A girlish shriek rang out, followed by Mu Yue Ran’s trembling fingertips brushing against her own face.

Her short, violet hair spilled over her shoulders, framing a face as pure as bamboo and stone—gentle yet striking. Orchid-like eyes stared blankly ahead, filled with disbelief.

*Oh my god! Such a cute girl actually exists in this world!*

*Wait… is that me? Oh. Never mind then.*

Still dazed, Mu Yue Ran was jolted from her thoughts by increasingly urgent knocks at the door. She shook off her wandering mind and hurried to open it.

A delivery girl stood outside. Relief washed over her face as the door finally opened. She pulled out the order while speaking: "Your triple-spicy fire chicken noodles and milk tea. Just need your confir—"

Her words died as she looked up. Jaw slack, she fumbled the food, nearly dropping it.

"Whoops!"

Mu Yue Ran caught the packages just in time, saving her mysteriously acquired lunch from crashing to the floor. She waved a hand in front of the girl’s dazed face. "You okay? What’s wrong?"

The movement made her full curves shift beneath the thin crop top. Pale, slender legs crossed as she stood—a breathtaking beauty laid bare before the flustered delivery girl.

"SORRY!!!"

The girl’s face flushed crimson. She scrambled backward, fleeing down the hallway. Mu Yue Ran tilted her head, utterly confused. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on a delivery person.

Back in her room, she placed the food on the coffee table, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and propped her chin on her palm.

She replayed every memory. Yes, she still remembered being "Mu Yueran."

Mu Yue Ran glanced down at her alluring figure. Only now did she notice how revealing her clothes were. If she were still male, her "little brother" might’ve stirred in respect—but that companion of twenty-plus years had met its untimely end. She poked her chest experimentally, testing the softness.

*Hmm! All-natural and pollution-free!*

*"I did wish to be reborn as a girl… but did the Underworld skip all the paperwork? That’s too efficient."*

*"I wanted to see what the afterlife looked like too."*

Confusion gave way to a hollow ache. Like being dumped into a foreign land with no map.

She collapsed onto the sofa, staring at the empty ceiling. Her own death brought no regret—she’d lived without regrets, even facing the end without a flicker of survival instinct.

As a youth steeped in anime and novels for over a decade, she prided herself on adaptability.

*"Speaking of which… System?"*

She called out half-jokingly. After seconds of silence, she chuckled at herself. *Not every transmigrator gets cheat skills.*

【What do you need?】

"HOLY CRAP! YOU EXIST?!"

Mu Yue Ran shot up, hopping in place with glee. She faced the empty air, eyes sparkling. "What’s my mission? Battle monsters in the dark? Defend the nation’s borders?"

The System’s icy reply doused her excitement like cold water.

【Regretfully, this world is peaceful. No crises. No monsters. No superpowers.】

【But you do have a mission. You will save someone.】

"What is it?"

Her enthusiasm dimmed but didn’t vanish. She sat primly on the sofa, legs together, waiting.

【Recall your dying wish.】

"To become a pretty girl? Yeah, I’m satisfied. Thanks."

She puffed out her chest again, feeling the unfamiliar pull. A blush crept up her cheeks. *This sensation… needs getting used to.*

The System fell silent, then sighed audibly.

【The other one.】

"To see… what a scumbag really is?"

Mu Yue Ran nodded slowly. If anything, that was the one mystery from her past life. Even at death’s door, she’d never understood why her girlfriend called her a scumbag.

【Precisely. That lingering resentment is why I brought you here.】

【Your mission—PROTECT MAIDENS FROM SCUMBAGS BEFORE THEY’RE DESTROYED!】

The System’s tone soared triumphantly, as if announcing a sacred duty. Mu Yue Ran sat frozen, blinking slowly.

One second. Three. Five…

【Are you listening?】

"I heard. Just feels like my enthusiasm got… violated."

She flopped onto the floor, ripped open the noodles, and stuffed spicy strands into her mouth. Waving a dismissive hand, she mumbled around the food: "Keep talking."

【Hmph.】

【Actions speak louder. Let’s see if this stirs your sympathy.】

A memory slammed into Mu Yue Ran’s mind—a painful, swelling pressure that drowned out the noodles’ burn. She absorbed its weight.

She witnessed a girl’s tragic life.

Her name was Ji Yueyi. A high schooler from a poor mountain village, she covered living costs through part-time jobs. Top grades earned her scholarships. Life should’ve been calm—until a scumbag fixated on her beauty.

Wealthy and connected (though from another school), he manipulated Ji Yueyi’s classmates into luring her out "to broaden her horizons." He paid for every outing, breeding guilt in her. When she firmly rejected his confession, he snapped. After she kicked him away during an attempted assault, he spread vicious rumors. With school authorities colluding, he forced her into dropping out.

Jobless and education-less, Ji Yueyi fled back to the mountains to escape him.

At twenty, she drowned saving a child from a river. She never left those mountains again.

The memory froze on Ji Yueyi’s leap into the water. Mu Yue Ran sat silent, turmoil churning in her chest. *Did she know it was a one-way trip? Would I have jumped too?*

She remembered pulling that driver from her crashed car.

*What was I thinking then?*

【Still find this mission boring?】

"How underhanded…"

"Shoving that in my face… I can’t just look away."

【I knew you’d say that.】

【No more chatter. Move. The first turning point is tonight.】

"After I eat."

Mu Yue Ran shoveled crimson noodles into her mouth, savoring the burn spreading through her stomach. The heat anchored her—*I’m alive*.

And now, she had the chance to save someone else’s future too.

What a strange thing, life.