Rebirth of an Anchor Ch. 2

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But no one could've predicted that by the next year, that same brilliant Xie Anran would fail the cultural subject part of the college entrance exam and end up only qualifying for the vocational track. Han Shu, unexpectedly, inherited the title of "Top Broadcaster," becoming a campus celebrity—people even teased him as the "school heartthrob."

But every time someone called him that, Han Shu couldn't help but think of Xie Anran, that dazzling examinee from the audition hall.
It was just... after enrolling, Xie Anran's performance had been terrible.

He didn't study at all, rented a room off-campus, played games all night, did paid gaming gigs to make extra money, and looked constantly unkempt—utterly ordinary.
With his current skills and looks, he was in no way comparable to Han Shu.

For some reason, that realization made Han Shu feel relieved.

Later on, after taking his professors' advice, Han Shu tried his hand at live streaming. On one hand, it was a good way to practice being on camera; on the other, it helped build a following for his future acting career.

With his good looks and deep voice, Han Shu went for a cool, aloof image and managed to gain a small fanbase of girls. But he knew deep down he wasn't really into gaming, and without actual skills, it was going to be hard to grow further. That was when he thought of Xie Anran, who happened to be pretty good at it.

Now, hearing that Xie Anran also wanted to be a streamer, Han Shu froze for a second.

Maybe he got inspired after seeing me do it? Han Shu thought.

He smiled and tried to talk him out of it.
"Streaming isn't as easy as you think. I've been doing it for almost three months now, and I only have about ten thousand followers. But that's considered fast progress in the streaming world. And being a streamer isn't just about being good at games—you also have to know how to talk and keep an audience engaged. You don't even like talking to people, and normal communication is already hard for you. How are you going to manage this job?"

Han Shu had a special way of talking. Whenever he wanted something, he always made it sound like he was doing it for the other person's sake.

Xie Anran, who wasn't good with words, just listened silently.

Han Shu went on, still trying to convince him.
"I've got the charisma, you've got the gaming skills. Wouldn't it be great if we teamed up?"

In his previous life, Xie Anran had been swayed by that same persuasion. He'd thought he was finally going to have a friend, so he agreed to be Han Shu's substitute player. But in this life, he had come to understand something.

If it was really about forming a genuine partnership, then both people should sit together in front of the camera—not one in the spotlight and the other hidden behind it, suffering from an unfair setup.

That made it clear Han Shu's friendly offer wasn't about friendship at all—it was about using him.

Xie Anran wanted to argue back, but his lips moved for a long while and still, not a single word came out. He eventually gave up, showing an apologetic smile before holding his books and walking away.

Left behind in the classroom, Han Shu became the center of attention for a few female classmates. He looked coldly at Xie Anran's back, maintaining his composed image.

It was fine, Han Shu thought, remembering a rumor he'd heard recently—apparently, Xie Anran's family wasn't well-off. He could just offer him a generous payment for his gaming services. No need to worry about him saying no.

At that very moment, the supposedly "poor" Xie Anran was standing inside a luxury apartment, glancing around the place while feeling nervous about what he'd just said earlier.

He didn't know if he could actually become a streamer—because he couldn't control his own body.

Just like how the one who had aced the art entrance exam back then hadn't really been him, and the one who'd bombed the college exam hadn't been him either.

The one who'd gone to the art exam was Xie An—male, cold and confident, talented in both speech and song, even better at fighting than most. Calling him a genius wasn't an exaggeration. When Xie An turned on his aura, his dominance was palpable—he could casually sign up for an art exam and still walk away with the top score in the country.

Unfortunately, the one who took the college entrance exam had been Xie Ran—female, willful, lazy, a picky eater, vain, and her biggest dream was to land a handsome rich man to spoil her. Wherever she went, she shone brighter than anyone else—except it happened to be in the exam hall. So somehow, Xie Anran had ended up in the vocational track.

Which meant, inside his body, there were three souls sealed away. One was a timid, soft, cowardly shut-in. One was a handsome, talented, all-around genius. And one was a beautiful, shameless "pseudo-girl."

In his previous life, Xie Anran had only known that something was wrong with his body, but most of the time, his mind was foggy, unable to figure out what was really happening. He couldn't explain why there were skirts, wigs, and lipsticks in his backpack, couldn't explain why he'd chosen a broadcasting major, couldn't explain why one moment someone would call him a freak and tell him to get lost, and the next, someone would hand him a love letter and call him "male god."

Though confused, Xie Anran had still gone with the flow. Anything to escape that home. He enrolled in C University, studied a subject he wasn't good at, supported himself by gaming, and carefully hid his secret.

Playing games, of course, didn't make much money—but somehow, Xie Anran had been able to live in a high-end apartment right in the center of B City.

In his past life, when he'd woken up in that two-hundred-square-meter "luxury apartment," he'd thought he was in some kind of supernatural situation. No matter how many times he went back to stay in the school dorm, every morning he'd still wake up on that soft bed in the apartment.

This time around, Xie Anran had a clearer mind. He finally understood the root of the problem, and concluded that this apartment must've been Xie An's doing.

He opened his computer and searched for "dissociative identity disorder." A flood of explanations popped up—"host personality," "secondary personalities"—the words made his eyes spin. Then he pulled out his phone and checked his banking app. The income terrified him; the expenses shocked him even more.

Among the three of them: Xie An made the money, Xie Ran spent it, and Xie Anran took the blame.

After being reborn, Xie Anran finally understood the dynamic between "me, me, and me." The division of labor was absurdly clear.

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translations to re-translate in other languages

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