Chapter 8: The Best Acting Episode

September 7th.

Li Xingya woke up on time.

After opening her eyes, her first reaction was to pick up the phone by her pillow.

The time displayed on the screen was, unsurprisingly… Huh? Why was it ten in the morning again?!

In her previous life, she could wake up at seven on the dot.

The sleeping habits of this body… were way too terrible.

Sleeping from ten last night to ten this morning, the quality of sleep in between was ridiculously good.

‘Am I some kind of Sleeping Beauty?’

Li Xingya thought as she got up and started dressing.

Li Xingya’s wardrobe had a lot of clothes—these were prepared in advance by Jiang Chiyue.

You ask how far in advance?

Li Xingya wasn’t sure, but when she moved in, these clothes had already filled the wardrobe to the brim.

‘It’s clear that Jiang Chiyue had been planning the house arrest of “Li Xingya” for a long time.’

‘Lucky for me, I’m not the real Li Xingya. As long as I pay off the debt, I can sever ties with Jiang Chiyue.’

Thinking that, Li Xingya couldn’t help but smile and started carefully choosing today’s outfit.

Today she had to report to Starseer Academy. As a school specifically for training celebrities and idols, Li Xingya felt she had to put some thought into her clothing.

***

In the living room, Jiang Chiyue was eating a cold sandwich.

When she heard Li Xingya coming down the stairs, she looked up and saw a Li Xingya beyond her imagination.

Now, Li Xingya was wearing a neatly cut, short off-white shirt. She still couldn’t get used to overly revealing clothes, and the short design of this shirt was the biggest compromise she could make for a sixteen-year-old’s “youthful vibe.”

For the inner layer, Li Xingya chose a gray silk camisole. Actually, there were plenty of clothes with lots of lace in the wardrobe, but those… really weren’t something Li Xingya would consider.

As for the bottom, Li Xingya paired it with dark blue high-waisted wide-leg pants. No particular reason—she just didn’t want to wear a skirt.

This whole outfit was exactly the style Li Xingya had loved in her previous life.

Understated and comfortable—for someone who wasn’t into socializing, this type of dress was the best.

Now, standing on the stairs and looking down, Li Xingya met Jiang Chiyue’s staring gaze.

“Do I look good?” she asked, pretending to be vain.

‘Even if you say it’s not good, I’m not going to change.’

‘Forget other stuff, but in terms of clothing style, you can’t force me to lean toward “Li Xingya’s” way.’

Back at the rental, Li Xingya really didn’t like “Li Xingya’s” clothes.

Bright colors, bold designs.

Just imagining how she would look in them made her feel like a flashy peacock.

So, just this once, only this once.

Even if Jiang Chiyue asked her to change, Li Xingya wouldn’t.

But then.

Contrary to Li Xingya’s expectations, Jiang Chiyue had no complaints about this outfit.

‘Very pretty.’

‘Sister Li Xingya looks beautiful no matter what she wears.’

‘I was worried that such a pretty sister might attract attention at school.’

‘But… dressing so low-key now, it seems she has self-awareness.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Sister Li Xingya should only be mine.’

“Go have breakfast first.”

Jiang Chiyue said nonchalantly.

That meant another ham and egg sandwich from the fridge.

Having just woken up and swallowing a cold fast-food item, Li Xingya felt like her stomach was cramping up.

‘It hurts.’

She wanted something hot. Soy milk. Noodles, fried dumplings, soup dumplings—anything, as long as it was hot. Even a bowl of plain congee would do!

Living with a rich young lady, yet the food was surprisingly terrible.

Li Xingya even considered making breakfast herself.

‘No, I don’t know how to cook.’

At first, Li Xingya didn’t eat breakfast—that saved her money for one meal. Later, when she got a job, she used the leftover money after paying off debts each month to buy breakfast. She had never actually learned to cook.

The only thing she could do was cook instant noodles, add an egg, and throw in a few greens.

‘So… should I learn to make breakfast for my Master of Debts?’

Li Xingya looked at the sandwich in her hand, which she had taken a bite of.

‘Sandwiches are actually pretty good.’

She poked her head out of the kitchen:

“Jiang Chiyue, how do you use your microwave? I can’t figure this thing out.”

Jiang Chiyue’s home had a very advanced microwave. It was a built-in microwave, which you had to pull out like a drawer when using. Called a microwave, but in Li Xingya’s eyes, it looked more like a high-end oven, with microwave, steam, and hot air functions.

A moment later, Li Xingya ate the heated sandwich and found it tasted pretty good.

‘Hmm, no need to learn how to make breakfast.’

‘As long as it’s hot, everything tastes good.’

After breakfast, it was just about eleven o’clock. Li Xingya put on a pair of white loafers and followed Jiang Chiyue out.

Outside, the familiar extended black sedan was already parked on the road.

Once they got in the car, Jiang Chiyue unusually didn’t speak to Li Xingya—she just quietly watched her, occasionally rubbing her smooth black hair in irritation.

Her insomnia last night had made Jiang Chiyue sleepy.

Facing Jiang Chiyue’s unabashed stare, Li Xingya simply propped her chin on one hand, her amber eyes fixed on the window.

Her face had a faint “barely alive” look.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Chiyue, despite being sleepy, forced herself to stay alert at Li Xingya’s sudden change.

“Did you not sleep well either?”

‘Either? Why did she say “either”?’

Li Xingya didn’t understand the meaning of Jiang Chiyue’s words. She just said flatly,

“No, let’s just say I’m in a bad mood.”

After all, she was going back to school. High school.

Even though Li Xingya knew Starseer Academy was a private school for idols and celebrities, she still couldn’t be happy.

‘So troublesome, so troublesome, so troublesome, so troublesome, so troublesome…!’

Most people, after entering society, unconsciously miss their student days. But Li Xingya was different. She genuinely liked working.

Being able to earn her own money, no longer worrying about next month’s debt—that feeling was better than anything for Li Xingya. But now she had been reborn, the debt from her previous life was gone, but this life she had new debt, and she even had to repeat the life of going to school while earning money.

Li Xingya really couldn’t think of a reason to be happy.

‘Forget it, forget it.’

‘When I get to school, I can’t be in this state anymore.’

‘Going to school now… is also a kind of work.’

‘I won’t say I’m happy, but at least I need to look lively!’

Li Xingya tried to comfort herself mentally.

When the car stopped and they arrived at the luxurious grand entrance of Starseer Academy, Li Xingya put on a smile.

She suddenly stepped forward, inexplicably hooking her arm around Jiang Chiyue’s, and said in a familiar tone:

“Come on, big sister, let’s go to the principal’s office to report!”

Li Xingya, as she got out of the car, was graceful and full of youthful energy. Every smile and expression was exactly what a sixteen-year-old girl should look like at her most confident age.

But in Jiang Chiyue’s eyes, who had just seen the “barely alive” scene, what did she think?

‘Tsk, what a fucking fake act.’

‘Smiling so beautifully, I almost couldn’t help kissing her on the spot.’

Jiang Chiyue’s eyelid twitched.

Li Xingya was really good at acting.