Xia Xi squatted on the ground, carefully examining the book in her hand.
The cover had a blue background with white edges, extremely fresh and minimalist, bearing four large characters: "The Little Mermaid."
Her first thought: This training skill book shares its name with a classic, how classy! Could it be that luck was finally on her side this time?
Xia Xi even began to expand her thinking. In this compensation world, she might be a fisherwoman, going out to sea every day to catch fish for a living.
Making a girl become a fisherwoman... Xia Xi pondered for a second and thought it was excellent.
It was even professionally relevant to her.
Self-reliance and contentment—with this skill, as long as she practiced diligently, she would surely have endless grilled squid and spicy mantis shrimp in the future.
She didn't like sea cucumbers; neither their appearance nor texture appealed to her, so she could sell those.
In short, just from the book's title, Xia Xi already felt she had hit the jackpot. Becoming a seafood tycoon was within reach, and once she earned enough money, she could open a martial arts school.
She wondered why no one had snatched it up.
With such a valuable and practical training skill book in hand, Xia Xi was certain her future days should be quite comfortable.
This book was exchanged by Xia Xi from the "Care for the Unfortunate Compensation Department." Having any connection with this department already explained Xia Xi's situation. Due to an accident, Xia Xi had died. Department personnel told her that returning to her old life was out of the question, but she could receive skill compensation and be placed in a compensation world, essentially starting a new life.
Xia Xi piously opened the book's pages, summoning the spirit she had for the college entrance exams, fueled by her craving for seafood. A line of text crashed into her eyes—
"How to Capture Handsome Men with Great Butts"
Xia Xi's studious, inquisitive expression slowly morphed into: ?
...
Today was the audition site for the upcoming girl group survival show "Pick 101." The entire venue was bustling.
Although it was an audition, those who qualified were basically all beautiful girls with pretty faces and great figures. Xia Xi sat in a corner, her gaze drifting vacantly over the little dresses in red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, uncomfortably tugging at the iridescent black slip dress she was wearing.
"......"
While Xia Xi was speechless, the mechanical voice that had been echoing in her mind for some time sounded again. [Does the host have anything else she wants to understand now? I will answer any questions here.]
Xia Xi's first words were, "Does your department always enforce placements like this?"
She never expected to be forcibly placed into the compensation world just because she questioned the skill book she received.
The system dodged the question, repeating its inquiry.
This was within Xia Xi's expectations. She first looked at the woman in the mirror beside her. She blinked, and the woman in the mirror blinked simultaneously.
Beneath smooth, thick hair was a delicate, petite face with fair skin. Her features were distinctly striking—a high nose, red lips. Her figure, wrapped in the iridescent black slip dress, was curvaceous.
Her beauty was bold, eye-catching, and aggressive, yet with a hint of delicate charm flickering between her brows and eyes.
Even among the outstanding future female idols around her, she still stood out. From time to time, female contestants glanced over at this formidable competitor, sizing her up.
Xia Xi: So pretty.
Although it bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to her own face, she had never dressed up so meticulously. However, Xia Xi didn't feel elated. Her gaze shifted to the phone held by the manicured fingers.
The text on it made Xia Xi frown.
The contact note read: [X City No. ③ Fish Yao Xingzhe], followed by five stars.
Xia Xi had grown. Whether from the familiar chat history or the information obtained from the system, she wouldn't mistake this "fish" for an actual fish living in X City.
But the grown-up Xia Xi still didn't understand some things. For example, "What do the five stars mean?"
This time, the system quickly provided an answer. [Represents wealth value. One star is the heir to a small factory... and so on. Five stars is the highest, representing assets over hundreds of millions.]
Xia Xi understood. This was a "fish" named Yao Xingzhe, with assets over hundreds of millions.
A normal person wouldn't note someone as "fish." The identity in this compensation world was abnormal—a "sea queen" who enjoyed farming "fish."
...
This body shared the same name as Xia Xi, a film school student under 20 years old. Despite her youth, she already had rich experience in flirting and hooking rich guys, navigating between men, setting up various personas, yet without a real boyfriend. It was because the original owner wanted to find the most excellent, wealthiest "fish" among them to marry into a wealthy family.
However, while the original owner thought she had men wrapped around her finger, she didn't know that the few big "fish" she was farming not only weren't fooled but had long known her background. They even knew each other, and some had actively jumped into her "fishpond"—
For amusement, treating the original owner as a joke.
