Chapter 2: The 200 Square Feet of Freedom

Three hours later, Shi Xi stood in the middle of a rental apartment so small she could cook dinner, brush her teeth, and trip over the cat she didn’t own without moving her feet.

It was perfect.

The landlord, a woman named Auntie Chen who smelled of pickled cabbage and suspicion, eyed the soaking-wet, twig-ridden girl in designer pajamas. “No parties. No pets. No… running from the law?”

“I’m a retired actress,” Shi Xi said, handing over a stack of cash. “I’m running from my publicist.”

Auntie Chen squinted. “You’re not one of those livestreamers who eats soap, are you?”

“Only on Tuesdays.”

The woman shrugged, pocketed the cash, and left. Shi Xi turned in a slow circle. The apartment had a hot plate, a futon that doubled as a shin-splintering hazard, and a window that faced a brick wall. It was glorious.

She changed into the one outfit she’d brought—black jeans, a gray hoodie, and a baseball cap—and stared at her reflection in the toaster. Shi Xi’s face was too recognizable. The fake heiress had been a minor social media figure, mostly for crying at galas and accidentally setting a tablecloth on fire.

She needed a new identity.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled. The entertainment industry in this novel was basic: a few big studios, the same five actors in every drama, and a glaring lack of talent. There was one indie production company, however, that caught her eye: Crimson Moon Productions. They were casting for a low-budget web drama. Something called Crimson Moon.

[DING! SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED]
Audition for Crimson Moon without revealing your identity.
Reward: 50 points + a packet of instant noodles (spicy flavor).
Failure: The system will play a 10-hour loop of your most embarrassing public meltdown on internal repeat.

“That’s just cruel.”

[Thank you. I try.]

She grabbed a marker and wrote on the back of a takeout menu: Audition. Tomorrow. 9 AM. Then she looked at her phone again. A news alert popped up: “Shi Family’s Fake Heiress Missing – Police Involved.”

The comments were brutal.

@DramaQueen88: She probably ran off with the family silver.
@RealHeiressStan: Good riddance. Ning Yu is the TRUE daughter.
@FishLover420: I heard she’s afraid of water. LOL.

Shi Xi grinned. “Let them look. I’ll be famous for something other than drowning.”

She pulled the hoodie over her head, grabbed the chocolate bar, and took a victory bite.

Then her phone rang. Unknown number.

She answered.

“Shi Xi?” A man’s voice. Low. Amused. “You left your window open. And your… very expensive pajamas are draped over the hedge. Care to explain?”

She didn’t recognize the voice. That meant he wasn’t in the original novel. Which meant he didn’t exist.

Or, she thought with a chill, he’s a plot hole.

“Who is this?”

A pause. Then, a soft laugh that made her stomach do something entirely unprofessional.

“Guess.”

He hung up.

[SYSTEM ALERT: UNKNOWN VARIABLE DETECTED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.]

Shi Xi looked at the brick wall outside her window. “I hate this book.”