"Stop!" Gu Luosheng had barely stepped out of the car, her sunglasses still on, when she called out playfully, "Don't rush, everyone! I'm not that washed-up Gu Luosheng. She's in the car behind me. Make sure you don't hit the wrong person."
The fans were just about to throw the things in their hands when her words made them pause.
They studied her for several seconds.
Those clothes weren't Gu Luosheng's. She could never look that good in them.
The face didn't seem right, either. Gu Luosheng's hideous makeup could win her a gold medal in an ugliness contest.
Yes, after careful scrutiny, the fans concluded that the woman before them really wasn't Gu Luosheng.
But who was she?
They didn't remember ever seeing her before.
"I'm a new guest on this variety show, and I'm about to be late. Gotta go!" Before anyone could recover, Gu Luosheng ran off.
The fans exchanged looks. The woman who had just breezed past seemed familiar, but they couldn't place her right away... Whatever. They would wait for Gu Luosheng in the car behind her.
Meanwhile, An Ning jumped when she saw someone running toward her.
"Who-" Before An Ning could finish, the little cake in her hand was gone.
"Damn, that's good!" Gu Luosheng swallowed the little cake in one bite, her mood soaring.
An Ning: ???
"Who are you?" An Ning stared at Gu Luosheng in alarm.
"I'm Gu Luosheng." Gu Luosheng rested a hand on An Ning's shoulder. "Ningning, it's only been a few hours. You don't recognize me anymore?"
"Wait... You're Gu Luosheng? Did a donkey kick you in the head? Or... did you go out in last night's rain to play lightning rod and get your brain fried?" An Ning stared at her in disbelief.
She pinched Gu Luosheng's cheek. It was soft, without even a trace of makeup.
"Where's your ugly makeup? And those hideous clothes? How could you bear to go without that makeup? What happened to the clothes? Did someone steal them? No, that can't be right. Nobody would want those ugly things." An Ning folded her arms across her chest, looking utterly shocked.
Something was off. Everything about Gu Luosheng looked wrong today.
Gu Luosheng laughed. "Just assume I got struck by lightning. The old Gu Luosheng is history. From now on, I'm turning over a new leaf-no, scratch that. I'm focusing on making money!"
An Ning swallowed. "But you just ate a cake."
Gu Luosheng smiled slyly. "It's fine. I won't gain weight."
As she spoke, Gu Luosheng stepped onto the body-fat scale beside her.
An Ning glanced at it. Her weight had gone down instead of up.
What was going on?
"Girl, I've got a body that won't gain weight now. I can eat anything without getting fat."
An Ning thought that was bullshit.
She didn't believe it.
"Wait, how did you get in just now? Wasn't there a whole crowd outside waiting to mob you?" She had just been trying to figure out how to get Gu Luosheng inside.
Yet somehow, Gu Luosheng had made it in on her own.
"Oh, right, right! I forgot to tell you. There's a good show coming. Let's go." With that, Gu Luosheng pulled An Ning into a hidden corner.
They were just in time...
The car behind hers stopped, and Gu Luoxi stepped out.
Without a word, the fans hurled everything in their hands at her.
"A washed-up nobody wants to get famous? We'll give you your chance today!"
"That's right! Bad publicity is still publicity. We'll make you famous as hell!"
"Haha, I've got a rotten egg here, too. This'll send you soaring!"
"I'll finish things off..."
A basin of colored paint flew straight at Gu Luoxi.
Before Gu Luoxi could react, she was covered in a riot of colors, with the stench of rotten eggs mixed in.
"I'm Gu Luoxi!" Gu Luoxi had barely opened her mouth to clear things up when a leafy vegetable flew into it.
"Ugh..." Gu Luosheng was nearly sick with disgust.
An Ning watched, dumbfounded. "What... is going on?"
Gu Luosheng covered her mouth and laughed. "Outsmarted them. They thought the car behind mine was mine, so they hit the wrong person."
An Ning's eyes widened. "You did this?"
Gu Luosheng wagged a finger. "You can't put all the blame on me."
An Ning clicked her tongue, thoroughly enjoying the show, too.
"Since when did you learn to fight back? This isn't like you at all." An Ning was even more stunned.
Gu Luosheng straightened up. "You bet."
All she wanted now was to make money.
An Ning felt as though she was getting to know Gu Luosheng all over again.
That was a good thing.
Shengsheng had always let Gu Luoxi walk all over her before, and it had been infuriating to watch.
"Ningning, I forgot to tell you. It's not just that my name is similar to Gu Luoxi's. I'm also the Gu Family's real daughter."
Gu Luosheng knew An Ning genuinely had her best interests at heart, so there was nothing wrong with telling her.
"Wait, are you acting out some real-heiress-versus-fake-heiress drama for me?" An Ning clearly didn't believe her.
Gu Luosheng's lips curved. "You'll believe me eventually. Stick with me from now on, and you'll live the good life. Oh, right... what are we filming today again?"
An Ning: ...
Gu Luoxi came inside, looking a complete mess.
Everyone instinctively moved away when they caught the stench.
"Gu Luosheng!" Gu Luoxi called through gritted teeth.
"Right here." Gu Luosheng blinked and answered sweetly.
"Oh my, Ms. Xixi, what happened to you? Did you take on another role? Are you... playing a beggar now?" Gu Luosheng asked innocently.
The others couldn't help snickering when they heard that.
Gu Luoxi's face turned livid, though it was impossible to tell under all the muck plastered over it.
"Those fans outside were there for you!" Gu Luoxi snapped angrily.
Gu Luosheng looked innocent. "Huh? But I just walked right past them. They didn't seem to have a problem with me. Or... did you arrange for those fans to be there because you wanted them to attack me? How else would you know so much about it?"
That single remark left Gu Luoxi speechless. If she kept talking, she would walk straight into the trap.
"Gu Luosheng, you're really something. Just you wait until we start filming." After delivering her threat, Gu Luoxi hurried to the lounge. She needed to clean herself up as quickly as possible.
As she walked, everyone nearby hastily stepped aside, their disgust plain to see.
Before long, word of what had happened to Gu Luoxi spread through the industry.
Gu Luosheng clapped her hands. You had to swallow the bitter fruit of your own actions.
She didn't care what kind of leading lady Gu Luoxi was. Now that she had been reborn, she was going to defy fate and change her destiny.
Gu Luosheng turned around, and thud.
She crashed straight into a man.
Gu Luosheng rolled her eyes and rubbed her pert nose. "Good thing it's real. Otherwise, that would've knocked it out of place."
"Hey, don't you watch where you're going?" Gu Luosheng demanded fiercely.
"Heh. I think you deliberately threw yourself at me to leech off my fame." The man's voice was cold.
Gu Luosheng: ...
Before you continue