Xia Duo, a low-wage worker, finally finished a long, grueling day at work and collapsed onto the sofa in her cheap rented room.
Her roommate, on a whim, struck up a conversation: "Xia Xia, what's your biggest dream?"
As a true couch potato, Xia Duo answered without hesitation: "To earn enough money before I'm thirty, retire early, or even thirty-one if necessary."
Her roommate laughed: "Sleep now, you can dream about anything."
Xia Duo was truly exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
When she woke up again, the world had turned upside down.
Her roommate was gone, and the cheap rented room was gone.
In its place stood a luxurious duplex apartment, her head resting on an expensive silk pillow, her eyes gazing at a lavish crystal chandelier.
Xia Duo thought she was still dreaming, and closed her eyes again, but a memory that wasn't hers was forcibly implanted into her.
After receiving all the memories, she realized she had transmigrated into a book—a wish-fulfillment novel about leveling up in the entertainment industry, which she had just finished reading, and become the cannon fodder character with the same name.
The original owner of this body had the script of a rich, beautiful, and successful woman, with a prestigious family background, starting at a level that Xia Duo could never reach.
Haunted by the fate of cannon fodder, both her love life and career were fraught with setbacks. She had a crush on the idol of the female lead, Bai You, who was currently a top male idol, Xu Jin'an.
She entered the entertainment industry solely to get closer to him.
She worked hard in the industry, but her princess persona was too perfect, and she didn't have much audience appeal; she was currently only a third-tier celebrity.
Two years ago, the original owner, in collusion with Xu Jin'an's grandfather, staged a grand scheme, tricking Xu Jin'an into registering a marriage, thus beginning her tragic journey of a marriage of convenience.
During this time, let alone sharing a room, Xu Jin'an found her annoying, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
Later, their relationship was exposed by Xu Jin'an's arch-enemy, making her the only stain on Xu Jin'an's long career. Xu Jin'an used this as an excuse to break off relations and force her to sign divorce papers.
Her career subsequently plummeted. She was devastated, developed a severe mental illness, and ultimately died at the age of thirty.
Xia Duo transmigrated because the original owner had a huge fight with Xu Jin'an just two days prior, was too heartbroken to sleep, and had overdosed on sleeping pills the previous night. Her ability to wake up quickly and normally was entirely due to the body swap.
Now, Xia Duo shudders at the thought of the original owner's tragic life, but the fear isn't too intense. The original owner's miserable end was entirely caused by love and career.
But Xia Duo could kick both of them aside!
What is love? It affects her sword-wielding speed.
What is career? She has no interest in the entertainment industry.
Wouldn't it be better to just hold onto her money, retire from the industry, and enjoy life? Anyway, the original owner of this body had no shortage of money.
Thinking of this, Xia Duo hurriedly messaged her agent, Sister Qin, asking her to contact Su Yao, the big boss of the management company, to discuss terminating her contract.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jin'an called first, saying, "Houhai Restaurant, be there at two o'clock."
Before Xia Duo could say a word, he hung up.
"Damn it!" Xia Duo couldn't help but curse, but she still went as promised, her intuition telling her it was related to their messy marriage.
Houhai Restaurant was a high-end restaurant located by the sea, with outdoor tables and a very stylish atmosphere.
As a top celebrity with unparalleled popularity, Xu Jin'an had booked the entire restaurant to avoid attracting attention; when Xia Duo arrived, she only saw the waiters.
Actually, she had also gone to check the time, but Xu Jin'an was even better at checking it out, arriving precisely at two o'clock. Like all the ideal male gods described in books, Xu Jin'an's appearance was flawless: sculpted features, deep and sophisticated, with an extraordinary aura, truly blessed by heaven.
Xia Duo couldn't help but admire him, resting her chin on her hand.
Unfortunately, such a stunning beauty had a mouth; all her fantasies shattered the moment he opened his mouth.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?" Xu Jin'an approached, uttering a questioning tone.
Xia Duo noticed he was scrutinizing her attire—a thick down jacket, a stark contrast to the original owner's year-round style of dresses.
But it was the dead of winter, the perceived temperature only five degrees Celsius. How could she not wear something thick? Would she do the designer of a down jacket a disservice?
"That's not important, let's get down to business." Xia Duo knew he hadn't called her here for anything romantic.
Xu Jin'an sat down and, as expected, said, "After our argument that day, I thought a lot. We really can't go on like this. Let's get a divorce; it'll be better for both of us."
Xia Duo's eyes lit up. This Xu Jin'an was on her mind! She was just looking to get rid of him.
Xu Jin'an took out a divorce agreement and a pen, and pushed them towards her: "We had a prenuptial agreement, so there are no property disputes. But I'm paying for peace of mind; I'll give you a divorce settlement. Take a look carefully. If you're not satisfied, we can discuss it."
Xia Duo flipped to the last page. Good heavens, for someone who used to be an ordinary working-class person, it was an astronomical sum.
"Satisfied, satisfied, extremely satisfied!" Xia Duo smiled brightly, picking up the pen to sign.
Xu Jin'an hadn't expected her to be so agreeable: "Aren't you going to reconsider?"
Xia Duo had already signed the agreement and handed it back to him: "I've thought about it a lot these past few days. I was being reckless before, clinging to you like that. Now I've come to terms with it. We may have had a bad breakup, but we can part amicably."
She got up, humming a little tune, and left.
Xu Jin'an stood there, stunned, for a long time before he dared to believe that this woman who had been clinging to him for years had actually signed the divorce papers.