Occupying high positions, possessing wealth ordinary people could hardly attain in a lifetime, life was simply too boring for them. Then a self-important "sea queen" appeared, wanting to hunt them as prey, adding a fresh sense of novelty to their dull lives.
Needless to say, the original owner's later fate was miserable.
The system comforted Xia Xi, implying that the miserable fate belonged to the original owner. Xia Xi, holding the "Little Mermaid" skill book and already knowing the plot, could certainly avoid the pitfalls, right the overturned "sea queen" cart, live smoothly in this compensation world, and even interact with high-quality big shots.
It thought Xia Xi should be quite satisfied with the high-quality big shots. Didn't it see Xia Xi falling silent again?
Xia Xi's silence didn't mean she felt honored. She just thought, "They seem to have serious issues."
Issues so serious she was left speechless.
She didn't approve of the original owner's method of farming "fish" just to marry into wealth; relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. With the original owner's clearly categorized and abundant energy for fish farming, she could have effortlessly worked as a document manager.
Of course, she had zero interest in those big shots watching the show. The original sea queen was problematic, but were these people innocent?
"Did the original owner owe them any money?" This point was crucial to Xia Xi; she didn't want to start off in debt.
Fortunately, the answer was no. Although the sea queen wanted to marry into wealth, she wanted to leave a good impression. Meetings had always been AA, and she had even actively cooked for them and given small gifts. If anything, the original owner was at a loss.
Xia Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The chat history with [X City No. ③ Fish Yao Xingzhe] showed he wanted the original owner to bring him food. The original owner had explained she was working and politely declined.
The original owner had been doing odd jobs. This time, because she was pretty, her company had recommended her to participate in the girl group show's auditions. Xia Xi heard the staff on-site calling for the collection of forms. She also saw the unfinished form placed beside her.
It seemed she couldn't leave without filling it out.
Xia Xi tossed the phone, which hadn't received a reply, into the original owner's bag and picked up the form and pen.
It asked for basic information, hobbies and interests, and finally, wishes and expectations. The basic information was already checked off; she only needed to fill in the latter parts.
Xia Xi filled out the form with great seriousness. It was, after all, her new life plan in this compensation world. In the "Wishes and Aspirations" column, she wrote without hesitation: "Open a martial arts school."
Being a player was out of the question.
However, perhaps influenced by a whole day filled with talk of the sea and fish, Xia Xi paused for a few seconds and added another line.
Then, she revealed a satisfied smile.
She had a new wish.
Since this was her compensation world, her life was hers to command.
...
In a dimly lit room, the only sound was the rapid clacking of a keyboard.
The man sitting in the gaming chair, head bowed as he chatted on his phone, was young—somewhere between a man and a teenager. He wore a gray hoodie with the hood up, shadowing most of his features, but his sharp jawline and high nose bridge still marked him as handsome.
A hint of mockery played on the handsome man's lips.
Yao Xingzhe had just seen the message from Xia Xi and was feeling displeased.
He'd suddenly gotten a craving for the sandwiches she made and had told her to bring him one.
In Yao Xingzhe's eyes, Xia Xi was a calculating, vulgar social climber, her every move reeking of a gold-digger's schemes. The only thing remotely worthwhile about her was her decent cooking skills.
From his perspective, him taking the initiative to contact her was doing her a favor. She should have known better and immediately dropped everything to make the sandwich and deliver it. Instead, she claimed she was at work, busy, couldn't make it today, and would make it up to him next time.
Damn it, what job could she possibly have?
Yao Xingzhe fired off several messages in a row.
["But I want it now. I'm hungry."]
["If you're working, just take leave. Hand it off to someone else. Didn't you say you'd take good care of me... Or is your job more important than I am?"]
Feeling a mix of disgust and amusement at his own game, he ended with a threat.
["If I don't get to eat it, I won't eat anything at all."]
There.
Yao Xingzhe sent the last message and stopped typing.
He could already picture the panicked look on the other side of the screen. She wouldn't let a big "fish" like him get away. She'd definitely ditch her so-called job right away and scurry off to make his sandwich.
She knew he had low blood sugar.
"Xingzhe, who are you chatting with?" A teammate from the same club leaned over, curious.
"The fans are all asking," he added, pointing at the computer screen.
