I wasn't sick, but I chewed an entire box of antacids like jelly beans. It was because, in my previous life, my roommate, Lina Wells, who couldn't handle a dash of pepper, transferred all the side effects of her extreme spicy food challenges onto me. She would coolly swallow the Hellfire Buldak Ramen, while I writhed in the dorm room with stomach spasms. She rocketed to fame as an "Eating Challenge Queen," while my tongue was scorched raw and ulcerated; even drinking water felt like swallowing razor blades. I cried, begging my boyfriend, Brad Wilson, to save me, but he angrily shoved my hand away. “I think you’re just jealous she’s famous! You secretly ate spicy chips and messed up your stomach, and now you’re trying to blame her!” After that, Lina became utterly brazen. Right in front of me, she took on challenges involving the Carolina Reaper, tear-gas mustard, demon noodles, and even industrial-grade capsaicin. I instantly hemorrhaged from my orifices and collapsed into a coma. Doctors scoured my reports but could never find the specific pathology, concluding it was a complete physical breakdown due to extreme psychological stress. Later, I died a painful death from massive gastrointestinal bleeding and multi-organ failure. Lina, however, became a food influencer raking in millions a year, and she lived happily ever after with my ex, Brad. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she signed up for her first spicy challenge. Chapter 1 “Girls, the grand prize for this Hellfire Buldak Ramen challenge is fifty thousand bucks!” My roommate, Lina, waved her phone, showing us the fiery red contest poster. She adjusted her hair in the mirror. “Jenna,” she said to me, “what do you think? If I win, I’ll be the first food content creator influencer at our school.” The other roommates laughed. “Lina, come on. Last time we got hot pot, you asked for the broth to be clear water. You want to take on extreme spice?” Lina’s face flushed. She looked at me, seeking affirmation. In the last life, I sincerely warned her that her stomach was sensitive and that eating such intense food would ruin her health. She gave me a grateful smile then, only to transfer the sheer hell of the burning pain entirely onto me during the challenge. This time, looking at her expectant eyes, the smile on my face grew wider. “Go for it! Why wouldn't you?” I hopped off my bed, walked over, and linked my arm through hers. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’ll be famous overnight.” Lina looked stunned, clearly not expecting that reaction. Ignoring her surprise, I pulled her toward the door, speaking loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. “Guys, Lina from our dorm is joining the Spicy King Challenge! She’s going to make our English department proud!” Heads immediately popped out of doorways down the hall, all staring at Lina in surprise. “No way! Lina’s doing it?” “That’s savage! We have to go cheer her on!” I pushed her gently toward the crowd, smiling. “Lina is the hope of our dorm. She’s always been secretly amazing at handling spice, but she’s just modest and doesn’t like to show off.” “This time, for the honor of our department, she’s decided to unleash her full power!” In the crowd, a younger student, who was filming a vlog on her phone, had her eyes light up and immediately turned her camera on us. I subtly clocked the camera. My smile deepened. The cheers and attention made it impossible for Lina to back down. She loved being the center of attention. She straightened her back and stated confidently, “Of course! I always keep my word!” Her calculating eyes focused on me. “After all, Jenna, you’ve helped me so much. This time, I have to achieve something big and not disappoint you.” I just smiled, saying nothing. When she tried to get close, I subtly stepped back half a pace, ensuring no skin-to-skin contact. Chapter 2 The moment I stepped into the classroom, I was shoved against the door. “Jenna, are you crazy?!” My boyfriend, Brad, was furious, his face white. “You know how sensitive Lina’s stomach is, right? She can’t handle any spice!” “As her friend, instead of talking her out of it, you egged her on in front of everyone, putting her on the spot! What are you planning, exactly?!” I shoved him away. “She said she was going, she said she could win. Who are you, an outsider, to lecture me?” “And listen up, Brad, I’m your girlfriend, not Lina!” Clap, clap, clap— A crisp round of applause came from the doorway. Our academic advisor, Professor Hayes, stood there, nodding at me with a smile. “Jenna Li is absolutely right.” Professor Hayes adjusted his glasses, his eyes sharp and shrewd. “This is precisely the time for encouragement. This is not only a fantastic opportunity for Lina, but also a great PR opportunity for our English Department.” Brad’s fists were tightly clenched. “But what if she fails? The entire school will laugh at her! Her reputation will be ruined!” I watched Brad, flushed with anxiety over Lina, and almost burst out laughing at his pathetic loyalty. The advisor sighed with a look of disappointment. “If she fails, we’ll spin it as Lina being brave for taking on a challenge, emphasizing that participation matters most. It’s normal for young people to be impulsive. Either way, our department gets attention, and we gain valuable publicity material for this year’s Outstanding Department evaluation.” “If she succeeds, even better. We’ll have a famous influencer come from our department, which is a massive benefit for recruitment and promotion.” Brad, who had just been yelling at me, was now speechless. The advisor gave him a warning look. “This concerns the honor of our department, Brad. As a student council executive, you need to understand your priorities and not mess things up.” Brad’s attempt to stand up for Lina was extinguished by that bucket of cold water. After the advisor left, Brad looked at me with open disgust. “You know Lina can’t handle it, but you just watched her walk into the fire. You truly disgust me.” “I’m warning you, if anything happens to Lina, I will never let you get away with it!” Watching his spineless reaction, I truly felt blind for loving him in my past life. I sneered, “Let’s break up then.” Brad looked startled. “What? I was just saying that in anger. If Lina...” I couldn't be bothered to listen to his excuses. I shoved him out of the classroom and slammed the door shut. “Don’t force me to go to your parents!” Outside the door, Brad’s voice instantly cut off, followed by his stomping retreat. His parents were