The Debt-Ridden Heiress and the Midnight Stream

“Miss Bai Wanwan, the account under your name, ending in 9527, is severely overdue. The total principal and interest owed amount to one million two hundred and fifty thousand RMB…”

“Miss Bai Wanwan, due to issues with your credit standing, our company believes you are not suitable for the ‘customer service’ position we are recruiting for. Thank you for your interest in our company…”

A series of beeps.

A phone clicked off, its abrupt sound echoing in the room. From beneath the tangled covers, a slender, pale arm emerged, casually tossing the shattered-screen phone aside.

‘Debt collectors, debt collectors. I’d pay if I had the money.’

Within the cramped rental room, Bai Wanwan struggled to sit up in bed. A sliver of sunlight pierced through the faulty curtains that refused to close properly, illuminating her delicate, yet bloodless, pretty face.

This was Bai Wanwan’s third day since transmigrating. Just days ago, she had been engrossed in a video game at home, only to inexplicably find herself in this parallel world, transformed into a destitute young woman.

The tiny rental was cluttered with empty takeout containers, and her phone was inundated with overdue notices—ranging from small personal loans to collection demands from Imperial Bank.

She likely received thousands of messages a day. If not for her broken, shattered-screen phone lacking a vibration mode, those thousands of vibrating texts would have surely… well, it would certainly have been an experience.

From her hazy memories, Bai Wanwan’s previous life had been nothing short of smooth sailing.

The Bai family had once been a prominent name in this parallel world; at least in this city, Bai Wanwan could do whatever her heart desired.

She had been a true heiress. Luxurious cars, yachts—all those opulent memories would flood her mind the moment she closed her eyes.

Yet, the Bai family, which in her memories was wealthy enough to rival a nation, had inexplicably crumbled overnight.

Everything was gone. Utterly gone.

Bai Wanwan had merely gone to sleep and inexplicably transformed from a pampered heiress into a burdened debtor. All of the Bai family’s assets had been seized, and the family’s key figures, including the grandfather who doted on her most, had vanished overnight. The remaining debt, totaling over three hundred million yuan, had, quite naturally, fallen squarely upon Bai Wanwan’s shoulders.

That debt collection call for over a million yuan just now? That was considered a small sum.

Bai Wanwan suspected the reason she had taken over the original owner’s body was likely because the original owner couldn’t bear the burden and had given up, allowing her to smoothly step in.

However, taking over this ‘mess’ was far from ideal. Bai Wanwan, a rich girl who had grown up in a honey pot, had chosen to simply give up when faced with such a predicament.

She had dutifully signed whatever she was told, and when confronted, she quickly caved under threats and inducements. Though she initially had some money, the relentless tactics of numerous collection agencies had left her utterly drained.

Her credit, too, had been completely depleted. She had taken out almost every possible loan, leaving the current Bai Wanwan utterly incapacitated.

Even attempting to work as a customer service representative was futile; no one dared to hire her.

Bai Wanwan even wondered if someone was orchestrating a scheme to frame her.

Other transmigrators typically received protagonist scripts, or at the very least, a normal person’s story, right?

But Bai Wanwan? She started with three hundred million in debt… a gloomy ‘rat’ hiding in a dark rental, afraid to step outside. The most valuable thing she owned was a phone with a shattered screen.

At least the original Bai Wanwan had enjoyed over a decade of life as a wealthy young lady. She, on the other hand, had enjoyed nothing, and now she had to pick up the pieces for her.

With such a desperate beginning, Bai Wanwan saw no glimmer of hope.

When she first transmigrated, she had been intrigued by her porcelain-doll-like delicate face, her nearly perfect figure, and her beautiful, raven-black hair.

Now, however, she couldn’t get enough to eat, couldn’t bathe, her once beautiful hair was greasy, and the debts stretched endlessly before her.

Bai Wanwan’s mind was a blank slate; she had no idea what to do. For these three days, she had done nothing but lie down, occasionally indulging in a moment of fleeting excitement when the mood struck. But eventually, she became too hungry to even muster the energy for that.

Still, Bai Wanwan couldn’t shake the feeling that she couldn’t simply die such a pathetic, ignominious death.

