Chapter 5 — The Beauty Drainage System

At the judges' desk, Han Tranh’s expression shifted from utter astonishment to deep disgust. He picked up his microphone.

Song Qiao Qiao, can you please explain your current state?

Standing on the stage, Qiao Qiao’s lips trembled, unable to utter a single word. In the fan section, supporters who had previously hoisted glowing light boards bearing her name lowered them one by one. Some even flipped their boards over, pressing the lettering flat against the ground. I took another bite of my chicken thigh. On the big screen, Qiao Qiao’s eye sockets were rimmed in red. She parted her lips to speak, but her throat seemed choked by an invisible hand. The trainees beside her instinctively stepped away, no one wishing to be associated with her. The livestream comment section had completely lost its mind: Return my money! I spent thirty thousand yuan voting for her! Give it back! What happened to skin as white as ice and bones of jade? More like pig skin and pig bones! Did she have a botched plastic surgery? Or is this some sort of hormonal complication? Han Tranh put down his microphone and leaned over to whisper to the judge beside him. Another judge shook his head, the two words unbelievable practically written across his face. Finally, Qiao Qiao found her voice. It was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

I... recently my health hasn't been very good...

Not good?

Han Tranh’s voice dropped into an icy register.

You are the trainee with the most resources on this entire stage. A personal nutritionist, a private fitness coach, a dedicated beauty care team—all provided for you. And now you're telling me your health is not good?

Yes...

Do you have any respect for the audience who cast their votes to support you?

She hung her head, her shoulders shaking. I tossed the chicken bone into the trash can, wiped my hands, and stood up. It was my turn to take the stage. Chapter 12 When I stepped out into the lights, the entire hall fell silent for a full second. Then, a wave of murmurs rippled through the room.

Isn’t that Lu Nian? Why does she look...

Wait, has she lost weight?

That’s not right, wasn’t she terribly plain before? Why does she look decent today?

I hadn’t made any deliberate effort to dress up. But over the past week, I had discovered something profound. The system operated on a two-way street. While it sucked the garbage and impurities out of my body and transferred them to Qiao Qiao, all the excess grease and metabolic waste that had accumulated in my own system were simultaneously cleared away. In other words, no matter how much junk food I ate, it wouldn't make me gain weight. Everything was funneled directly over to Qiao Qiao. As for me, with the constant purging of bodily waste, my skin began its gradual recovery. Not transforming into some otherworldly beauty, mind you, but simply returning to a normal baseline. Yet standing beside Qiao Qiao, who had practically ballooned to twice her size on stage, I suddenly looked remarkably pleasing to the eye. The music struck up, and I began to dance. The choreography was not flawless, but it was crisp, decisive, unencumbered by layers of surplus fat. As the routine finished, Han Tranh looked at me and gave a brief nod.

Lu Nian, your form is much better than last time. Keep it up.

I bowed and retreated to the waiting area. As I passed Qiao Qiao, she raised her head to stare at me. Her eyes overflowed with malice.

What did you do?

She asked in a lowered voice.

I didn't do anything.

I offered her a gentle smile.

I just ate an order of fried chicken.

The results of the first voting round were announced. Qiao Qiao plummeted from first place all the way down to nineteenth. I climbed from thirty-first to twenty-second. Backstage erupted into instant chaos. Chapter 13 During the break following the first round, Qiao Qiao’s manager stormed into the dressing room. She was a woman in her early thirties, clad in a sharp business suit, her complexion a livid shade of green.

Qiao Qiao, what on earth is going on? Why does your face look like this?

Qiao Qiao sat before the vanity mirror. The makeup artist was frantically patting layer after layer of heavy foundation over her skin. But the pustular acne was simply too severe; caking powder over it only made the situation look more grotesque, rendering her skin as pitted and uneven as the surface of the moon.

Manager Lin, I don’t know... I really have been watching my diet...

Watching your diet? Look at the state you’re in right now!

Lin snatched the makeup sponge right out of the artist’s hand.

You cannot go on stage for the second round. I am going to inform the production crew that you are unwell and request your withdrawal.

No!

Qiao Qiao bolted upright.

I cannot withdraw! I have spent three months preparing for this, I cannot pull out!

If you go out there now, you’ll just be making a public spectacle of yourself! The broadcast chat room is already tearing you apart, and three separate trending search keywords are dedicated to you right now!

Lin shoved her phone screen directly into Qiao Qiao’s face. Trending search number one: What happened to Song Qiao Qiao’s face? Trending search number three: The complete collapse of the ice-white, jade-bone persona. Trending search number seven: The biggest beauty fraud in the history of idol survival shows. Qiao Qiao stared at the illuminated screen, the last shred of color draining from her face.

Impossible... Clearly I...

She abruptly whipped her head around, her gaze piercing through the crowd and locking onto me as I casually sipped my Coca-Cola in the corner.

It was her!

She lunged forward, grabbing hold of my arm.

Lu Nian! What did you do to me?

Every surrounding trainee whipped their heads around to watch. I glanced down at the hand clawing into my flesh, her fingernails digging in deep.

Song Qiao Qiao, you’re hurting me.

Tell me! What on earth did you do to me? Why have I turned into this?

What are you talking about?

I met her gaze with an expression of pure innocence.

How you turned out has what to do with me?

You did this on purpose! You deliberately ate those things! You knew that as long as you ate them, I would—

Halfway through her sentence, she abruptly clamped her mouth shut. Because she realized that finishing those words would be tantamount to confessing the existence of the system in front of everyone. Confessing that she had always been stealing someone else's beauty. The surrounding trainees exchanged bewildered glances.

Sister Qiao, what are you even saying? What does Lu Nian eating food have to do with you?

Is she cracking under the pressure?

Could there be something wrong with her mental state...

Qiao Qiao released my arm, stumbling backward two steps. Her expression was that of someone who had just been struck hard across the face. Lin rushed over to steady her by the elbow.

Qiao Qiao, calm yourself down.

I am calm! She’s the one who ruined me!

Enough!

Lin dropped her voice to a harsh whisper.

Every single word you utter right now is being captured by the broadcast microphones. Shut your mouth.

Qiao Qiao shook violently, finally biting back any further words. But the glare she cast my way promised she wanted to swallow me alive. I raised the soda can in my hand toward her in a silent toast.

Keep it up. See you in round two.

Chapter 14 The second round featured individual talent performances. Qiao Qiao refused to withdraw. She donned a voluminous, flowing maxi dress to obscure her altered physique and demanded the makeup artist apply four full layers of heavy-duty concealer. From a distance, the illusion might barely hold together, but high-definition camera lenses cannot be fooled. As she took the stage to sing, the livestream comment section abandoned mere mockery and descended into pure, unadulterated malice. Pig squeals. Just withdraw already, stop embarrassing yourself. Fraud. Her voice quavered, and her high notes cracked with painful clarity. When her performance ended, the hall remained dead silent. There was no applause. Han Tranh offered only a single sentence:

Next contestant.

Qiao Qiao stood frozen on stage as the spotlight beat down upon her. Her shadow was a full circle larger than it had been three months prior. She bit her lip and shuffled off the stage. As she passed me, I could distinctly hear the grinding of her teeth. Then it was my turn. The talent I chose to showcase was dance. It was the exact same routine I had practiced when I first entered the training camp three months ago. Back then, I performed it best, but due to the interference of the system, everyone perceived me as the worst dancer. Now, the system was no longer draining away my radiance. Or to be more precise, the system was still operating, but what it was sucking away was merely the garbage, leaving behind a much cleaner version of myself.