Qi Xiao Jia stood frozen.

She had imagined countless ways to counter Qiao Chuchu, but never once considered that Qiao Chuchu wouldn’t care at all.

Her mind raced, and she lifted her chin defiantly. "Well, even if you draw comics, that doesn’t mean you’ll achieve anything, right? Since your studies are so poor, you definitely won’t be able to create any good works!"

Qiao Chuchu furrowed her brows, pity flickering in her eyes. "Guess how much I earn in a month?"

Qi Xiao Jia hesitated, then cautiously suggested, "Ten thousand?"

Qiao Chuchu replied, "No, two hundred thousand."

Qi Xiao Jia: "?"

Qiao Chuchu smugly added, "Two hundred thousand as the base salary."

Everyone else: "?"

Two hundred thousand as the base salary?!!

Qiao Chuchu observed Qi Xiao Jia’s pale face and mocked, "I’ve wanted to be a comic artist since I was a child. I’ve heard a lot of sarcastic remarks like yours, but I’ve never cared. I know I was born for my dream, and I’ve succeeded."

Qi Xiao Jia: "…"

Qiao Chuchu sympathetically patted her shoulder. "The recently popular TV series was adapted from my comic. The comic’s merchandise sold out as soon as it was released. Guess which TV show I’m talking about?"

Qi Xiao Jia’s face turned even paler. Trembling, she picked up her phone and unlocked the screen.

On the screen, there was a beautiful comic wallpaper featuring a blonde woman and a brown-haired man.

Qiao Chuchu looked at it and smiled triumphantly. "Yes, the couple on your lock screen—those two are from my comic."

Qi Xiao Jia: "!"

How could this be?!

Her favorite comic couple, her favorite comic artist… it was Qiao Chuchu?!

Qiao Chuchu’s gaze was sharp as a blade. She asked Qi Xiao Jia, "I may not be the best in my chosen field, but I’m certainly in the upper middle. How about you? Where do you rank in your life’s field?"

Qi Xiao Jia stood as though struck by lightning, staring at her without saying a word.

Qiao Chuchu’s tone softened, "I’m the same age as you, and I don’t mock you for not making as much money as I do. Yet you mock me for not being as good as you at studying. Of course, you can continue mocking me. Yes, I am a poor student, and you do have excellent grades. That’s a fact, so I hope you’re happy with that."

Qi Xiao Jia opened her mouth, but was left speechless.

She had been admiring the comic artist for years, only to be mocked by her. And now, the way Qiao Chuchu treated her… it felt like she wasn’t even worth her attention.

It was as if Qiao Chuchu was looking at a barking stray dog!

All the reason Qi Xiao Jia had carefully built up shattered, and she couldn’t help but sob as she covered her face and turned to leave!

Qiao Chuchu stopped her. "Wait."

Qi Xiao Jia looked at her through tear-filled eyes.

Qiao Chuchu stood with her hands in her pockets, coldly saying, "Call a moving service to take Xia Xuechun away. I’ll cover the transportation fee."

Qi Xiao Jia bit her lip in humiliation, but said nothing and quickly ran off.

The hall was silent again.

Qiao Chuchu returned to the sofa and took a sip of water, suddenly feeling the eyes of the others on her.

?

She looked around in confusion, only to meet Lin Qing’s almost adoring gaze. "Chuchu, when you handle things, you’re quite regal. I feel like I’m falling for you."

Qiao Chuchu: "?"

Pei Bu Xian, holding the dog, said blankly, "Qiao Chuchu, I never knew you had a brain."

Qiao Chuchu: "??"

Pei Youchuan cleared his throat and casually turned his head away. "I thought you were just a soft girl, but it turns out you’re pretty tough when faced with a threat. Plus, you’re a big name in the comic world and even published work! Why didn’t you tell us about this?"

The other brothers nodded in agreement.

Qiao Chuchu: "…"

[Of course, I’m tough. Back in my previous life, before I crossed over, I was a penniless orphan.]

