Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I transmigrated, the original host had already been living in the villa for six months.

She had successfully manipulated Lin Zhilan, the daughter of the tragic female lead, and even convinced her brother-in-law, Lin Zheng, to let her stay.

She was so happy that she bought a set of very expensive cosmetics.

However, her hand slipped, and the makeup hit the floor, causing her brand-new pressed powder to shatter.

She wasn’t even upset; she immediately thought of a scapegoat.

She intentionally called Lin Zhilan over and asked her to pick up the powder. Just as Lin Zhilan grabbed it, the original host let out a sharp scream, startling the girl. Lin Zhilan’s hand jerked, and the powder fell to the floor again.

Lin Zhilan stood frozen, looking completely helpless.

The original host let out a cruel sneer and raised her palm.

That was the moment I arrived.

My hand took a sharp turn, and the slap the original host intended for Lin Zhilan landed squarely on her own face.

It felt as if that single slap knocked the original host right out of the body, causing her to vanish completely.

For a moment, I was stunned too.

The two of us just stared at each other.

Lin Zhilan’s eyes welled up, her large, watery eyes shimmering with tears as her lips trembled.

“Au… Auntie… don’t hit yourself. I-I’ll ask Daddy to buy you a new set. Please don’t hit yourself, waah…”

She covered her little mouth, sobbing like a tiny kitten.

In the original story, this was exactly how it went.

The original host framed Lin Zhilan, and Lin Zheng ended up buying her a whole set of high-end makeup and skincare products.

The original host had snapped countless photos and bragged about it on a dozen social media platforms like WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Kuaishou.

Heaven only knows why she had so many social media apps.

Looking at the terrified Lin Zhilan, my heart softened.

I pulled her into my arms, gently patting her back, and decided to reveal the truth.

“I’m sorry. You didn’t break the powder; I did. I purposely asked you to help me pick it up and then intentionally scared you because I wanted to frame you. I bullied you. I’m sorry, I was wrong. I’ll never do it again.”

Lin Zhilan froze.

She stopped crying, her face flushing as she looked at me in confusion.

“Auntie…”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Lin Zhilan turned around in a huff and ran away.

I sighed. I had brought this on myself.

Why bully a child? If you’re so capable, go bully a tough guy, a criminal, or a boss.

What’s the point of squeezing a soft pear? All you get is a hand full of juice-or in this case, tears.

Go squeeze a hard pear; it builds hand strength and courage.

I started cleaning up the powder.

It was actually a very good powder, quite expensive. The original host had saved up for a long time to buy it.

I went into the kitchen, found a freezer bag and a rolling pin, and began the rescue mission.

I gathered all the fragments into the bag, crushed and ground them with the rolling pin, and then cleaned out the compact case.

Suddenly, Lin Zhilan peeked around the doorframe, her little head poking into the kitchen as she asked softly, “Auntie, what are you doing?”

Her eyes were red, her nose was pink, and her hair was fluffy-she looked adorable.

She was a very soft-hearted child.

She couldn’t bear to stay angry at the original host.

During this time, the original host had been constantly gaslighting Lin Zhilan, telling her that she was her mother’s only sister and the woman who loved her most in the world besides her mother. Therefore, Lin Zhilan wasn’t allowed to be angry with her; she had to be filial and obedient, otherwise she would be letting her mother down and wouldn’t be a good girl.

In the original novel, Lin Zhilan believed it.

Even after she grew up, even when she knew the original host was in the wrong, she still went along with her.

She had a people-pleasing personality and was far too easy to manipulate.

Later, she ended up with a man who gave her the silent treatment, becoming the second-generation tragic female lead. She died after giving birth, and her child became the third-generation tragic female lead.

It was a tragedy that cycled through generation after generation.

My heart ached for her.

I said, “I’m saving my pressed powder. Do you want to come see?”

Lin Zhilan hesitated for a moment but eventually walked in.

I asked her to help me dry the compact case.

She used a tissue to wipe it bit by bit, her movements careful and focused.

I put the fine powder back into the case, used a small hammer to shape it, and finally pressed down with my hand. A brand-new pressed powder appeared. Although it was bumpy and imperfect, it was indeed fixed.

Lin Zhilan’s eyes widened, sparkling with delight and admiration.

“Auntie, you’re so amazing! You’re really, really amazing!”

She clapped and laughed, completely forgetting what had happened earlier.

Her little feet pattered away, and she quickly returned with something in her hand. Holding it up, she asked with an expectant face, “Auntie, can you help me save this too?”

It was a broken lipstick.

It was the only thing she had managed to keep from her mother.