No sooner had Nicky finished her defiant vow to "reclaim everything" than she noticed her viewer count plummeting. Ignoring the rising skepticism in the chat, she swiftly turned and hurried down the stairs—even faster than the viewers rushing to check the "suicide rumor" trending topic.
"System—exchange all available heat value now. 70% to lifespan, 30% to cash," she commanded inwardly, her knuckles white with tension. She'd lost nearly five thousand viewers in minutes; she couldn't afford to lose more heat. Survival came first—everything else could wait.
Beep—Processing complete. Available heat: 13,000. Allocated: 1 day added to lifespan. Remaining heat exchanged for $300 USD. Funds sourced plausibly (marked as 'temporary labor subsidy'). Please check your account. As the system's cold voice faded, her phone buzzed. A bank notification confirmed the deposit.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief—with only 4 days of lifespan left and just $300 to her name, she was safe for now. But it didn't last long. Someone was clearly behind the fake "Nicky suicide" story, and they weren't done causing trouble.
"Mind if I use your phone? Need to check TikTok," Nicky said, approaching a coworker on break. "Mine's dead." He handed it over without a second thought.
She typed her name into the search bar. There it was: #NickySuicide, trending at #20. The top video was posted by an unknown account: "Condé Nast heiress Nicky takes her own life under debt pressure. Her cousin Nina steps up to repay the $100M debt. So heartbreaking…" A blurry "hospital notice" dated today was shown on screen.
She clicked into the account—and found Nina live. Dressed in a simple white dress, Nina looked delicately sorrowful, eyes red-rimmed as she spoke softly to the camera. "This is my first livestream… I'm not sure what to say. I truly intend to repay Nicky's debt. She… passed away this morning."
"My father always taught me to live with integrity. Even if I don't earn much, I want to protect the family's honor. It's the right thing to do."
Back in Nicky's stream, the comments were going wild:
[OMG Nicky is watching someone else's livestream during her own? Iconic.]
[So is Nina actually paying her debt? Seems more reliable than Nicky tbh]
[Reliable? She's totally clout-chasing! Did you see her full makeup? So fake]
[Agreed! Say what you want about Nicky, but she didn't fake her death. Nina is next-level shady]
Watching Nina's performance, Nicky smirked into the borrowed phone's camera. Her voice was calm but carried clearly: "I may be a 'black lotus,' but I'm not a 'green tea.'"
"Though I am curious—since when did I die?"
"But hey, no worries. Whoever wants to steal my spotlight… I'll handle it."
Her viewers went wild. Instantly, they flooded Nina's livestream:
[NICKY'S HERE! The person you said died is in your chat!]
[Nina, look! Nicky came back from the 'afterlife' just for you!]
[DUEL! GET NICKY IN A LIVE DUEL!]
Nina clearly panicked on camera—she was a reincarnator. In her past life, Nicky really had killed herself at this point under the pressure. Nina had built her entire early fame on "repaying her cousin's debt" and smoothly entered the entertainment industry. This time… something had gone wrong.
She forced composure, covering her mouth as her eyes welled with tears. "Everyone, please… don't joke about this. I really received news of Nicky's death this morning. If it's not true… that would be wonderful. I'd rather be misunderstood than have her gone."
[She's good. Should've been an actress.]
[Stop pretending! Nicky is live RIGHT NOW. Face her!]
[DUEL! DUEL! DUEL!]
The demands flooded Nina's chat. Clenching her skirt in frustration, she felt a mix of hatred and anxiety—she couldn't check Nicky's stream herself, so she grasping for a way out: "I only wanted to help repay the debt and protect the family's dignity… If someone offered to pay off $100 million for you, would you accuse them like this?"
That quieted some viewers, but most kept spamming "DUEL." Just as Nina was scrambling for an exit, a live duel request popped up on her screen—from "Nicky_Carry."
Nina took a deep breath, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. Fine. Even if she's alive, I can still use her as a stepping stone. I know how the future unfolds. This life, I will rise to the top.
She hit "Accept." Before she could even speak, Nicky's mocking voice came through clear and cool:
"Hey Nina. I came all the way 'back' just for you. How about we have a little chat—about how you're going to 'help' me pay my debt?"