rsvt_01

"Mu Qi, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you must give it your all."

In the office of Bailei Media, the company president poured Mu Qi a cup of hot tea.

"I don't care how you perform on the show, as long as there's buzz, as long as there's discussion, we've already won. Once that happens, our Bailei will finally have something to look forward to. Mu Qi, the whole company's hopes rest on your shoulders, you wouldn't let us down, would you?"

If it were the old Mu Qi, she would have leapt to her feet at this moment, gripping the president's hand with tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm deeply moved that you have such high expectations of me. I promise, I will never let the company down."

But that Mu Qi no longer existed. A few days ago, memories of her past life had come flooding back to her.

Those memories surged into her mind like a torrent, drowning her in pain she couldn't escape. She had actually died from exhaustion, worked to death at her post! The little nest egg she'd scrimped and saved through such hard, diligent labor, she hadn't managed to spend a single cent of it in the end. It hurt so much, it hurt to think how little her life had been worth.

In her past life, she'd been PUA'd by her boss, and now, reborn, she was still being PUA'd by a boss. She really had the worst luck across two lifetimes.

The president patted her shoulder. "I really did raise you well. Mu Qi, you truly make me proud, managing to land such a good opportunity."

Of course she had, she was the only one in the whole company actually doing any work.

Mu Qi smiled on the surface while secretly grumbling inside.

"Oh right, about the contract renewal, we should talk about that." Mu Qi's contract had only three months left before it expired.

The company president seemed to have already assumed Mu Qi wouldn't be leaving the company. "You've worked here for three years, and I've seen all your hard work with my own eyes. And now, with this great opportunity on top of it, your popularity is bound to climb even higher than it is now." He stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.

"Let's sign for five years, Mu Qi. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Seeing that Mu Qi said nothing, the president smiled. "Don't worry, the salary and benefits will only get better and more generous."

As if she'd believe that ghost of a promise, he'd said the exact same thing three years ago.

Mu Qi replied with a smile, "President Bai, let me think it over a bit more. We can talk again once the show wraps up."

"Of course, we'll discuss it again then," President Bai said with a smile. He didn't believe for a second that Mu Qi would leave the company, he'd witnessed her loyalty to the company over these past three years with his own eyes. And besides, he'd never again find an employee so obedient and yet so undemanding. As her contract term drew to a close, whatever she wanted, he would give her, so long as she renewed on schedule.

Meanwhile, Mu Qi's mind was churning with stormy waves. She really had lived her twenty-some years for nothing. If she hadn't recovered the memories of her past life a few days ago, she'd probably still be working herself to the bone for Bailei Media while moving herself to tears over it. Speaking of Bailei Media, when she'd seen the company's sign during campus recruiting, she'd thought it must be something grand and impressive. But once she'd actually joined, she discovered it was just a fledgling startup with only a handful of people.

She'd been so alarmed she wanted to bolt immediately, but a passionate speech from President Bai had made her willingly stay. Thinking back on it now, that had just been him painting her a big fat pie in the sky on the spot. Things like—once you've been with the company long enough, you'll become one of its senior figures—and talk of going public, of shares, all these distant, unreachable things. But none of that was what had made Mu Qi stay. It was what President Bai had said to her back then.

"Mu Qi, do you know why I want you to stay with our company? Because I see your potential, your spark, you're bound to succeed one day. I'm not flattering you. Whatever I say will come true. If you stay with our company, you'll make both the company and yourself shine, and become even more outstanding!"

Several "bound to's" stacked one on top of another carried such powerful force that Mu Qi, freshly stepping into society, had been moved to a blubbering mess. No one had ever affirmed her so completely before. And so she'd signed the contract, becoming Bailei Media's very first talent.

Looking back on it now, President Bai had probably said the exact same thing to every single interviewee. But in the end, she was the only one who'd fallen for that line, the only one who'd willingly stayed.

Mu Qi had originally thought the company would train her to become an actress. Instead, the company had tossed her a few social media accounts, with President Bai saying that opportunities were earned through one's own effort, and that she should polish herself well before they trained her as an actress. At first Mu Qi hadn't had a clue what she was doing, but with President Bai's encouragement, she'd thrown herself into developing new skills everywhere—learning makeup, learning how to dress, learning photography—until she finally built one account into a beauty influencer with a million followers. Through this, she'd brought in plenty of resources for the company and had also built up her own network of connections.