‘Aside from birth and death, nothing else truly matters.’

In her previous life, Bai Wanwan had learned folk customs from her grandfather, engaging in “underworld” work that involved dealing with the deceased.

Folding joss paper and paper ingots, crafting paper effigies, practicing feng shui, fortune-telling, and face reading—she could do it all, and she did it exceptionally well.

Her grandfather, who had taught her, was exceptionally skilled; even university professors would travel great distances to seek his advice on feng shui and folk customs.

Therefore, for Bai Wanwan, death was a very serious matter.

If she were to die so miserably and ignominiously, wouldn’t it be an insult to her grandfather’s teachings?

Moreover, she had transmigrated only to suffer for three days without accomplishing anything significant. The incessant debt collection texts and calls were driving her mad, like vultures circling a dying camel—not directly harmful, but utterly repulsive.

Lost in thought, Bai Wanwan instinctively reached for her phone. The shattered screen emitted a faint glow. She cleared countless collection messages, giving the phone a moment of temporary peace, but within seconds, a deluge of new debt reminders swarmed in.

This only intensified Bai Wanwan’s fury.

‘Damn it! I… no, *this old lady* is going to explode on all of you!’

Just as Bai Wanwan was trembling with rage, her phone suddenly received a debt collection call—one that had been marked over ten thousand times. Without a second thought, Bai Wanwan answered it directly.

“You absolute bastards!”

Bai Wanwan’s outburst was a furious torrent of curses. The person on the other end was clearly unprepared for such a ferocious response and remained silent for a moment.

It wasn’t until Bai Wanwan had unleashed her wild tirade for over sixty seconds that the caller hastily hung up.

After her furious rant, Bai Wanwan felt a profound sense of relief, as if she had come back to life. However, the surge of adrenaline quickly faded, replaced by the gnawing emptiness in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten in three days, and the hunger instantly devoured her momentary exhilaration.

‘If I’m going to die, I’ll die on a full stomach.’

Bai Wanwan opened a food delivery app, no longer caring about finding the best deals. She simply ordered everything that caught her eye, intent on one last extravagance before the end. But when she reached the payment stage, the transaction stalled. The hundred-plus yuan order for takeout barbecue was met with a ‘insufficient balance’ notification. Bai Wanwan only had less than a hundred yuan to her name.

Her phone was linked to a real-name account under the surname Ruan. Bai Wanwan didn’t know whose it was, but she could use it and knew the card number and password. Her remaining less-than-a-hundred yuan had survived only because it was in this account.

Almost all accounts under Bai Wanwan’s name were under supervision; even a single cent would be immediately seized. The only reason Bai Wanwan had survived until today without starving was this account bearing the Ruan surname.

But the money left in this account was no longer enough for Bai Wanwan to even make a dignified exit. She couldn’t even afford a simple takeout meal.

In truth, this account originally held over a thousand yuan, but the original owner had used it all on takeout while holed up in the rental. The less-than-a-hundred remaining was the result of Bai Wanwan’s three days of starvation.

‘Has even a dignified death become a luxury in this world?’

Bai Wanwan looked at the toilet paper beside her, contemplating, but couldn’t bring herself to use it to fill her stomach. Her grandfather had raised her, and ‘Aside from birth and death, nothing else truly matters’ was a phrase he often repeated. Having absorbed this wisdom since childhood, she had respectfully sent off countless people with her grandfather. Yet now, when it was her turn, she was so destitute that she considered using toilet paper to stave off hunger. How pathetic.

‘This is… too ignominious, isn’t it?’

Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but shed a single, clear tear.

Immediately, another call came in. Though she lacked the energy to curse, Bai Wanwan still answered it.

“Hello, is this Miss Bai Wanwan? I can offer you a job opportunity. You must be in a very difficult situation right now, aren’t you? If you’re willing, I can offer you a high daily wage of around two thousand yuan. What do you think?”

The caller was a man, and his surroundings were noisy—shouts, dynamic music, and the clinking of glasses could be heard.

“Work?”

Bai Wanwan’s voice was fragile, which only made the man on the other end more confident.

