Everyone Is Spending Money to Push Me Into A Center-Position Debut - Chapter 1

[Congratulations. You have passed the final selection for the National Girls production team. The production team is now officially sending you this invitation letter…]

“Please arrive at the training camp at the designated time for dormitory training. We look forward to your outstanding performance.” Chi Rui repeated the invitation letter, which was full of official-sounding formalities, in a soft, light voice. Her pale lips curved upward, and the smile that spread across her face slowly bloomed there.

“Look forward to it. It really is worth looking forward to.”

After carefully reading the invitation letter to the end, Chi Rui slipped it back into the envelope and tucked it into the inner compartment of the backpack she had already packed.

If it had been her from a month ago, she probably never would have imagined that there would come a day when she would be this close to her dream.

A month ago, Chi Rui had only been one of countless trainees waiting for the chance to debut. Every day, she practiced for more than fourteen hours. Counting her part-time work and the occasional trips back to the welfare home to help out as a volunteer, she slept less than four hours a day on average.

The thing Chi Rui feared least was hardship.

What she feared was disappointment.

She had persisted day after day, and several times, she had been selected as a candidate for the debut lineup. Yet every time, when she was only one step away from debuting, she was eliminated.

At the thought of this, a trace of mockery appeared in Chi Rui’s smile. How could the ace trainee who ranked first in the company’s overall evaluation have waited bitterly for eight years and still failed to get a chance to debut?

She raised her hand, her warm palm pressing against the side of her face. What else could it have been because of? With that ordinary face, that face that would disappear the moment it was thrown into a crowd, how could she survive in the entertainment industry, where beauties emerged one after another?

Talent? Ha. There were plenty of outstanding people who had both talent and looks. Why would investors risk putting their precious resources on her?

But now, things were different.

Chi Rui stood up and walked over to the mirror. She reached out and wiped away the mist on the surface. Reflected there was a face so beautiful it could steal the soul. This face bore some resemblance to her former self, but it was far more delicate.

Her fair, slender fingertips slid over the brows and eyes of the person in the mirror, then down to the lips. The slightly upturned corners of those eyes always held a hint of alluring seductiveness. With full, shapely lips and clear, glowing skin, the girl in the mirror looked like a fresh honey peach that had just ripened on the branch in summer. The liveliness of a young girl and the charm of a woman blended together on this face in a very distinctive way.

In terms of bone structure, this face was actually more of an Eastern classical beauty type. With light makeup and her hair worn down, she would already appear exceptionally elegant. It was just that the original owner had had a princess dream since she was a child. She liked dolls and puffy skirts, and over time, her sense of aesthetics had also drifted toward fairy tales. She always liked to dress herself in soft pink colors, trapping herself in the frame of a “sweet young girl.”

If it were Chi Rui, she truly could not understand why the original owner, who had such excellent conditions, would trample over her originally bright opportunities and give up what should have been a smooth-sailing life all for a scumbag top.

“What you didn’t want, I’ll cherish in your place.”

When Chi Rui had first entered this world, she had been very panicked. But she quickly realized that everything here was very similar to a novel she knew. When she had read it before, because the protagonist of the novel had the same name as her, yet the same name but a completely different fate, she had paid attention and remembered the plot.

In the book, Chi Rui had been born with a golden spoon in her mouth. Because she was an only daughter, she grew up spoiled rotten by the elders in her family, becoming a typical little princess with princess syndrome—good in every way except for her temper.

Although she was occasionally a little willful, she was not bad at heart. If not for what happened later, she probably could have continued living that carefree way and spent the happy life a little princess should have had.

The first change began with a movie.

It was a movie starring the book’s protagonist, Bai Chang. The woman’s breathtaking acting skills and exquisitely carved face on the screen left the original owner hopelessly obsessed.

There was a kind of impulsive madness called love at first sight. The original owner silently made up her mind: she wanted to enter the entertainment industry. She wanted to stand beside this person.

Chi Rui’s father, Chi Chengxiong, doted on her deeply and helped her pour a great deal of resources into it. Even though she could neither sing nor dance properly, he still used extremely strong marketing methods to push her into becoming a sweet-song little diva who exploded in popularity for a time. But that still was not enough. If Bai Chang reported to a certain film crew today, Chi Rui would be parachuted into it the very next day. Under step-by-step pressure, together with Chi Chengxiong’s perfectly timed coercion and temptation, Chi Rui finally got what she wished for and married Bai Chang.

Only, at that time, Chi Chengxiong never would have imagined that this act, which he believed was for his daughter’s own good, would one day completely destroy her.