Xia Duo, having successfully resolved this major obstacle in her love life, couldn't be happier. Even better, she received a call from Sister Qin as soon as she got into her car, saying that the big boss, Su Yao, had agreed to meet with her.
She rushed to the company.
This Su Yao was not only the boss of both the original owner and Xu Jin'an, but also Xu Jin'an's childhood friend. Xu Jin'an's rapid rise to fame was inextricably linked to his support. The original owner insisted on signing with this company because she knew Xu Jin'an would be permanently based there because of Su Yao's connection.
Xia Duo knew the original owner's contract with Su Yao still had ten years left, but the penalty for breach of contract was negligible for her at the moment.
Therefore, she faced Su Yao with great confidence, sitting down in his office and saying, "I want to terminate my contract."
Su Yao, casually sipping his red wine, almost choked on his drink after hearing this: "What did you say?"
Xia Duo repeated herself, and Su Yao was incredulous: "What do you want to do? Find another job?"
Xia Duo honestly replied, "The entertainment industry is too tiring. I've earned enough money; I can go home and enjoy the rest of my life."
Su Yao looked at her for two seconds, then burst into laughter: "You didn't say that when you were arguing with Jin'an the other day. You were so confident that you would definitely reach the top and become the only woman in the entire entertainment industry worthy of Xu Jin'an."
Damn, how did he know everything? Xia Duo was so embarrassed by what she heard that she felt like she was knocking on a door in a courtyard house, but she couldn't explain that she hadn't said those words.
"That's all yesterday's stuff. Today, Xia Duo just wants to retire from the entertainment industry!" Xia Duo straightened her back, making her determination clear.
Su Yao observed that she wasn't joking. While he was figuring out how to respond, Xu Jin'an called.
Knowing about their secret marriage, he didn't dare answer the phone in front of Xia Duo and went to an inner cubicle.
Upon answering, Xu Jin'an's first words were: "Xia Duo has already signed the divorce papers."
Outside, Xia Duo didn't care who Su Yao was calling; her mind was completely absorbed in fantasizing about her happy retirement: traveling the world and eating all kinds of delicious food! Su Yao, who reappeared, told her, "Termination? Impossible."
Xia Duo was startled by his outburst: "Why not? I'll pay the penalty for breach of contract!"
Su Yao coughed twice and said, "You're on the rise right now, the company's hope. How can we agree to let you terminate your contract?"
His judgment was terrible!
He saw her, a third-tier actress with questionable audience appeal, as the company's hope?
In the original story, the original owner never became famous.
Xia Duo insisted, "What if I insist on terminating the contract?"
After that phone call, Su Yao seemed like a different person, his tone turning cold: "Have you forgotten? When we signed the contract, there was a supplementary agreement stating that neither party could breach it during the contract period, otherwise they would forfeit all their assets."
Xia Duo was stunned. Such an outrageous contract actually existed?
She had to thoroughly search the original owner's memories several times before she realized such a thing really existed. When Su Yao signed the original owner of this body, she wasn't married to Xu Jin'an yet. Su Yao valued her courage to do anything for Xu Jin'an, certain she would become a huge star in the entertainment industry, and wanted to tie her down completely.
The original owner also wanted to secure her own future, so both parties agreed to sign.
In the original owner's eyes, this was no big deal. She had come to follow Xu Jin'an and was certain she would never voluntarily terminate the contract, having long forgotten about it.
This was a disaster for Xia Duo; her dream of retiring on the spot was ruined.
She stood there stunned for a long time before getting up and dragging her feet out.
Seeing her genuine dejection, Su Yao said, "Well, life is beautiful. I have faith in you and will definitely push you to the top, helping you achieve your dream of becoming a Best Actress."
Xia Duo found him inexplicable and just wanted to vomit blood, shouting, "My dream is to be a lazy bum!"
—
Back at her apartment, Xia Duo was so dejected she practically collapsed into a lazy bum's shell.
"Career, you tormenting little devil, how can I get rid of you?!"
Soon, her assistant, Xiao Miao, knocked on the door. Xia Duo opened it and asked, "Why are you here? I didn't summon you."
Xiao Miao was equally puzzled: "President Su personally told me to come and keep an eye on you. I'm totally confused."
"Su Yao? What's he up to now?" Xia Duo didn't want to talk about Su Yao right now. After asking, she resumed her lazy bum state.
In Xiao Miao's memory, Xia Duo was always full of energy. Why was she so listless now?
It must be because her career has been going badly lately. She had to offer encouragement: "Sister Xia, let's roll up our sleeves and work hard! Becoming a top star isn't just a dream."
Xia Duo: "..." Humans' joys and sorrows are not shared.
Through the original owner's memories, Xia Duo knew this assistant always had a peculiar way of thinking. She asked her for help: "If an artist wants to terminate her contract with her agency, but she unilaterally requests termination and will be stripped of all her assets, what do you think she should do?"
Xiao Miao knew how much she loved this agency, and without even considering her, simply thought: "You can force the boss to intervene. When the artist wants to terminate the contract and the boss wants to fire him, they can easily reach an agreement, and any supplementary agreements should be nullified, right?"
Xia Duo pondered for a moment, then froze, marveling at how brilliant the original owner's assistant was.
This plan works!
With this solution in mind, Xia Duo frantically thought about how to get Su Yao to take the initiative. After racking her brains for countless ideas, she decided—
To make herself obscure!