Chapter 2 The Brainless Supporting Actress

Chapter 2 The Airheaded Trophy Wife Side Character

Thirty minutes later.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and even the mirror was covered in a thin white mist.

Hua Diao, draped in a bathrobe with the collar slightly open, let the water droplets from her black hair drip onto her delicate collarbone before slowly trickling down her smooth, alabaster skin. Absentmindedly, she tilted her head and rubbed her cheek against her shoulder, then walked to the mirror while drying her damp hair with one hand. She gazed curiously at the reflection before her.

Her fair skin and features were strikingly flawless, her cheeks faintly flushed pink from the warmth of the bath. A small, delicate nose, lips as plush and pink as rose petals, and beneath her softly arched willow-leaf brows were a pair of captivating, luminous eyes.

When she blinked, her long, damp lashes fluttered slightly. The upward curve of her rouged eye corners and the vivid red fish scale beneath them shimmered in harmony, making her look enchantingly beautiful—like some ethereal spirit.

Wasn’t this the spitting image of her original appearance?

Hua Diao widened her eyes in surprise, her head swimming with questions.

The next second, a dizzy spell washed over her. Instinctively, she reached out and braced herself against the marble countertop.

Immediately after, a splitting pain throbbed in her head as fragmented memories belonging to the original owner of this body finally surged into her mind.

Combined with the web novel she had read shortly before being yanked away by that damn fish ball, she gasped in shock—now she knew exactly where she had ended up.

This was the world of a doomsday survival novel, which told the story of a newlywed couple, Chu Chengling and Jiang Yao, battling their way through a deteriorating world where disasters and a game system gradually merged with reality. Through hardship and perseverance, they grew stronger, remained unshaken, and ultimately built a happy life together.

Of course, the protagonists were never without side characters—those who admired them and helped drive the plot forward, deepening the bond between the leads.

And the original owner of this body, who shared both her name and appearance, Hua Diao, was one such supporting actress—hopelessly crushing on the male lead.

"Hua Diao" in the novel was a ditzy trophy wife character who attended the same university as the protagonists and was one of their friends. Though her appearances were few, each one was guaranteed to stir up trouble.

Her background was similar to Hua Diao’s own—born into wealth, inheriting a fortune after her parents' death, and living a carefree life without financial worries.

However, while Hua Diao’s parents had a business-oriented marriage with little affection between them, the supporting actress Hua Diao’s parents had been deeply in love. Her father, Hua Mingsong, had even made meticulous preparations for his daughter’s future.

Knowing that his daughter wasn’t exactly a genius and couldn’t stand on her own, he left a will stating that all company shares would be sold after his death, with part of the money given directly to her and the rest deposited into a trust fund. This ensured she would receive a steady income for life, guaranteeing she’d never run out of money no matter how recklessly she spent.

Thus, even after her parents' passing, the supporting actress Hua Diao remained a spoiled little rich girl, blowing cash like there was no tomorrow. It was precisely this lavish lifestyle that caught the attention of the male lead’s mother, Madam Chu.

Knowing that Hua Diao had feelings for her son, Madam Chu secretly pulled her strings behind the scenes, encouraging her to oppose Jiang Yao—the female lead she despised.

Even the half-assed wrist-slitting stunt in the bathtub had been Madam Chu’s idea. Today was the protagonists' wedding day, and this stunt was meant to emotionally blackmail the male lead into calling off the marriage.

Rubbing her temples, Hua Diao sifted through the fragmented memories left behind by the original owner, her expression growing increasingly grim. Her pretty face scrunched up like a pissed-off kitten.

Ugh... This supporting actress was just too stupid!

Was a man really worth this?

To think she had the same face as Hua Diao—who prided herself on being sharp-witted—yet her skull was full of sawdust!

And she actually listened to that old witch and tried to kill herself!

Hua Diao, who had endured a lifetime of bad luck but clung fiercely to survival, wanted to facepalm at the stupidity.

According to the novel’s plot, the supporting actress was such a failure she botched a fake suicide. Originally, she had only meant to make a shallow cut, but in her panic, she went too deep and nearly died for real. Fortunately, she was discovered at the last moment and rushed to the hospital, barely escaping death.

Yet, throughout the ordeal, she never even got to confront the protagonists, let alone stop the wedding.

In the end, the protagonists tied the knot without a wrinkle, while the supporting actress not only nearly lost her life but also earned Madam Chu’s disdain and blame.

Later, when the apocalypse arrived, Madam Chu deliberately obstructed any aid from the protagonists, leaving the supporting actress to starve to death in her own home.

Recalling this fate, Hua Diao tightened her bathrobe and cursed Madam Chu inwardly—that scheming old crone!

Still grumbling to herself, she finished drying her hair and hurried out of the bathroom.

Outside was a bedroom—an obscenely lavish bedroom.

A grand, ornate European-style bed with luxurious satin sheets, a vanity lined with high-end cosmetics, and beyond a door, a walk-in closet larger than the bedroom itself, filled with enough designer gear to stock a boutique, exquisite jewelry, shoes, and handbags.

Holy credit card debt, Batman!

Extravagant!!!

Definitely the polar opposite of her penny-pinching past life.

Thinking of the bank account with an obscene number of zeros she had left behind in her previous life, Hua Diao’s heart ached. If she had known she’d die so soon from sheer bad luck, she wouldn’t have saved a penny—she’d have splurged like this supporting actress!

Clutching her chest, Hua Diao made a face as she picked out a comfortable, practical tracksuit from the closet. Then, with a grunt of determination, she strode toward the bedroom door.

So what if she hadn’t experienced the joy of reckless retail therapy binges in her past life? She could make up for it now.

She remembered the novel’s plot—three days after the protagonists' wedding, a system called "Doomsday Survival Game" would roll out globally, marking the true beginning of the apocalypse.

By then, money and savings would become worthless, not even worth moldy bread. Food would spoil rapidly, the land would no longer yield crops, and disasters—poisonous insects, extreme cold, floods, blistering heatwaves—would strike one after another. The only way to obtain food or supplies would be by battling monsters in the game.

So before the apocalypse hit, she had to convert all her useless savings into usable resources.

Running mental inventory lists of what supplies to stockpile, Hua Diao reached for the doorknob.

The ornate golden door clicked open.

She instinctively looked up—and met a pair of dark, fathomless eyes, piercing like black ice.