Against the Light - Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Change Me Back
In the car, Fang Yi sat in the passenger seat, both nervous and excited.
Her idol! She was actually driving herself!
"Ahem, I-Idol…"
"Don't call me that. We're about the same age, just call me Xinran." Gu Xinran suppressed a smile, wondering what on earth this girl was so shy about.
"Hiss… Is that really okay… Xinran!"
Gu Xinran laughed out loud. This girl's ability to change her tune was on par with the one from her previous life.
The two chatted idly along the way, and Gu Xinran got to know this Fang Yi a little better. The girl was actually a top student, about to graduate with a master's degree this year. Hmm, in her past life, she was also a top student. She studied economics, but after graduating… she entered the entertainment industry.
Before long, the car exited the highway and drove into Ping County.
Fortunately, Ping County was right next to Xiyuan City, only a little over a three-hour drive away.
The roads in the small county were difficult to navigate. The two of them drove in circles for a while before finally finding the Shilin Community.
As they drove in, more than a dozen elderly people sitting on benches along the community road all turned to stare at them.
As Gu Xinran drove into the community, a strange feeling suddenly rose in her heart. She instantly realized this must be the place where the original host once lived!
She parked the car on the side of the road, put on a mask and sunglasses, and motioned for Fang Yi to get out.
She walked a few steps along the main road, then suddenly paused. She turned her head to look at a side path, then turned and walked down it. At the end of the path, a left turn led to a dead end. She went in and saw a pile of junk. A memory surfaced: she used to come here often as a child. When she was being chased and beaten, she would hide here, covering herself with a bamboo basket. She would often hide until it was dark, returning home with a rumbling stomach.
"Sister Ran?"
"Yeah." Xinran came back to her senses, and the two of them headed straight for Building 9.
The hallway was filthy, looking like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The two arrived at Room 201 and exchanged a glance.
Fang Yi took out her phone, started a video recording, and nodded at Gu Xinran.
Gu Xinran knocked on the door, and a voice answered from inside.
The door opened, and the two were startled to see a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties.
"You… you're that 'salted fish with no dreams'?" Fang Yi's face was full of disgust. This kind of person is slandering my idol online? I think you're looking to ascend to heaven on the spot!
Gu Xinran studied the man before her. He was a complete stranger; she had no memory of him at all.
"You're the salted fish. Who are you?"
"Excuse me, are you the owner of this apartment?" Gu Xinran asked.
"No, I'm a tenant. Are you looking for the landlord? She's not here. She left, don't know where she went."
"Left!? When did she leave?"
"About a week or so ago."
The two exchanged a look. "Then what kind of person was she? Man or woman? How old? What's her name? Do you have her contact information?"
The man scrutinized them. "Did she get into some kind of trouble? This has nothing to do with me, I'm just an ordinary tenant!"
"Uh…"
"Yes, we're the police. This is a secret operation. You must keep it confidential. Please cooperate with our investigation." Fang Yi immediately straightened up, looking at him with a serious expression.
Gu Xinran also gave a solemn nod.
"She's a girl, in her twenties, I guess. I called her Xiao Gu. She seemed to live alone. She rented this place out in a hurry, and the price was pretty low, so I didn't think much of it. With such a good price, I just rented it right away. Uh, what kind of trouble is she in?"
"Do you have her contact information? Any photos?"
"Her phone's been off. No photos. Hey, but she did look a bit like that female celebrity."
"Which one?"
"Hiss… Her name was Gu… Gu something…"
"Gu… Xinran?" Fang Yi asked doubtfully.
"Hey, yes, yes, yes! Their mouths look very similar."
Fang Yi snorted with laughter. "You've got to be kidding. Didn't Gu Xinran have plastic surgery?"
"Well, I wouldn't know about that. Hey, Miss Officer, what exactly did she…"
"Alright, we're done with our questions. Thank you for your cooperation." Fang Yi cut him off, raised her hand in a surprisingly proper-looking salute, and then dragged Gu Xinran away.
"Sister Ran, what's going on? You don't know that landlord, do you?" Fang Yi asked, noticing her strange expression and the way she was frowning in thought.
Gu Xinran shook her head. She was just thinking about her family from her past life.
In her past life, after her mother passed away, her father remarried. That woman gave birth to a daughter for him. From the moment her younger sister was born, she became the most superfluous person in the family.
