Chapter 4: Chi Ran

The early part of this novel was truly captivating—the volatile father, the timid mother, her fractured self, and the inescapable grip of her dysfunctional family.

Yu Ling’s character shone brilliantly; the author clearly invested much care in her portrayal. Through the words, one could almost feel how deeply Yu Ling was loved. Yet, alas...

Yu Ling finally broke free from her toxic family and began to establish a promising career. Everyone believed she was about to embrace the happiness she deserved. But unfortunately, the author suddenly took a bizarre turn, introducing Lin Mianmian with a system to snatch Yu Ling’s opportunities, and the heartless Mu Chenbei deceived the last fragments of Yu Ling’s remaining affection.

The barrage of comments revealed a wealth of information. Yu Ling lowered her gaze, quietly absorbing the weight of it all.

Her fingers tapping the table ceased, and she slowly laid her hand flat, gripping the table’s edge tightly.

The veins and protruding knuckles on the back of her hand, clearly etched by tension, reflected the turmoil brewing inside her.

As they said, Yu Ling’s childhood was dreadful.

Her memories were of a cramped room, a dim bulb hanging suspended without support, held only by exposed wires that swayed with the slightest breeze, threatening to fall at any moment.

Her father in those memories was unapproachable.

He always wore a stern expression, with harsh eyes that instilled fear at a glance.

He toiled hard for meager wages, barely enough to support the household.

From a young age, Yu Ling had always kept her distance from him.

Not for any other reason than fear—fear born from being beaten.

Her father, frustrated by the world outside, took out his anger at home, rarely striking her mother but never sparing his children.

Accidentally breaking a cup meant punishment.

One day, after school, Yu Ling habitually placed her backpack on the bed. After dinner, when she reached for it to start her homework, the strap caught a cup, sending it crashing to the floor.

The shattering of the cup was like a small fragment of her heart breaking.

Back then, the sound she heard was not just the crisp crash of glass on the floor, but the howl of a cold wind rushing into her heart.

Pain may become numb with familiarity, but memories of pain remain sharp and vivid.

It was such a trivial incident, so small and insignificant.

Yet Yu Ling’s childhood was filled with countless such trivial moments, each like a fine, sharp silver needle, polished by the sands of time, gleaming with an ever-brighter cold silver light.

The needles piercing Yu Ling grew finer and smaller, but the pain only deepened.

“Bang—”

A muffled noise exploded beside Yu Ling’s ear, jolting her thoughts awake.

Yu Ling turned toward the sound... the compact powder had fallen to the ground.

Shouldn’t it have been on the table? How did it fall without reason?

She raised her eyes, only to realize she was still clutching the edge of the table.

The small round table, once steady on the floor, was now slightly tilted from the force.

Yu Ling hurriedly let go, bent down, and picked up the compact.

The casing had cracked along a thin line, and the pressed powder inside had fractured.

Her heart ached as she closed the lid and sighed.

Every little loss counts, especially when life is already so fragile; this was just another blow to her scarce resources.

She blamed herself for being too lost in thought, not realizing how tightly she had gripped the table.

After a moment, Yu Ling sighed again.

She glanced around the rest area provided by the organizers, her face twisting into a scowl.

“Sigh...”

There wasn’t even a proper makeup table. The mirror was a plastic wall-mounted type, with a round base that looked like a sunflower, and on the back was a poster of some unknown beauty—something you could find for mere pennies on a secondhand app.

“What a tacky mirror,” Yu Ling muttered silently.

The comments, evidently noticing her situation, erupted with discussion:

“Is the girl thinking about something upsetting? Why did her expression just turn so grim?”

“Such a careless setup! That mirror looks ancient; even my grandma wouldn’t use something like that.”

Yu Ling was about to nod in agreement but stopped abruptly—she had no grandmother.

“Upstairs, you didn’t read carefully. This award ceremony was prearranged; all the awards had been decided. Inviting Yu Ling was just to humiliate her. Don’t ask why—because the big boss behind it is a fanatical admirer of Lin Mianmian.”

Reading this, Yu Ling thought bitterly, “The waters of West Lake are my tears.”

Her feelings were complicated, words failing to capture them.

“Poor Yu Ling and Chi Ran—one deceived in both heart and body, left with no dignity in death; the other forever lost his love, wanting to avenge Yu Ling but was sabotaged by Lin Mianmian and Mu Chenbei’s alliance, ultimately disgraced and sent to a mental institution.”

Yu Ling’s eyes snapped wide open, disillusioned.

She recognized every word but could not comprehend how they formed such a meaning.

Chi Ran—she knew him.

A top male singer, every song crafted by him was a masterpiece. He was born with a golden spoon, a scion of a wealthy family, untouchable within the industry.

“Would such a favored prodigy ever love me?”

Yu Ling instinctively thought this was no laughing matter.

A privileged rich heir and a timid, impoverished girl from a small town—how could they ever be linked?

She closed her eyes and silently prayed: “It’s fake, fake, all fake. I must have misread it...”

After a long pause, having steeled herself, Yu Ling opened her eyes just a sliver.

Good—nothing there.

“Just an illusion, an illusion...” she exhaled deeply.

But then she saw this—

“The super pure romance group! Chi Ran searched for Yu Ling for seventeen years, finally found her, only to watch helplessly as she was destroyed bit by bit. He wanted to save her but couldn’t overcome Lin Mianmian’s system and ultimately, they both died together.”

What?

Seventeen years? Am I dreaming?

Yu Ling pinched herself hard.

Ouch... It hurts!

I’m not dreaming!

Meanwhile, the comments kept pouring in:

“Rather than losing to Lin Mianmian’s system, Yu Ling and Chi Ran lost to the author’s favoritism toward Lin Mianmian. I just can’t understand what’s going on in the author’s mind.”

“Upstairs, I agree. I’ve followed this novel since serialization. What initially drew me in was Yu Ling’s character. The first half was very clear—Yu Ling was the sole heroine, and the love story between her and Chi Ran was hinted at from their childhood.”

“Although the author never explicitly stated it, she admitted that the latter half would revolve around Chi Ran and Yu Ling. Readers universally accepted Chi Ran as Yu Ling’s official love interest and the male lead.”