【Food is priority, cheesy reality dating is secondary. The female protagonist is career-driven; men will only slow down her eating speed.】
【The female protagonist's inner monologue will be more frequent in the early stages, and appropriately adjusted later. If the noise hurts your eyes, I'll kneel down for everyone in advance.】
【To all the Yifeis and Yanzus out there, please deposit your brains here!】
It felt as if her consciousness had sunk into the freezing ocean floor.
All around was boundless darkness, and a suffocating grip tightened around her throat.
Her body no longer seemed to belong to her—it felt both weightless and leaden.
Ning Meng remembered she was still revising the Nth version of the proposal.
The glare of the computer screen made her eyes ache fiercely.
The spicy hotpot she had ordered for delivery was completely cold and congealed into a mush.
It seemed she had simply slumped over her desk for a quick nap.
How was it that... she couldn't move?
A sharp pain lanced through her chest, followed by a sudden, hollow stillness.
I'm done for.
This was Ning Meng's final thought.
After continuous late nights of overtime, the 996 blessing had ultimately sent her to the Western Paradise.
Had she known, she shouldn't have skimped on those dozen or so yuan yesterday and ordered a decent delivery instead.
At least she could have died a well-fed ghost...
Just at the moment when her consciousness was about to completely dissipate.
A cold, emotionless robotic voice rang out abruptly.
[Beep—detected a near-death life form. Spiritual power meets the standard.]
[Gourmet Life-Extension System binding...]
[Binding successful!]
[Host: Ning Meng.]
[Initial life countdown: 72 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.]
[Warning: When the life countdown reaches zero, the host will die completely.]
[Please consume gourmet food as soon as possible to extend your lifespan.]
What is this?
A system? Life extension?
Ning Meng's consciousness was yanked forcibly back by this sudden voice.
She snapped her eyes open.
The dazzling light made her narrow her eyes in discomfort.
An unfamiliar ceiling—not her rented apartment that cost three thousand a month.
The air was thick with a mixed scent of cheap perfume and dust.
She moved her fingers: stiff, but she could indeed move them.
Propants of strength pushed her into a sitting position, and she looked around.
This was a cramped, cluttered room.
A few conspicuously outdated celebrity posters were pasted on the walls.
A few suitcases were piled in the corner, one of them still standing open.
Clothes and miscellaneous items were stuffed inside in a messy heap.
Where is this?
Shouldn't she be... dead?
[Current life countdown: 71 hours, 58 minutes, 32 seconds.]
The robotic voice rang out in her mind once more, accompanied by a visual effect.
A bright red, constantly ticking countdown number floated in the upper right corner of her field of vision.
It felt like a status bar in a video game.
Not a hallucination!
Ning Meng's heart hammered wildly—not out of excitement, but out of fear.
Three days? She only had three days left to live?!
What kind of garbage system is this? She got bound to it only to still be on the verge of death?
It's pure scamming!
Right at that moment, a flood of memories that didn't belong to her rushed into her mind.
Her head felt like it was splitting open.
Countless fragments of imagery flashed past.
This body was also named Ning Meng, twenty-two years old.
She was a total nobody, an 18th-tier transparent background extra in the entertainment industry.
Weak in personality, lacking in professional competence, and repeatedly failing auditions.
Her only "highlight" moment was probably when some gossip blog singled her out.
They placed her alongside a currently popular rising star to serve as a "low-end" foil.
She had been mocked for three days and three nights.
And now, by some stroke of sheer dumb luck, this original owner.
Had been packed up by her agent and shoved into a currently trending romance variety show.
Called Heart Signal Cabin.
To go as... a substitute guest.
Rumor had it that the original guest had run into a last-minute issue.
The production team was scrambling to find someone cheap, willing to work, and preferably with a bit of controversy to act as furniture.
The original owner had been selected just like that.
She was scheduled to join the cast tomorrow.
The memory download was complete.
Ning Meng clutched her forehead, feeling even more hopeless.
Transmigrating into a washed-up Z-lister, flat broke.
And coming pre-packaged with a 72-hour death countdown.
What kind of hellish starting scenario was this?
[Current life countdown: 71 hours, 55 minutes, 18 seconds.]
The cold digits continued to tick down like a death warrant.
No, she couldn't just die like this!
She hadn't eaten enough yet!
Before transmigrating, she had no money for good food and could only drool over food videos every day.
Now she had a chance to live again, even if it was only for three days...
No! She wanted to live!
Didn't the system say so? Eating gourmet food could extend her life!
Eat! She had to find something to eat immediately!
A fierce desire to survive filled her with instant momentum.
She scrambled out of bed, and the moment her feet touched the floor, a wave of intense dizziness washed over her.
Her body was far too weak.
In her memories, the original owner had been dieting to look good on camera.
She subsisted on nothing but boiled greens every day, dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.
