Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 82

Si Xiaoxiao turned into a flower? Why?

Why was it that after clearly clearing the script, the result wasn’t a reward, but a punishment?

The System was also in a position where it had much to say but no way to say it.

Due to Si Xiaoxiao’s stubbornness, she had used all her strength to return to the script world to fight the Evil God. Although she managed to stall the entity, her physical form was severely damaged. The System was forced to extract its own energy to patch her up and attempted to modify the progress of the entire script world, using a special backdoor to end that world prematurely.

Truly, it was a massive loss. If it hadn’t been for Li Ting’s “stroke of genius” kiss at the very end, the System wouldn’t have even had enough energy to send both hosts back.

A single instance world had completely bankrupted the System, leaving it unable to issue rewards, let alone fully repair one of the hosts’ bodies.

The only option was to turn her into a flower and place her near the other host’s heart to be nurtured.

Having completed this, the System was forced into a deep slumber.

Consequently, no matter how much Li Ting questioned it, the System remained silent, refusing to utter another word. She could even feel an invisible barrier erected between her and the System, as if the other party had unilaterally cut off the deep-level communication channel. Thus, she remained completely in the dark regarding the specific and secret deal struck between the System and Si Xiaoxiao.

This realization brought a wave of icy anxiety.

She looked down at her chest. The pale pink-and-white flower that Si Xiaoxiao had become possessed petals so delicate they were nearly transparent, their edges tinged with a faint crimson. It trembled slightly with every breath she took, as if it possessed its own life.

A strange warmth radiated from the skin where it took root. Upon closer inspection, there were extremely fine, almost invisible shimmering white veins flickering—as if it were silently drawing upon her life force. This eerie yet beautiful sight only gave her a sense of bone-deep helplessness and a throbbing headache behind her temples.

In this state, Si Xiaoxiao obviously couldn’t see anyone, let alone handle the outside world.

As for when or how she would recover, it was all a complete unknown.

For now, there seemed to be only one path forward: find a way to hide the truth through deception.

Fortunately, because of the variety show recording, Li Ting knew Si Xiaoxiao’s phone passcode. And thanks to the special effect of the “Destiny’s Bond” reward, she had accompanied Si Xiaoxiao to Country A as a temporary assistant for a magazine cover shoot.

Furthermore, because Si Xiaoxiao had gotten dead drunk at the victory banquet arranged by Sally the night before, even the check-in for this luxury hotel penthouse had been handled by Li Ting using Si Xiaoxiao’s ID.

Given that idiot Si Xiaoxiao’s near-zero alertness and her habit of losing things, impersonating her in the short term was actually quite simple.

The Impersonation Begins

After returning to the hotel, Li Ting took a deep breath and went into action.

She efficiently packed Si Xiaoxiao’s scattered clothes, skincare products, and flashy trinkets into a suitcase. Then, she picked up the phone adorned with complex rhinestones and unlocked it with a light tap.

She imitated Si Xiaoxiao’s slightly coquettish and jumpy tone to send a message to her manager, Yan Guan: “Sister Yan~ The shoot ended super successfully! I suddenly realized it’s super fun here, I want to wander around by myself for a few days before coming back! Oh!”

She then found a frequently used sticker in their chat history and sent it over.

However, Yan Guan’s reply was exceptionally cold: “If you don’t want to die, get back here.”

Li Ting’s impression of Yan Guan was complex, even negative. Yan Guan was a famously unorthodox manager in the industry—ruthless, unpredictable, and obsessed with “black-and-tan” marketing (using negative publicity for fame). She used any means necessary to stir up topics, resulting in a terrible professional reputation.

Naturally, the artist under her, Si Xiaoxiao, was constantly shrouded in true and false negative news, her reputation a total mess—one of the few 18th-tier celebrities with more anti-fans than actual fans.

But in all fairness, setting aside her questionable methods, Yan Guan seemed to have a strange “protective” instinct toward Si Xiaoxiao. She fought for the best resources (though her methods were wild), cleaned up messes (though she might create new ones), and stood firmly behind Si Xiaoxiao on certain matters of principle. The fact that Si Xiaoxiao could remain “purely stupid” in such an environment was largely thanks to Yan Guan’s protection.

So, Li Ting channeled Si Xiaoxiao’s usual spoiled tone and replied: “Please, Sister Yan~ I really have something super, super important! Just a few days! Just a few days, okay!! (〃’▽’〃)”

To stay in character, she even added emoticons.

However, Yan Guan didn’t buy it at all. Her reply was fast and brutal: “Your babies are in my hands. For every day you’re late, I’ll burn one.”

Babies?

Li Ting froze for a moment before realizing she must be referring to Si Xiaoxiao’s walk-in closet full of pretty dresses that she valued more than life itself. For someone as obsessed with dresses as Si Xiaoxiao, this was a precision strike.

She quickly scrolled through their history and found that every time Yan Guan used the “Burning Dresses” tactic, no matter how loudly Si Xiaoxiao had been protesting, she would immediately cave and obey.

