beautiful, she had never even dated.
Her only dream had been to study hard, lift her parents out of poverty, and build a better future.
She had finally entered a prestigious university.
She had been one step closer to that dream.
Then...
She became Song Nuo Nuo.
The tragic supporting character.
Scenes like this existed only on television.
Business elites filled the enormous living room.
They chatted effortlessly, smiling as they exchanged fortunes and favors.
Meanwhile...
She stood alone in a white dress.
Her softly curled hair rested over her shoulders.
Quiet.
Well-behaved.
Entirely out of place.
It was already ten o'clock in the morning.
Everyone waited for Young Master Qiu.
- Writer
