Chapter 1   - Rebirth (1)

“Chen Meimei!”

“Chen Meimei, are you awake?”

“If you’re awake, then open your eyes. I don’t have time to waste dilly-dallying with you!”

The loud voice of a woman could be heard talking endlessly; it was high-pitched and grating to her ears. Accompanying that was the harsh smell of disinfectant assaulting her nostrils, the scent so intense it was making her dizzy. As she tried opening her eyes, a long, spotlessly white passageway appeared before, and the thick fog distorting her vision gradually dissipated to reveal a distinct silhouette. As more of the profile was uncovered, the extremely seductive face of her best friend, Shen Wei’an, appeared. Currently, a broad smile full of malice was stretched across her face. Then, her best friend’s hands suddenly pushed her, causing her to fall into an endless abyss.

“AHHH---”

A loud scream echoed in the silence, and she finally woke up.

Lan Jinyao touched her face before staring at her hands. Fortunately, they were only drenched in sweat, not blood. Stretching her fingers, she realised that she wasn’t lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

“Chen Meimei, since you’re now awake hurry up and get out of bed. Although our family is rich, we can’t afford to let you live in the VIP ward forever, can we?”

Standing beside the bed was a tall woman with an alluring figure, similar to a model’s. Lan Jinyao stared at her in a daze, then asked, “Beautiful lady, what did you just call me?”

A palm suddenly swung through the air and slapped Lan Jinyao’s forehead. The force of the slap wasn’t that strong, but it was still enough to make her blank out for a moment in shock.

“Call you what? Chen Meimei, are you deaf or has your brain become addled? Get up quickly and stop lying on the hospital bed. Even if you lay here until you rot, President Fu still won’t come to see you. Just because marriage connects our family to the Fu family, don’t even think about continuing your act.”

Before Lan Jinyao could digest all that she’d just been told, she heard the woman continue to speak to her, her words like balls of fire spit out in succession as they smashed towards her. “I’ll go deal with getting you discharged from the hospital, and while I’m doing that you need to change your clothes quickly. Once that’s done, we’ll go to Blue Hall Entertainment together and sign the cancellation of your contract. Not that I’m belittling you, but besides playing a small role, the most you could be is a comedian. With your physique being like it is, which production team would dare ask for you?”

The woman’s actions were capable and experienced as she quickly handled the discharge procedure from the hospital. As soon as it was all sorted, Lan Jinyao was dragged into a flashy sports car that immediately started speeding towards Blue Hall Entertainment. During this whole process, Lan Jinyao was utterly confused.

Her name was Lan Jinyao, and she’d graduated from A University. Her features were first class, and she was considered a slim beauty. Before she’d graduated, she had been handpicked by the Director of Blue Hall Entertainment and signed on as an artist under their label. For more than two years she’d worked hard, rising in ranks from an unknown newcomer to one of the most famous film and television superstars. Unfortunately, the current her...

Lan Jinyao examined her new face in the rearview mirror. It wasn’t large, but it was meaty and looked full of collagen. This was a completely unfamiliar face. What was she called again? Chen Meimei...that’s right, that’s this person’s name.

She, Lan Jinyao, had now become Chen Meimei?!

Lan Jinyao was utterly shocked by this strange idea of hers.

Suddenly, a white light flashed through her mind. Lan Jinyao’s body froze like she was struck by thunder, and she blankly stared ahead - she remembered! Everything that had happened to her; she remembered!

The woman sitting in the driver’s seat was still chattering on about something, but Lan Jinyao couldn't hear anything.

Lan Jinyao...had already died!!

She recalled the banquet. A banquet for celebrities held at a famous five-star hotel in the city.

....

By eight o’clock in the evening, almost all those invited were already present in Imperial’s Impression Lounge. Stars, Producers, and Directors had gathered together; each of them holding a glass of wine as they made light conversation.

