In this world, seven male leads will all fall madly in love with the irresistible Seraphina. They will offer her nothing but the best resources. But unfortunately, Mika is just Seraphina's disposable friend. When Seraphina can't carry her own luggage, Mika carries it. When Seraphina is sick and in pain, Mika takes care of her and runs all the errands. And when a stalker starts following Seraphina, Mika goes to keep her company—only to end up stabbed dozens of times, collapsing in a pool of blood. Seraphina, meanwhile, simply curls up in the arms of one of her men and says, in a soft and pitiful voice, "Mika will surely go to heaven, won't she?" Then Mika is reborn and awakens. By chance, she binds with The Succubus System. Every dollar she takes from the seven male leads becomes direct capital to upgrade her beauty. From that moment on, she locks away her sincerity and uses her looks to collect fortunes. She goes from being an ugly girl that everyone looks down on to a beauty that the rich and powerful fight over. When someone mocks her for being greedy and crooked, Mika just smiles faintly and says, "Good girls get a compliment. I get everything." The seven male leads ask her, "Mika, what do you even take us for?" Mika thinks to herself: Trash, of course.

Chapter 1Dying once was all it took for Mika Miller to realize the truth.Good girls were eventually rewarded with nothing but a pat on the back.But bad girls—They got everything.-Spring in Juniper Springs was always relentlessly rainy.Outside the women's dormitories at Hudson University.A tall, broad-shouldered young man stood in the pouring rain wearing a plain white muscle tank. He stared down at his phone, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes as the chat box remained agonizingly quiet.The rain battered his chiseled shoulders, the water trailing down his taut, muscular arms before dripping onto the plastic takeout bag of breakfast he clutched in his left hand.Up on a balcony, a girl brushing her teeth leaned over the railing, peering down with a mouth full of foam."Look, isn't that Jude Jensen from the Sports Science Department?""Is he waiting to give his crush breakfast? God, who would let a gorgeous guy like that wait out in the rain?""Ugh, getting drenched just makes him look hotter, like an abandoned puppy!"An eighteen-year-old college athlete in his prime was kryptonite to women of all ages, especially one with a flawless face and eight-pack abs.The moment Jude stepped on campus, he shot into the top three of the university's unofficial hot-guy rankings.Naturally, he had a massive reputation among the student body."Someone's going down to see him!" The girl with the toothbrush poked her head out further, hungry for gossip."Who? Who is it?""The umbrella is blocking her, I can't see..."Downstairs.Mika stepped up to the young man, holding a red umbrella.As a pair of white sneakers entered his line of sight, Jude's head snapped up.But the moment he realized it was Mika, the light in his eyes vanished, replaced by an instant, crushing disappointment.Because the person he was waiting for wasn't Mika. It was her best friend—Hudson University's reigning sweetheart, Seraphina Sutton."Is Seraphina still sleeping? I promised to bring her breakfast today, but I didn't expect it to pour..."Jude managed a polite, strained smile at Mika, though annoyance bled through his gaze. "She hasn't answered my texts. Can you tell me when she wakes up? I'll go buy her a fresh one."Mika lifted the red umbrella higher to cover his head.Behind her thick, painfully unfashionable black-rimmed glasses, her dark eyes held a glimmer of pity."You don't need to wait. She won't be eating your breakfast."Early that morning, Seraphina had been whisked away in a luxury car by her childhood friend, high-powered attorney James Sterling.Before she left, she had told Mika to just make up some random excuse to brush Jude off.Instead, Mika held up her phone.A photo of Seraphina getting into the expensive car glowed brightly on the screen right in front of Jude's face.Jude's pupils contracted. He snatched the phone from Mika's hand, his wet fingers trembling as he zoomed in on the image."Does she... have a boyfriend?"Mika didn't answer the question.She looked up at him, her grip tightening slightly on the umbrella handle."Jude, why don't you date me instead?"Jude froze. Shock washed over his face, quickly followed by a thinly veiled layer of utter disgust."Mika, we're not a good fit!"He instinctively stumbled back two steps, retreating into the pouring rain.It was as if sharing an umbrella with her made him physically nauseous.Mika caught every micro-expression, a faint, self-deprecating shadow crossing her eyes.She knew exactly why he