Chapter 1: Jiang Xiaobai

“Jiang Xiaobai! I think you’ve really got some nerve, daring to ignore my calls for an entire day! I’ll tell you this one last time: if you don’t go to President Zhao’s banquet tonight, then from now on, you are no longer an artist under my management! We’ll go our separate ways, and that’s that!”

The cold, furious female voice on the phone abruptly cut off, followed by a sudden, jarring silence.

Jiang Bai blinked. She placed the phone on the edge of the bathtub with her dripping wet hand, only then feeling her consciousness return.

She, Jiang Bai, was a renowned Great Talisman Master of the Yaoyue Continent. After months of seclusion to develop an invincible new talisman—the “Spirit Luck Talisman”—she had finally grasped the trick to it, only to cause an explosion while mixing the talisman fluid. By the time she opened her eyes again—

She had become Jiang Xiaobai!

Jiang Bai, Jiang Xiaobai—the names were similar, but they were two completely different people!

“Hiss… so cold.”

She shivered. Looking down, she remembered she was still soaking in a bathtub full of cold water.

Beneath the water was the graceful body of a young woman, though it had turned somewhat pale from being submerged for too long. She hurriedly steadied herself against the edge to stand up, coughing several times as she choked on water in the process.

The wall of the bathroom was a large mirror, and she could clearly see the woman’s appearance.

A curvaceous figure, long wavy hair, amber eyes that were bright and charming, and fair skin—she was truly a beautiful woman with red lips and white teeth!

It was just that the woman’s skin was an unnaturally pale shade, and her hair was dripping wet, making her look quite disheveled.

Because she had been upset after arguing with her agent about an investor, she had returned home and, in a fit of pique, soaked in the bathtub while drinking. She had ended up losing consciousness from intoxication, slipped into the water without realizing it, and drowned…

She didn’t know how long she had been in the water; it had long since turned icy cold, sobering her up more than halfway.

It was no wonder her complexion was so poor under these circumstances.

In an instant, memories from the original owner flooded her mind—her past experiences, her knowledge, and her life history all poured into Jiang Xiaobai’s brain.

Jiang Xiaobai, 23 years old, a C-list actress. Although she was as beautiful as a flower—even standing out in the entertainment industry where beauties were everywhere—she was haughty, arrogant, had a bad temper, and was difficult to work with. As a result, she hadn’t gained much fame after two or three years in the industry.

She had acted in one or two relatively popular dramas, but only as the third or fourth female lead. Her looks naturally caught the audience’s eye, but as for her acting skills…

Don’t ask. If you ask, the answer is just awkward.

Jiang Xiaobai was actually quite talented; she was proficient in two foreign languages, could play two or three musical instruments, could sing and dance, and her grades weren’t bad either. Combined with her stunning beauty, she had successfully been admitted to a top-tier performing arts university.

The entertainment company she belonged to, Tangming Entertainment, had signed her while she was still in college precisely because of these qualities. They had assumed that such a promising talent would become famous sooner or later, but unfortunately, Jiang Xiaobai had the unique ability to ruin a good hand of cards.

She was blunt, had a foul temper, and didn’t know how to be tactful or humble. Since entering the industry, she had offended quite a few people. Coupled with her frequent tabloid scandals, whenever people mentioned Jiang Xiaobai, their expressions were always a bit subtle—

Oh, you mean that actress who is incredibly pretty but seems to have a low EQ?

The Dong Ran who had called earlier was her agent. Dong Ran had secured a role as the second female lead in a script for her, but the investor was hesitating between Jiang Xiaobai and another actress named Zhao Shan, delaying the final decision.

Dong Ran had spent days talking to her, urging her to attend President Zhao’s private banquet tonight, to say a few nice words, and to toast him. With her looks, it shouldn’t have been difficult to land the role.

But Jiang Xiaobai was too proud and refused to go, which infuriated Dong Ran to the point of a massive argument, during which she said many harsh things.

Things like, “If it weren’t for this face of yours, do you think the company would still be supporting you?” “You’ve already ruined endorsements that were almost in the bag; with your foul temper, who would dare hire you in the future?” “Check your spoiled-princess attitude; if you keep going like this, the company will definitely freeze your career,” and so on.

It was because Jiang Xiaobai was so enraged that she had drowned while taking a bath.

As Jiang Bai wiped her body with a towel, she pondered.

She had died because of an explosion while crafting talismans, but she hadn’t truly died; her soul had come into Jiang Xiaobai’s body. But what about Jiang Xiaobai? Was her soul still there?

Returning to her own body was impossible; that body had long since been reduced to fragments in the explosion.