“Indeed. Miss Bai Wanwan, the former Bai family heiress, possesses a beauty and figure worthy of a Miss World. If you’re willing to work at our nightclub, it’s not impossible to even add more money. You’d mostly just accompany guests for drinks and allow them a small, appropriate touch within reasonable limits.”

“Don’t worry, we are professionals and will be responsible for your personal safety.”

Listening to his words, Bai Wanwan clenched her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Humiliation! This was utter humiliation!

“You! Absolute! Scum!”

Bai Wanwan screamed the curse with all her might, but the other party wasn’t angered, merely chuckling softly.

“Bai Wanwan, don’t be ungrateful. Our boss at Jinbaihan Nightclub is a well-respected figure in the local area. You need to face reality. Right now, your body is about the only thing of value you have left. Our boss specifically requested you…”

Beep beep beep.

Bai Wanwan hung up the phone. She had thought it might be an opportunity, but it had only left her utterly disgusted. Before giving up entirely, the original Bai Wanwan had tried to find work, but most companies wouldn’t hire her, and she couldn’t handle manual labor. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Bai Wanwan had sent out resumes to many recruiters. Once she had given up, she no longer paid attention to their replies, if any. After all, amidst the deluge of debt collection texts, it was hard to notice anything else.

Large tears streamed down Bai Wanwan’s cheeks, enveloped by a profound sense of powerlessness and despair. If she could, she too wished to defy fate and live a good life. But between clearing three hundred million yuan in debt and rotting away in this rental room, the latter was far closer to reality.

Yet, as if by fate, amidst the bombardment of debt collection messages, Bai Wanwan’s gaze flickered, and she caught a fleeting glimpse of a recruitment reply.

Using keywords she’d only scanned, Bai Wanwan sifted through countless texts to find that rare recruitment message. The content was simple: she had passed their job interview and could start anytime. Unlike the humiliating nightclub offer, this job was straightforward: live-streaming to sell merchandise.

“Streamer?”

Bai Wanwan wasn’t sure how she had passed an interview; in her memory, she hadn’t applied to be a streamer. The sender had left her a live-streaming platform account. The account was empty, just a regular one with streaming permissions enabled, but it notably followed one other blank account named “Rebirth Pavilion.”

It also included a link detailing the products Bai Wanwan was to sell during the live stream, along with the streaming schedule. Bai Wanwan was immediately captivated by the compensation section: one hundred yuan per stream, plus commission on sales, paid daily. Regardless of the actual pay, the words ‘paid daily’ alone held immense value for Bai Wanwan in her current situation.

However, the streaming hours were quite late, totaling about three hours, from eleven PM until early morning. The time requirements were very strict, and the products to be sold were equally strange.

Bai Wanwan continued scrolling through the link’s content, but what she saw next nearly made her drop her phone in shock. The items to be live-streamed in the dead of night were joss paper ingots,冥币 (hell money), and pre-made paper effigies!

The person who hired Bai Wanwan had even added a requirement: if Bai Wanwan could fold joss paper ingots while selling, demonstrating to buyers that their ingots were genuinely handmade, she would receive an additional fifty yuan. “Live-streaming funeral supplies in the middle of the night? Is this company out of their minds?”

A long list of instructions for folding joss paper ingots followed, but Bai Wanwan had no interest in reading them, as the method was utterly nonsensical to someone as skilled in funeral items as she was. That level of paper ingot was purely for duping the uninitiated; if actually burned, her ancestors would surely be furious. Pure fake currency!

Despite her utter bewilderment at this strange job, her grumbling stomach and the prospect of an ignominious death urged her to accept. After all, both the daily pay and the ability to work from home were incredibly tempting for Bai Wanwan right now. Among hundreds of job listings, she likely wouldn’t find another like it.

Though the job content was a bit ‘underworld,’ she couldn’t exactly turn down money, could she? Furthermore, that earlier call from the Jinbaihan Nightclub had left Bai Wanwan feeling deeply wronged, intensifying her will to survive. This job might not pay much, but at least it was honest work, capable of earning Bai Wanwan her bread for tomorrow.

With that thought, she decided to try live-streaming tonight. After all, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t sold funeral supplies before!