was so repulsed.After all, who would have thought that the beautiful Seraphina Sutton's absolute best friend was the most notoriously unattractive girl at Hudson University?Mika was five-foot-six but weighed over two hundred pounds. Standing next to any average girl, she looked like a walking mountain.After freshman orientation under the blazing sun, her skin had tanned to a dull, muddy brown, and her face was heavily scarred from relentless acne. Behind her back, people ruthlessly whispered that she was repulsive.In truth, her facial structure was quite balanced. If someone bothered to look closely, she wasn't actually that ugly...At least, she wasn't the ugliest girl at Hudson University.But when she had kindly helped Seraphina carry her luggage on move-in day, Seraphina had inexplicably latched onto her, declaring them best friends.With Mika acting as the ultimate tragic foil, Seraphina looked even more fragile, delicate, and breathtaking.Because of the campus sweetheart's massive popularity, Mika's reputation as the 'ugly friend' spread like wildfire, subjecting her to endless, unwarranted malice and mockery.Being propositioned by such a notoriously unattractive girl sent a shiver of revulsion down Jude's spine, but then a realization hit him.The disgust in his eyes deepened into blatant contempt. "You know I like Seraphina. How could you try to steal her guy? She treats you like her best friend!"Mika's expression remained perfectly calm. Hearing those words didn't bring a shred of shame to her face; instead, her lips curled into a mocking smirk.True, poaching a best friend's suitor sounded entirely devoid of morals.But unfortunately, after dying once, she saw things differently.To Mika, 'morals' had become the most worthless currency of all."Seraphina has no shortage of admirers. Guys who are handsome, athletic, wealthy, or capable of advancing her academic career..."She cast her gaze down at the soggy bag of food in his hand. "What makes you think you can win her over with a cold breakfast?""I..." Jude choked on his words, his face flushing with defensive anger. "Even if she doesn't pick me, it sure as hell wouldn't be you! I thought you were just hard to look at, but I didn't realize you were shameless too!""Shameless?" Mika stepped forward, locking eyes with him."We're both in the Sports Science Department. You knew I was Seraphina's best friend. You pretended to care about me, sent mixed signals, all just to use me as a stepping stone to get closer to her. Tell me, who was using who first?"Jude went dead silent.He clearly hadn't expected the usually slow-witted Mika to see right through his manipulative little game.His face burned red, and just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Mika cut him off again."Jude, how about we make a deal?"The young man froze, his gaze landing on Mika's steady, unwavering eyes.He suddenly realized her entire aura felt completely different today.The old Mika had been cripplingly insecure, too terrified to even make eye contact.Why did she suddenly feel... so intimidating?Caught off guard by her commanding presence, Jude didn't immediately reject her. Instead, he found himself asking, "What deal?""Using the title of my boyfriend, you can get much closer to Seraphina." Mika took another step toward him, leaning in slightly until her forehead almost brushed against his wet, muscular chest.A fresh scent of jasmine wafted from her, making Jude momentarily freeze.People usually assumed that heavy, unattractive girls smelled unpleasant.But Mika actually smelled incredibly good.While he was momentarily distracted, Mika smoothly slipped her phone out of his hand. She looked down, tapping the screen with an impassive expression."In return, I want you to fulfill your responsibilities as my boyfriend."Hearing the words 'boyfriend's responsibilities' gave Jude instant goosebumps. The revulsion on his face returned full force.Was this freak going to demand that he kiss her, or try something even more intimate?"I am absolutely not doing anything physical with you! Don't even dream about it!"His tone was icy and laced with the righteous anger of someone being sexually harassed.A flash of cold contempt for his stupidity crossed Mika's eyes. She shoved the phone back into his line of sight. "This is the kind of sincerity I'm talking about."Jude frowned and looked down, only to see a mobile transfer QR code glowing on the screen.Behind the phone, Mika's smile was laced with faint sarcasm."You want the inside track to the girl of your dreams? Transfer a hundred and fifty bucks right now to prove you're serious."After Jude left, Mika dragged the dripping red umbrella upstairs.She tossed the soggy bag of breakfast into the trash can at the end of the hall and pushed open the slightly ajar door to her dorm room.It was Saturday. No classes. Her roommates were all still asleep.She kicked off her white sneakers and quietly climbed up to her top bunk, slipping behind her privacy curtain. Just then, her phone buzzed with a payment notification.