traditional, elderly teachers who prized reputation above all else. If they knew he was causing a scene with me, his official girlfriend, over another girl, they would absolutely ground him for life. Chapter 3 Three days later, the Spicy King Challenge took place as planned. On stage, Lina, under the bright lights, finished an entire bowl of Buldak Ramen drenched in red spicy oil without changing her expression. The audience erupted in thunderous applause. That evening, I was studying in the library when a familiar, agonizing cramp hit my stomach. I bit down hard on my lip, cold sweat immediately soaking my shirt. The pain was identical to what I felt in my previous life. But this time, I hadn’t touched Lina once, hadn't even taken a sip of water she offered, yet the pain was here. I realized this wasn't simple contact contagion, but a more bizarre, parasitic “Harm Transfer.” I immediately rushed to the ER and got an emergency appointment. The results came back quickly—acute gastric mucosal lesions with erosive bleeding. My phone rang. It was Brad. He sounded excited: “Lina won! Our whole club is throwing a celebration party for her now. Hurry up and come cover the bill!” I covered my mouth, struggling to suppress a groan of pain. “I have a fever, I’m not well. I can’t make it.” Lina’s smug, gloating voice cut in from the other end. “Jenna, it’s just a little cold, what are you worried about? If anything’s wrong, you have to tell me, okay? I’ll have Brad drive you to the hospital.” She clearly knew I was suffering. I forced back the surging nausea. “I really appreciate your concern, my dear roommate.” “Lina, you’re just too nice!” another girl’s voice chimed in. “If Jenna hadn’t pushed you to do it, you wouldn’t have had to take such a huge risk. If I were you, I’d stop being friends with her!” I didn’t care for their performance. I hung up immediately and turned off my phone. Overnight, Lina, just like in my previous life, became the talk of the campus. She struck while the iron was hot, announcing a month-long “Ultimate Spice Challenge,” taking on the Carolina Reaper, tear-gas mustard, and demon noodles. To make her show even more dramatic, I took a week off school, claiming illness. I went to the hospital every day for endoscopies and medication. My medical reports grew worse by the day, going from mucosal lesions to gastric ulcers, then to a perforated stomach. The doctors and nurses who examined me looked at me with an expression that shifted from sympathy to sheer perplexity. Lying in the hospital bed, I read about strange, worldwide phenomena. Combining the two “transfer” experiences, I gradually pieced together the full picture of this bizarre ability: it was a parasitic form of “Harm Transfer.” When Lina consumed a stimulant, she could transfer the physical pain to me. I tried to concentrate and resist, but my body’s instinctual reaction made it impossible to completely block. I realized that to fully reject the transfer, I needed a much stronger mental anchor. Chapter 4 A week later, I swallowed several painkillers and dragged my weak body back to school. The moment I entered the dorm, Lina gasped at my pale face. “Oh my gosh, Jenna! What happened to you? I haven’t seen you in a week, and you look so run down!” She moved to reach out and touch my forehead. I instinctively took a step back, looking at her warily. A lackey standing behind Lina immediately rolled her eyes at me with disdain. “Psh, she still thinks she’s hot stuff. Lina is the most popular person in school now. Who even remembers her?” “Lina is being nice by worrying about you, and you won’t even accept it. You’re so ungrateful!” She fawned over Lina: “Lina, it’s only been a week, and you already have over 100k followers! I bet you’ll be a million-follower VIP soon!” Lina clearly enjoyed the flattery, smiling with false humility. “Jenna, if you’re uncomfortable, you must tell me. I have some clout now, I can help you contact the best gastroenterologist and get you an expedited appointment.” “Getting her an expedited appointment is just wasting medical resources.” Brad’s voice cut in from the doorway. Seeing my sickly appearance, the disgust in his eyes deepened. “How did you let yourself get into such a mess?” Lina suddenly shrieked, pointing at my lips. “Oh my God! Jenna, what happened to your mouth? It’s covered in sores!” “It looks like canker sores, really severe ones!” Instantly, everyone in the room focused on my face. I subconsciously covered my mouth with my hand and backed away. “I’m fine, don’t come near me!” A hand suddenly reached out and brutally pulled my arm away. My mouth, which was severely ulcerated from chronic acid reflux, was fully exposed to everyone. Lina’s lackey gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. “Aren’t you that girl who was diagnosed with severe oral herpes at the campus clinic a few days ago? Oh my God, you’re Lina’s roommate!” “That’s contagious!” Lina immediately put on a serious face and reprimanded her. “Don’t say that! I forbid you from slandering my roommate!” But the other girl quickly defended herself. “It’s true! My cousin is an intern at the county hospital. She saw your file with her own eyes! It’s her! She’s probably embarrassed and didn't dare to tell the dorm!” Brad backed away two steps in horror. I was trembling all over, tears welling up in my eyes. I looked helplessly at Lina. “Lina, you’re so successful now, you must be able to help me, right?” “Please, save me. I don’t want to be disfigured.” In my past life, I knelt and begged her to stop, but she showed no mercy. In this life, she wouldn’t either. She smirked triumphantly, about to utter some high-and-mighty rejection. Suddenly, a man in a suit burst into the room and grabbed a handful of Lina’s hair. “You liar! Give me back my company’s reputation!” “Why did you pull this fake publicity stunt?! I want you to compensate us for our losses!” The man was the marketing manager for the sponsor of last week’s Spicy King Challenge—a quick-serve food company. Lina shrieked, struggling. She asked, completely confused, “What are you talking about? Didn’t I help you promote your product?” Slap, slap! The manager slapped Lina across the face, his face crimson with rage. “Promote? My poor company is being dragged online as a scam! They’re saying our product isn't even spicy, and we hired an actress! We’re being exposed!” In the corner, my lips slowly curled into a smile. Seeing this, Brad grabbed my arm and demanded, “You did this, didn’t you?!”
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