Over 3,000 followers are now tracking my weight loss journey.
"Remember to come see me at the school talent show today," Zhen Shunshun said, wiping her mouth as she stood up. "I'm wearing that red dress." I knew that dress.
In my past life, she wore it to win the title of Campus Queen, while I was mocked all semester for being too scared to go on stage.
"I'll be there," I said.
Shunshun raised her eyebrows dramatically. "Wow, has the sun risen in the west? *Fatty* dares to show her face?"
"To watch you make a fool of yourself," I said softly.
Her smile froze on her face.
The talent show started at 3 PM.
When I arrived at the auditorium early, I saw Shunshun throwing a tantrum backstage:
"Why is this dress so loose?! It fit perfectly when I tried it last week!" The seamstress teacher explained awkwardly, "Student Zhen, you've lost weight. The waist is two inches too big now..."
Mo Wen slipped up beside me unnoticed. "You've lost a lot of weight."
She handed me a bottle of sugar-free green tea. "Keep it up. I'm rooting for you."
On stage, Shunshun's solo dance began.
The red dress *was* noticeably loose. As she spun, a shoulder strap slipped down, causing muffled laughter from the audience.
Flustered, she stepped on the hem and nearly fell.
Her performance ended hastily, met with only scattered applause.
The next act was my class's choir performance.
Standing in the back row, I saw classmates in front turning around, looking at me in surprise. They didn't recognize me, noticeably thinner.
After the performance, Zheng Kai stopped me. "You're Zhen Shunshun's sister?"
He looked me up and down. "You've lost so much weight."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Uh, can I get your contact info?" he asked. "I wanted to ask about your weight loss methods."
At this time in my past life, he was helping Shunshun stuff ads for body fat scales into my locker.
"Ask your goddess over there," I said, pointing towards Shunshun, who stood nearby, her face livid. "Isn't she the one who 'never gains weight no matter how much she eats'?"
On the way home, Shunshun was silent.
She rushed straight into the bathroom as soon as we entered the house. Half an hour later, I heard her scream: "Impossible!"
I guessed she'd seen the number on the scale.
At dinner, Mom brought out stewed pork belly: "Shunshun, Mom made this specially for you, to build you up."
Shunshun mechanically shoved meat into her mouth, her eyes fixed on the broccoli on my plate.
I deliberately chewed my food slowly, savoring the fear in her eyes.
That night, I updated my account: "**Day 30, total weight loss: 8kg. Someone's starting to get scared.**"
Two months passed. My weight dropped to 65kg — down 33 pounds (15kg) from my starting weight.
The girl in the mirror was unfamiliar to me: defined collarbones, a noticeable waistline, my round face now oval-shaped.
My school uniform was two sizes too big; I had to alter it myself.
Zhen Shunshun's situation was the exact opposite. She'd withered to 41.5kg, her school skirt altered over and over again.
Her mukbang streams grew increasingly frantic. Yesterday, she livestreamed herself eating a five-person portion of Korean BBQ, yet this morning she was even thinner.
"Transformation Diaries" surpassed 5,000 followers, while unpleasant comments started appearing on Shunshun's streams:
[Host is too thin, doesn't look good]
[Losing weight while eating that much isn't normal, right?]
[That weight loss blogger next door is way more genuine than you]
During break today, Zheng Kai openly stopped me in the hallway: "Zhen Yuanyuan, free this weekend? I want to invite you to the movies."
Catcalls erupted around us. I noticed Shunshun standing not far away, her face deathly pale.
"No, I have training," I said, shaking my jump rope.
"Then I'll train with you!" Zheng Kai persisted. "Your change is just too huge, it's like... wow."
Shunshun rushed over and grabbed Zheng Kai's arm: "Kai-ge, didn't you promise to help me film my new video this weekend?"
Zheng Kai pulled his arm away: "We'll see. You've gotten too thin lately; it looks terrible on camera!"
Shunshun looked like she'd been slapped.
She turned to me, an unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes: "Happy now?"
"What?" I blinked innocently.
"What dark magic are you using?" she hissed. "Why do I get thinner the more I eat? Why do you..."
She couldn't finish.
I leaned close to her ear: "Maybe it's karma for all the bad things you've done?"
She shoved me away violently and ran to the bathroom. Mo Wen walked over:
"She deserves it."
During afternoon P.E., Coach Xi Shengyang announced the fitness test results:
"The most improved is Zhen Yuanyuan. Lung capacity increased from 2000ml to 3200ml, body fat percentage down 8%."
My classmates stared at me in shock.
Zhen Shunshun raised her hand: "Teacher, she must be taking drugs! It's impossible to lose weight that fast normally!"
Coach Xi frowned: "Student Zhen Shunshun, don't make baseless accusations. Zhen Yuanyuan's training plan and diet logs are scientifically sound."
He handed me a form: "The school needs student representatives for Healthy Living Week. I recommended you."
Shunshun's nails dug into her palms.
After school, I found my locker pried open. My gym clothes had been cut to shreds.
Scrawled on them in lipstick was: "DIE, FAT PIG."
I took a photo and posted it directly to my social media account: "Someone's panicking."
Ten minutes later, Mo Wen commented, "There are cameras in the locker room. Want to report it?"