Jowed used the quick-effect whitening lotion for three days, and she already felt that what the instructions said was not true. It didn't take a full week. In just three days, the scar on the top of her foot had already faded so much that it was almost invisible. If she didn't already know there used to be a scar there, she would not believe such an ugly scar had ever existed.
Still, she followed the instructions and planned to continue applying the lotion for seven days.
After seeing the amazing results on her foot, she couldn't wait to try it on her face.
Her skin was already very good, but it still had some small flaws. Besides that scar, there were a few tiny freckles. Because the lotion had a whitening effect, she applied it evenly all over her face like a toner.
The bottle was quite big, about 300 milliliters. Even if she used it on her whole face, she wouldn't even use one tenth of it in seven days.
After putting it on, her face started to itch a little, just like what happened with her foot. But since she had already tried it before, she knew this was normal and didn't worry.
After applying the lotion, she tore off the label from the bottle. The things written on the label were too strange. If someone else saw it, it would be hard to explain.
At that moment, the door to the dorm opened from the outside. Someone came in.
Jowed had locked the door earlier. Only someone with a key could open it from the outside. She didn't need to guess. It had to be one of her roommates.
She looked toward the door and saw it was Liezel. She still had a few things left behind and was probably back to pick them up.
The moment Jowed saw her, she immediately felt disgusted.
The scar on her face was because of this person.
Liezel was the most fake person Jowed had ever met. Not because she was good at acting in class, but because she was extremely good at pretending in real life. Her real-life acting was even better than her performance on stage.
When they first started university, Liezel quickly made everyone believe she was kind, gentle, and helpful. Even Jowed believed it and thought she was a good friend.
During the second half of their first year, Liezel suggested Jowed go to a beauty clinic to remove a mole. It was a small and cheap procedure, only one hundred yuan. Liezel even said she had done it before starting university and said it worked perfectly. She even showed Jowed a photo of herself with a mole on her face, saying she had it removed at that same place.
Jowed was moved by this.
Her skin was naturally good, and the mole was small. Normally, she could cover it with BB cream. But every time she did makeup, she had to use concealer for the mole and apply more powder afterward. If she didn't have that mole, putting on makeup would be much easier.
A hundred yuan was about the same price as a tube of concealer.
Because she trusted Liezel, she didn't check the clinic's background or qualifications. She just went and did the procedure.
But the result made her regret it deeply. The mole was gone, but it left a big scar. When she tried to complain to the clinic, it was already closed down. She heard later that many people had filed complaints, and because the clinic didn't have the legal license to do the procedures, it was shut down by the authorities.
After it happened, Liezel acted very sad and said it worked well for her. She kept apologizing. Jowed thought she didn't do it on purpose and that she had good intentions, so she forgave her.
Later, the clinic owner was legally punished and had to pay back money to the victims. But because there were so many of them, the owner gave all he had, and each person only got a little bit.
When Jowed went to collect her money, she met a classmate named Jonacel. Jonacel had also done a mole removal at the same place and had a scar too, but it was on her arm. That's why Jowed never noticed before.
After talking with Jonacel, Jowed finally understood what had really happened.
Jonacel had gone to that clinic long before Jowed. After the scar appeared on her arm, she had casually told Liezel about it. Liezel even asked about the clinic's name at that time.
This meant Liezel already knew the clinic had problems. But she still convinced Jowed to go. The photo she showed of herself with a mole was probably fake.
She clearly wanted to ruin Jowed's face.
Jowed later confronted Liezel, but she denied everything and said she didn't know. She even claimed Jonacel was lying.
Jowed couldn't do anything about it. Even if she reported her, there was no proof that Liezel was behind it. After that, Jowed treated her coldly. They still lived in the same dorm, but barely spoke.
The reason Liezel hurt her was easy to guess. When they first entered university, Jowed was considered the most beautiful girl in class. Some even said she could be the school beauty. Liezel was also pretty, but she was always second. She was jealous.
Jowed's attitude didn't change at all when Liezel entered the room. She completely ignored her.
Liezel smiled and came closer. "Jowed, we're almost graduating. You still won't forgive me? I really didn't know anything back then. Don't be so petty, okay? Let's be friends again."
Jowed didn't look at her. She replied calmly, "No."
Liezel didn't care. She was still smiling. "Alright. No matter what, I will always see you as my best friend."
That sentence made Jowed uncomfortable. It made her look like the one being mean and petty, while Liezel acted like she was the kind and generous one who forgave everything.
There were only the two of them here. Who was she pretending for?
