Chapter 9
1910 Words
That night, Xu Mei dreamt of Yao Jing.
It was probably a fragment from the original host's memory. She had slacked off during dance practice and got harshly scolded by Yao Jing, who accused her of wasting her talent.
Unwilling to accept the criticism, the original host argued back. In a heated moment, she snapped, “This talent came from my mom. She never cherished it—so why should I?”
The next day, Yao Jing must’ve looked into her background, because she said, “If you don't want the talent your mother gave you, why are you here learning dance at all? You're just afraid you’ll lose to your sister, so you’re making excuses in advance and blaming everyone else.”
That remark infuriated the original host, and from then on, she trained with fierce determination.
When the art exam results came out, she secretly cried.
Xu Mei woke up the next morning, full of mixed feelings about what she'd seen in the dream. At the same time, she felt incredibly anxious—without the original host’s memories, any random encounter or wrong word might expose her.
It was exhilaratingly risky.
On the way to the training center, Xu Mei bought a bouquet of flowers and gave it to Yao Jing.
Yao Jing eyed her sharply. “What are you up to, buttering me up for no reason?”
Xu Mei smiled cheekily. “I just hope the flowers put you in a good mood so you’ll go easy on me in class.”
Yao Jing scoffed. “I’m allergic to pollen.”
Xu Mei: “…”
And sure enough, Yao Jing was downright brutal in class.
Xu Mei's posture was off in one move—Yao Jing physically bent her leg into place. When it came to hip stretches, Xu Mei was still used to her old body’s limits and hesitated whenever it hurt, only to have Yao Jing forcefully press her down without mercy.
After two hours of intense training, Xu Mei was convinced she might be permanently crippled.
She had clearly underestimated the original host’s physical condition—she was still bouncing around during lunch. But she'd also overestimated her stamina—by the time evening class ended, she could barely walk and had to lean against the wall to exit.
Chu Yeran stood nearby, jingling his car keys and laughing until Xu Mei nearly lost her temper.
“Alright, alright,” he said, trying to make peace. “Let me give you a ride home.”
“No need,” Xu Mei refused quickly. “I can make it back myself.”
“Relax. I’m not hitting on you,” Chu Yeran said. “But you look so pitiful, I’d feel guilty if I didn’t offer.”
Xu Mei narrowed her eyes. “Guilty to who?”
Chu Yeran paused. “…To my dear little Yangyang.”
Xu Mei choked. “Cough, cough, cough—”
“Chu Yeran!” Yao Jing had just finished changing and barked at him when she saw the scene. “If you dare mess with my student, don’t even think about keeping this training center open.”
Chu Yeran raised both hands innocently. “I’m just giving my little sister-in-law a ride, that’s all.”
Yao Jing snorted but surprisingly didn’t stop him.
Xu Mei caught her breath and muttered weakly, “You’ve got it wrong. Fu Shuyang and I… we’re just neighbors.”
But mid-sentence, she paused.
Wait—did Yao Jing just imply this training center was owned by Chu Yeran?
Xu Mei remembered that he’d mentioned something yesterday about "reporting back."
So this “miraculous opportunity” that had fallen from the sky… was planned all along?
“What was the original prize for your event?” she asked suddenly.
The question came so abruptly that Chu Yeran didn’t have time to think. “A phone,” he answered instinctively.
Xu Mei: “…”
Chu Yeran: “…”
“You want the full story? Get in the car,” he said, twirling his keys. “Relax, I’m not going out of my way. I’m headed to see Yangyang anyway.”
So Xu Mei got in the car.
Since Yao Jing hadn’t objected, she figured Chu Yeran was trustworthy enough.
“Was this Fu Shuyang’s doing?” she asked the moment she buckled in. “The whole event thing.”
“Kinda,” Chu Yeran admitted. “He suggested changing the prize. He also gave us your contact info.”
After a moment of silence, Xu Mei asked again, “So he’s not your staff? But yesterday he was fixing the sound system…”
“Nope,” Chu Yeran shook his head. “He’s my roommate. He was there just to watch your performance.”
Xu Mei fell silent again. “How were you so sure I’d win first place?”
“I wasn’t. And I don’t know how he was so sure either,” Chu Yeran said. “I even asked him, but he didn’t answer. Maybe he just knows you too well. By the way, I’m curious—if you wanted to study dance, why go through all that trouble to win a competition? Why not just sign up?”
“Didn’t have the money,” Xu Mei answered bluntly.
Chu Yeran looked at her, skeptical. “You live in a villa…”
“I got kicked out,” Xu Mei said flatly. “The house isn’t even mine to sell.”
“…Sorry,” Chu Yeran looked awkward. “Yangyang never mentioned that.”
“We’re not close. Don’t joke about us,” Xu Mei clarified. “I just moved in. His place happens to be next door. That’s it.”