[Transfer Received: $150.00...]Mika's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.He actually sent it.At the exact same moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.[Received transfer from the mark (Jude Jensen) for $150.00. One breakfast, valued at $5.00. Total accumulated: $155.00. Current System Balance: $530.00. Would you like to proceed?]Mika spoke silently in her mind: 'Check Charm Stats.'[Host Mika Miller: Level *Ugly*. Charm: Four Stars. Would you like to use your balance to upgrade?]"Four-Star Ugly..." Mika lowered her eyes, soundlessly chewing on the bitter words.Her gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.It was only after dying once that Mika realized she had been living inside a cliché reverse-harem romance novel.Every mildly attractive or successful male in the entire narrative existed solely to fall at the heroine's feet.And Mika was nothing but the designated, disposable best friend.As she lay bleeding to death, her life flashing before her eyes, she had seen the entire plot unfold. The author clearly favored their darling 'daughter', Seraphina.Not only did the story feature seven main male leads violently competing for Seraphina's affection, but literally every male entity—down to the stray dogs on the street—couldn't help but wag their tails at her.And to make sure Seraphina never suffered any real hardship, the author had specifically gifted her Mika.A character labeled 'best friend' but programmed as a loyal handmaid.The author deliberately made Mika overweight, dark-skinned, and hideous to constantly highlight Seraphina's breathtaking beauty.She was designed to be kind, naive, and endlessly self-sacrificing—the perfect, convenient tool to run errands, take the blame, and take a bullet for the heroine.If a suitcase was too heavy, Mika scrambled to carry it.If someone bullied Seraphina, Mika acted as the aggressive shield.And Jude, the only boy Mika had ever loved in her past life, had only shown her that rare, luxurious kindness to use her as a bridge to Seraphina...Mika's character was written off shortly after college graduation.Seraphina had rented her own apartment but attracted a deranged stalker.Terrified and crying, Seraphina had called Mika, begging her to come over.To protect her friend, Mika had been stabbed dozens of times, collapsing in a pool of her own blood right at Seraphina's doorstep.By the time one of the male leads rushed to the scene and subdued the stalker, it was too late.Standing over Mika's violently bleeding, dying body, the man had simply pulled a sobbing Seraphina into his arms."Don't be afraid. It's not your fault.""As long as you're safe, Mika's death wasn't in vain."And Seraphina, tears streaming down her face, had looked incredibly pitiful."Mika was such a good girl. I know she'll go to heaven."Then, Seraphina dramatically fainted into the man's arms, and he carried her away heroically.Not a single person stayed behind to call an ambulance for Mika, who still had a pulse.Mika had been reborn a month ago.That day, she only had fifteen dollars left on her meal card. But when Seraphina complained of menstrual cramps, Mika hadn't hesitated to spend fourteen dollars and fifty cents on a premium warm dessert for her, using her last fifty cents to buy a plain, dry roll that she gnawed on without complaint.Halfway through the bread, she violently woke up with all the memories of her past life.Simultaneously, a bizarre, advertisement-like voice had echoed in her head.[Tired of being the ugly duckling that makes the swan look good? Sick of being the tragic doormat who gives everything and gets nothing? Tired of the world kissing you with pain while you sing it a love song?]Chapter 2Dying once was all it took for Mika Miller to realize the truth.Good girls were eventually rewarded with nothing but a pat on the back.But bad girls—They got everything.