Her stepmother treated her and her sister as differently as clouds and mud. When they were young, her sister carried a beautiful new schoolbag, while she could only use a simple cloth bag patched together with scraps. Her sister's food, clothing, and expenses were countless times better than hers. Her father saw it all but pretended not to, never once speaking a fair word on her behalf.
Later, she went to high school and was admitted to her dream university with excellent grades. But her stepmother forced her to drop out, claiming they had no money to support her. In a fit of anger, she left home and went to a big city to make a living on her own, stumbling into the acting profession by chance.
After that, she gradually became famous, but that family had the audacity to come looking for her. Her sister, resentful that she was more capable, slandered her at every turn.
Then, just before her suicide, she entrusted her child to a friend. But her sister got to the child first, beating and kicking the six-year-old, using both threats and bribes, all to make her give up her inheritance rights.
Recalling these events now, Gu Xinran still felt a surge of resentment in her heart.
Could it be that in this world, she also had such a terrible sister?
The two returned to the car and drove away. Passing by a vegetable market, she stopped and watched for a moment.
The market before her gradually overlapped with the one in her dream. She remembered now. That night, she had been too hungry to walk. Passing by here, she saw discarded vegetable roots on the roadside and ran over like a mad person to pick them up and eat, just to fill her stomach.
Gu Xinran sighed. Why did it feel like the original host had it even worse than she did in her previous life…?
"Sister Ran, we didn't find the person. What now? Should we go check out the hospital?" Fang Yi asked.
"Yeah, call Jinghai and ask her what the situation is over there."
Fang Yi agreed, immediately dialed Fang Jinghai's number, and then put it on speakerphone.
"Hey, Little Aunt, how are things on your end?"
"Don't even ask. This damn hospital has actually gotten popular! A ton of people are lining up for plastic surgery, all wanting to look like Sister Ran. The entrance is blocked by reporters, so we didn't dare go in. Sister Qi is trying to contact the person in charge, but her phone's been ringing off the hook. Everyone is just passing the buck, and no one's taking responsibility. What about you guys?"
"Sigh, we didn't find her. She moved out a few days ago. I'm thinking, could she have known we'd find this place and skipped town in advance?"
"What kind of person is so resourceful that they'd know you could track down their address?"
"I don't know about that. We'll head to the hospital to meet you guys now."
"No, no, no, don't come here. There are too many people and prying eyes. If the reporters see you, won't they say Sister Ran is here to silence someone?"
"Damn, there are even internet celebrities livestreaming here… These people must be crazy for fame. Clout-chasing like this, have they no shame?" Fang Jinghai complained.
Hearing this, Fang Yi immediately grabbed a laptop from the back seat. "Describe what she's wearing. I'm going to go hack her livestream."
Gu Xinran heard this, turned to look at her, and hung up the call.
"Eh? What's wrong?"
"Fang Yi, do you know how to edit photos?"
"That's a basic skill. Of course, I do."
"What if I asked you to edit a photo on the spot?"
"A matter of minutes. A piece of cake!"
Gu Xinran nodded and started the car.
"Hey, Sister Ran, what do you mean by asking that?"
Gu Xinran gave a mysterious smile and even winked at her.
!!!
Fang Yi clutched her chest. "Please don't do that, my heart isn't very strong!!"
The two drove straight to the 【Perfect Plastic Surgery Hospital】.
When they arrived at the entrance, they were shocked. There were way too many people at this shabby little hospital; it was causing a traffic jam.
Gu Xinran parked the car on the side of the road and gave her phone to Fang Yi. "It's all you."
"Don't worry." Fang Yi tilted her head up at her confidently.
It was unclear what the two were plotting.
Meanwhile, Fang Jinghai and Qu Qi were at a loss when Qu Qi's phone suddenly started ringing and dinging nonstop. Qu Qi was about to lose her temper. She picked it up, looked at it, and was a bit stunned.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? Why did Sister Ran start a livestream on Weibo?? What is she trying to do?" Fang Jinghai was also stunned. What kind of wild move was this???
At the same time, many online onlookers also discovered that Gu Xinran had started a livestream and immediately clicked in to watch the excitement. In less than ten minutes, more than three hundred thousand people had entered the stream, and the number was still rising rapidly.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Gu Xinran's livestream. This is Sister Ran's first time going live, so she doesn't have much experience. Please bear with us~"
"Today, Sister Ran is going to take us to visit the recently popular hospital that claims to be where Gu Xinran had her plastic surgery. I hear this hospital's skills are amazing, practically omnipotent. To see what it's really like, let's follow Sister Ran for an on-site investigation!"