“It can’t be that simple,” Chu Yeran insisted. “I know Yangyang. He doesn’t stick his nose into others’ business. Something else must’ve happened.”
Xu Mei thought for a moment. “Well, the day I moved in, he was drunk and entered the wrong house. I let him crash for the night.”
Chu Yeran asked what day that was, then fell silent before muttering, “No wonder.”
His tone suggested something deeper.
Xu Mei considered asking, but Chu Yeran spoke first. “That day, he went through something major—something that really shook him. You taking him in probably saved his life. Yangyang’s reserved, but he’s extremely loyal. You helped him, so now he wants to return the favor.”
Xu Mei felt conflicted.
She knew how the story would play out. She knew Fu Shuyang would eventually turn dark, become the villain, and meet a tragic end. She had always looked at him through that lens.
But the Fu Shuyang she’d met so far was nothing like the book described.
Yes, he was cold and distant—but deep down, he was warm.
He’d noticed she was broke, struggling with training—things she’d never spoken of. Quietly, without a word, he had helped, always preserving her dignity.
She thought back to how he helped her with the game yesterday, how gentlemanly he was.
A man like that couldn’t be evil at his core.
And judging by how much he drank, maybe he’d been forced into his future choices.
Chu Yeran said that moment shook him to the core—what if that was when everything started to unravel?
Xu Mei made a silent decision: maybe she could change his ending.
“You guys are classmates?” she asked, now genuinely curious about him.
“Yeah, college roommates, same grad school too—Hey, handsome, I’m here to visit Mr. Fu from Area H. Been here before, mind logging me in?”
They had arrived at the community gate. Chu Yeran handed over his ID for registration.
The guard noticed Xu Mei in the car and greeted her. “Miss Xu, your classmates came to visit you too.”
“My classmates?” Xu Mei was puzzled.
The original host had plenty of classmates, but who would visit her now?
Could it be Xu Lang again?
She frowned at the thought.
Maybe Xu Lang hadn’t directly wronged the original host, but his actions led to her mother’s death. It was only natural the original host disliked him.
Xu Mei couldn’t justify occupying someone else’s body and befriending people she hated.
Especially not someone with a powerful protagonist halo. Better to steer clear.
So no, she had no desire to see Xu Lang.
“Yeah, two girls. One of them is named Rui Rui, I think?” the guard added with a smile.
Not Xu Lang?
Xu Mei’s frown deepened. “Where are they?”
“They already went in. Didn’t you give them the access card and house key?”
Xu Mei’s heart skipped a beat.
Access card? Key?
She’d never given anyone either.
“Chu-ge, drive. Now,” she snapped.
The only person besides her who had keys was Xu Zhongya.
He’d tossed her a set before, and she’d just assumed the house was hers.
But thinking back—she never saw a deed. That house wasn’t legally hers.
If Xu Zhongya wanted it back, he could take it any time.
And there was no way a house had only one set of keys.
If someone else got them from him, it could only be Xu Lang.
And this Rui Rui girl? Most likely someone from his circle.
Xu Mei’s eyes darkened with rage.
In the original novel, there was a side character named Zhu Rui. Just like Liu Lechi, she used to be part of the original host’s clique.
Later? She sided with Xu Lang.
Xu Lang had promised not to come again, and now he sent Zhu Rui?
Before, Xu Mei only wanted to keep her distance from Xu Lang—her harsh words were to stay in character and shut him down.
Now she was genuinely disgusted. No matter what his motive was, it was crossing a line.
She had no idea what Zhu Rui and her friends were doing inside the house.
Just thinking about it made her feel like swallowing a fly.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Yeran noticed her foul mood while driving.
Xu Mei took a deep breath. “I didn’t give them the key or the card.”
Chu Yeran blinked. “Wait—s**t! Are they thieves? Call the police!”
“I don’t have the deed,” Xu Mei said bitterly. Even if they were trespassing, how could she prove anything?
Why hadn’t she insisted on a title transfer back then?
“Don’t panic.” Chu Yeran stopped asking questions and tried to reassure her. “With me and Yangyang around, we won’t let anyone push you around.”
Xu Mei mumbled a half-hearted thanks. She didn’t believe him.
But less than a minute later, she changed her mind.
The car pulled up to the villa—and the front gate was already open.
Her anger surged.
Before the car even stopped, she jumped out and rushed toward the door—only to freeze.
Two girls sat at the entrance, their hands and feet tied together, eyes swollen from crying.
Fu Shuyang sat lazily on the steps, nursing a beer. His eyes were half-lidded, his whole posture exuding indifference. Empty beer cans littered the ground beside him—he’d clearly been there a while.
Xu Mei’s fury vanished in an instant.
- Writer
