"This is the key to your hotel room. I'll go get the rest of your bags from the car. Be right back."
My personal assistant pressed the card into my hand before hurrying off down the hallway.
I let out a long sigh.
Every inch of my body ached. My head felt heavy. Even lifting my feet toward the room door felt like wading through water. As soon as I got inside, I tossed my handbag onto the bed and collapsed beside it, not even caring to change.
Just five minutes of rest. That was all I wanted.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, tapping my best friend's name.
The line connected after two rings.
"Hello? Long-jie? You finally finished filming, right? How was—"
My vision swayed.
"Huh…?" I blinked, trying to focus on the ceiling. The room seemed to tilt. A strange buzzing filled my ears, drowning out her voice.
Warmth drained from my body.
My fingers loosened around the phone.
"Su Long? Hello? Long-jie? Are you there?"
Her voice sounded distant. Echoing. As if she were shouting from the other end of a tunnel.
My chest tightened. Breathing suddenly felt difficult. My knees buckled as I slid off the bed and hit the floor.
I tried to answer.
But no sound came out.
Darkness seeped in from every direction, swallowing the room, swallowing the phone screen, swallowing even my thoughts.
The last thing I heard was my best friend's panicked voice calling my name..
"Su Long?! Hello? Su Long!"
...and then everything went completely dark.
Was this really how it felt like to die?
That was my last thought before everything disappeared.
When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer lying on a hotel room floor. Instead, I found myself in a huge hall, bright with lantern light and decorated with carved pillars and silk curtains.
People sat in rows on either side of me, their faces stern and unfamiliar. They were all dressed in traditional clothing the kind worn in historical dramas.
And then I realized something even stranger.
I was kneeling.
Right in the center of the room.
My knees pressed against a cold stone floor, my hands resting stiffly in my lap. A heavy embroidered sleeve slid down my arm when I moved, and that was when I noticed I was also wearing a hanfu.
Before I could make sense of anything, a woman in her forties stood up and pointed at me with a shaking hand.
"How could you lock the children in the kitchen? They almost burned to death. Are you truly this cruel?"
Her tone was full of anger and disbelief.
Another woman, this one elderly, with grey hair and sharp eyes turned toward the man seated to my left.
"Fu Sheng, look carefully at the wife you chose. She is heartless."
I followed her gaze.
Sitting beside me was a man dressed in dark robes, handsome yet cold. His expression gave away nothing, but his eyes were fixed on me with clear disapproval.
My heart trembled.
Fu sheng? That name sounded familiar.
"Where the hell am I?" I shouted, capturing the attention of everyone present.
"What's wrong with her now?" Bai Ming frowned"What's wrong with her now?" Bai Ming frowned
Before I could say anything else.. a maid came running into the hall.. terror written all over her face.
"Young masters, Grandma Fu.. Grandpa Fu.. Old madame.. T-t-the imperial guards are present and the second prince is here.. he says he has a decree for the Fu family.".
Immediately, a wave of unease swept through the room.
Everyone exchanged anxious glances.
"The Second Prince?" Master Fu whispered. "Why would he personally come?"
"This can't be good news…" His brother Fu Tian added.
Grandma Fu slowly rose to her feet. Despite her age, her posture was straight and her expression dignified.
She looked toward the two men seated near the front, the stern man in dark robes, Fu Sheng, and another middle-aged man beside him who resembled him slightly.
"Fu Heng, Fu Sheng" she said calmly, though her voice carried tension beneath the surface. "You and your wives will go out and meet the prince. We must learn why he has come."
Everyone obeyed immediately.
Chairs scraped gently across the floor as the family members stood and began to file out of the hall. Before leaving, Grandma Fu paused and turned back toward me.
"As for you, Su Long," she said coldly, her eyes sharp, "we are not finished. This matter will be dealt with once we return."
Her words lingered in the air like a warning before she finally turned away.
Fu Sheng stood as well. His movements were controlled and measured, but as he passed me, his gaze flickered briefly in my direction. It was cold as he then walked on without a word.
One by one, the others followed until the once-crowded hall was nearly empty.
Silence replaced the noise.
I remained kneeling there alone.
Only then did the full weight of everything hit me.
This wasn't a dream. This wasn't an illusion. Somehow impossibly I had entered the world of the film I acted in. And not as the heroine, but as Su Long, the villainous wife destined for ruin.
"How…?" I whispered to myself.
How did I transmigrate into a movie?
Just as these thought rang in my head, just then, The entire room turned dark and I panicked.
I'm I dieing again!?
[ Hehe… don't panic, Host. You're not dying. ]
A childish voice sounded out of no where as I stood up slowly, fear slightly gripping me..
I curved my hands in a fist, ready to protect myself from wherever said that. But to my surprise, surrounding me was a bunch of growing screen.
All around me before they stationed in front of me.
[ Initializing system interface… please wait. ]
A soft chime sounded as lines of glowing text appeared.
[ Configuration in progress — 40%… ]
[ 70%… 96%… 100%. ]
[ Configuration complete. Welcome, Host. ]
[ Would you like to bind with the system?
( Yes ) ( No ) ]
[ Please make your selection within 10 seconds. ]
"Huh? S-selection.. w-w-what!? " I panicked staring at the two options in front of me... The only working brain cell told me to tap on 'no' but the adrenaline in me kept screaming 'yes' 'yes'
Maybe I've been an actress for way to long because now I felt like I was in an important scene of a plot.
Closing my eyes, I tapped on the (Yes) button, expecting something strange to happen.
[ Binding confirmed. ]
[ Congratulations, Host. You have successfully awakened:
~Infinite Space System ~]
"The what now?"