Chapter 2

In the novel, Xia Xi is a third-year film student who, while auditioning for a role, happens to meet Luo Chu'an when he visits the set to find someone. From that first encounter, for reasons unknown, Luo Chu'an launches an intense pursuit of her.
Luo Chu'an, in every conceivable way, is the epitome of perfection, the ideal boyfriend every girl imagines.
His family background is impeccable: his father is a high-ranking government official, his mother a business magnate, and the Luo family is one of the most prominent in the country. Academically, he has always been an outstanding student, excelling in all areas, morals, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor, with top-tier grades throughout his life.
In many ways, Luo Chu'an is the quintessential "child from another family", the nightmare for all boys and the ultimate crush for all girls.
Yet, it is this very idol who, after graduating from university, makes a decision that shocks everyone: he enters the chaotic and scandal-ridden entertainment industry to become an actor with no privacy to speak of.
No one knows why Luo Chu'an suddenly chose this path. Someone like him should have had better life choices and plans, but he disregarded his family's objections and stubbornly embarked on the most treacherous and uncertain road.
However, as the male lead and the favored son of this world's destiny, he thrives even in the unpredictable entertainment industry. With his exceptional acting skills and handsome looks, Luo Chu'an wins two Best Actor awards before the age of 25, becoming one of the most sought-after, youngest, and most promising actors of his generation.
So, when such a man says to the original character, "I like you," "Let's be together," and similar words, her heart is completely captured. In less than three months, she becomes Luo Chu'an's girlfriend.
At the beginning of their relationship, the original character truly believed Luo Chu'an loved her. Though she found it strange why such an idol would pursue her after just one meeting, Xia Xi, blinded by love at the time, chose to ignore this detail.
Later, during their year together, numerous clues revealed that Luo Chu'an didn't truly care for Xia Xi. His life was filled with traces of another woman, and his love for her seemed ingrained in his very bones, surfacing unconsciously. When drunk, he would hold Xia Xi and call out another name, Lin Wei.
Though Xia Xi had never been in a relationship before, she wasn't foolish. She realized that Luo Chu'an saw her as a substitute for Lin Wei and that his feelings for her were never genuine.
The moment she learned the cruel truth, Xia Xi’s mind went blank. She had no idea what the right choice should be, only hearing the sound of something shattering inside her and the poisonous vine called "jealousy" growing wildly in her heart.
Later, Lin Wei returned and entered the entertainment industry.
Taking advantage of her own rising fame and the convenience of being Luo Chu’an’s girlfriend, Xia Xi threw all sorts of obstacles in Lin Wei’s way, tarnishing her reputation and making it difficult for her to advance in the entertainment world.
Of course, it was precisely these actions of Xia Xi’s that exhausted the last bit of guilt Luo Chu’an felt toward her. In the end, he had no choice but to break up with her and publicly expose all of Xia Xi’s misdeeds, causing her once-good reputation to plummet and leaving her disgraced in the entertainment industry.
With her career ruined and her boyfriend stolen, Xia Xi felt her life was utterly hopeless. On the day Luo Chu’an and Lin Wei got married, overwhelmed with resentment, Xia Xi committed suicide in her room.
In the relationship between Xia Xi and Luo Chu’an, there was no doubt that Xia Xi had her faults, but Luo Chu’an was also far from blameless.
If, from the very beginning, Luo Chu’an had never given Xia Xi hope, never pursued her, never been with her, Xia Xi would likely have remained that naive young girl, full of hopeful anticipation for future love, living a sunny and happy life. How could she have become so trapped by love, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to extricate herself? Or, if Luo Chu’an had shown even a little compassion when breaking up with her, choosing a gentler approach so she wouldn’t feel utterly hopeless about life, then perhaps Xia Xi wouldn’t have chosen suicide.
Moreover, even though the original character had done many wrong things out of unrequited love, causing Lin Wei numerous troubles and creating obstacles in their relationship, her feelings for Luo Chu’an were undeniable. She had truly given him her whole heart, loving him deeply. Who would have thought that offering her sincere affection so eagerly would lead to such a miserable end? It was truly pitiful.
So damn frustrating.
After Xia Xi finished sorting through the plot, this was her only thought.
She had originally assumed that transmigrating was frustrating enough, but she never expected to end up as a cannon-fodder female supporting character in a novel, and one with such a tragic ending. At that moment, Xia Xi felt that her future path was utterly bewildering and hopeless.
For Xia Xi, it wasn’t just the female supporting character’s final outcome that bothered her, what frustrated her even more was the character’s intelligence.
Committing suicide over a scumbag? How utterly stupid!
"System, is there any connection between this story’s Xia Xi and me?"
"..."
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
"To be precise, there is a bit of a connection..."
Xia Xi: "..."
Hearing the system’s reply, she froze for a moment, then felt even more disheartened. Her anxious mood not only failed to ease but intensified sharply. The realization that she had some connection to the original character was like a bomb, instantly shattering her already low spirits. She had always considered herself particularly clever and would never do something so foolish.
This has to be a lie...
Because Xia Xi truly couldn't understand what kind of mentality it was to have one's self-esteem trampled by others and still rush to be good to them, was it Stockholm syndrome, or were they just out of their mind? Such a heartless man should, of course, be told to get as far away as possible. Why pour your heart and soul into someone like that? It was nothing but wasted effort!
This definitely isn't me.
Xia Xi's mind was a tangled mess as she silently hypnotized herself in her heart.
It's not me, it's not me...The system must be lying to me, it must be deceiving me. Would I ever do something so thankless?
The answer was yes.
Little by little, Xia Xi worked on her mental state, slowly calming herself down. Just as she was about to ask what exactly her connection was with the original owner, the system abruptly changed the subject.
"Host, that..."
"Hmm?" Xia Xi's previously calmed mood instantly grew anxious. She suddenly had a premonition that the system's next words might be even more frustrating, so she furrowed her brows and tentatively asked, "System, is there something you find hard to say? What's with the hesitation? But if you really don't want to say it, then don't."
"Host" The system's tone carried a hint of conflict, and Xia Xi's bad feeling intensified. She heard the system continue, "You probably can't tell the male lead to get as far away as possible, because your mission is to make him fall in love with you."
Fall in love with me?
That response made Xia Xi's mind go blank with a buzz. It took her a while to regain her composure, and she forced a stiff smile as she said, "System, what are you talking about? Are you joking? Is making someone fall in love something simple? Isn't that just playing with their feelings?"
"Host, I'm sorry, but I'm not joking." Whether it was because the system had already decided to throw caution to the wind and no longer cared about Xia Xi's anger, or because it had some other leverage, its voice returned to its usual calm. "As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. It's only because you bound with this humble system that you were able to be reborn in this world. And the only condition for becoming the Xia Xi of this world is to complete the mission of winning over Luo Chu'an. It's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"
"Hmph."
"Host, I know you're angry. But these are the rules set by the designer back then. Neither you nor I have the authority to defy them, or we'll be punished by the penalty rules. We have no choice but to carry them out."
"..."