The producer of the dating show "Zero Distance With You" was one of the connections she'd cultivated this way. The producer messaged her privately, asking if she'd be interested in joining, she'd already seen the show's promotional buildup earlier on. Mu Qi didn't hesitate and quickly agreed. An opportunity this rare, she was certainly going to seize it firmly. Joining this show wouldn't just build up more popularity for her; it would also bring benefits to the company.

Looking back on it now, she'd really been foolish.

The company had never had any intention of developing alongside her, its whole aim had been to steal the fruits of her labor. They'd taken the resources she'd pulled in and handed them out to other small, just-starting-out influencers, while expecting her, single-handedly, to carry the whole company to success.

In her past life, she'd worked in design, and to satisfy clients' demands, she'd suffered through 996 at the company—sometimes a single phone call would mean pulling an all-nighter to rush a project. In this life, though her contract had used a fancy title, calling her "talent," Mu Qi knew perfectly well she was nothing more than a minor internet celebrity. President Bai only ever offered encouragement in words; everything else, Mu Qi had to handle herself. Called "talent," yet she hadn't even been assigned a manager. For nearly three years, she'd lost her appetite and her sleep day and night over her numbers, even growing anxious and fearful. All of it was practically a repeat of her past life.

Bailei Media had only gotten off the ground because of her, yet President Bai credited all its success to himself, and still wanted her to renew her contract. Dream on!

"I'll give you three days off. Rest up well, and give it your all on the show," President Bai said.

"Thank you, President Bai," Mu Qi replied with a smile.

Three days off, he says—counting in the two weekend days too, and acting like he's being so considerate to his employees. Mu Qi kept smiling on the surface while grumbling inside.

"I'll head off now, then." Mu Qi pulled open the office door, offered a polite word of thanks, and walked out without so much as a glance back.

Sitting on the bench at the bus stop, Mu Qi couldn't help but pound her fist against her own knee, startling the person standing nearby into shooting her several looks. Mu Qi paid it no mind. She looked up toward the skyscraper across the street.

On the enormous billboard was a watch advertisement featuring the popular singer Di Jing.

His eyes were bright, radiating confidence. Compared to the luxury watch on his wrist, he himself shone even brighter.

Mu Qi had once thought she, too, could become someone like that.

She couldn't help but stare, entranced, until the bus pulled up and its body blocked her view.

.

"Holy shit." On the other end of the line, Wu Feifei's voice came through in dramatic, rising and falling tones.

Mu Qi was folding clothes in her rented apartment, phone tucked between her ear and shoulder. Hearing Wu Feifei's voice, she frowned and pulled the phone away, switching on speakerphone.

"I'm honestly so moved. I told you that company president of yours was no simple character, and you, you poor sucker, kept defending him anyway. Three years. Three whole years, sis. You've finally come to your senses."

After graduating from university, Wu Feifei had gone to study in the U.S., and after finishing her master's degree, she'd started working in New York. But the two of them had never lost touch, and their bond remained just as close as it had been in college, there was nothing they couldn't talk about.

"So what are you thinking of doing next?" Wu Feifei asked.

"Let's figure that out after the show ends," Mu Qi sighed. "There's still three months left on the contract."

"That show, "Zero Distance With You"? After you mentioned it before, I looked it up online, it's got a lot of buzz. Even the celebrity names netizens are guessing, I've heard of every one of them."

The fact that Wu Feifei had heard of them meant the cast's fame level must be quite high, since she didn't usually pay attention to that sort of thing.

"Yeah. I was actually really happy at first to land such a good opportunity, but now all I get is a headache."

"Why a headache? It's a dating show! Dating a big celebrity and living under the same roof, when else in this life are you gonna get an opportunity like that?"

"Dating them? You're actually taking that seriously?" Mu Qi let out a scoff.

This show was nothing but a performance. Once it ended, everyone would surely go their separate ways without a word of contact. The idea of having genuine, real feelings on a variety show was almost laughable to even think about.

Mu Qi's whole purpose in coming onto this show was simply to raise her own profile, and to open a door for Bailei Media. She wasn't sure what the other guests were thinking, but she figured their goals were probably about the same as hers.

"You actually dating any of them is definitely unrealistic. Your mouth is so venomous, the only person in this life who could possibly build any kind of intimate relationship with you is probably me."