Everyone: "?"

A penniless orphan?

[After all, I started out as an orphan nobody wanted, wearing clothes donated by kind-hearted people, attending a state-funded school, and being bullied by classmates because I was poor, ugly, and dumb. My only talents were drawing and sports, but I had no money for either, couldn’t afford art supplies or to go to a sports school. I couldn’t even afford a proper lunch, and had to nibble on salty pickles that cost a yuan a pack. The only free time I had was spent hiding in the restroom and crying.]

Qiao Chuchu smirked.

[When I had a fever, I still had to work. I had to work during holidays too because missing a day would cost me three hundred, and holiday work had overtime pay. Back then, if Aunt Wang had introduced me to a job with a thirty-thousand-dollar salary a month, I would have had to endure a slap from my employer and couldn’t even complain, let alone argue.]

The brothers were increasingly stunned, their hearts feeling as if something was squeezing them painfully.

Lin Shen’s gaze grew even more filled with sympathy.

But Qiao Chuchu’s expression slowly darkened.

[But the poor me is dead now. The current me must seize the happiness I have now!]

Qiao Chuchu checked the time, feeling alert. [Isn’t Pei Fengnong supposed to cause some drama today?]

Pei Fengnong had been in a daze, but he turned to look at Qiao Chuchu in surprise upon hearing her words.

Qiao Chuchu thought for a moment. [It seems Pei Fengnong bumped into the male lead, Ji Yan Chuan, while racing today. That idiot male lead was in a bad mood and purposely cut off Pei Fengnong’s car, causing Pei Fengnong to end up in the hospital. Now, the grudge between Ji Yan Chuan and the Pei family is set.]

The Pei brothers were shocked.

Lin Qing was even more surprised.

Ji Yan Chuan, that idiot, actually cut off someone else’s car?!

That damn man couldn’t even figure out how to breathe on his own!

Lin Shen stared blankly at Qiao Chuchu.

So this was what it felt like to hear someone’s inner voice and predict what would happen next.

Suddenly, both his and Lin Qing’s phones vibrated.

Pei Youchuan had added them to the group chat.

Pei Youchuan: "We’ll communicate in the group chat to keep things confidential. It’s better this way, and we can easily make arrangements without anyone knowing."

Lin Shen furrowed his brow, not entirely agreeing. "I don’t understand why we can’t just be upfront with Qiao Chuchu. Wouldn’t it be better to discuss things with her directly?"

At his words, everyone in the room rolled their eyes.

Lin Qing was the first to retort, "Bro, I understand that you like Qiao Chuchu and want to tell her everything right away, but you have to understand our position. We’re all ‘novel villains.’ If the world finds out we can sense our own endings, we might be erased, just like Qiao Chuchu."

Lin Shen: "Huh? Is Chuchu being erased?"

Pei Bu Xian: "Speaking of being erased, Qiao Chuchu died twice today. She has ten chances to reincarnate, and now only seven are left."

Everyone: "?"

Reincarnation chances????

Pei Bu Xian: "I was planning to tell you guys right away, but when I came back, I baked a strawberry cake, then got caught up with Xia Xuechun throwing a fit, and that girl also went crazy. So, I forgot."

The group chat exploded!

Lin Qing scolded him: "How could you forget something so important?!"

Lin Shen’s mind raced. "So that means Chuchu has already died three times? How did she die the first three times? Why did you guys let her get into danger even when you were protecting her?"

Pei Youchuan: "Lin Shen, what kind of attitude is that? You’ve hurt my sister so badly, and we haven’t even settled the score with you yet!"

Pei Che: "Enough! You’re all making too much noise! Let Pei Bu Xian explain what kind of reincarnation this is."

Pei Bu Xian: "Huh? How should I know? I just saw her escape from danger and say she used two of her lives. I can’t see it, but the only thing I can be sure of is that as long as the male lead or female lead is around, Chuchu could die."

Everyone else: "?"

So… does this mean… Qiao Chuchu could die again today?