1. The Makeover App

In the quiet classroom, the students all kept their heads down, fiddling with their phones. The hum of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit drifted in through the window.

Chi You sat in the front row near the door, clutching her phone, her expression darkening as she read the comments on the screen.

“Have you seen that especially ugly girl in Computer Class One?”

“Yeah, she’s hideously ugly—dark skin, flat nose, big nose, thick lips, and her pores are so visible.”

“With her weight, calling her a fat pig wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

“Hahaha, check out this meme!”

A meme had been made using a frontal photo of Chi You’s face, turned into a pig’s expression, and it was posted in the group chat.

After the meme appeared, there was a brief silence in the group before more laughter and mocking comments flooded in.

Occasionally, laughter echoed through the quiet classroom, and several students cast glances at Chi You.

Sitting in the front row, Chi You couldn’t help but grip her phone tighter.

The group chat was filled entirely with insults about her appearance, and her alternate account was mingled among them.

The discussion in the group continued, but Chi You couldn’t bear to look any longer.

In an era where almost everyone was handsome or beautiful, Chi You knew she wasn’t attractive enough.

But the cost of cosmetic surgery and skin whitening was far beyond what a college student like her could afford.

As usual, she searched online for ways to become more beautiful, scrolling through ads from plastic surgery clinics with growing anxiety.

Just as she was about to exit, a push notification caught her eye.

“Do you want to become beautiful, charming, and captivating?”

“If so, click the link below, and I will help you achieve it.”

“htt…”

Chi You stared at it, wondering if it could really work.

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of the last evening self-study session.

Stepping out of the classroom, Chi You saw her secret crush approaching the class beauty, Youni.

Youni responded coolly and walked away after a terse reply.

Chi You hesitated before stepping forward to greet her crush.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, her crush’s face fell the moment he saw her.

“Ugly freak, stay away from me.”

That one insult froze Chi You in place.

It was as if all the surrounding noise vanished, leaving only those words ringing madly in her ears.

Ugly freak...

Chi You fell into a strange, tormenting loop.

She was an ugly freak...

If she were as beautiful as Youni, would her crush still despise her?

If her skin were fair, with a high nose bridge, an oval face, big double-folded eyes, and a better figure...

Would he choose her then?

“She likes you, don’t you see?”

“Ugh, just the thought of being liked by a girl who looks like a pig makes me sick.”

A few students nearby hadn’t walked far and were shamelessly mocking Chi You’s appearance.

All those words reached her ears.

Snapping back to herself, Chi You watched her crush fade into the distance.

She returned to the dormitory clutching her phone, but before she could open the door, she overheard some roommates discussing her looks.

“Good thing I don’t look like Chi You, otherwise my parents would definitely send me to a plastic surgery clinic.”

“Wow, you don’t know how ugly she really is. Calling her an ugly freak is actually an insult to that word.”

“Wasn’t she called a pig in that group? I think that’s accurate.”

Her hand froze mid-air as she reached for the door.

In the end, Chi You left the dorm and sat down on a bench by the sports field.

Opening her phone, she saw the same push notification ad again.

Thinking of the group chat’s discussions, her crush’s disdain, her roommates’ gossip, and the strange looks from passersby, Chi You stopped hesitating.

She clicked on the link.

She wanted to become beautiful!

She would become the most beautiful woman!

“Please fill in your details.”

Tapping the link brought up a black screen filled with a long list of detailed information to fill out.

Without hesitation, Chi You began to enter everything one by one.

Name, age, height, weight, reasons for wanting to be beautiful, the kind of beauty she aspired to be, and so on.

In the last section, she uploaded a full-face photo of herself.

When she finished, she stared at the red button, bit her lip, and pressed “Agree” decisively.

“Ding—”

“Player binding successful. Welcome to the Plastic Surgery App.”

Soon, her phone displayed an app icon, pitch black and mysterious.

The website vanished.

She opened the app, which was very simple. In the center of the homepage appeared a large countdown.

“Beauty Experience Time”

“23:59:59”

The red numbers ticked down, making her heart race.

Below the timer appeared a note.

“Note: This beauty experience lasts for one day. To possess it permanently, please complete the tasks.”

Chi You glanced at the countdown and the note, puzzled.

What tasks?

Rising from the bench, she headed back to the dormitory. Many eyes followed her on the way.

After she passed, she overheard people whispering.

“Did you see? She’s so beautiful now.”

“Is this natural beauty?”

This time, no one pointed at her figure or appearance with disdain.

Chi You’s heart swelled with excitement.

Entering the dorm, three roommates immediately surrounded her.

This sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

She felt cherished.

Sitting at her desk, she looked into the mirror.

Fair skin, a curvaceous figure, almond-shaped eyes, a small mouth.

Was this still her?

She reached out to touch her face—smooth and delicate, not a single blackhead in sight.

She opened her phone and launched the plastic surgery app again.

The timer showed that more than twenty minutes had passed.

Her fingers curled slightly.

This app was real.

Her dark eyes gleamed with excitement.

The next day, as soon as Chi You entered the classroom, all eyes were on her.

This treatment was unprecedented.

Throughout the day, many boys came up to chat with her.

Even the crush who had called her an ugly freak the night before sat beside her, smiling and chatting.

Chi You’s heart was full of satisfaction.

As time ticked away, evening came, and she opened the app again, noticing the experience time was running low.

Anxiety began to creep in.

After this one day, Chi You was unwilling to return to her former self.

Looking at the task list below, she clicked into it.

“Mission 1: Crying Infant”

“Complete the following task to extend the experience card by one month and permanently possess radiant, flawless skin. Do you accept the mission?”

“Note: Failure will result in death within the mission.”

Chi You hesitated for a long time.

At that moment, a message popped up on her crush’s WeChat.

“He Ting: Chi You, are you free tonight? Let’s grab some late-night snacks together.”