The city’s neon lights flickered in the darkness. It was nearing midnight, and the faint glow of streetlights illuminated the deserted streets as a cool evening breeze swept through.
Inside a small residential building, the room was pitch black. The only light came from the window, faintly outlining the sparse furnishings. A soft sound of running water could be heard in the distance.
In the bathroom, someone sat slumped by the bathtub, unmoving, as if they were fast asleep. Water from the overflowing tub soaked their clothes and pants, pooling on the floor.
“Hiss—”
The figure lying beside the bathtub suddenly stirred, followed by a sharp intake of breath.
When Chen Bai opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a completely unfamiliar scene.
The view outside the window was unfamiliar, the bathroom unfamiliar… even his hands, still submerged in the hot water of the bathtub, felt strange. The warm water around him was tinged with red, spreading slowly in the tub.
“…”
Chen Bai closed his eyes and opened them again. The scene hadn’t changed.
It felt unreal.
His first thought was that he was hallucinating, that he was still unconscious, but the cool air against his skin and the sharp pain in his body reminded him vividly that this was no illusion.
He had been an ordinary man, saddled with tens of millions in debt left behind by his parents. On his way to work one day, he collapsed from exhaustion. When he came to, he found himself in this unfamiliar place.
During those brief moments of consciousness after collapsing, he remembered hearing muffled screams around him. At the same time, a strange stream of information seemed to pour into his mind.
The information was the content of a book—stand-in literature—a melodramatic story in which a male supporting character bore the same name, surname, and appearance as Chen Bai. This character, too, was buried under hundreds of millions in debt. With no other options, he had signed a contract to become a stand-in for the big boss’s Bai Yueguang (White Moonlight), entangling himself in a tragic love story.
Chen Bai’s first reaction was disbelief.
Who on earth hated him so much that they wrote an entire novel about him?
The plot was absurd and full of melodrama, but what was even more outrageous was that, right now, lying by the bathtub, was the so-called stand-in agreement. Party B’s signature was already on it. Judging by the fresh date on the document, it had been signed earlier today.
In the book’s timeline, the male supporting character had taken his own life before his career as a stand-in even began.
And now, Chen Bai had become this supporting character.
He had died once, only to wake up in this bizarre situation.
But at least, for now, he was alive.
After piecing together the events, the first thing that came to Chen Bai’s mind was the staggering amount of debt—hundreds of millions.
“…”
The debt had doubled. Chen Bai felt like he couldn’t breathe. For a moment, he even considered putting his hands back into the bathtub to let the blood flow again.
But the dizziness from blood loss soon overtook him. As his vision blurred, he caught sight of a phone resting on the sink. Summoning the last bit of strength he had, he dragged himself from the tub to the sink, grabbed the phone, and dialed 120 (emergency services).
Just before he blacked out completely, Chen Bai used his willpower to push the phone out of the water’s reach. He collapsed onto the flooded floor, his consciousness fading.
People could die, but the phone had to survive.
Red and blue ambulance lights flashed as the vehicle sped down the streets.
When Chen Bai opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling.
It was daytime now, and the sterile smell of disinfectant filled his nose. As his vision cleared, he turned his head to see the branches of a tree outside the window. The leaves trembled in the breeze, and only a single leaf remained on the branch.
The sound of footsteps echoed outside the door. A doctor entered the ward just as Chen Bai, pale-faced, stared out the window at the solitary leaf.
The scene was bleak, and the doctor couldn’t help but offer comfort. “Don’t worry. You were rescued in time. You won’t die, even if that last leaf falls.”
Chen Bai thanked the doctor for her kind words, then replied calmly, “I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just wondering if the money I owe is more than the number of leaves that will grow next year.”
Doctor: “…?”
For a moment, even the doctor was at a loss for words. After completing her routine checkup, she left the room, leaving Chen Bai alone.
When the door clicked shut, Chen Bai glanced at the sutures on his wrists and knew he was still in this novel’s world. Accepting this reality was easier than he thought—after all, the debt collectors wouldn’t let him deny it.
He adjusted quickly, viewing the situation as though he had bought his life with hundreds of millions.
No one valued life more than someone who had died once.
The doctor who had treated him was kind enough to bring his phone to the hospital and place it on the bedside table. After the nurse finished changing his dressings and left, Chen Bai took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and opened his banking app.
Good news: He still had about 10,000 to 20,000 yuan in savings.
Bad news: He owed 400 million.
Good news: The novel’s world wasn’t perfectly constructed, so there was no interest on the debt as long as payments weren’t overdue.
Bad news: The first payment of 3 million was due next year.
“…”
Before the doctor could return, Chen Bai had already learned how to pinch his philtrum to prevent fainting.
After a few days of observation in the hospital, Chen Bai discharged himself as quickly as possible. His already shaky finances had taken another hit from the hospital bills.
Following the address saved in his phone, he made his way to his residence. The distance was far, so he reluctantly spent money on a bus ticket. On the ride, he scrolled through the messages on his phone, piecing together the supporting character’s life.
The original Chen Bai had signed with a major agency years ago. He had good looks but relied on his family’s wealth and showed little interest in work. As a result, the agency shelved him, leaving him to languish as an 18th-tier actor. When his family suddenly fell into ruin, his parents passed away, and he moved from a villa to a tiny apartment. Under the pressure of it all, he eventually gave up on life.
Chen Bai also noticed a note in the calendar app: Huo Chuan—the big boss of the novel—scheduled for early next month.
Huo Chuan, the male lead of this book, was deeply in love with his Bai Yueguang. To cope with his longing, he found a stand-in who resembled his lost love—none other than the original Chen Bai.
“…”
Setting aside the fact that he was a straight man, Chen Bai found it difficult to even comment on this melodramatic plot.
When Chen Bai finally reached his apartment, he discovered that the bathroom drain had been clogged by a towel. He quickly dealt with the flooding to avoid any additional property damage that might lead to further expenses.
After tidying up, Chen Bai took inventory of his possessions. The results were bleak. The only items of value were a computer and a dusty set of livestreaming equipment—likely purchased when the original Chen Bai still harbored dreams of stardom.
Sitting cross-legged in front of the computer, Chen Bai sighed. With his injuries preventing him from taking on physical work, he decided to return to an old job—gaming and livestreaming. He installed the equipment, adjusted the settings, and began his first broadcast in this new world.