Chi Rui, who had read the whole book’s plot, knew that Bai Chang had always had a white moonlight in her heart—Wei Xike. So no matter how desperately the original owner clung to her and refused to let go, it was impossible for her to occupy even a small place in Bai Chang’s heart.

She still remembered the ending of that book. After divorcing Bai Chang, Chi Rui’s personality changed drastically. Extreme anger drove her to choose revenge. In the end, during a car accident she had planned for Wei Xike, she instead lost her own life. As for Bai Chang, after simply attending her funeral, she shut all memories related to her into the coffin as well, then turned around freely and threw herself into the arms of her beloved white moonlight.

Happy Ending.

The ending readers had been waiting for.

But for the current Chi Rui, it was an extremely cruel kind of ending. She could not exactly look forward to her own death.

Fortunately, the time she had transmigrated into this world was still fairly early. The tragedy had not yet had time to begin. Right now, it was the first year and a half of Bai Chang and Chi Rui living separately, and there was still half a year left before the two-year separation period required for a divorce judgment ended.

How wonderful. Only half a year left.

Only this time, Chi Rui would not hysterically try to make her stay, nor would she stage any insane revenge drama. To be honest, she could not wait to stay as far away from Bai Chang as possible.

While other girls were moved by Bai Chang and her white moonlight’s hard-won love, Chi Rui avoided this plague god as though she were a snake or scorpion. Bai Chang was the original owner’s Pandora’s box. From the moment it was opened, her life had plunged headfirst into misfortune and never recovered.

Speaking of this plague god…

Today was July 1st, the day Bai Chang was coming to the house for a family meal. Counting it out, this would be the first time the two of them met after Chi Rui transmigrated here.

Bai Chang had not told Chi Rui’s parents about the divorce, so she naturally would not be absent from the monthly family dinner. After all, appearances still had to be maintained.

Chi Rui raised her hand and looked at her watch. There were still fifteen minutes until the meal. Based on that person’s etiquette habits, she should be arriving right about now.

Knock, knock—

A servant was knocking on the door.

Chi Rui turned her head. “What is it?”

“Miss Bai’s car has arrived at the gate.”

“Mm, I know.” Chi Rui’s tone was indifferent.

The servant stood at the door and hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had misheard. Had their young miss changed sexes? In the past, which time had she not heard that Miss Bai was coming and rushed downstairs excitedly to greet her, practically wanting to beat gongs and drums to welcome her?

But today?

After Chi Rui let the servant withdraw, she squatted down and slowly packed her things. Attached to the invitation letter was the training camp’s rules list. The things they were not allowed to bring filled an entire basket’s worth of restrictions. Fortunately, she did not need many things to begin with. She packed a makeup bag, stuffed in a few changes of clothes, and pulling a small, light suitcase out the door would be more than enough.

Fifteen minutes later, she appeared at the dining table right on time. Sitting in the main seat was Chi Rui’s father, Chi Chengxiong. The empty seat to his left was now occupied by another person. Her posture was proper and upright, and her smooth, long, straight hair curved behind her ear. Hanging from an earlobe as white and clean as jade was a finely crafted gemstone earring.

Bai Chang’s grandfather was European, so she more or less carried some mixed-race features. Her superior nose bridge and brow bone allowed her beauty to remain steady and flawless even under the harshest lighting.

Chi Rui had checked her information before. In a group photo of top female stars at a certain television station’s gala, under lighting so terrible it made everyone look dark and yellow, only this one woman stood out especially beautifully all on her own.

Hearing the sound of Chi Rui coming downstairs, Bai Chang lifted her head and met her eyes. She gave her a slight nod, which counted as a greeting.

Chi Rui raised her eyelids and looked back at her. The other woman’s amber eyes sat beneath soft, pale brows, making them appear deep and mysterious, giving off a faint air of someone untouched by worldly smoke and fire. No wonder the well-informed little Princess Chi had fallen in love with her at first sight.

Beside a beauty with this kind of temperament, even someone like Chi Rui, whose face was exquisitely carved and beautiful, seemed slightly inferior.

Bai Chang was beautiful, yes. But when Chi Rui thought of the parts in the book describing how Bai Chang cruelly tormented little Princess Chi in the end, it was very difficult for her to feel any fondness toward her.

Tang Haimei glanced at her daughter’s stiff face and felt somewhat strange. Ever since Chi Rui had come down with a high fever and been seriously ill a month ago, she seemed to have become a different person. She had grown mature and steady, and even her tone toward the servants had become much more polite.

