Chapter 1

Chapter 1

◎"To bear even a slight resemblance to her is a blessing for you."◎

When Shen Ruzhen awoke, her throat burned with a searing pain, as if it had been pushed beyond its limits.

She opened her eyes and reached out a hand, intending to grab a glass of water from the bedside table. The slight movement sent a wave of exhaustion through her, as if she had secretly scaled Mount Everest in the dead of night.

What had happened? She had only spent the previous day at home, editing documents.

Her gaze inadvertently fell upon her fingers, and her expression instantly froze—

These were not her hands.

Her middle finger bore a thick callus, a trophy of years spent as a small-town academic grinder. But these hands were fair, delicate, and flawless, with slender fingers and neatly trimmed, elongated nails, clearly unaccustomed to any strenuous labor.

Shen Ruzhen clenched her hand into a tight fist, then relaxed it again.

What was going on?

Then, she noticed the light outside the window—the sun was already setting. It wasn't morning; it was afternoon.

She narrowed her eyes, carefully surveying her surroundings.

This appeared to be a bedroom, small and sparsely furnished, containing only a wardrobe, a bed, and a mirror.

The tiled floor was coated with a greasy film, its original white color barely discernible beneath the grime.

The bed beneath her creaked and wobbled with every slight shift.

A clock hung on the wall directly opposite her, its hour hand pointing precisely at four.

Beneath the clock, a mirror was affixed to the wall.

Shen Ruzhen got out of bed and approached the mirror, frowning as she studied the "self" reflected there.

The face was young, around eighteen or nineteen, with well-defined features and large eyes—the makings of a sweet appearance.

But unlike her college-aged peers, her frame was painfully thin, her complexion ghostly pale, utterly devoid of color.

This cast a shadow of hardship over her otherwise sweet features.

Shen Ruzhen tugged at the corner of her lips, and the reflection responded with a timid, fawning smile.

Before she could fully process the situation, a childlike voice spoke.

"Congratulations on binding with the 'Regretful CEO' system! I am your dedicated system assistant. I know you must have many questions, but don't worry—I will tell you everything without reservation. We are here because you suffered sudden death in your original world."

"The system detected your exceptionally strong will to survive, and therefore bound you as its host. As long as you complete the tasks in this small world, you can be revived and return home."

So, this was the small world.

Before Shen Ruzhen could ask further, a novel titled *You Are My One and Only* automatically transmitted into her mind.

The story chronicled the melodramatic romance between a tyrannical CEO and a naive, humble girl. Through countless trials, they proved their love was as strong as gold, and no one could tear them apart.

Unfortunately, the supporting character Shen Ruzhen had inhabited was merely a tool to highlight the male and female leads' unique bond.

While the female lead studied abroad to enhance her status, her parents—worried the male lead might stray—arranged for their niece, the supporting character, to act as the female lead's substitute.

For a year, the supporting character diligently served as the male lead's stand-in, only to be unceremoniously discarded the moment the female lead returned.

*"To bear even a slight resemblance to her is a blessing for you."*

*"A stand-in can never compare to the real thing."*

*"She is the irreplaceable one true love."*

Shen Ruzhen remarked coolly, "A stand-in? That goes against public decency."

"The female lead found out the male lead used her own cousin as a substitute, yet forgave him after just two chapters of pursuit?"

She shook her head. "A man like that should be sent to the prison workshop to sew."

The system paused. "......?"

As a system that had bound countless hosts, it prided itself on understanding this demographic well. Typically, after reading CEO romance novels, they would fall head over heels for the male lead.

As long as the male lead was handsome, wealthy, and exuded sex appeal, all his earlier misdeeds could be forgiven and overlooked—

*"This is just a necessary path to advance the emotional storyline!"*

*"Without the initial torment, how could there be the satisfaction of the male lead's desperate pursuit later?"*

But this host seemed a bit... strange.

The system pulled up its commands, deciding to check Shen Ruzhen’s profile.

Shen Ruzhen's records were easy to find; she was no obscure nobody. On the contrary, she was a highly renowned litigation lawyer.

Her fame, however, wasn't solely due to her professional authority, though that was certainly true—she had handled countless cases and won many of them.

But in this world, one had to admit that sensational gossip often captured more attention than serious achievements.

And Shen Ruzhen was famous for exactly that.

A year ago, she had a falling-out with a partner at her firm and left to establish her own practice.

That partner was an undisputed titan in the field.

He was also Shen Ruzhen’s mentor.

No one knew what caused their rift.