Looking at it this way…

“For the sake of this opportunity, and this similar face, I will live well for you. You wanted to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry and become a big star, right? I’ll help you; consider it repaying your debt.” [Note]

The reason Jiang Xiaobai entered the industry wasn’t to make a fortune or to gain material benefits; she purely wanted to be a star. It had been her dream since she was a child.

She wanted her endorsed luxury brand posters to be everywhere on the streets and in malls; she wanted her face to appear in all the good dramas people watched; she wanted her name to be known far and wide, with countless fans.

Because in her view, she possessed such a beautiful face—if it couldn’t be known by everyone, it would be a tragedy for all!

The Yaoyue Continent where Jiang Bai came from was different from this world. There were many unique professions there, such as Talisman Masters, Array Masters, and Alchemists, but the entertainment industry there was quite similar to this one, with stars and actors. Combined with the memories left by the original owner, she wasn’t unfamiliar with this path.

After getting dressed and drying her hair, Jiang Bai—no, she was Jiang Xiaobai now—walked into the living room and turned on the TV to watch whatever was on.

This apartment was under the original owner’s name; it was luxurious and spacious, with every small decoration being exquisite and unique. Although it wasn’t a standalone villa, it was located in a bustling area where every inch of land was worth gold. This apartment alone was something an ordinary person couldn’t afford.

The reason the original owner refused to lower her status to please others was because her background determined her pride; she absolutely could not lower herself for such small gains.

Dong Ran only assumed the apartment was rented. Having worked together for years, Dong Ran had never seen the original owner contact her family, so she assumed she came from a poor background and wanted to distance herself from her sordid past after entering the industry—a situation she had seen many times before.

As for her temper… it was just because she had been spoiled at home that she was so ignorant of the world, daring to look down even on the investors.

Otherwise, if she had a good background, how could it be that no one helped her, leaving her to struggle on her own with no results?

After watching TV for a while and getting a more intuitive understanding of the general types of programs, Jiang Xiaobai picked up the script to read.

It was a Xianxia drama. The role Dong Ran had picked for her was the second female lead, “Fairy Haoyue” Liu Ruyan, from a righteous sect.

She had once been the female lead’s best friend and had even done her favors. The two had entered the sect together and grown up together, but they developed a rift over the distribution of sect resources. Later, because Liu Ruyan fell in love with the male lead but could not have him, she drank demon blood in a fit of rage, entered the demonic path, and became a cold-blooded female demon.

———Author’s Note

If you don’t want to read this, you can skip the page————

[Note] The female lead and the original owner swapped souls, each adapting and striving to live in a new world. The original owner’s current situation in the Yaoyue Continent is mentioned very briefly, just for context, and does not take up much space.

This book has suddenly been flooded with many burner accounts for a period of time, leaving all sorts of mindless hate in the first few chapters. I have deleted the extreme comments that cursed the female lead and the author, escalated to personal attacks, and used filthy language. (Because I have edited and added content, the comments and content of this chapter might not match up.)

I don’t know if I offended someone or if the “poison points” in the first chapter were truly off the charts, but I can’t fathom how such nasty words could be spoken.

As a newcomer, I write my book quietly. I don’t even know many fellow authors. Since I started posting in August 2019, I have never missed a day of updates. I often post 10,000 words a day. In the four months since it went live, I have written more words than works that have been live for seven months in the same category.

Hard work has paid off; from being ignored at the beginning to occasionally appearing on various charts, I am very grateful for the support of every reader. I believe that whether a work is good or bad, readers will know as they continue reading. I also hope that new readers can read rationally and not be influenced by those burner accounts that have no record of genuine subscriptions.

If you really don’t like it after reading one chapter and find it unbearable, please move on to works that suit your taste. There is a vast library of books and thousands of worldviews; there will always be one that meets your requirements.

You are welcome to leave footprints before you go, but I hope for civilized conversation. The internet is complex, restless, and noisy, but civilized people will restrain themselves.

Thank you for understanding.

Book Description: This is a heartwarming and humorous brain-hole story, occasionally being a bit playful for fun. The female lead makes talismans, curses people, and wins awards, living her life beautifully on her own. Therefore, this story—

HAS NO MALE LEAD!! (Knocking on the blackboard, highlighting this point)

Please stop asking who the male lead is. The book summary and the first chapter are already crying in the bathroom. T.T

There are also no heavyweight backup male leads (I refuse Mary Sue tropes; the female lead is great and doesn’t need extra embellishment).

There are no villainous female supporting characters either!! (Do you think there’s a villainous one halfway through? Please keep reading; I’m afraid you might even fall in love with them by the end.)

If we are destined to cross paths, I hope we can shake hands and talk in the gentlest way possible.

There is a small world within the book; thank you for meeting me in this world.

——Ye Jiubai, edited on 2020.2.26

(End of chapter)