Influencer Reborn Short Stories & Novels

I had just left the hospital after undergoing a dilation and curettage procedure for uterine fibroids. On the bus, I happened to encounter a woman who was crying and claiming she had menstrual cramps and a terrible stomachache, asking me to give up my seat. But I refused. I never expected the woman to be the famous internet influencer, Bella Marsh. While I was completely unprepared, she started a livestream, and the next day, I was violently attacked online and pushed onto the trending searches. Netizens even dug up the record of my procedure at the hospital. “With a uterine wall that thin, it’s obvious she has had so many failed pregnancies.” “No wonder she was so shameless and refused to give up her seat—turns out she’s a despicable woman.” The so-called righteous netizens harassed me until I fell into depression, and even my boyfriend stepped forward to accuse me of being dirty and said he wanted to break up. Unable to endure the blow, I jumped from the rooftop, while the female influencer gained tens of millions of followers and began livestream selling, earning more money than she could count. Only after my death did I learn that the influencer had been my boyfriend’s childhood crush. To boost the popularity of her livestream, she and my boyfriend had deliberately staged the entire scene. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the very day Bella asked me to give up my seat.

I worked as a security guard at an upscale condo complex. One night, during my shift, I helped a drunk resident to the elevator. The next day, she went live with red-rimmed eyes and accused me of groping her. Within three hours, people tracked down my personal information and plastered it all over the internet. When Dad heard about it back in my hometown, he was so distraught that he suffered a stroke. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, but he didn't make it. I posted the security footage online to prove my innocence. The most-liked comment read, [Management edited this, right? Who knows what you did to her afterward?] I went to confront her, but as I crossed the street, a dump truck ran a red light and sent me flying. Just before I lost consciousness, a private message came through from her social media manager. [Crystal says she'll take down the video if you admit what you did and pay her compensation.] When I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the desk in the complex's gatehouse. It was one a.m., and the influencer wasn't home yet. She had accused me of groping her when all I did was help her. This time, I wouldn't lay a finger on her.

On the day we finish our SATs, my snobbish deskmate, Ava Levine, insists that we film a graduation confession video together. I reluctantly agree out of courtesy, but to our surprise, the video goes viral overnight. Hooked on her newfound fame, she forces her way into my home and demands that I give up my spot at a top university to become an influencer with her. When I refuse, she starts a livestream at midnight, drawing an audience of a hundred thousand. With fake bruises painted on her body, she bursts into tears and accuses me of sexually assaulting her after I pretend to confess my feelings for her. She also claims that I hold her captive and abuse her. Her fanatical fans dox me overnight. They splatter red paint across my home and send me razor blades in the mail. In the ensuing chaos, one of her fans pushes my mom down the stairs, taking her life instantly. Before I can even clear my name, a speeding car runs me over on my way to the police station. A wave of excruciating pain tears through me. Then, my eyes snap open. I'm back on the day our exams are over, just as Ava holds up her phone and pleads, "Just pretend to say yes, please. I'm begging you."

Late one night, I was in a rideshare with a young woman when the driver told us he had to pick up a third passenger. She immediately started arguing with him. "Don't you dare! Take me home right now, or I'll report you!" "Miss, you booked a shared ride, not a private one—" "I don't care! I'll call the police and tell them you're deliberately going off the designated route and that you're up to something!" The driver's expression darkened by the second, and I could see his temper starting to get the better of him. I quickly paid the fare and pulled the young woman out of the car. She suddenly shrieked, "Help! This man is trying to harass me!" The moment she said it, several passersby rushed over and pinned me to the ground. Before I could even explain what had happened, I was taken to the police station. Overnight, she became the "Rideshare Nightmare Girl" everyone online sympathized with, gained over a million followers. Meanwhile, netizens doxxed me and exposed all my personal information, and countless people online bombarded me with curses and threats. In the end, I died a violent death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that shared ride…