But rumors whispered that it was due to a romantic entanglement.

The system watched as Shen Ruzhen meticulously annotated the novel's plot, adding over twenty highlights and thirty annotations in revision mode, clearly taking it very seriously. Then she asked, "How do I complete the mission?"

The system replied, "I've tailored a foolproof three-step plan for you, guaranteed to ensure flawless completion."

"Step one: Over the course of this year, subtly make the male lead fall in love with you. Step two: When the female lead returns after a year, you decisively leave, leaving the male lead lost and regretful. Step three: Once the male lead finally realizes he loves you, you flee and he chases, ensuring he can never quite catch you."

Shen Ruzhen lowered her gaze, her thick lashes shadowing her expression.

She remained silent for a full minute, then said, "I can't do that."

The system was taken aback, still immersed in her profile, which depicted her as a force to be reckoned with.

Shen Ruzhen added, "How could I possibly fall in love with someone like that? I have my principles."

The system fell silent. It had never encountered this reasoning before. After a long pause, it said with difficulty, "Many times, principles are made to be broken."

Shen Ruzhen still shook her head, saying, "Let's try a different approach."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on her thigh. This was her habitual posture when deep in thought.

A moment later, when she lifted her head, her reflection in the mirror appeared confident and sharp—a gaze uniquely Shen Ruzhen's. Even in this sweet, docile shell, a person's inherent demeanor remained unchanged.

Shen Ruzhen spoke, "System, you mentioned earlier that you're called the 'Regretful CEO' system, right?"

"Yes," the system replied, unsure why she brought this up.

"So, to complete the mission, all I need to do is make him regret his actions?"

"Correct. Once the male lead falls for the female supporting character and is rejected, he will regret everything he's done to her."

Shen Ruzhen smiled faintly. "There's another way to make him regret it too."

The system: ?

Her eyes gleamed with cold light. "If I send him to the prison workshop to sew, he'll definitely regret ever meeting me."

The system was silent for a long time before responding, "That... actually makes sense. However, today is the female lead's birthday, which is a crucial plot point."

In the original novel, since the female lead was abroad on her birthday, the male lead sought out the original character to play her role, fulfilling his desire to celebrate his girlfriend's birthday.

"However, despite the original character practicing the female lead's common lines and gestures until late into the night, she failed to perfectly portray the female lead at the birthday celebration. Enraged, the male lead ordered her confinement. From then on, the female supporting character lost her freedom, locked in a dark room day and night to learn how to mimic the female lead—even eating and sleeping were not her own."

The system summarized, "If you don't satisfy the male lead today and end up losing your freedom, you won't be able to do anything at all."

"I suggest you start memorizing the 'Stand-in Rules' immediately to pass the male lead's test."

Shen Ruzhen picked up the 'Stand-in Rules' left by the original character beside the pillow, glanced at them, and gave up.

Not only were the tone and cadence of speech strictly regulated, but even the angles of movement were painstakingly specified—

"While eating, the upper arm must maintain an 80-degree angle with the torso, and the forearm must be nearly 180 degrees to the upper arm, with no more than a 5-degree margin of error."

What the male lead wanted wasn't a stand-in—it was a "MOSS" (a highly advanced AI) modeled after his "white moonlight."

CRASH! The door was flung open from outside.

A middle-aged woman stood at the doorway, her eyebrows nearly touching her hairline, glaring furiously. "Why haven't you left yet? Aren't you afraid of keeping CEO Fu waiting?"

This was undoubtedly the aunt who had tricked her into becoming a stand-in.

And "CEO Fu"—Fu Feng by name—was naturally the domineering male lead.

Fu Feng lived up to his name. The novel described him as having a cold, imposing demeanor, like a newly drawn sword.

Born into the wealthy Fu family, he was unlike the spoiled, incompetent playboys. With a strong will and sharp business acumen, he had taken control of the Fu family early, keeping both his stepmother and half-brother firmly in check.

Shen Ruzhen leisurely got out of bed, opened the wardrobe, and displayed its meager contents to her aunt. "You expect me to wear *this* to meet Fu Feng?"

The wardrobe was nearly empty, holding only two or three old dresses—cast-offs from her "white moonlight" cousin, according to Shen Ruzhen’s reading memories.

Her aunt frowned. "You've worn these before, haven't you?"

Shen Ruzhen earnestly reasoned with her, "That was then. Today is my sister Shen Rujiao's birthday. Who wears old dresses to a birthday celebration?"

