The dizzy sensation returned, but Charlotte forced herself to calm down, quickly reviewing the emergency procedures for the nutrition pod in her mind.
"System, emergency defense, now!"
[Defense mechanism activated. Emergency Quest issued!]
[To repair this world, which is on the verge of collapse, the Host must replace the original heroine to become the world's center and complete the Redemption Quests:]
[1. Win the Starlight Girls Idol championship.]
[2. Maximize Affection Ratings for ALL Targets.]
[3. Cure grandmother's lung cancer.]
[Quest Completion: BUG automatically repaired. Quest Failure… Elimination!]
Charlotte leaned on the sink, gasping for breath. Looking at her pale face in the mirror, large drops of sweat ran down her face and neck. She splashed cold water on her face and took a deep, steady breath until she was completely calm.
Her own design, the nutrition pod, had almost killed her.
[Is the Host ready to receive the original body's memory?]
520 couldn't feel or comprehend her emotional turmoil. She knew she had to save herself…
With a determined look in her eyes, Charlotte said, "Start."
In an instant, her mind felt like it was being brutally stabbed by countless silver needles. She involuntarily clutched her head, trying to relieve the intense pain with external pressure.
After a while, the pain gradually subsided, and memories flooded in.
After her parents divorced when she was young, the original Charotte was raised by her grandmother. As an adult, she was scouted and entered the entertainment industry.
Just as she was participating in the popular idol competition Starlight Girls and securely held the top spot thanks to her exceptional looks. However, her grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer and desperately needed money.
Having only mediocre singing and dancing skills, the original Charlotte feared she might be eliminated by the judges and miss out on the hefty prize money for the top three. She planned to ask Leo, who was famous for his wide resources, to introduce her to other lucrative opportunities. But then…
The memory abruptly ended right before the original owner lost consciousness. However, this brief, genuine memory immediately cast critical doubt on the novel's plot.
According to the book's description, the original Charlotte was a beautiful airhead. She was jealous of the diligent and kind original heroine, Emily, and to snatch the center spot, she orchestrated a "casting couch" scandal with the head director, Leo Blackwood.
After the media exposed her, her popularity plummeted. She then turned to harass the heartthrob, Jax Coleman, and the backflash from his fans forced her out of the industry.
She also maliciously photoshopped images to frame photographer Evan Frost and Emily for an affair and, unrepentant, tried to latch onto Oscar Winner Caleb Crowe, only to be professionally destroyed and blacklisted by his team. In the end, she became an exotic dancer and committed suicide after her grandmother passed away.
"False history," Charlotte sneered internally.
The original body's memory couldn't be a lie. Therefore, the novel's plot must have been written from an external, biased perspective—a total fabrication and a "false history" that completely distorted the facts!
She hadn't come here to climb the ladder;. Her goal was save a life, only to be dragged into a carefully plotted frame-up!
[The next part of the plot involves the original Charlotte's attempt to seduce the famous director hitting the hot search, causing fans to turn against her. The original body is forced to withdraw from the competition. How does the Host plan to break the situation?]
Charlotte ignored the system,tidied her appearance, and then pushed the door open and walked out.
Inside the room, Leo was dressed in a bathrobe, his cigarette crumpled out of shape, his eyes blazing with the fury of a man who had been thoroughly set up. His assistant, Lucas, was still standing nearby, muttering something.
Hearing the door open, Lucas adjusted his glasses. "Miss Charlotte, Leo has decided not to pursue charges against you, but you have been expelled from Starlight. Please leave immediately." He then made a "please" gesture.
Throughout the entire exchange, Leo didn't even glance at her, his eyes radiating pure disgust.
"Expelled?" Charlotte's voice was colder than a midnight frost. "Leo, it seems you've gotten too used to having things go your way these past few years. You make one mistake and you forget the cardinal rule."
With that, she strolled around the room as if window-shopping, picking up small objects and examining them.
"If you dismiss me now, tomorrow's headline will instantly become: 'Head Director Leo Takes Out His Vengeance: Starlet Used and Discarded.' Do you really want to confirm that you've 'thrown me under the bus'?"
"Are you threatening me?" Leo's breath hitched, his anger intensifying.
"No." She met his furious eyes, her voice calm and measured. "I just want to show you something."
She picked up the original body's phone. Under the puzzled gaze of Leo and Lucas, she tapped the screen, then focused her attention on the smart TV in the room.
The next second, the previously dark TV suddenly turned on. The screen, which should have been showing a program, was replaced by a screen of dense, scrolling code and timestamps.
Lucas was completely stunned. "The TV… has been hacked?!"
Leo's eyes narrowed as he watched the scrolling code. "What is this…"
Charlotte pointed out a line of flashing code in the center of the screen. "This is the hotel's public log."
"At 19:05:00, a master key, coded '2904,' illegally opened your door."
"At 19:10:03, just five minutes later, 16 new IP addresses simultaneously connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi."
"And," she pointed to the potted plant by the window, "the pot has been moved, and there's a strong, lingering scent of incense there."
Leo looked up. His assistant immediately understood, picking up the potted plant for a closer look. He found a few drops of essential oil behind it. "Maybe a diffuser was placed behind it?"
"A sleeping agent," Leo said, a cold glint of malice in his eyes.
Charlotte gave Leo a look of approval, then stated with conviction, "You and I were both framed by the same people, using the same methods, at the same time."
"Now, do you still think kicking me out is your best option?"
Charlotte's commanding presence was fully established, like a queen staring down Leo's eyes, which had shifted from fury to wariness.
Leo narrowed his eyes. The raw anger in his heart was completely replaced by cold calculation of profit and loss, mixed with an emerging interest in her hidden abilities. "You're very clever. How do you want me to cooperate?"
"I take all the blame, you guarantee my debut as the center, plus two million in compensation."
Leo fell silent.
She knew Leo was weighing the pros and cons. Charlotte calmly met his scrutiny and gave him her final piece of leverage. "The same people set us both up, using the exact same tactic. Only I can help you turn the tables."
After a silent standoff, Leo finally exhaled a plume of smoke, a dangerous smirk on his lips.
"Deal."
Fifteen minutes later, Lucas rushed out to hire a PR team to steer public opinion, preparing the ground for their immediate PR strategy.
Charlotte, having concluded the negotiation, picked up her handbag and was about to leave.
Just as she was about to touch the doorknob, the system's cold warning sounded again.
[Warning!]
[Host has unlocked a new Capture Target!]
[The Host must secure Leo's 'Basic Level of Affection before this encounter ends!]
[Mission failure will cause the Energy Paradox Value to soar into the fatal danger zone!]
Charlotte's pupils contracted violently. Beneath her calm mask, a wave of deadly coldness instantly surged.
She couldn't leave. Before that door closed, she had to complete this damned "capture" mission!
She stopped reaching for the doorknob and turned around slowly and elegantly. Her queenly composure receded like a tide.
In its place was the original Charlotte's innate seductiveness and coy charm, a dangerous, lethal temptation.
"Leo…"