Lan Jinyao didn’t like these kinds of events; unfortunately, she had no choice but to attend. Her best friend Shen Wei’an had said that all the big-name Directors and Producers were coming today, so this was the perfect opportunity for her to go and try her luck. With Lan Jinyao’s current position in the entertainment circle, she could choose to boycott this banquet if she wanted too, but it was different for Shen Wei’an. Since her debut two years ago, apart from scandals, there wasn't a single piece of work that was presentable; just never-ending negative news. She was already twenty-two years old; how many more years could she waste? Therefore, this banquet was equivalent to the last ray of hope for her.

If she managed to attract the attention of the right people, she would have a promising future.

Lan Jinyao ended up drinking quite a lot, resulting in her being somewhat dizzy. Later, the only thing she remembered was that a Director said had something to Wei’an, and then there was a burst of laughter in the lounge. In the next moment, Wei’an seemed to be crying as she ran out of the room.

This was the first time that Lan Jinyao had seen her best friend cry. Usually, Wei’an would use a harsh tone to conceal any weaknesses she was feeling. She was extremely eager to succeed, more so than anyone Lan Jinyao had ever seen.

Lan Jinyao was worried about her friend, so she hurriedly went to follow her, but as she was leaving the room, she accidentally bumped into a man. Instead of stopping though, she tossed out an apology and left immediately.

After searching almost all the places where Wei’an would possibly go, Lan Jinyao still couldn’t find her. Yet, an hour later, she suddenly received a phone call from Shen Yu, telling her that Shen Wei’an had run to the rooftop of the company. As it stood, even the police were alarmed and asking for her to hurry over.

Shen Wei’an had no other friends in the company, apart from Lan Jinyao. Hence, at that moment, it was thought that only Lan Jinyao could persuade her to come down.

Obviously, everyone miscalculated.

On the roof of the company, Shen Wei’an wore a tight cheongsam with a slit up the sides that revealed her long, fair legs that were swaying over the edge of the building as she sat on the guardrail.

She was currently looking up at the night sky; her expression was looking somewhat mournful.

A lot of reporters were hovering by the building’s entrance to cover what was going on, but she already didn’t care about anything. Tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes, like a snapped string of pearls.

Lan Jinyao stood outside the rooftop door and called out to her, “Wei’an, what is it that you want to do? Do you want to give up everything that you currently have? When someone dies, they lose everything!”

Her voice was exceedingly soft and gentle, like the vibration of a cello. However, this pleasant voice couldn’t alter the determination of the person who’d decided to die.

“Jinyao, what do I have now? I have nothing!” Shen Wei’an shouted harshly.

The woman’s crying echoed into the night sky; her body so thin that it seemed like a gust of wind could knock her down at any moment. Lan Jinyao’s heart tightened. Step by step she slowly walked closer, reaching out her hands to the crumbling woman before her. “Wei’an, let’s go down. Human life is so short, and after death, it’s a long time before reincarnation.”

The desperate woman seemed to be persuaded by her, so Lan Jinyao stood next to her best friend and tightly grabbed her hand.

Under the ink-black sky, quite a number of police officers and reporters had gathered below Blue Hall Entertainment’s rooftop. Lan Jinyao was tightly holding onto a pair of icy cold hands as Wei’an whispered in her ear, “Jinyao, I’ll keep on living if you die in my place instead, okay? Once you’re gone, Shen Yu won’t constantly be protecting you, and I’ll finally have a chance. After you’re dead, everything that belongs to you will become mine. Jinyao, this is the price you have to pay if you want me to live!”

Lan Jinyao’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t find anything to grab onto as she tumbled backwards. Under the eyes of thousands of people, Shen Wei’an appeared panicked as she reached out her hand and tried to catch her, yet she only succeeded in tearing off a piece of Lan Jinyao’s clothing.

As Lan Jinyao fell, she saw the man who she’d bumped into in the hotel run forward and reach out his hand towards her. Unfortunately, the distance was too far.

....

Now that she’d recalled the acute pain of her body smashing to the ground from such a tremendous height, she felt her heart tighten.

After that night, Lan Jinyao had officially died. That person didn’t exist in the world anymore and had only left behind a small tomb.

Chen Meimei sat in the sports car, her complexion deathly pale and her eyes unfocused.