Mu Qi: "Are you trying to insult me?"

"Never mind." Wu Feifei changed the subject. "Aren't you curious who's going to be on the show with you? Want me to tell you who people online are predicting?"

"No need. Half of what's online is fake anyway. The only way to know who's actually joining is on the first day we meet."

After finishing folding her clothes, Mu Qi collapsed onto the bed.

The two of them chatted idly about small everyday things for a bit longer before hanging up.

Mu Qi stared up at the ceiling, her expression blank. Ever since she'd recovered the memories of her past life, she couldn't muster enthusiasm for anything anymore. She closed her eyes, intending to take a short nap. She had no idea how much time had passed when she was suddenly jolted awake by a voice.

"Host."

A cold, mechanical voice rang out, startling Mu Qi upright in an instant. She looked around, suspecting a thief had broken into her home.

"Congratulations on recovering the memories of your past life, which has activated this system."

Mu Qi: "What?" She felt a flicker of panic.

"Host, there's no need to panic. This system merely wishes to give you a gift," the emotionless mechanical voice said.

"Given that the host's departure from her previous life was far too abrupt, and that in this life she nearly repeated the same tragic mistake, this system has determined that the host's fate has been far too miserable, and therefore bestows upon the host a superpower."

Mu Qi patted her tense chest, realizing this voice was sounding inside her own head. She began mulling over what the system had said, but only caught the earlier part. "Repeated the same tragic mistake? You mean this life I nearly worked myself to death again?" Her voice rose considerably as she spoke.

"Host, there's no need to get worked up," the system soothed. "You've already pulled back from the brink. You won't end up like your past life again. Furthermore, I will bestow upon you the ability to foresee the future and know the past, so that the host's life this time will no longer be miserable."

Upon hearing the name of the ability, Mu Qi immediately perked up.

"Host, using this ability requires the aid of a medium. The host will need to practice. Once the host has mastered the ability, the system will unbind itself. After unbinding, host, please enjoy the rest of your life to the fullest."

That single sentence left Mu Qi utterly confused. "Your appearance, was that purely to grant me an ability?"

"Not exactly. I selected you as my host. Originally, the host was meant to help me complete a task. But when I looked into the endings of your two lifetimes, in both, you were consumed by work and departed this world while still young. It was simply too regrettable, I couldn't bear to watch a young life slip away. So I let the host recover her memories of her past life. Once the host has mastered this ability, I can leave with peace of mind and go select another host."

A wave of unexpected emotion washed over her.

At the same time, she felt a flash of anger—why had she, once again in this life, nearly died young because of work!

But the system's cold, mechanical voice pulled her back to her senses. "Host, please think carefully. In today's society, how should this ability be used? What medium would it need to rely on, in order to be accepted by the public?"

"Tarot?" Mu Qi's gaze shifted to the bookshelf across from her bed. She got up and walked over to it, rummaged through a few books, and dug out the stack of tarot cards from deep within the shelf.

They were covered in dust.

"System, you're not planning to turn me into a fortune-teller, are you?" Mu Qi began wiping the dust off the cards. The tarot deck was something she'd bought on a whim during college to play around with, it had been a passing interest of hers back then, but she'd soon decided she had no time to spend on things like that.

"Congratulations, host. You have now acquired the ability to foresee the future and know the past. Please begin practicing."

Mu Qi: "......" That easily?

"Host, this ability comes with three restrictions. One: you may not reveal to anyone that you possess the power of foresight. Two: when using the ability, you must not violate morality or ethics. Three: this ability cannot be used on yourself. Otherwise, the ability will be revoked."

"Can't use it on myself? I was hoping to check whether I really would end up working myself to death in the future." Mu Qi looked somewhat disappointed.

"Rest assured, host. As I just mentioned, you have already pulled back from the brink and will not meet as tragic an end as in your past life. Now then, please make good use of your time and begin practicing."

"Right now? Isn't that a bit rushed?"

"I'd appreciate it if the host could hurry. I need time to go search for the next host."

Since she couldn't use it on herself, then who was she supposed to look for right now? It was already nearly midnight, far too late to go out at this hour.

Mu Qi set the cleaned tarot deck down on the table, dug a phone stand out of a drawer, and propped her phone up on it.

At the moment, there was only one person she could turn to.

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