The aunt's expression softened slightly. "You have a point. But your sister doesn't have any new dresses left at home."

"Fine." She gritted her teeth. "I'll transfer you some money. Go buy something yourself."

She couldn't afford to disappoint CEO Fu. The more perfect the imitation, the more likely he'd remember her daughter.

Her phone pinged—2000 yuan instantly deposited.

Shen Ruzhen smiled faintly. "I won't let Fu Feng down."

"Then hurry up and leave. Don't be late."

Before leaving, the aunt glanced at Shen Ruzhen again.

For some reason, she felt this niece was... different.

Previously, she'd been mousy and meek, spending every spare moment practicing her daughter’s mannerisms and speech, yet never daring to ask for even a gift or a new dress.

On the surface, she painstakingly mimicked every gesture and word, but insecurity seeped from within—a pathetic imitation obvious to anyone.

Now, though still slender and delicate in appearance, her gaze was direct and penetrating, as if she could see right into a person's heart.

The aunt suddenly felt as if she had been seen through.

She quickly suppressed these strange thoughts.

Perhaps she was overthinking it. After all, it *was* her daughter’s birthday—Shen Ruzhen *should* wear something nicer.

However, Shen Ruzhen did not spend the entire two thousand yuan.

After searching through the mall's clearance section for a long time, she finally "painfully" spent 200 yuan on a dress.

Though inexpensive, this was the first new piece of clothing the supporting character had owned since becoming a stand-in.

At checkout, Shen Ruzhen felt a strange pang—as if the original character’s lingering will had reached out and touched her.

The system was puzzled. "Why not buy an expensive dress?"

The male lead might be a jerk, but at least he covered all living expenses. The supporting character had no need to save.

Shen Ruzhen pursed her lips. "Hiring a lawyer costs money, you know."

At City A's highest cloud-top restaurant, at the most expensive window seat.

Shen Ruzhen gracefully took her seat.

She lifted the stemmed glass before her, her slender fingers wrapped around the bowl, a picture of elegance.

Golden, clear liquid swirled gently in the glass, reflecting her image.

She tilted her head back and took a sip of her own reflection.

As she set the glass down, Shen Ruzhen looked across at the man opposite her—

The undisputed male lead of this novel, and her adversary.

From the Author

Check out my upcoming novel: "Wanted to Be a Killer but Ended Up the Victim"

"Suspense + Endless Reincarnation"

The most renowned psychiatric expert in the interstellar world received a peculiar patient—

Cen Jiao, the wife of the Federal President, widely regarded by the media and public as merely a beautiful but useless trophy wife.

In the counseling room, Cen Jiao's delicate, oval face was ghostly pale as she clutched her sleeves tightly. "Doctor, I think someone is trying to kill me."

"Yesterday, while attending a banquet with my husband, I encountered an assassin."

"The day before yesterday, while arranging flowers at home, a crystal chandelier fell from the ceiling and hit me on the head."

"A week ago, I was walking down the street when a car with failed brakes crashed into me."

The psychiatrist said gently, "These were all just accidents. You're still alive, aren't you? If it were an assassination attempt, it wouldn't be so easy to escape..."

"No, I actually died."

The psychiatrist dropped the sunflower seeds he was holding, his mouth forming an "O."

Cen Jiao nervously wrung her fingers. "I remember it clearly—the assassin's knife pierced my heart, the chandelier smashed my skull, and the out-of-control car tore me in half... But then I found myself back before the disasters happened... Is it possible that there's a quantum superposition between life and death, like Schrödinger's cat? In your eyes, I'm sitting here unharmed, but in reality, I might actually be a corpse."

The psychiatrist blurted out, "No, no, absolutely impossible!"

...

Cen Jiao sighed, thanked the expert, and walked out the door.

The driver opened the car door for her, and she responded with a polite smile.

But in her mind, she thought:

Some people are alive, yet they've died a thousand times over.

The maddening thing is, even in death, she still doesn't know who the killer is.

Returning home, she chopped the vegetables, boiled the water, and let the soup simmer. When the delicious broth emitted a rich aroma, she ladled it into two bowls.

Then, she grabbed a handful of deadly poison and evenly sprinkled it into the bowl meant for her husband.

As she carried both bowls to the table, she heard the sound of the door opening—just as she had hoped.

Her impossibly handsome president husband walked step by step to the table, looking down at her with deep affection. "Next time, leave these small tasks to the servants."

Cen Jiao smiled sweetly. "I couldn't possibly."

"Darling, ah no, my dear, drink your soup~"