“Bang!”

Ana Bennett hit the ground hard after falling off the horse. She instinctively curled up to shield her head and face the moment she hit the dirt.

A sharp pain shot through her whole body—too intense to even tell what part hurt the most.

She couldn't move.

The filming site immediately went into chaos.

“Somebody call an ambulance!”

“Hurry up! Get a stretcher!”

…

The noise around her faded quickly. By the time she came to, the last person she wanted to see was glaring at her with zero empathy.

“Stop pretending now that you’re awake!”

Sophia Collins stood there in a fresh-out-the-runway Chanel suit, arms crossed and face full of disdain. “You can’t even handle being a stunt double. No wonder Dad thought it was time to kick you off the big screen.”

Ana shut her eyes, ignoring her.

Just a month ago, Ana was still Ana Collins.

And Sophia? Back then, she was Lydia Bennett.

It all started when their mom fell sick and needed a blood transfusion. That’s when the cliché “switched-at-birth” drama dropped right into Ana’s life.

Thanks to the Collins family being the richest in C City, Sophia was quickly tracked down and brought home.

Turned out, Ana’s birth mom had made a huge mistake years ago that led to the mix-up.

Sophia, who had grown up with hardship and felt robbed of a better life, pushed all the blame onto Ana.

She refused to let the Collins family keep Ana—the “fake daughter”—and basically told her to get lost. It was her or Ana.

So Ana chose to leave.

Of course, this mess didn’t just stop at the family. It wrecked her career too.

Ana had just started making a name for herself with a hit martial arts short series. She’d even landed a supporting role in a major movie.

Then came the test makeup day—and bam. She got the news: her role had been given to Sophia. Worse, she got stuck in the same crew as her replacement... this time as a stunt double.

First day on set, and Ana conveniently “fell” off a horse.

“Are you okay, Sophia?” A familiar voice called out anxiously from the hallway—it was Helen Collins, with her husband John close behind, both faces etched with worry.

Ana clenched her teeth, wanting to sit up despite the pain. But when she looked at the two people who raised her… only to see their panic aimed solely at Sophia—she laid back down, silent.

“I’m fine. Just a bit spooked. It’s Ana who got hurt. You should go check on her,” Sophia said, all sweet and selfless on the outside.

That act made her parents even more emotional.

“You’re always thinking about others. Your sister’s tough—she’ll be fine! But you, sweetheart, were you scared?” John said, voice full of concern.

Ana almost let out a laugh.

Yeah, of course.She only broke a bone, but hey, Sophia Collins was “traumatized,” right?

Before Ana Bennett could even say a word, Mrs. Collins shot her a glare, her tone sharp: "What's wrong with you as an elder sister? Can’t you protect your little sister even a bit?"

"You’ve already taken so much from Sophia—how can you still be this selfish?"

Ana almost laughed out of anger. "Mom, Dad, I’m the one who just fell off the horse and got hurt. What else do you want me to do—carry Sophia on my back?"

Mr. Collins snapped, “The fact that your sister got scared at all is already your fault!”

Ever since Sophia returned, every little thing wrong seemed to land on Ana’s head. The Collins couple didn’t even bother listening to her side anymore.

Saying anything more was useless. Ana just kept her mouth shut.

Sophia stood there practically glowing with smugness, like she’d won a prize or something.

Mrs. Collins, a ball of nerves, insisted on dragging Sophia off for a full check-up before she finally left.

Once everyone was gone, the hospital room finally felt quiet.

Ana tried to push down that hollow feeling in her chest and opened a free novel app to kill time.

But the more she read, the more pissed she got. By the end, she threw her phone aside, face twisted with frustration.

“Forget it, sleep.”

Her life already sucked hard enough—why even torture herself with such a depressing book?

Yet even as she tossed and turned, she couldn’t let it go. The more she thought about it, the more furious she got. She sat up in bed, grabbed her phone again, and pulled the novel back up… then immediately jumped to the first chapter and started roasting it in the comments.

