My Dear Prince of Darkness

“Sarah hasn’t trended for a week!”

This was just a tweet from a not-so-famous marketing account, but as discussions grew, it quickly climbed to the top of the trending topics.

As the topic gained traction, what was once a minor blip on the radar shot up like a rocket, reaching the fifth position on the trending list.

It was no wonder that people were so interested in Sarahs absence from the trends; she had been a regular on the trending list since her debut, practically owning a spot there.

Even a simple sneeze would warrant a trending topic titled #GoddessSneezes.

At one point, it was even labeled as one of the most ridiculous trending topics of the year.

After all, while people had seen trends about a goddess shedding tears, no one had ever seen one about a goddess sneezing—only Sarah would dare to buy such a trend.

Moreover, Sarah had only a handful of works to her name. After landing a role as the female lead in a new drama alongside a rising star, she hadn’t produced anything noteworthy since.

She was heavily criticized by fans of the original lead, who accused her of being a resourceful opportunist. When the show aired and viewers witnessed her acting skills, the backlash against her trended for days.

Despite being at her lowest, instead of laying low and working to redeem herself, Sarah continued to buy trending topics, which only fueled public disdain.

Naturally, her background also piqued curiosity. With the last name Johnson, many speculated whether she was the daughter of the Johnson family, a prominent business dynasty.

However, as Sarah continued to be ridiculed online, the Johnson family never came forward to claim her, leading everyone to conclude that she was not their daughter.

What parent would tolerate their child being dragged through the mud like that?

As Sarah’s week-long absence from the trends became a hot topic, netizens rejoiced.

“Do you think Sarah is finally planning to quit the entertainment industry?”

“If she really quits, it’ll be a blessing!”

“Talentless opportunists should have left ages ago.”

———

Just when everyone was buzzing about whether Sarah was truly leaving the industry, another trending topic about her suddenly appeared in the top three.

#SarahShoppingSpree#

This term quickly caught everyone’s attention.

Just moments ago, people were debating Sarah’s potential exit from the industry, and now they were clicking on the new trending topic.

The source of the trend was a video that had been edited before being uploaded.

In the video, Sarah was seen navigating through high-end stores in an upscale shopping mall, followed by several people carrying her numerous shopping bags. It was unclear whether they were her staff or salespeople eager to assist her.

If this video had featured another star, it would have sparked envy and admiration. But with Sarah, it only drew scorn.

“Is she trying to flaunt her wealth? Let’s see if she can keep that rich girl persona before her family goes bankrupt.”

“Let’s wait and see which Johnson goes bankrupt next to know Sarah’s true background.”

As netizens continued to mock Sarah, a photo appeared on the trending page.

It was a recent post from a renowned auction house, showcasing a guqin that had just been sold for nearly a million dollars, along with a brief story about its history. Sarah, as the buyer, had also given a short interview, which garnered her some media attention.

Even from just the back view in the photo, Sarah exuded an undeniable aura of elegance and sophistication.

Netizens were taken aback.

“...She doesn’t look like someone pretending to be wealthy.”

“Someone from a small family wouldn’t just drop a million on a guqin, would they?”

“Doesn’t Sarah seem different in this photo compared to her previous demeanor? Is it just me?”

What use is a guqin to her?

Sarah, a graduate of a third-rate art school abroad, wouldn’t know how to play it, right?

Isn’t she just buying it to show off?

Typically, only a true heiress could afford such a lavish decorative piece.

Some began to speculate.

“Could she really be a Johnson?”

“But didn’t they just say Lily is the Johnson daughter?”

“Wait, you do realize her name is Lily, right? How could she possibly be a Johnson?”

———

Meanwhile, the subject of this commotion, Sarah, was sitting in her room, amusedly reading the comments.

Upon seeing the comment doubting Lilys identity as a Johnson, Sarah placed her other hand on the table, ready to type.

Her hands were well-maintained, with skin as smooth and white as fine jade. Her unpolished nails were neatly trimmed, gleaming with a natural, healthy glow in the sunlight.

Not quite accustomed to typing on her phone, it took her a while to compose her comment.

“Congratulations, you guessed it right. Lily is indeed a Johnson, and I’m just an orphan picked up by the Johnsons from a welfare home.”

Because she typed slowly, the system initially read each word as she typed. Once she finished, the system repeated it excitedly, “Are you crazy? Stop!”

Ignoring the system’s frantic voice, Sarah hit send. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

“You just revealed your identity! You’ll be completely ridiculed in the entertainment industry!”

However, Sarah’s comment, made from a secondary account, failed to stir any significant reaction, quickly drowning in the sea of comments.

“I knew it,” she thought to herself.

Seeing that her worries were unfounded, the system finally breathed a sigh of relief.

———

Sarah continued scrolling through the trending topics, chuckling at some amusing comments as if the person they were mocking wasn’t her.

However, strictly speaking, Sarah was no longer who she used to be.

She had been in this world for nearly two weeks now.

This was her second time being reborn.

Her original name was Sarah, a princess of the Kingdom of Yut.

For reasons unknown, during her lifetime, she was the only girl born in the kingdom, despite being the emperor’s favored child. Her father had named her Sarah, meaning “joyful peace,” wishing for her to live a long and happy life.

Not only was she doted on by her parents, but her brothers also cherished her. Even the concubines in the palace, who typically vied for favor, treated her kindly, hoping to win the emperor’s attention through her.

She had everything she could wish for, but at the age of 18, her seemingly kind uncle revealed his true colors, betraying the kingdom.

The kingdom fell, and Sarah’s fate was sealed.

Before her uncle could deal with her, Sarah took her own life in her palace.

To her surprise, she soon woke up, only to be informed that she had been transported into a novel, becoming a mere supporting character with a single line describing her demise.

Since it was her first time in this situation, the main system had controlled part of her thoughts and assigned her a rather pushy system to supervise her.

After experiencing the fall of her kingdom and losing her family, Sarah, who had once been a spoiled princess, surprisingly became obedient, diligently following the instructions of the system.

She spent her days working tirelessly, only to collapse from exhaustion, ultimately dying at her post.

———

Sarah had thought she could finally leave, but instead, she found herself reborn once more. She turned to the system and asked, “Why am I reborn again?”

The system, affectionately named Buddy, had introduced itself on the first day.

“Because you completed your last task exceptionally well, this is a reward from the main system.”

This time, Sarah found herself in an old-fashioned romance novel, adopted by the wealthy Johnson family. After entering the entertainment industry, the Johnsons invested heavily in her career, but due to her lack of talent, she failed to gain popularity and ended up being hated online.

Later, during a variety show, she accidentally helped the Johnsons find their long-lost daughter, Lily.

With the daughter found, Sarah was quickly used as a pawn, forced to marry the mysterious businessman Ethan, who had a troubled 15-year-old son, Alex.

Sarah’s predecessor had caused chaos in Ethan’s family, leading to Alex’s struggles with mental health.

After the system excitedly introduced the plot, it eagerly asked, “Are you mad? Don’t worry! You’re lucky! You’ve bound the supporting character rescue system, and I’ll help you win over the male lead, defeat the Mary Sue female lead, and reach the pinnacle of life!”

It was no surprise that Buddy was so excited; Sarah was its last host. If she could escape her supporting character fate, Buddy would earn a ton of points and finally retire in a world of its choice.

Sarah thought such a tempting offer would be hard for anyone to refuse, but the main system’s obedient host, Sarah, tossed the original book aside and threw three questions at it