Chapter 1

Amber's POV:

Ahh!

That's the first word that came outta my mouth when I opened my eyes. My whole body was sore, and my head was pounding like nobody's business. Clearly, I had one too many drinks last night, not that that's anything new for this girl.

Anyway, as I'm trying to get my bearings, I realize real quick that something ain't right. This sure as hell wasn't my crappy little apartment. Nope, instead of my usual leaky ceiling, I'm staring up at some fancy schmancy design that screams "rich people live here."

So now I'm hella confused, trying to figure out where the heck I am. Did I go home with some baller last night or what? Not that I'd ever do something like that, but a girl can dream, right? Especially if he's loaded enough for us to "talk things through," if you know what I mean.

As I'm looking around, I spot this huge-ass closet filled with clothes that seem way too big and colorful for my petite self. We're talking bright pinks, greens, you name it – the kind of stuff a spoiled 16 or 17-year-old would rock.

Just then, some voice calls out "Missy, breakfast is ready!" Missy? Who the hell is Missy? Are they talking to me or the person who actually lives here? Cause last I checked, my name was still Amber, thank you very much.

Shaking my head, I head to the ensuite bathroom, which is straight-up bigger than my whole damn bedroom back home. But as soon as I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I nearly lose it.

The face staring back at me? Not mine. This girl is Chinese, with acne-covered cheeks and a body that's, well, let's just say it ain't the slim, toned one I've been working on my whole life. Living in the hood, you gotta stay fit, you know?

Now I'm low-key panicking because none of this makes any sense. How the hell did I end up with a whole new face and body that definitely doesn't belong to an African-American queen like myself?

Just as I'm spiraling, seriously confused as all get out, my head starts pounding even harder. That's when these random-ass memories start flooding in, memories that sure as shit don't belong to me.

They're memories of some Chinese girl named Song Yanyan who's 17 years old. And from what I can tell, this poor girl's life is just straight-up depressing. She gets bullied at school for her weight and her acne, to the point where her grades dropped from A's to F's and she got moved to the remedial class. As if that wasn't bad enough, she even gets bullied at home by her own little sister! Her momma doesn't seem to care much either, and her dad is always away on business trips. I wouldn't be surprised if that dude had a whole other family on the side – I've seen that kind of mess way too many times back in Chicago.

What really gets me though, is that despite all the crap she's dealt with, this Yanyan chick is actually mad talented. She can dance, sing, paint – the whole nine yards. But a few years back when she started packing on some pounds, she quit dancing altogether. Wanna know why? Because her bitch of a sister flat-out told her that "fatties like her" would never make it as top dancers.

Are you kidding me with that body-shaming nonsense? That pisses me off so much. Just because Yanyan has some curves doesn't mean she can't slay on the dance floor or make it big in the entertainment world. That little brat sister of hers needs to have several seats.

"Okay Amber, you need to get your shit together now," I mutter to myself, shaking my head. This situation is just getting wilder by the minute!

So get this - before my drunken night of bar-hopping, my girl Chloe sent me a link to this crazy Chinese web novel. And wouldn't you know it, the whole body-swap mess I'm dealing with happened to put me in the shoes of some tragic side character named Song Yanyan. 

"I just became cannon fodder in a novel I just read," I say out loud, still trying to wrap my mind around this insanity. According to the story, this poor Yanyan chick was supposed to get all jealous and evil when her little sister made it big in the entertainment industry - the same dreams Yanyan had to give up on because of her weight gain. 

In the novel, Yanyan turned into this unhinged villain who tried sabotaging her sister at every turn until she ended up dying alone and miserable after a poison attempt went wrong. Talk about a dark, messed up storyline!

But oh no, sis, not on my watch! "Sorry author, but the script will have to change now. Amber Lockhart has just taken over. I will have to change this cannon fodder to a protagonist," I declare, feeling that familiar sense of confidence and determination welling up inside me.

There's no way in hell I'm letting this fictional tragedy play out. Amber Lockhart is no one's tragic backstory or villain origin tale. I've dealt with way too much real-life drama and hardship to get pushed around by some make-believe storyline cooked up by an author.

It's time to take control and rewrite Yanyan's whole narrative from the inside out. If I have to shake things up, buck whatever's "supposed" to happen, and turn this entire novel on its head, then you'd better believe that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Yanyan's story is about to get one hell of a renaissance, an extreme makeover by one Amber Lockhart. I'm talking a total 180 from victim to victor, from insecure recluse to confident queen. This girl is about to defy all the body-shamers, hug her talents tighter than ever, and shine so bright her little sister will be nothing but a distant light in the background.

With me taking the reins, Yanyan is going from lowly cannon fodder to a certified main character bad-ass. She's gonna go from a forgotten name to a household name recognized across this fictional universe. Just you wait and see!

So get ready, world of this ridiculous web novel, because a storm is brewing. Amber Lockhart is taking charge as the new lead, and she's rewriting all the rules as she goes. Yanyan's journey is about to be epically re-defined in a way the author never could have imagined.

I crack my knuckles and smirk. "Let's get to work, shall we?"