…
Fang Jinghai and Qu Qi exchanged a look. "What the hell is that little brat Fang Yi doing?"
"A livestream? Does she think this matter isn't big enough already!"
"Sister Qi, look! The viewer count has passed one million!! Sister Ran's influence is just too great."
"Of course. This thing has been brewing for so many days, all these onlookers must be dying of anticipation."
"This won't do. I have to call Xinran."
"Hey, don't! She's live right now. What you say might get broadcast. Why don't we just wait and see what Sister Ran is planning? She definitely wouldn't act recklessly. I trust her!"
【What's going on? A livestream? Is she livestreaming her plastic surgery?】
【Holy crap, what did I just stumble upon? Livestreaming plastic surgery? Gu Xinran is really the first to do it!】
【This hospital is about to blow up】
【It's already blown up. Several streamers on another platform are live here】
【Gu Xinran: I'll clout-chase myself】
【Damn, Xinran's side profile is so beautiful. Love it, love it】
On screen, Gu Xinran turned her head to greet the camera, then put on her mask and sunglasses and motioned for Fang Yi to get out of the car.
The two bypassed the crowd in line and entered the lobby, where they saw a young nurse introducing various plastic surgery procedures to everyone.
Gu Xinran glanced around and was startled. This place looked a bit familiar. It seemed she really had been here before!
"Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I'd like to ask, where is the Dr. Zheng who performed Gu Xinran's surgery?"
"Hey, you, don't cut in line. So many people are waiting."
"My apologies."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Zheng is fully booked for today. If you'd like to make an appointment, I can put you down. You can come back next month," the young nurse said.
Gu Xinran was taken aback. Heh, next month!? What a big shot!
"I'm not here for an appointment. I'm here for… a post-op consultation. He's the one who did my face, and I'm a little dissatisfied."
"Dissatisfied?" The young nurse glanced at her. "You're not here to cause trouble, are you?"
"Please have that Dr. Zheng show his face. Otherwise, I'll take off my sunglasses. And once these sunglasses come off, you won't have any more business to do." Gu Xinran pushed up her glasses.
Hearing this, the young nurse thought it was a botched surgery that had disfigured someone. She panicked a little. "Um, please come with me."
Gu Xinran turned around, her hands behind her back, and didn't move.
"Then… then please wait here for a moment." After saying that, the young nurse hurried away.
【Hahaha, is Xinran always this cheeky?】
【Hahaha, I thought she was going to say, 'Once these sunglasses come off, you might go blind!'】
【Seriously, can this kind of plastic surgery hospital really be trusted? You guys don't actually believe Gu Xinran had surgery, do you? The before and after comparison photos are of two completely different people!】
【I think Gu Xinran is a real treasure trove of a girl. The scandals are endless. If you dig, you'll always find something. I'm eating her melons every day.】
【She has way too many scandals. All the other celebrities' scandals in the entire entertainment industry combined don't add up to hers alone. I'm exhausted from keeping up. I really don't want to see her anymore.】
【Sigh, Ran-fans, don't waste your energy. Just obediently simp for Xinran's looks. After all, some people may be alive, but they're already blind.】
Fang Yi held up Gu Xinran's phone for the livestream with one hand while scrolling through the bullet comments on her own phone with the other, looking for anyone who deserved a scolding.
Before long, the young nurse returned, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a white coat and glasses.
"Dr. Zheng, this is her."
"You're the one who performed Gu Xinran's surgery?"
"I am. And you are?"
"Hello, I'd like to ask…" Gu Xinran looked down and took two photos from her pocket—the before-and-after comparison from the online exposé. "Did you do Gu Xinran's face?"
"Yes. Hers was a major procedure, with many areas worked on. Do you have any questions?"
"No matter what someone looks like, you can make them this beautiful?"
"An exact replica is impossible. What we can do is achieve the closest possible resemblance."
"Oh, since you did this one, then you should have no problem with my request."
After speaking, Gu Xinran coolly removed her sunglasses and mask, held the two photos up in front of the doctor, and with a smirk, said, "Change me back."
"???"
"What!?" Fang Yi was also stunned.
The bullet comments exploded instantly.
【??? Is she serious about changing back?】
【Hahahahaha the doctor is completely dumbfounded!!】
【Haha, Doctor: This is too hard for me】
【Ahhh, my sister is amazing! Doctors with no medical ethics like this should be torn to shreds! Get him!!】
【Holy crap, holy crap, wait, I'm at this hospital right now!!!】
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