Shocking Awakening

Xiaomi returned home from school, dropped her bag, and plopped onto her bed with her favorite comic novel, The Entangled Fates. She had always loved this story, not because it was a masterpiece, but because one of the characters—a rich, spoiled villain named Xiaomi—shared her name.

Though the character was a brat who met a tragic end, Xiaomi couldn’t help but laugh at her dramatic antics. But as she reached the climax of the story, her laughter turned into frustration. The male lead, Lu Zihan, killed the fictional Xiaomi after blaming her for harming Mingyue, the female lead.

“That’s so unfair!” Xiaomi grumbled. “She wasn’t even the one who pushed Mingyue! This plot is garbage!”

Still fuming, she eventually fell asleep with the book by her side.

When she woke up, Xiaomi was no longer in her small, messy room. Instead, she was lying on a soft, canopied bed surrounded by pink walls, lace curtains, and plush toys. It looked like a scene straight out of a princess dream.

“What is this place?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Before she could process what was happening, the door creaked open, and a maid in a neat uniform walked in. She bowed respectfully.

“Miss Xiaomi, the young master has instructed that you must apologize to Miss Mingyue. Only then will you be allowed to eat breakfast.”

Xiaomi stared at the maid, her mouth agape. “What did you just say?”

“Miss Mingyue is still upset after the incident on the stairs,” the maid explained nervously. “The young master insists you make amends.”

The words sent a chill down Xiaomi’s spine. “The stairs… Mingyue… Apologize?” she repeated in disbelief.

Her eyes darted to the ornate mirror across the room, and she gasped at her reflection. It wasn’t her usual self staring back—it was the Xiaomi from The Entangled Fates!

“I… I transmigrated into the novel?” she whispered, her heart racing.

The scene the maid referred to was all too familiar. In the novel, Xiaomi was accused of pushing Mingyue down the stairs, which escalated the hatred of her brothers and set the stage for her downfall.

“But I didn’t push her! I remember clearly—it was all a misunderstanding!” Xiaomi exclaimed, clutching her head.

The realization dawned on her like a bolt of lightning. She wasn’t just in the novel—she was living the exact moment that led to the fictional Xiaomi’s tragic downfall.

Her stomach churned. If she didn’t fix things, her fate would be sealed. “I can’t let this happen,” she muttered under her breath.

Summoning her courage, Xiaomi stood up. “Fine. I’ll apologize. But I’m not going down the same path as the original Xiaomi.”

Determined to rewrite her story, she headed out of the room, ready to face her new reality.

Xiaomi stood in front of the mirror in her overly pink room, staring at her reflection. Her face was caked with makeup—a style that screamed tacky and overdone. It wasn’t her fault, really. The original Xiaomi had listened too much to her so-called friends, who only wanted to mock her behind her back.

“Enough of this nonsense,” she muttered, grabbing a cloth and wiping her face clean. As she removed the layers of foundation, mascara, and lipstick, her natural beauty shone through. She couldn’t believe how lovely her face looked without all the theatrics. “From now on, I’m going to be myself.”

Feeling slightly more confident, she took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

In the grand living room, her eldest brother, Yichen, and her third brother, Haoran, sat on the sofa discussing something serious. As soon as Xiaomi walked in, their conversation stopped. Both brothers turned to look at her, and their expressions changed.

Yichen raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the sudden change?”

Haoran, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why do you look so… simple today?”

Before Xiaomi could answer, Haoran slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face contorted with anger. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did, Xiaomi! Mingyue is in the hospital because of you!”

“What?” Xiaomi gasped. She knew the plot of the novel, but hearing it said out loud still startled her. “I didn’t—”

“Enough!” Haoran’s voice thundered as he marched toward her. Without warning, he raised his hand and slapped her across the face. The impact sent Xiaomi sprawling to the floor, her cheek stinging from the force of the blow.

“Haoran, stop!” Yichen shouted, rushing to pull his younger brother away.

Xiaomi barely registered what was happening. Her head throbbed, and the sharp edge of a flower pot she fell against made contact with her temple, leaving her bleeding.

Yichen knelt beside her, his usually calm expression replaced with worry. “Xiaomi, can you hear me?”

She tried to respond, but her vision blurred, and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

Haoran stood nearby, his arms crossed and his face twisted in anger. “If you don’t apologize to Mingyue, I’ll cut off your cards and make sure you live alone, away from the family. Don’t think you can keep living off our parents’ indulgence!”

“Haoran, enough!” Yichen barked. “You’ve already done enough damage!”

Turning to the maids, Yichen ordered, “Get the first aid kit and call a doctor immediately!”

The maids rushed to follow his instructions, while Yichen carefully lifted Xiaomi onto the sofa. As he dabbed at the wound on her head, his mind raced. Something about Xiaomi seemed different lately. She hadn’t retaliated, hadn’t screamed, hadn’t caused a scene.

Yichen sighed, his tone softer now. “Rest, Xiaomi. We’ll deal with everything later.”

Haoran scoffed but said nothing more, storming out of the room.

As Xiaomi lay motionless, her mind swirled with thoughts.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***