Coupled with the impending reality show appearance, her nerves were frayed with tension and anxiety.
Her entire physical state was in abysmal shape.
Ning Meng steadied herself against the edge of the bed to catch her breath.
No, the weaker she felt, the more she needed to eat.
She began rummaging around the room.
On the table, there was only half a bottle of mineral water and a few promotional flyers.
The drawer was empty.
Aside from a few cheap garments, the wardrobe held nothing at all.
The original owner was genuinely broke.
Even poorer than she, a corporate slave before her transmigration.
At least before she worked herself to death, there had been half a tub of ice cream left in her fridge.
[Current life countdown: 71 hours, 50 minutes, 0 seconds.]
Time was slipping away second by second.
Ning Meng's heart sank lower and lower.
Her gaze landed on the suitcase in the corner.
Right, she was heading to a variety show tomorrow—she must have packed her luggage, right?
She lunged over and yanked open the open suitcase.
It was stuffed with clothes, cosmetics, and some daily necessities.
Impatiently, she tossed things out one by one.
Nothing to eat.
The other suitcase was locked.
Ning Meng panicked. What time was it, and she was still locking things?
She tried to pry the latch open—to no avail.
Find the key? Who knew where the original owner had stashed it.
She spotted a small iron hammer near the table leg, probably used by the original owner for driving nails.
Caring about nothing else now, she picked up the hammer and smashed it down hard against the lock!
With a sharp clang, the lock snapped open.
Ning Meng quickly flung the trunk open.
Inside were some heavier clothes and a small snack bag.
Finally found it!
She grabbed the snack bag eagerly, feeling as though she had caught hold of a straw to save her life.
However, when she saw what was inside the bag, her heart turned half cold.
A few packets of instant coffee, two blocks of compressed biscuits.
And... a ham sausage with slightly crumpled packaging.
Checking the production date, hmm, it was going to expire in two days.
Just this?
Did the original owner plan to survive the romance show on these?
Or had she never considered the matter of "eating" at all?
[Current life countdown: 71 hours, 48 minutes, 11 seconds.]
No time to hesitate.
Even a mosquito's leg is meat!
Ning Meng tore open the packaging of the ham sausage.
A smell combining less-than-fresh starch and cheap artificial flavoring drifted out.
It was rather pungent.
She frowned, but faced with searing hunger and the threat of death.
This minor discomfort was nothing.
She opened her mouth and took a ferocious bite.
The texture... very floury.
The starch content definitely exceeded the limit.
The taste of meat was practically untraceable.
There was only an industrial salty flavor and a hint of a suspicious sweetness.
Disgusting.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't even deign to glance at this kind of ham sausage.
But now, she wolfed it down ravenously, swallowing the entire sausage in just a few bites.
With a little something sitting in her stomach, the dizziness lessened slightly.
She waited nervously.
System, give me a hint already!
How long can this ham sausage extend my life?
One minute? Two minutes?
[Beep!]
The system prompt finally rang out.
[Consumed ordinary processed food: 'Ham Sausage'.]
[Quality: Inferior.]
[Craftsmanship: Simple.]
[Overall evaluation: Grade too low.]
[Lifespan increased by: 5 minutes.]
Ning Meng stared at the prompt popping up in her mind, stunned.
Fi... five minutes?
She had gone through so much trouble, smashed a lock, and eaten something this foul-tasting.
And it only bought her five minutes of life?
Are you kidding me?!
What is this amount of time even good for?
It's not even enough for a trip to the bathroom!
A massive sense of helplessness and absurdity washed over her.
This trashy system was way too scammy!
She couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Did she really have to eat rare delicacies to extend her life?
She was flat broke right now—where was she supposed to find rare delicacies?
Go to the romance show?
Right, the romance show!
Heart Signal Cabin was set against the backdrop of cohabitation.
The production team would definitely provide ingredients!
Besides, for the sake of the show's effect, the quality of the ingredients shouldn't be too bad!
That place would be her buffet! Her life-extension warehouse!
Ning Meng's eyes lit up instantly.
Amidst her despair, she finally caught a glimpse of a lifeline.
Going to the romance show wasn't for falling in love—it was for chowing down! It was for staying alive!
[Current life countdown: 71 hours, 53 minutes, 2 seconds.]
Plus that precious five minutes.
Bad news: less than 72 hours left.
Good news: there were still 71 hours!
I cannot die!
I haven't eaten enough delicious food yet!
Braised pork belly, sweet and sour spare ribs, Buddha jumps over the wall, Beef Wellington...
There were still so many gourmet foods waiting for her to taste!
How could she die in a ghost place like this?
So what if she was joining a romance show?
So what if she was just background furniture?
To live, to eat good food, she was going all out!
Ning Meng took a deep breath, her gaze turning resolute.
She couldn't wait for tomorrow to arrive already.