...

At the edge of Endless Cliff, Alexis Hart dragged her battered body up over the rocks.

Covered in wounds and dirt, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

“I made it.”

Elijah Hart and Lily Hart rushed over, their faces all lit up.

“El! Did you get the Wuxiang Spirit Orchid?” Elijah completely ignored how ragged she looked and went straight for the goods.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be the gentle, caring one?

Alexis blinked, stunned, not answering right away.

Suddenly, glowing red text floated in front of her eyes:

[I don’t usually bother posting reviews, but I can’t stay quiet this time! Alexis, for the love of god, don’t give that orchid to your two-faced master!]

Alexis blinked hard. Was she seeing things? Too injured?

Then the words shifted again:

[You nearly died for that spirit herb, and now you’re just gonna hand it over so Lily can use it for her breakthrough?! Seriously?!]

Wait, what the hell?

Master Elijah had clearly told her the herb was for her cultivation breakthrough.

But with a sinking heart, Alexis pulled the Wuxiang Spirit Orchid from her storage ring.

“I got it.”Before Elijah Hart could say a word, Lily Hart snatched the herb right out of his hands and gushed, “Second Master, look! This must be the Wuxiang Spirit Orchid! I heard it’s super hard to get, and it even had a spirit beast guarding it! I can’t believe Alexis pulled this off right after hitting the peak of Qi Refinement. That’s crazy impressive!”

[She’s buttering you up to steal it! She just wants the herb!]

Alexis Hart frowned slightly. Really?

Lily had only joined the sect three months ago. Unlike quiet and reserved Alexis, Lily was bubbly and cute, and had quickly become all five masters’ favorite. Not long ago, she got fast-tracked into being an inner disciple and became Alexis’s junior.

She loved calling Alexis “Sister Alexis,” and even after joining the sect, she refused to stop. Alexis eventually gave up trying to correct her.

Lily looked totally chill, but then she added casually, “With this herb, I can enter the sect competition too!”

Wait, what?!

The inner-sect competition was for Foundation Establishment-stage disciples to spar and prove themselves. The top hundred would get a spot in the Lingxu Realm to train.

That place was packed with rare resources—a once-in-a-lifetime chance for any Foundation-stage cultivator.

“You’re gonna join the inner-sect competition too?” Alexis finally couldn’t stay silent. “Second Master, wasn’t this herb supposed to be used for my Foundation Pill?”

Realizing she had slipped, Lily glanced pleadingly at Elijah.

Sure enough, Elijah came to her rescue: “Alexis, don’t be so selfish. A Wuxiang Spirit Orchid can be refined into at least two pills. Giving one to your junior is no big deal, right?”

Share one with her?

I guess that’s... okay?

Alexis started to second-guess again.

[Ha, your Second Master totally messed up this time. He only made two pills. Lily failed her first Foundation try, and your precious Second Master handed both pills to her!]

[You got hit with fire poison from the spirit beast and ended up damaging your foundation. You couldn’t even break through. They tossed you aside like trash.]

No. That couldn’t be...

Alexis went pale. Second Master had always doted on her the most. Even if he was spoiling Lily lately, he wouldn’t just abandon her like that... would he?

“Let’s go back and make the pill!” Lily grinned brightly, clinging to Elijah’s arm like a spoiled child.

“You’re so impatient,” Elijah said with a helpless laugh and gave her a teasing tap on the nose.

Lily turned and gave Alexis a sweet smile. “Thanks for your hard work, Sister Alexis.”

Neither of them helped Alexis to her feet. They just walked off, arm in arm.

[Didn’t I tell you not to give her the herb? Alexis, you’re such a pushover!]

Maybe it was the red text always backing her up, maybe it was the way Second Master and Lily acted, but Alexis was starting to doubt herself.

Had she been fighting tooth and nail just to hand everything over to Lily?

With frustration bubbling up, she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

[Hey! Alexis, are you okay?!]

The red words blurred in front of her eyes, and everything faded to black.