Rebirth of the Villainess: I Became a Cleaner

She remembered the last thing she did—rushing into the hospital room, grabbing that too-familiar-yet-strange body by the shoulders, shaking it with everything she had.

She screamed. She sobbed. She cursed.

"Give me back my body!"

Then—

A sharp, icy sting pierced her arm.

And the world fell silent.

Everything sank into darkness.

—

When she opened her eyes again, she was standing on a red carpet.

That red carpet.

The one she'd walked countless times, in heels, under lights, wrapped in applause.

The spotlight beamed down from above. The plush fibers underfoot were just as soft as she remembered. She instinctively straightened her posture.

Then froze.

There was no one there.

No cameras. No stagehands. No host. No fans. Not even sound.

The silence pressed down like a heavy curtain.

She was the only one standing in this hollow spotlight.

"Where… am I?"

Her voice came out dry, almost detached from her body.

Then—a voice.

It rang softly in her ears, as if rising from within the air itself.

"We finally meet… I can see you, though you, unfortunately, can't see me."

Su Rui spun around, eyes scanning the empty space.

"Who's there?"

The voice chuckled—light, unhurried.

"I'm the god of fate."

She narrowed her eyes. "You're kidding."

"I never joke," the voice replied lightly. "Then again, not everyone gets to hear me. You're lucky."

"Why me?"

"Because you were supposed to die."

Her breath caught.

"But you didn't want to die, did you?"

"You held on. You were too angry. Too unwilling."

"So, I showed up."

Her heart pounded.

"You're the one who switched my soul?"

"Not exactly."

"Let's just say… fate opened a small tear, and I gave you the chance to slip through it."

"Can I go back?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"There's a chance."

She clenched her fists. "How?"

"Fulfill Lin Yueying's three wishes."

"…What are they?"

"I don't know."

She blinked. "Aren't you fate?"

"Fate doesn't know everything. Some wishes are buried so deep, even she's forgotten them."

"But you'll feel it."

"When you step into her life—live it, walk it—you'll find them."

"Her regrets. Her unfinished stories. Complete those… and maybe you'll return to where you belong."

The voice paused. Then, in a softer, slower tone:

"But before you go—Su Rui…"

"Do you really believe… that fall was just an accident?"

A jolt shot through her.

Her mouth opened, but no words came.

"Think back."

"Who was standing next to you?"

"What did she say, right before it happened?"

"You've forgotten—or maybe, you've chosen not to remember."

"Memory doesn't disappear. It waits for you to look it in the eye."

The voice lingered, then began to fade:

"Go on, Su Rui. Think."

The red carpet crumbled beneath her. The light cracked. The world collapsed inward.

She reached out instinctively—

But there was nothing left to hold.

Darkness claimed her once again.