1: Chapter 1: What's it like to transform into a beautiful girl?

"Front-row disclaimer: The author is a pure amateur; everyone just read for fun. If there are any mistakes or omissions, feel free to point them out, and the author promises to fix them as soon as they're seen! Thanks for the support!"

Blue Star, Huaxia, Magic City.

Inside the bathroom of an apartment room.

Jiang Yuan stared at the mirror in a daze. Even now, he couldn't quite believe that the person in the mirror... was really himself?

The girl in the mirror was exceptionally beautiful, with skin so cold-white it almost glowed, looking as if it were wrapped in a soft light under the bathroom's cool-toned lamps.

Her features were as exquisite as a painting, without a single flaw. The corners of her eyes drooped slightly, and her lips were a pale cherry pink, carrying a natural sense of innocence.

No matter who was stared at by such a pair of beautiful eyes, even if they hadn't done anything wrong or felt guilty, they would probably subconsciously wonder if the problem lay with themselves first.

Countless girls would look at this face and offer their most sincere sentiment—I really want to live once with this face, even if it's only for an hour.

But when the owner of this face was, until an hour ago, an ordinary young man on Earth who was as straight as a straight man could be...

Then no matter who it was, they would likely be like Jiang Yuan, staring into the mirror for several minutes before finally uttering the aforementioned soul-searching question.

As a lead game designer on Earth for seven years, Jiang Yuan had once worked himself bald leading a team to create a minor hit, and had even slammed tables and argued with capital investors.

In the final years of his career...

He and his team spent a full twenty-six months of grueling work to finally create a buy-to-play game driven purely by gameplay.

Yet, just before the game went live, the publisher and investors forced him to add a top-up portal. This caused the game to redefine "single-player" and "buy-to-play," turning it into an industry laughingstock. Countless players "affectionately" used him as the center of a radius to revoke the names of every relative he had.

Although he was momentarily famous on various online platforms during that time, becoming a well-known "star" producer in the gaming circle...

But in the gaming industry, being infamous alone isn't enough to save you.

Ultimately, the game flopped on its first day. The team disbanded, and at the farewell dinner, he drank until he was in tears and dead drunk.

His last thought before closing his eyes was: If I could do it over, I would definitely make a pure game that isn't held hostage by anyone, one that only brings joy to players.

But when he opened his eyes again...

He didn't exactly start over; instead, he had come to a world basically identical to Earth, save for a few discrepancies in the details.

He had also coincidentally bid farewell to his bros and become a fresh graduate majoring in Digital Media who had just finished school not long ago.

According to the memories received in his head, his current name was Jiang Yuan, only twenty-one years old. Her parents had passed away in a car accident during her senior year of high school, leaving her an old house and over a hundred thousand in savings.

In the few months since graduating from university, she had sent resumes to several game companies, but they had all ended up sinking into the sea without a trace.

Regarding this...

Her predecessor hadn't been discouraged. Instead, with a wave of her hand, she planned to start her own business. Based on her rich experience of playing games for many years, she intended to get her hands dirty by making a relatively simple game to prove her ability!

In a sense...

The predecessor's starting point was already bizarre enough.

As for the final result, after pulling several consecutive all-nighters, her vision went dark one early morning and she fainted.

When this body opened its eyes again, the soul inside had quietly changed to the person currently staring at themselves in the mirror.

The figure was slender and thin, lean and petite. Standing there, it looked as though a gust of wind could blow her over, making anyone who saw her feel a sense of protectiveness.

With this kind of physical constitution, she treated all-nighters as a daily routine? What a joke!

Jiang Yuan curled her lips and said helplessly:

"Fine, since I'm already here, at least I'm over a decade younger. It's not a loss. It's just a pity for my 'big dragon'; there will be no place for it to show its prowess in the future."

Returning to the room...

The computer the predecessor used for work was still on. Jiang Yuan walked over to take a closer look and immediately furrowed her beautiful brows, feeling that her vision had been significantly insulted.

The predecessor's drawing skills were actually quite good; the things she drew were commendable and at least passable.

But the other settings regarding stats, level design, and game background were a total mess, created entirely based on feeling.

If the Jiang Yuan of his previous life became a laughingstock and briefly famous for redefining buy-to-play games...

Then the game the predecessor was preparing to make...

Would likely fail to cause even a ripple after its release, dying quietly in an unnoticed corner like a stray dog no one cared about, with not even a person coming by to give it a kick.

But that made sense.

If the predecessor really had talent in this area...

She wouldn't have sent out several resumes over several months only to have them all vanish without a word.

Just as Jiang Yuan was lost in thought...

A knock on the door suddenly sounded, interrupting her train of thought.

Following that, a slightly sweet voice called out boisterously through the door:

"Xiao Yuan, are you awake? I brought you food—your favorite Sauce-glazed meat buns and Sweet soy milk! Open up, open up!"

Jiang Yuan frowned and searched her memory, quickly identifying the visitor.

The person outside was Lin Xi, both the predecessor's university classmate and the neighbor across the hall after graduation. They were from the same school but different years. Since graduation, she had rented a room in the apartment opposite and worked as a game streamer.

The other party's personality was overly enthusiastic. Although the predecessor's nature was somewhat cold and socially anxious, Lin Xi had become a good friend through meticulous care and concern.

Jiang Yuan went over and opened the door.

Outside, Lin Xi had her hair in a high ponytail. The stray hairs on her forehead were slightly damp with sweat from exercise, and she was carrying steaming buns and soy milk.

Seeing her, Lin Xi first gave a bright smile, then furrowed her brows and asked with some concern:

"Are you okay, Xiao Yuan? Why is your face so pale? And your eyes are swollen? You didn't pull another all-nighter for that game of yours, did you? Didn't we agree not to rush! Do you not care about your own body anymore?"

Jiang Yuan was pulled by Lin Xi to sit on the living room sofa, and a bag of piping hot Sauce-glazed meat buns was stuffed into her hands.

"Eat first, I'll go heat up the soy milk for you."

Lin Xi grumbled as she walked toward the kitchen:

"I'm telling you, if you want to make a game, just make it. Why pull all-nighters? Do you think you're one of those 'program apes' in the big companies who can get a high salary by working themselves bald? You haven't even made a start yet, and you're already ruining your health. When the time comes, you won't even have the strength to send out a resume..."

Jiang Yuan took a bite of a bun. The sauce flavor was rich, the meat filling was solid, and the taste was excellent.

She watched Lin Xi rummaging through the small kitchen for a cup, her movements as familiar as if she were in her own home.

In her memory, this neighbor sister from across the hall indeed visited often, always bringing food with various excuses: "I bought too much and can't finish it," "The shop sent the wrong order and I don't want spicy," "I learned a new dish, help me taste it."

The predecessor had a cold personality and was not good with words, but Jiang Yuan could feel that this boisterous girl was truly taking care of her.