-Spring in Juniper Springs was always relentlessly rainy.Outside the women's dormitories at Hudson University.A tall, broad-shouldered young man stood in the pouring rain wearing a plain white muscle tank. He stared down at his phone, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes as the chat box remained agonizingly quiet.The rain battered his chiseled shoulders, the water trailing down his taut, muscular arms before dripping onto the plastic takeout bag of breakfast he clutched in his left hand.Up on a balcony, a girl brushing her teeth leaned over the railing, peering down with a mouth full of foam."Look, isn't that Jude Jensen from the Sports Science Department?""Is he waiting to give his crush breakfast? God, who would let a gorgeous guy like that wait out in the rain?""Ugh, getting drenched just makes him look hotter, like an abandoned puppy!"An eighteen-year-old college athlete in his prime was kryptonite to women of all ages, especially one with a flawless face and eight-pack abs.The moment Jude stepped on campus, he shot into the top three of the university's unofficial hot-guy rankings.Naturally, he had a massive reputation among the student body."Someone's going down to see him!" The girl with the toothbrush poked her head out further, hungry for gossip."Who? Who is it?""The umbrella is blocking her, I can't see..."Downstairs.Mika stepped up to the young man, holding a red umbrella.As a pair of white sneakers entered his line of sight, Jude's head snapped up.But the moment he realized it was Mika, the light in his eyes vanished, replaced by an instant, crushing disappointment.Because the person he was waiting for wasn't Mika. It was her best friend—Hudson University's reigning sweetheart, Seraphina Sutton."Is Seraphina still sleeping? I promised to bring her breakfast today, but I didn't expect it to pour..."Jude managed a polite, strained smile at Mika, though annoyance bled through his gaze. "She hasn't answered my texts. Can you tell me when she wakes up? I'll go buy her a fresh one."Mika lifted the red umbrella higher to cover his head.Behind her thick, painfully unfashionable black-rimmed glasses, her dark eyes held a glimmer of pity."You don't need to wait. She won't be eating your breakfast."Early that morning, Seraphina had been whisked away in a luxury car by her childhood friend, high-powered attorney James Sterling.Before she left, she had told Mika to just make up some random excuse to brush Jude off.Instead, Mika held up her phone.A photo of Seraphina getting into the expensive car glowed brightly on the screen right in front of Jude's face.Jude's pupils contracted. He snatched the phone from Mika's hand, his wet fingers trembling as he zoomed in on the image."Does she... have a boyfriend?"Mika didn't answer the question.She looked up at him, her grip tightening slightly on the umbrella handle."Jude, why don't you date me instead?"Jude froze. Shock washed over his face, quickly followed by a thinly veiled layer of utter disgust."Mika, we're not a good fit!"He instinctively stumbled back two steps, retreating into the pouring rain.It was as if sharing an umbrella with her made him physically nauseous.Mika caught every micro-expression, a faint, self-deprecating shadow crossing her eyes.She knew exactly why he was so repulsed.After all, who would have thought that the beautiful Seraphina Sutton's absolute best friend was the most notoriously unattractive girl at Hudson University?Mika was five-foot-six but weighed over two hundred pounds. Standing next to any average girl, she looked like a walking mountain.After freshman orientation under the blazing sun, her skin had tanned to a dull, muddy brown, and her face was heavily scarred from relentless acne. Behind her back, people ruthlessly whispered that she was repulsive.In truth, her facial structure was quite balanced. If someone bothered to look closely, she wasn't actually that ugly...At least, she wasn't the ugliest girl at Hudson University.But when she had kindly helped Seraphina carry her luggage on move-in day, Seraphina had inexplicably latched onto her, declaring them best friends.With Mika acting as the ultimate tragic foil, Seraphina looked even more fragile, delicate, and breathtaking.Because of the campus sweetheart's massive popularity, Mika's reputation as the 'ugly friend' spread like wildfire, subjecting her to endless, unwarranted malice and mockery.Being propositioned by such a notoriously unattractive girl sent a shiver of revulsion down Jude's spine, but then a realization hit him.The disgust in his eyes deepened into blatant contempt. "You know I like Seraphina. How could you try to steal her guy? She treats you like her best friend!"Mika's expression remained perfectly calm. Hearing those words didn't bring a shred of shame to her face; instead, her lips curled into a mocking smirk.True, poaching a best friend's suitor sounded entirely devoid of morals.But unfortunately, after dying once, she saw things differently.To Mika, 'morals' had become the most worthless currency of all."Seraphina has no shortage of admirers. Guys who are handsome, athletic, wealthy, or capable of advancing her academic career..."She cast her gaze down at the soggy bag of food in his hand. "What makes you think you can win her over with