"Do you remember your name?" Dr. Ching asked his patient when she woke up the day after.
"My name is Iris Long. How long was I in coma?" Unlike her panic from yesterday, she was calm as she spoke with the doctor.
"A little over one year," he answered.
"I see."
She let the doctors fuss around her. She had no choice but to accept the fact that she woke up in another person's body. She knew that she already died, so she should consider this second life a second chance to live the life she always wanted, the life that she could never hope to live in her previous life.
She was no different from a prisoner during her previous life; always guarded, forced to learn knowledge and skills she had no interest in, not allowed to leave the estate or meet others.
A caged bird.
That was what she was before. But now she had the chance to spread her wings and soar as high as she wanted.
Freedom.
This was what she always craved. Even if it meant living as another person, she would willingly accept this new life.
Now she woke up in another country as 19-year old Iris Long, a wild pop singer and party girl.
A year ago, Iris Long was driving alone after leaving a party at a bar, when she realized too late that her brakes stopped working. She lost control and crashed into a building, immediately wrecking her newly bought sports car. Her injuries were so serious that she went into coma with only life support machines preventing her total death.
The original Iris Long died with the car crash, but her body was saved. Now another soul filled it and the new owner intended to live a fulfilling life of freedom.
"When can I get out of here?" Evelina, now Iris, asked Dr. Ching. She couldn't wait to start living this new life.
"Don't rush. We still need to examine and monitor you to make sure there are no complications. When you're well enough, you need to undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation to recover as much of your previous strength and mobility."
She sighed. She was about to ask more questions when the door suddenly opened and a strong oud fragrance wafted inside the room.
Iris wrinkled her nose and turned to see a heavily made-up woman with perfectly coiffed hair, wearing a gorgeous long red dress and diamond-encrusted ultra-high heels.
"Ooooh, my poor baby girl!!! Mother is sooooo happy that you're finally awake!!!" Wei Lan strutted and pushed aside the doctors before leaning over her daughter for air kisses on both cheeks. "Mother has been sooooo worried about you!!!" Wei Lan took out a delicately embroidered handkerchief and wiped nonexistent tears.
Iris breathed through her mouth. The woman's perfume was too strong!
Wei Lan, a former struggling model, only married Long Tengfei for his money and status. When their marriage ended, her mother made sure to use her daughter to squeeze a ridiculous amount of alimony and child support from her ex-husband.
Not even a month after their separation, her mother already had a string of lovers who were, of course, as rich as her ex. As a result, the Longs absolutely hated and looked down on Wei Lan and her daughter, Iris.
Wei Lan pushed her daughter into show business from a very young age. Iris started out as a child TV commercial model and then became a teen pop singer.
Although Long Tengfei felt ashamed of this daughter of his, she was still a Long. Knowing his ex-wife's greed, Long Tengfei hired a financial manager for his daughter to protect her earnings from both Wei Lan and herself.
This didn't sit well with Wei Lan, but she couldn't do anything so she vented her resentment to her own daughter, resulting on their strained and shallow mother-daughter relationship.
The father-daughter relationship wasn't any better either. Long Tengfei did this for his daughter's own good, but Iris was immature and didn't appreciate it. She thought that her father was punishing her by not giving her full access to her allowance and her own earnings. Wei Lan didn't help the situation by badmouthing her ex to their daughter.
Iris felt unloved by her family, so she did everything for more fame. She performed provocative songs, attended wild parties, ingratiated herself with famous people, and a lot of other ridiculous things.
She naively thought that more fame equals more love from fans. Yes, she had fans as an entertainer. They liked her songs and her beauty, but not necessarily liked her as a person.