It was one thing for her to feel happy that her daughter had grown up, but at the same time, she was also worried. Could this sudden change be because there was some problem in the emotional side of the two girls’ marriage?

From the very beginning, she had been unwilling to let her daughter marry this actress surnamed Bai. Unfortunately, her daughter had insisted on it, and her husband had also helped persuade her, so she had had no choice but to relent.

“Bai Chang, is your schedule still very full lately? Since you’ve already established your own studio and become the boss, you can allocate many resources to the new people under you. That way, you’ll have time to come home more often and keep Ruirui company. Look at her, such a grown person, yet she still runs back to her maternal home all day long. What kind of thing is that?” Tang Haimei said.

Bai Chang’s movement of picking up food with her chopsticks paused. She guessed that Chi Rui must have been acting spoiled and whispering complaints beside the elders again. As expected, Chi Rui had not listened at all when she suggested divorce.

But the Chi family had shown her kindness, so even if she felt oppressed and dissatisfied inside, Bai Chang did not show it on her face. She could only avoid the important part and answer lightly, “I haven’t taken any dramas lately. I only accepted one variety show.”

“What variety show?” Tang Haimei frowned. “Aren’t those online variety shows just programs where people show their faces in public and clown around for attention? Why are you going along to join in that excitement?”

Bai Chang answered patiently, “It’s a selection-type program. A friend asked me to be a mentor. It was really hard to refuse.”

Beside her, Chi Rui lowered her lashes, concealing the expression in her eyes.

A friend?

In front of her future ex-mother-in-law, she could only refer to the person she held at the tip of her heart as a “friend.” She must feel very suffocated inside.

Others might not know, but how could Chi Rui, who had read the plot, not know? The director of this show had invited Bai Chang from the very beginning, but she had refused on the grounds that she was too busy with work and could not adjust her schedule. Only afterward had the production team turned their attention to Ruan Yuequan, a young actress who had recently become popular because of her aloof persona, hoping to have her replace Bai Chang.

Compared to Bai Chang, who had a friendly image in front of the screen, Ruan Yuequan revealed more of a blunt and outspoken personality in her usual interviews. Although she offended quite a few people, her personal achievements were something no one else could replicate.

Originally, the negotiations between both sides had been almost complete, and they had reached the contract-signing stage. Yet at this critical moment, the person was suddenly changed? Although the book had not mentioned Bai Chang’s motive for changing her mind, Chi Rui could more or less guess.

Coincidentally, not long ago, the officials had already announced this season of National Girls. The vocal mentor was Wei Xike. By connecting the context, one could tell that the reason Bai Chang suddenly changed her mind definitely had something to do with Wei Xike.

Thinking of this, Chi Rui nearly wanted to reach up and touch her head to see if it was covered in grass.

“Then if you’re participating in that variety show or whatever, you won’t be too busy, right? It shouldn’t be hard to spare more time to accompany Ruirui usually.”

Bai Chang lowered her eyelids, her tone calm. “The variety show uses a dormitory system. All the contestants will live at the base camp for closed-off training. As a mentor, I naturally have to be responsible for them too. For the next three or four months, I’ll probably be living at the hotel arranged by the production team, so I won’t be able to come home often.”

“What kind of nonsense are you saying!” Chi Chengxiong, who had been silent for a long time, slammed the table and stood up. “What damned garbage show! Busy with work, busy with work, all day long. Don’t think I don’t know the tricks behind those talent shows of yours. Training? Dreams? In the end, aren’t they just pushing out a few candidates that investors and big companies have already decided on behind the scenes? Taking part in this kind of meaningless show only lowers your worth. Drop it!”

“Uncle…” Bai Chang knew gratitude, but she was definitely not someone without a temper. After being belittled like this, it was absolutely impossible for her to keep smiling and talking.

She put down her chopsticks and drew in a heavy breath, just about to directly lay out the matter of her and Chi Rui’s divorce. Unexpectedly, Chi Rui, who had been quietly eating beside her the whole time, suddenly spoke.

“Dad, that damned garbage show you’re talking about? I signed up for it too.” The girl’s gaze was clear, and her tone was unhurried. If not for the explosive content of what she said, one would have thought she was gently and politely trying to mediate the argument.

Chi Rui was not speaking up for Bai Chang. She simply understood that, given Chi Chengxiong’s personality, if he found out the two of them were planning to divorce, he would definitely make a huge fuss. He would turn the whole situation upside down and force Bai Chang to give up the idea before he would stop.

She did not want to be tied to this plague god for the rest of her life.