a cold breakfast?""I..." Jude choked on his words, his face flushing with defensive anger. "Even if she doesn't pick me, it sure as hell wouldn't be you! I thought you were just hard to look at, but I didn't realize you were shameless too!""Shameless?" Mika stepped forward, locking eyes with him."We're both in the Sports Science Department. You knew I was Seraphina's best friend. You pretended to care about me, sent mixed signals, all just to use me as a stepping stone to get closer to her. Tell me, who was using who first?"Jude went dead silent.He clearly hadn't expected the usually slow-witted Mika to see right through his manipulative little game.His face burned red, and just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Mika cut him off again."Jude, how about we make a deal?"The young man froze, his gaze landing on Mika's steady, unwavering eyes.He suddenly realized her entire aura felt completely different today.The old Mika had been cripplingly insecure, too terrified to even make eye contact.Why did she suddenly feel... so intimidating?Caught off guard by her commanding presence, Jude didn't immediately reject her. Instead, he found himself asking, "What deal?""Using the title of my boyfriend, you can get much closer to Seraphina." Mika took another step toward him, leaning in slightly until her forehead almost brushed against his wet, muscular chest.A fresh scent of jasmine wafted from her, making Jude momentarily freeze.People usually assumed that heavy, unattractive girls smelled unpleasant.But Mika actually smelled incredibly good.While he was momentarily distracted, Mika smoothly slipped her phone out of his hand. She looked down, tapping the screen with an impassive expression."In return, I want you to fulfill your responsibilities as my boyfriend."Hearing the words 'boyfriend's responsibilities' gave Jude instant goosebumps. The revulsion on his face returned full force.Was this freak going to demand that he kiss her, or try something even more intimate?"I am absolutely not doing anything physical with you! Don't even dream about it!"His tone was icy and laced with the righteous anger of someone being sexually harassed.A flash of cold contempt for his stupidity crossed Mika's eyes. She shoved the phone back into his line of sight. "This is the kind of sincerity I'm talking about."Jude frowned and looked down, only to see a mobile transfer QR code glowing on the screen.Behind the phone, Mika's smile was laced with faint sarcasm."You want the inside track to the girl of your dreams? Transfer a hundred and fifty bucks right now to prove you're serious."After Jude left, Mika dragged the dripping red umbrella upstairs.She tossed the soggy bag of breakfast into the trash can at the end of the hall and pushed open the slightly ajar door to her dorm room.It was Saturday. No classes. Her roommates were all still asleep.She kicked off her white sneakers and quietly climbed up to her top bunk, slipping behind her privacy curtain. Just then, her phone buzzed with a payment notification.[Transfer Received: $150.00...]Mika's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.He actually sent it.At the exact same moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.[Received transfer from the mark (Jude Jensen) for $150.00. One breakfast, valued at $5.00. Total accumulated: $155.00. Current System Balance: $530.00. Would you like to proceed?]Mika spoke silently in her mind: 'Check Charm Stats.'[Host Mika Miller: Level *Ugly*. Charm: Four Stars. Would you like to use your balance to upgrade?]"Four-Star Ugly..." Mika lowered her eyes, soundlessly chewing on the bitter words.Her gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.It was only after dying once that Mika realized she had been living inside a cliché reverse-harem romance novel.Every mildly attractive or successful male in the entire narrative existed solely to fall at the heroine's feet.And Mika was nothing but the designated, disposable best friend.As she lay bleeding to death, her life flashing before her eyes, she had seen the entire plot unfold. The author clearly favored their darling 'daughter', Seraphina.Not only did the story feature seven main male leads violently competing for Seraphina's affection, but literally every male entity—down to the stray dogs on the street—couldn't help but wag their tails at her.And to make sure Seraphina never suffered any real hardship, the author had specifically gifted her Mika.A character labeled 'best friend' but programmed as a loyal handmaid.The author deliberately made Mika overweight, dark-skinned, and hideous to constantly highlight Seraphina's breathtaking beauty.She was designed to be kind, naive, and endlessly self-sacrificing—the perfect, convenient