Li Ting: “…” Talk about a total surrender, not even a bit of suspense.

She pursed her lips, feeling an invisible pressure, but tried one last struggle: “Sister, Sister Yan~ I’m really not just playing around, I really have something very, very important here that I absolutely can’t leave for…”

Yan Guan replied instantly, her question becoming razor-sharp: “Are you in a relationship?”

“No! How is that possible!!”

This time, five or six minutes passed before Yan Guan sent another message. However, this one hit the mark: “Didn’t you go to the shoot with an assistant? Who are you with right now?”

Clearly, the delay in replying was because she had gone to check with the accompanying assistant.

Because Li Ting had feared an assistant would ruin things, she had replaced the assistant Yan Guan originally arranged. But to the uninformed Yan Guan, an artist going AWOL (even if she could still text), ditching the company-appointed assistant, and staying abroad alone was nothing short of a catastrophic loss of control.

Text messages were no longer enough to quell the suspicion. Immediately following, a video call request burst onto the screen. The display was instantly dominated by Yan Guan’s profile picture—meticulously applied makeup and eyes as sharp as blades—while the aggressive buzzing of the vibration tightened the air in the room.

Li Ting frowned. Almost instinctively, her finger jammed down on the red “Decline” button.

The second the “beep” of the disconnection sounded, Yan Guan’s messages began detonating like a sequence of bombs, each one carrying a level of fury and pressure that nearly bled through the screen:

[You dare hang up on my video call? You’ve grown some guts, haven’t you, Si Xiaoxiao?!]

[Pick up the phone right now!]

[What the hell are you playing at?!]

[Send me your location! Now! Immediately! This instant!]

[Don’t force me to use ‘unconventional’ means to find you!]

What an overbearing manager…

Li Ting hadn’t expected Yan Guan to be this forceful. Si Xiaoxiao was a grown adult, after all—wasn’t this level of control a bit excessive? However, considering Si Xiaoxiao’s naive personality—the type who would get sold and then help the trafficker count the money—the manager’s reaction wasn’t entirely surprising.

Li Ting weighed her words carefully, trying to make her tone sound both natural and firm: “Sister Yan, this shoot is wrapped up. I truly just want to go have some fun for a while.”

Perhaps because this newfound persistence was so unlike the usual Si Xiaoxiao, who typically caved the moment she was intimidated, Yan Guan hesitated. Finally, she took a highly reluctant step back, her message carrying a blatant warning: “Fine. I’ll give you three days. The variety show special made you accidentally popular again; don’t screw this up. Your schedule after this is completely packed—we can’t afford to lose even a single day…”

Following this, Yan Guan sent several screenshots of a dense itinerary. Every date and item seemed to emphasize the sheer urgency of time.

She had finally bought three days.

Li Ting breathed a sigh of relief, but the weight in her heart didn’t lift. Within these three days, she had to find a way to turn this delicate little flower on her chest back into the lively, bouncing Si Xiaoxiao.

Afterward, Li Ting imitated Si Xiaoxiao’s tone to send “all-clear” messages to her parents—who were equally carefree and perpetually vacationing around the globe. Only then did she haul two large suitcases alone, check out of the hotel, and board a flight back home.

She was cautious throughout the journey, protecting the pale pink-and-white flower on her chest. Strangely, the flower triggered no alarms during security scans; it simply remained there, blooming peacefully.

However, three days flashed by in an instant.

Li Ting tried every method she could think of.

She tried using a spray bottle to mist the little flower with various types of water; she let it bathe in the softest light of dawn and dusk; she used her fingers to extremely gently stroke the soft petals and cool sepals.

She even went as far as to lean down and kiss the delicate blossom with a desperate, prayer-like sincerity during the dead of night when her anxiety reached its peak.

Yet, it was useless.

None of her attempts triggered the slightest sign of a miracle. The little flower remained rooted beneath the skin over her heart, appearing more vibrant by the day. It would occasionally sway its head and tremble contentedly in the air, looking utterly carefree and as if it were enjoying itself immensely.

Li Ting’s anxiety had reached its boiling point.

As for the System, there was still no response. There wasn’t a single hint or tip. How was she supposed to explain to anyone that a living person had turned into a flower?

It seemed her only choice was to keep stalling. If it truly came down to it, she would have to resort to unconventional methods.

Si Xiaoxiao’s next scheduled event was an audition for Director Wu. Director Wu was a famous TV drama director known for her expertise in the field. She had recently finished a project and was preparing to submit it for review and broadcast. However, the actress playing a “Demonic Sect Enchantress” had been involved in a scandal and was blacklisted by the authorities, forcing Director Wu to find someone for a reshoot.

Thus, Li Ting sent a message to Yan Guan, claiming she wanted to focus solely on preparing for Director Wu’s audition and requested that all other recent activities be cleared.

Yan Guan gave her a lecture first but eventually agreed.

Then, Li Ting sent a message to her own manager.

“Help me snatch a role.”

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