Sun Qingyue and Lin Rixyue stumbled along the cobblestone street, laughing and swaying slightly from the wine they had been drinking. The novel in Sun Qingyue's hand wobbled precariously, its pages flapping in the cold evening breeze.
"Can you believe this story?" Sun Qingyue giggled, nudging Lin Rixyue. "All these rich wives and—ugh—tragic endings. Who even reads this stuff?"
"I do," Lin Rixyue replied, swaying on her heels. "Because I want to see someone die as spectacularly as we probably will if we keep going like this."
They laughed together, completely unaware of the car speeding down the street. The headlights glared like a predator, and before they could react, it hit them with a deafening crash. Their phones flew from their hands, and in that instant, a blinding gleam engulfed them.
When their vision cleared, they were no longer on the street. They were standing in the middle of a grand hall, sunlight streaming through tall, arched windows. The scent of roses and old wood filled the air, and the marble floors gleamed like glass. Chandeliers sparkled above them, and silk curtains swayed gently as though welcoming them.
Sun Qingyue blinked, looking at her reflection in a gilded mirror. "We… we're beautiful, like…"
"Diamonds in the sky," Lin Rixyue said instinctively, finishing the sentence with a grin tugging at her lips.
They hugged each other tightly. "This… this looks like the novel we were reading," Sun Qingyue whispered. Then a chill ran down their spines. They were the cannon fodders. The doomed characters whose fates were sealed in tragedy.
Sun Qingyue's expression darkened. "I… I embezzled money from the company and gave it to my lover. My husband found out… he sent me to a mental hospital… and then… I was killed there."
Lin Rixyue's gaze hardened. "I'm no less than you. I embezzled money too, gave it to my mom… and I died on the streets from hunger."
A silence fell between them as the enormity of their situation settled. The story they had mocked… had become their lives.
Suddenly, Sun Qingyue's phone buzzed. A message: "Send the money. Now."
Lin Rixyue's phone vibrated as well. A message appeared: "I want a scarf." Her eyes widened as she understood immediately—it was the code, just like in the story, to transfer money discreetly.
Both let out a long, resigned sigh. Then determination sparked in their eyes.
"Let's… change our fates," they said together.
For the first time, the house no longer seemed like a gilded cage. It was a playground. A battlefield. A chance. They would no longer follow the story. They would write their own.
Sun Qingyue laughed, a genuine, reckless sound. "First things first. We need a plan."
Lin Rixyue smirked, her fingers brushing the silk curtains. "Step one: survive the palace without getting murdered by fate. Step two: get our hands on the money. Step three… well, we'll see where step three takes us."
They walked through the sprawling house, touching chandeliers, inspecting the polished floors, marveling at the wealth around them. Everything screamed luxury, but the coldness beneath it was unmistakable—a society that would use them… and discard them. Cannon fodders, indeed.
But Sun Qingyue and Lin Rixyue were no longer just cannon fodders. They were friends, allies, and soon—if they played their cards right—unstoppable.
The palace doors closed behind them with a soft echo, sealing the first chapter of their new lives. And as they exchanged a look of grim determination, both girls knew one thing: the story might have written them in for tragedy… but they were about to rewrite every page