tool to run errands, take the blame, and take a bullet for the heroine.If a suitcase was too heavy, Mika scrambled to carry it.If someone bullied Seraphina, Mika acted as the aggressive shield.And Jude, the only boy Mika had ever loved in her past life, had only shown her that rare, luxurious kindness to use her as a bridge to Seraphina...Mika's character was written off shortly after college graduation.Seraphina had rented her own apartment but attracted a deranged stalker.Terrified and crying, Seraphina had called Mika, begging her to come over.To protect her friend, Mika had been stabbed dozens of times, collapsing in a pool of her own blood right at Seraphina's doorstep.By the time one of the male leads rushed to the scene and subdued the stalker, it was too late.Standing over Mika's violently bleeding, dying body, the man had simply pulled a sobbing Seraphina into his arms."Don't be afraid. It's not your fault.""As long as you're safe, Mika's death wasn't in vain."And Seraphina, tears streaming down her face, had looked incredibly pitiful."Mika was such a good girl. I know she'll go to heaven."Then, Seraphina dramatically fainted into the man's arms, and he carried her away heroically.Not a single person stayed behind to call an ambulance for Mika, who still had a pulse.Mika had been reborn a month ago.That day, she only had fifteen dollars left on her meal card. But when Seraphina complained of menstrual cramps, Mika hadn't hesitated to spend fourteen dollars and fifty cents on a premium warm dessert for her, using her last fifty cents to buy a plain, dry roll that she gnawed on without complaint.Halfway through the bread, she violently woke up with all the memories of her past life.Simultaneously, a bizarre, advertisement-like voice had echoed in her head.[Tired of being the ugly duckling that makes the swan look good? Sick of being the tragic doormat who gives everything and gets nothing? Tired of the world kissing you with pain while you sing it a love song?]Chapter 3Dying once was all it took for Mika Miller to realize the truth.Good girls were eventually rewarded with nothing but a pat on the back.But bad girls—They got everything.-Spring in Juniper Springs was always relentlessly rainy.Outside the women's dormitories at Hudson University.A tall, broad-shouldered young man stood in the pouring rain wearing a plain white muscle tank. He stared down at his phone, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes as the chat box remained agonizingly quiet.The rain battered his chiseled shoulders, the water trailing down his taut, muscular arms before dripping onto the plastic takeout bag of breakfast he clutched in his left hand.Up on a balcony, a girl brushing her teeth leaned over the railing, peering down with a mouth full of foam."Look, isn't that Jude Jensen from the Sports Science Department?""Is he waiting to give his crush breakfast? God, who would let a gorgeous guy like that wait out in the rain?""Ugh, getting drenched just makes him look hotter, like an abandoned puppy!"An eighteen-year-old college athlete in his prime was kryptonite to women of all ages, especially one with a flawless face and eight-pack abs.The moment Jude stepped on campus, he shot into the top three of the university's unofficial hot-guy rankings.Naturally, he had a massive reputation among the student body."Someone's going down to see him!" The girl with the toothbrush poked her head out further, hungry for gossip."Who? Who is it?""The umbrella is blocking her, I can't see..."Downstairs.Mika stepped up to the young man, holding a red umbrella.As a pair of white sneakers entered his line of sight, Jude's head snapped up.But the moment he realized it was Mika, the light in his eyes vanished, replaced by an instant, crushing disappointment.Because the person he was waiting for wasn't Mika. It was her best friend—Hudson University's reigning sweetheart, Seraphina Sutton."Is Seraphina still sleeping? I promised to bring her breakfast today, but I didn't expect it to pour..."Jude managed a polite, strained smile at Mika, though annoyance bled through his gaze. "She hasn't answered my texts. Can you tell me when she wakes up? I'll go buy her a fresh one."Mika lifted the red umbrella higher to cover his head.Behind her thick, painfully unfashionable black-rimmed glasses, her dark eyes held a glimmer of pity."You don't need to wait. She won't be eating your breakfast."Early that morning, Seraphina had been whisked away in a luxury car by her childhood friend, high-powered attorney James Sterling.Before she left, she had told Mika to just make up some random excuse to brush Jude off.Instead, Mika held up her phone.A photo of Seraphina getting into the expensive car glowed