Sylvia snapped back instinctively, "Who are you calling a little brat?"
Voice on the phone: "I'm calling you the little brat!"
"… …"
Silence. A deathly silence.
The other person finally realized who they were speaking to and exploded, "Sylvia! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Did I offend you in a past life or something?! Did you even see what nonsense you just replied to fans with on Weibo?!"
That tone…
Sylvia immediately figured out who it was—her former manager, Quinn.
"Quinn?"
"Don't call me that! I don't deserve the title!" Quinn snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm.
But Sylvia wasn't angry. She remembered how the novel had described Quinn—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. No matter how frustrated and disappointed she'd been with the original Sylvia, she had never truly given up on her.
Still, the original Sylvia had let her down. She'd secretly dated Gavin West behind Quinn's back and made a mess of things after Willa Ye showed up.
Even so, when Sylvia insisted on joining the dating show, it was still Quinn who worked overtime to get the contract signed.
And when the whole internet turned against her, Quinn never gave up, trying everything she could to clear Sylvia's name.
Unfortunately, what Quinn didn't know was that Gavin West—the CEO of their agency—was among those secretly smearing Sylvia's reputation.
After Sylvia's death, Quinn resigned out of guilt and disappeared from the entertainment world altogether. She hastily got married, spent the rest of her life buried in chores, and even suffered domestic abuse…
In the entire novel, Quinn was the only one who had truly cared about Sylvia.
And she got the worst ending.
But that's just how novels go. If you're not worshipping or protecting the female lead, you're destined for tragedy.
Thinking about all this, Sylvia sighed.
Quinn heard it and got even angrier. "You've got the nerve to sigh?! I signed you, and I didn't even sigh this hard. What right do you have?!"
Sylvia: "…"
So now she couldn't even breathe loudly.
She obediently held her breath, waiting for Quinn to go off again.
But Quinn paused, confused when Sylvia didn't talk back. "Say something! Why are you fighting with trolls? You used to ignore them—what's gotten into you?"
Sylvia: Because I'm not the same person anymore.
Of course, she couldn't say that. Instead, thinking about how devoted Quinn had been in the novel, she decided to test the waters.
So, she deliberately sounded pitiful, "I'm sorry, Quinn. I had a rough day and lost control… Did I cause trouble for you?"
Quinn: "…Well, not exactly. The trolls were being nasty anyway."
Her tone noticeably softened.
Sylvia, amazed: "!!!" Whoa… she's really like that.
She'd never met a manager so kind to their talent.
Meanwhile, Quinn was internally cursing herself for being too soft again. But still, seeing those hate comments aimed at Sylvia made her angry too.
"Anyway, just be careful next time. And remember, tomorrow is the second episode of Love on a Timer. It's livestreamed, so behave and don't give the trolls more ammo, got it?"
"Mmhmm!" Sylvia responded sweetly.
She'd try her best.
After all, Love on a Timer wasn't just Gavin West's turf—there was also her psychotic ex who had lied to her, and a sweet-faced idol who'd tried to seduce her.
Too many jerks. She was honestly worried she'd lose it and smash their heads in on live camera.
Elsewhere, Quinn hung up and suddenly remembered, "Crap—I forgot to tell her the film crew's coming to her apartment in the morning. Whatever, we already recorded one episode last week—she should know the routine by now."
Knowing she'd have to face Willa Ye and all three scumbags tomorrow, Sylvia stayed up all night reviewing the original Sylvia's background. She had to avoid doing anything suspicious during the livestream.
While digging, she found out what fans criticized the original Sylvia for most—bad acting and plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery?
Sylvia was certain she was born this beautiful. Back in her last life, she'd been used as a reference model by cosmetic surgery clinics. Years later, no one had come close to replicating her face.
Curious, she started combing through the original Sylvia's photos from various events.
And sure enough, something felt off.
Right around the time Sylvia reconnected with Willa Ye, her entire vibe and mental state shifted. Her once radiant face turned gloomy.
She also became obsessed with heavy, exaggerated smoky eye makeup—the complete opposite of Willa Ye's sweet, innocent look.
Despite having a naturally gorgeous face, makeup somehow made her look bland and forgettable.
No wonder netizens accused her of botched surgery and called her a "plastic mess."
"She was that afraid of Willa Ye? Just seeing her a few times sucked all the life out of her?"
Sylvia frowned, staring at the lifeless expression in the most recent photos.
Thankfully, she didn't have any trauma related to Willa Ye. So no matter what messy love triangles the show threw her into, she just had to keep her head down and mind her business.
She had a clear goal: to avoid fighting with the female lead or getting tangled with her men.
Once the show wrapped and the main couple got together, she'd figure out her next move—whether to stay in the entertainment world or not.
Speaking of which, she wondered if the original Sylvia had any real talent. That would determine whether she could even stay in the industry.
Curious, she opened up Sylvia's debut drama: The Overbearing Princess Spoils Her Husband.
One minute in.
Her smile froze.
Five minutes in.
Her face turned blank.
Ten minutes later.
She was spiritually unwell.
What was that performance?
Her expressions were all over the place, her acting exaggerated, her lines barely audible…
In ten minutes, Sylvia felt like she needed a lifetime to recover.
Calling that "bad acting" was generous. The original Sylvia had no acting skills. At all.
"Maybe it's just a rookie's first role," Sylvia comforted herself. "Let's check the second show."
It had a slightly better title: That Summer, the Wind Blew. Sounded like a fresh, youthful romance.
That illusion was shattered in the first scene—with the original Sylvia's funeral.
A terrible premonition crept up. Maybe it was a tragic love story told in flashback?
Nope. She'd underestimated everything.
The show had nothing to do with romance. It was about the power of universal love :)
After dying, the original Sylvia turned into a ghost and investigated her own death. She met the male lead, who could see ghosts. He helped her move on, and she decided to reincarnate.
Before leaving, she asked him why he helped her.
His answer? "Because people help people."
Sylvia: "…"
"Okay but—why did she die? And what does the title even mean?!"
Red-eyed and mentally fried, Sylvia closed the video app with one thought:
Great acting. Let's never do that again.
Shaken by the traumatic performances, she found herself unable to sleep.
She started browsing through the original Sylvia's apartment and was surprised to find neatly kept scripts from both shows—each filled with handwritten notes that dwarfed the actual lines.
Even more surprising, her computer had hundreds of films logged, each followed by a thoughtful review.
Something inside Sylvia softened.
Back in her past life, directors had praised her as a "natural talent," but she never liked the term.
To her, hard work was more valuable than talent.
People saw her nailing scenes in one take but didn't know she'd practiced the same motion hundreds of times in front of a mirror… or how many times she'd taken real falls for distant background shots… or how close she'd come to disfigurement during a real explosion scene.
She admired hardworking people the most.
The original Sylvia had zero talent—but she still poured her heart into improving. Maybe the audience hadn't noticed yet, but people like that would shine eventually.
Sylvia felt a pang of regret.
If this were real life—not a novel—someone like that would've found her place and been loved, instead of being hated by everyone and dying alone.
What did the original Sylvia wish for on her birthday?
To break free from Willa Ye's shadow and live her own life?
To be an actress everyone praised?
Too bad… no one would ever know now.
With those thoughts, Sylvia finally drifted off around 2 a.m.
At 6 a.m., the doorbell rang—loud and sudden.