Chapter 1: Reborn as a Chunky Fluffball.
Amidst the darkness consuming her consciousness, the last sound Bai Xin remembered was the deafening screech of truck brakes. Her body had been launched into the air like a fallen leaf snapped from its branch. Pain flared for a mere second before everything faded into black. She still clearly remembered her final thoughts before dying…regret. Absolute, agonizing regret. She had just ordered a massive Korean BBQ set delivered to her condo, yet before she could even lift a single piece of grilled pork to her lips, her life as a workaholic, food-obsessed actress had come to an abrupt end.
Was this really how it ended?
A cold, damp sensation on the tip of her nose forced her eyes open with great effort.
Ugh…my head hurts so much…
Bai Xin tried to voice her complaint about the dizzying nausea churning in her head, but strangely, her throat felt bone-dry and unnaturally short. Instead of her familiar, sweet voice, all that came out was a faint, tiny squeak:
“Squeak! Squeak!”
She jolted violently, her blurry vision instinctively scanning her surroundings in self-defense.
Her environment had changed completely. Gone was the stark white hospital ceiling or the flashing lights of an emergency room; instead, she was surrounded by lush green blades of grass towering over her head. Each stalk looked as thick and sharp as a spearhead. Towering ancient trees spread their branches above, blocking out the sunlight and plunging the surroundings into a dim, shadowy gloom.
Where am I…a forest? And why does everything look so…massive? Did I shrink?
She attempted to push herself up onto two feet out of habit, but absolute chaos ensued. The long, slender hands that were used to tapping on smartphones had transformed into short, chubby white paws, covered in fluffy fur right down to the ankles. Bai Xin froze. She looked down at a round, snowy tummy bulging so far out it completely hid her feet from view. Her back felt heavy beneath a dense coat of snow-white fur. And worst of all… when she turned her head, something long brushed against her left cheek. It was a floppy ear hanging down pathetically on one side, while the other ear stood straight up, twitching in time with her breath.
“Squeak?!” (Good Lord! What on earth is happening?!)
Panicking, she scrambled toward a small puddle under the roots of a giant tree, her heart hammering faster than a war drum. The reflection staring back made Bai Xin want to faint all over again, just so she could wake up from this nightmare.
Reflected in the water was not the glamorous, sharp-witted actress in her late twenties. It was a rabbit. And not a sleek, nimble wild rabbit, either—she was a domestic-looking fluffball so plump she resembled a freshly rolled, perfectly round mochi ball. Her fur was pristine white, her large ruby eyes shone with absolute terror, and her tiny pink nose twitched uncontrollably.
I was reincarnated as a rabbit?! A soft, squishy bunny that does nothing all day but chew on grass?!
Bai Xin utterly rejected this reality. She refused to accept a fate where she sat at the bottom of the food chain, destined to become a light snack for wolves or hawks. Summoning her inner resolve, she pushed herself up, trying to stand on her two hind legs like a human to reclaim her pride and the dominance of her species.
“Alright…one, two…stretch it out, Bai Xin!”
Thump!
Her hind legs—shorter than her pinky finger in her past life—could not support the weight of her chubby belly and round bottom. The spherical body flopped face-first onto a bed of dry leaves, four short legs sticking straight up into the air in utter defeat. She wiggled back and forth, desperate to roll over, but her stubborn belly made moving an agonizing ordeal.
“Squeak. . . ” (Ow, ow, ow. . . Curse this belly! Why did I have to be reborn fat?!)
Just as despair began to settle in, the quiet of the forest was broken by a soft rustle of wind through the treetops, carrying a faint scent that hit her nose. Her tiny pink nose twitched automatically as the instincts of a spiritual beast dormant within this body kicked in. The aroma wasn’t dry grass or rotting leaves; it was the crispest, most refreshing scent she had ever encountered—intoxicating and mouth-watering. It smelled like flowers blooming in the snow mixed with the juicy sweetness of heavenly flora.
Instantly, intense hunger clawed at her empty stomach. The faint energy within her body practically begged her to move toward the source of that scent.
Abandoning all attempts to walk upright, she switched to a half-hopping, half-rolling maneuver across the ground. She looked like a stray cotton ball tumbling clumsily over the grass. As she drew closer to the scent, the wild surroundings began to change. The untamed brush gave way to meticulously manicured greenery until she finally came to a halt before a towering crimson wall, standing as grand and imposing as an impenetrable city fortress.
Where is this? The Imperial Palace?
Bai Xin squinted her poor rabbit eyes, searching for an entrance. Near the base of the wall, she spotted a small fissure hidden beneath dense, tangled vines. The irresistibly enticing scent of snow carrots wafted clearly through the crack.
Screw it…For survival, women’s rights, and human dignity have to take a backseat. Right now, I’m a rabbit, and a starving rabbit knows no bounds!
She shoved her head into the gap without hesitation.The head went through easily enough, but her middle got hopelessly stuck! She clawed frantically at the dirt with her front paws while her hind legs kicked wildly against the stone edge.Her round little bottom twitched frantically outside the wall for a good long moment until—
Pop!
Her entire body shot through to the other side like an arrow released from a bow. She tumbled onto soft, rich soil that smelled of premium fertilizer. When Bai Xin finally pushed herself up, her jaw dropped. Before her lay a garden so ethereal it looked like paradise. The golden glow of the setting sun bathed a magnificently arranged vegetable plot. At the center of the garden, snow-white radishes and carrots—glowing with a jade-like translucence—shimmered softly, as if emitting an internal light, their dark green tops calling out to her.
“Snow carrots! Real ones!”
Bai Xin’s mouth watered. She completely forgot any potential warnings about ‘forbidden zones’ or ‘ruthless landowners. ’ Driven purely by greed, she hopped toward the largest carrot on the plot. She sank her sharp little front teeth straight into the crisp, sweet flesh. The divine flavor burst across her tongue, sending her into absolute bliss.
She had no idea that not far away, perched atop an octagonal stone pavilion, a tall figure clad in black imperial robes embroidered with golden dragons sat sipping tea with icy elegance.
A pair of sharp, piercing eyes—the kind that sent chills down the spines of anyone who dared look at them—was fixed unblinkingly on the little white fluffball brazenly stealing his most precious herbs.
“That chunk of meat. . . where did it come from?”
His voice was deep, smooth, and chillingly quiet, yet it sent a cold shiver straight down the spines of the imperial guards standing around him.
Meanwhile, our dear Bai Xin continued to munch away happily, completely unaware that a fate of becoming ‘herbal stewed rabbit’ was creeping up on her with every bite.