brightly on the screen right in front of Jude's face.Jude's pupils contracted. He snatched the phone from Mika's hand, his wet fingers trembling as he zoomed in on the image."Does she... have a boyfriend?"Mika didn't answer the question.She looked up at him, her grip tightening slightly on the umbrella handle."Jude, why don't you date me instead?"Jude froze. Shock washed over his face, quickly followed by a thinly veiled layer of utter disgust."Mika, we're not a good fit!"He instinctively stumbled back two steps, retreating into the pouring rain.It was as if sharing an umbrella with her made him physically nauseous.Mika caught every micro-expression, a faint, self-deprecating shadow crossing her eyes.She knew exactly why he was so repulsed.After all, who would have thought that the beautiful Seraphina Sutton's absolute best friend was the most notoriously unattractive girl at Hudson University?Mika was five-foot-six but weighed over two hundred pounds. Standing next to any average girl, she looked like a walking mountain.After freshman orientation under the blazing sun, her skin had tanned to a dull, muddy brown, and her face was heavily scarred from relentless acne. Behind her back, people ruthlessly whispered that she was repulsive.In truth, her facial structure was quite balanced. If someone bothered to look closely, she wasn't actually that ugly...At least, she wasn't the ugliest girl at Hudson University.But when she had kindly helped Seraphina carry her luggage on move-in day, Seraphina had inexplicably latched onto her, declaring them best friends.With Mika acting as the ultimate tragic foil, Seraphina looked even more fragile, delicate, and breathtaking.Because of the campus sweetheart's massive popularity, Mika's reputation as the 'ugly friend' spread like wildfire, subjecting her to endless, unwarranted malice and mockery.Being propositioned by such a notoriously unattractive girl sent a shiver of revulsion down Jude's spine, but then a realization hit him.The disgust in his eyes deepened into blatant contempt. "You know I like Seraphina. How could you try to steal her guy? She treats you like her best friend!"Mika's expression remained perfectly calm. Hearing those words didn't bring a shred of shame to her face; instead, her lips curled into a mocking smirk.True, poaching a best friend's suitor sounded entirely devoid of morals.But unfortunately, after dying once, she saw things differently.To Mika, 'morals' had become the most worthless currency of all."Seraphina has no shortage of admirers. Guys who are handsome, athletic, wealthy, or capable of advancing her academic career..."She cast her gaze down at the soggy bag of food in his hand. "What makes you think you can win her over with a cold breakfast?""I..." Jude choked on his words, his face flushing with defensive anger. "Even if she doesn't pick me, it sure as hell wouldn't be you! I thought you were just hard to look at, but I didn't realize you were shameless too!""Shameless?" Mika stepped forward, locking eyes with him."We're both in the Sports Science Department. You knew I was Seraphina's best friend. You pretended to care about me, sent mixed signals, all just to use me as a stepping stone to get closer to her. Tell me, who was using who first?"Jude went dead silent.He clearly hadn't expected the usually slow-witted Mika to see right through his manipulative little game.His face burned red, and just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Mika cut him off again."Jude, how about we make a deal?"The young man froze, his gaze landing on Mika's steady, unwavering eyes.He suddenly realized her entire aura felt completely different today.The old Mika had been cripplingly insecure, too terrified to even make eye contact.Why did she suddenly feel... so intimidating?Caught off guard by her commanding presence, Jude didn't immediately reject her. Instead, he found himself asking, "What deal?""Using the title of my boyfriend, you can get much closer to Seraphina." Mika took another step toward him, leaning in slightly until her forehead almost brushed against his wet, muscular chest.A fresh scent of jasmine wafted from her, making Jude momentarily freeze.People usually assumed that heavy, unattractive girls smelled unpleasant.But Mika actually smelled incredibly good.While he was momentarily distracted, Mika smoothly slipped her phone out of his hand. She looked down, tapping the screen with an impassive expression."In return, I want you to fulfill your responsibilities as my boyfriend."Hearing the words 'boyfriend's responsibilities' gave Jude instant goosebumps. The revulsion on his face returned full force.Was this freak going to demand that he kiss her, or try something even more intimate?"I