Liezel said, "Jowed, I brought Mark to help me move my things. Is that okay with you? I already let him in."
Jowed now understood who this show was for.
During graduation, most girls had too many things to carry, and it was hard to move everything alone. So the dorm manager allowed boys to come in and help, but they had to leave right after and couldn't stay long.
Mark, Liezel's boyfriend, was known as the most handsome guy in class. In their first year, he had chased Jowed very hard, but she ignored him. Later, after Jowed got a scar on her face, Mark gave up and started dating Liezel instead.
Thinking about it now, Jowed realized that Liezel probably set her up partly because of Mark.
Mark walked into the dorm looking a little awkward. It was his first time entering a girls' dorm.
"Uh… Jowed, you haven't moved out yet? They won't let anyone stay here next month," Mark said, trying to make conversation.
Even though Jowed didn't like Mark, he had never done anything to her directly. Since they were classmates, she replied, "I'm planning to look for a place in the next few days."
"Oh… if you can't carry everything by yourself, I can help," Mark said politely.
Jowed knew he didn't mean it seriously. She didn't expect him to actually come help her.
"No need," she said, shaking her head a little. "I don't have much stuff."
She always lived simply and didn't buy things she didn't need. After four years, she really didn't have much. While other girls had big bags and boxes, her things could fit in two woven bags.
Liezel suddenly said, "Oh, right. I almost forgot."
She pulled out a paper from her bag and handed it to Jowed.
"Jowed, this is an invitation to audition for the new drama 'Food Street.' It wasn't easy to get. You've heard of it, right? I worked hard to get three invitations. How about the three of us go together? The audition is at the end of this month. Are you free?"
Of course Jowed had heard of 'Food Street.' Not only actors like her, but even regular people online knew about it. It was based on a popular story that had made huge sales before. The production company was strong, and even during the casting stage, it had already gotten a lot of attention. People online were guessing who would play the lead roles, and many celebrities were mentioned.
For a drama like this, not everyone could audition. You needed an invitation from the production team.
Jowed knew what Liezel was thinking. With a scar on her face, Liezel believed there was no way Jowed could pass the audition. Giving her this invitation was just to embarrass her. If Jowed got upset, Liezel could act innocent in front of Mark and pretend she was just trying to be nice.
Jowed had seen this kind of trick many times.
"Thank you." Jowed suddenly reached out and took the invitation. "I'll be there on time."
Liezel looked surprised. She didn't expect Jowed to accept it or say she would go. But she quickly smiled and said, "Then see you there. I hope you pass the audition."
Mark carried Liezel's luggage downstairs, and the two of them left.
Jowed looked at the invitation in her hand. A small smile appeared on her lips.
This was a great opportunity. Even though she wasn't famous enough to get a lead role, if she could get a good supporting role, it would still bring her a lot of attention. Liezel was right about one thing. The invitation was hard to get. If Jowed tried on her own, she probably couldn't get one.
There was still more than a week before the audition. With the healing water she had, she believed her scar would be gone by then.
Liezel had no idea how stupid her move was.
She really needed to find a place to stay.
Jowed had searched for rental information a few times before, but nothing felt right. The main problem was the cost. It was too expensive.
B City had one of the highest housing prices in the country. Rent was also high. Jowed couldn't afford to rent a whole apartment alone. She could only look for a single room. That meant she had to share the apartment with someone else.
She hoped her roommate would be a girl. Preferably someone single who wouldn't bring her boyfriend over often. Jowed didn't want a man staying in the apartment. It made her feel uncomfortable.
But it was hard to find someone like that. She spent the whole morning searching online and still didn't find anything good.
She asked her classmates in the group chat. One of them suggested using a rental agent. Agents were more professional, and even though they charged a fee, it wasn't too expensive.
Jowed thought this idea was good. She found an agency with good reviews online and planned to take the subway there to ask about available places.
When she got to the station, she felt thirsty and bought a bottle of water.
There were a lot of people at the station. She was near the front of the line. When she entered the train, she saw an empty seat and quickly sat down. She looked around. There wasn't anyone who needed the seat more, so she felt fine staying there.
"You can sit here," said a girl next to her.
Jowed turned to the girl and felt a little embarrassed. She really hadn't seen anyone else who needed a seat...
Then she saw who the girl was offering the seat to, and she rolled her eyes.
The girl was giving the seat to a young man.
The only reason was that the man was very good-looking.
There were many handsome guys in Jowed's acting program, but she could tell. If this man were in her class, he would easily beat all the other boys.