Yao Xingzhe looked up at the monitor. The live stream chat was scrolling rapidly.
["Zhe-zhe is even handsomer! That side profile just now!"]
["Obsessed with Zhe-zhe's divine beauty. How can someone be so good at gaming AND so good-looking, wuwuwu."]
Mixed in were comments like, ["Who's Zhe-zhe chatting with? He won't even look up. Is he dating someone? Please no!"]
Dating? As if she was worthy.
Yao Xingzhe leaned forward slightly, his mocking smile turning malicious. He spoke into the mic, "It's the cook."
"The cook from home is coming to deliver food later. I'm just telling her what I feel like eating."
As a professional esports player who had found fame young, and with long-time fans knowing he came from a wealthy family, having a household cook was perfectly normal. The comments about him dating finally died down, replaced by fans urging Yao Xingzhe to take care of his health and eat properly.
His teammate didn't doubt it either. "Oh, the cook! Ask her to make a bit extra, please." He addressed the stream viewers, "Xingzhe's family cook makes amazing food. He's shared it with us a few times before..."
"When is she coming? We never got to thank her properly."
Yao Xingzhe pressed his lips together and refused. "No need. I'll just share it with you guys when it gets here."
The teammate didn't press further. Everyone knew Yao Xingzhe had a bit of a temper. He changed the subject, laughing and urging everyone to start another game.
...
"Did you spot any promising candidates this time? Why is everyone's hobby singing and dancing? Can we get something new for a change?"
Staff involved in casting for the "Pick 101" program let out a collective groan backstage.
The assistant director flipped through the forms submitted by the applicants, unfazed. Without even looking up, he said, "What else would the hobbies be for people joining a talent show if not singing and dancing?"
Even he had to admit it was getting a bit stale. Singing and dancing were just too common; it really lacked novelty.
A female staff member who had been on-site listed a few names. "These few have great potential. Their photos match their real faces, no surprises there." They were among the contestants the production team predicted would be popular—seasoned trainees and idols who had already debuted with some recognition.
As if remembering something, the female staff member grew excited. "Oh right, there's also one named Xia Xi. She's even prettier in person than in her photo. Just not sure about her overall skills yet."
The assistant director pulled up the surveillance footage. The frame landed on a face. As the camera zoomed in, the beautiful features grew larger on the screen. The assistant director's eyes lit up, and he let out a surprised "Huh?"
He slapped the table, feeling like he'd just grasped the key to early viewership ratings. With a face like that, wasn't a trending topic guaranteed?
"Quick, who has Xia Xi's file? Find it, now!"
As soon as the assistant director spoke, the staff began searching for Xia Xi's information and soon handed it over.
The assistant director took the form with a smile, nodding as he read. No wonder she was so photogenic and good-looking—she was a performing arts student. Plus, she had barely been on any shows, with very low exposure. If she made it on stage, it would be her debut appearance.
The smile on his face grew wider and wider, feeling more and more confident, until he reached the later sections—
The girl had excellent handwriting, vigorous and forceful. In an age where people used phones and computers more, being able to write neatly by hand was rare, let alone in the fickle entertainment industry.
But no matter how nice the handwriting, it couldn't disguise the glaring words written after "Hobbies": "Boxing."
Yes, boxing. Read it a thousand, ten thousand times, it was still boxing.
And her wish wasn't to debut in a girl group, but: "Open a martial arts school, and if possible, become a seafood tycoon to provide seafood buffets for the martial arts school students."
...
Yao Xingzhe was still waiting for his food.
His teammates had already started ordering takeout and asked if he wanted them to order something for him too.
"Did your family's cook go to pick up her grandson from kindergarten?"
Yao Xingzhe, "..." Since when did Xia Xi have a grandson?!
He couldn't help but check his phone again. There were still no new messages.
Yao Xingzhe's anger flared. If before he just wanted to order Xia Xi around, now he was genuinely hungry. He pressed a hand against his stomach but still refused his teammate stiffly.
He wouldn't eat.
He would wait for Xia Xi's sandwich. She couldn't possibly not deliver it.
That very afternoon, Yao Xingzhe's name occupied a small spot on the trending list.
["Famous esports player suddenly collapses during live stream, rushed to hospital by ambulance"]
Yao Xingzhe, suffering from low blood sugar, not eating on time, and overexertion, had fainted from hunger during his gaming live stream.