am absolutely not doing anything physical with you! Don't even dream about it!"His tone was icy and laced with the righteous anger of someone being sexually harassed.A flash of cold contempt for his stupidity crossed Mika's eyes. She shoved the phone back into his line of sight. "This is the kind of sincerity I'm talking about."Jude frowned and looked down, only to see a mobile transfer QR code glowing on the screen.Behind the phone, Mika's smile was laced with faint sarcasm."You want the inside track to the girl of your dreams? Transfer a hundred and fifty bucks right now to prove you're serious."After Jude left, Mika dragged the dripping red umbrella upstairs.She tossed the soggy bag of breakfast into the trash can at the end of the hall and pushed open the slightly ajar door to her dorm room.It was Saturday. No classes. Her roommates were all still asleep.She kicked off her white sneakers and quietly climbed up to her top bunk, slipping behind her privacy curtain. Just then, her phone buzzed with a payment notification.[Transfer Received: $150.00...]Mika's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.He actually sent it.At the exact same moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.[Received transfer from the mark (Jude Jensen) for $150.00. One breakfast, valued at $5.00. Total accumulated: $155.00. Current System Balance: $530.00. Would you like to proceed?]Mika spoke silently in her mind: 'Check Charm Stats.'[Host Mika Miller: Level *Ugly*. Charm: Four Stars. Would you like to use your balance to upgrade?]"Four-Star Ugly..." Mika lowered her eyes, soundlessly chewing on the bitter words.Her gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.It was only after dying once that Mika realized she had been living inside a cliché reverse-harem romance novel.Every mildly attractive or successful male in the entire narrative existed solely to fall at the heroine's feet.And Mika was nothing but the designated, disposable best friend.As she lay bleeding to death, her life flashing before her eyes, she had seen the entire plot unfold. The author clearly favored their darling 'daughter', Seraphina.Not only did the story feature seven main male leads violently competing for Seraphina's affection, but literally every male entity—down to the stray dogs on the street—couldn't help but wag their tails at her.And to make sure Seraphina never suffered any real hardship, the author had specifically gifted her Mika.A character labeled 'best friend' but programmed as a loyal handmaid.The author deliberately made Mika overweight, dark-skinned, and hideous to constantly highlight Seraphina's breathtaking beauty.She was designed to be kind, naive, and endlessly self-sacrificing—the perfect, convenient tool to run errands, take the blame, and take a bullet for the heroine.If a suitcase was too heavy, Mika scrambled to carry it.If someone bullied Seraphina, Mika acted as the aggressive shield.And Jude, the only boy Mika had ever loved in her past life, had only shown her that rare, luxurious kindness to use her as a bridge to Seraphina...Mika's character was written off shortly after college graduation.Seraphina had rented her own apartment but attracted a deranged stalker.Terrified and crying, Seraphina had called Mika, begging her to come over.To protect her friend, Mika had been stabbed dozens of times, collapsing in a pool of her own blood right at Seraphina's doorstep.By the time one of the male leads rushed to the scene and subdued the stalker, it was too late.Standing over Mika's violently bleeding, dying body, the man had simply pulled a sobbing Seraphina into his arms."Don't be afraid. It's not your fault.""As long as you're safe, Mika's death wasn't in vain."And Seraphina, tears streaming down her face, had looked incredibly pitiful."Mika was such a good girl. I know she'll go to heaven."Then, Seraphina dramatically fainted into the man's arms, and he carried her away heroically.Not a single person stayed behind to call an ambulance for Mika, who still had a pulse.Mika had been reborn a month ago.That day, she only had fifteen dollars left on her meal card. But when Seraphina complained of menstrual cramps, Mika hadn't hesitated to spend fourteen dollars and fifty cents on a premium warm dessert for her, using her last fifty cents to buy a plain, dry roll that she gnawed on without complaint.Halfway through the bread, she violently woke up with all the memories of her past life.Simultaneously, a bizarre, advertisement-like voice had echoed in her head.[Tired of being the ugly duckling that makes the swan look good? Sick of being the tragic doormat who gives everything and gets nothing? Tired of the world kissing you with pain while you sing it a love song?]