Sassy Beauty Episode 1 Recap
> Sassy Beauty Recap
Si Yan, a beauty blogger and the eldest daughter of Si Group, was live-streaming when she was involved in a severe car accident, leaving her in a vegetative state. Before the accident, Si Yan, known as "Chestnut" online, faced a growing number of negative comments and accusations of selling fake products, making it nearly impossible to salvage her image.
Her father, the company chairman, arranged for her to attend a VR event at his VR Park and also set her up on a blind date with a 25-year-old, wealthy, and talented game architect. Si Yan was preparing for her live stream at the VR Park, wearing a haute couture dress. Immersed in the VR world, Si Yan introduced various ancient landscapes, including South Jiuzhai, Northland, and the bustling Dongli City.
During this experience, she witnessed a handsome man, Qiguan Yi, who looked familiar, fall in battle. A woman resembling Si Yan rushed to embrace him as he lay dying, proclaiming his enduring love for her no matter how many times they might restart. This poignant scene left Si Yan deeply affected. Suddenly, a title, "The Beauty Blogger," appeared, and a voice told her it would show her future. She then found herself in an ancient setting.
She awoke in a carriage, observing two women in ancient costumes, finding the virtual reality remarkably lifelike. Initially assuming they were her maids, Si Yan was surprised to learn one was Hu Ying, a young lady from the Hu family, and the other, Lan Miao, claimed to be her childhood friend. Lan Miao informed Si Yan they were going to participate in a maid assessment for the Dongli Makeup Service Bureau.
Si Yan, frustrated and wanting to quit the game, was interrupted by the carriage's sudden jolt, revealing game rules: a time-limited makeup task inside the carriage. An attendant announced that the makeup assessment would be conducted there and judged upon arrival at the posting station. The assessment began, but Si Yan struggled with the unfamiliar ancient cosmetics, bewildered by the lack of product descriptions.
The time limit, initially "a stick of incense," was repeatedly shortened by the attendant, first to "half a stick of incense" and then "a quarter of a stick," each time leading to her expulsion from the current assessment. After two failures, Si Yan, on her third attempt, quickly started her makeup. Lan Miao tried to offer her faster-acting makeup, but Hu Ying, attempting to delay Lan Miao and win, asked her for help with her eyebrows.
Si Yan recognized Hu Ying's trickery and playfully messed with her eyebrows. As Si Yan reached for a cosmetic from Lan Miao, Hu Ying snatched it, claiming it was hers. Enraged by Hu Ying's actions and the unfairness, Si Yan declared, "I quit this round!" and paused the game, exiting the virtual world. She returned to a modern, sterile environment, where a man introduced himself as Jack, her exclusive butler.
He explained that she had been in a vegetative state for a year following a serious car accident and was now a test subject for Si Yao's PVIC system, a game simulation designed by her father to awaken her brainwaves. The system had hidden her traumatic memories to enhance her experience. Jack clarified that her current quest line, "Makeup Master," was the optimal match for her, aiming to become the Head Matron of the Dongli Makeup Service Bureau.
He also revealed her in-game backstory: born in winter, her mother, a mistress, died after childbirth, and her father was later executed after being framed for opening the military granary. She was adopted by the Si family as their seventh daughter. Jack confirmed she was the only human player in the game, with all other characters being NPCs. Meanwhile, Qiguan Yi, Prince Yi, was in a detention cell, interrogating a Northland spy.
The spy, under the influence of hallucinogenic pills, revealed his target was the top dancer at the Cloud Brothel and mentioned an elusive "Seventh Young Master" as his master. Prince Yi was then summoned by the City Lord's wife, who chided him for being late and reminded him to build a good relationship with Miss Min.
She instructed him to pick up a welcome gift, the White Jade Makeup Case, from the Treasure Pavilion, which was originally the engagement gift from General Min to the City Lord, and then meet Miss Min at the posting station before taking her to the Meeting Tower. The City Lord's wife's servant expressed concern that Prince Da had also been trying to intercept Miss Min.
She also expressed hope that Prince Teng, who had returned the White Jade Makeup Case from the battlefield, would bless Prince Yi's endeavors. His servant also commented on the Northland spy's claims, suggesting it might be an internal slander rather than a genuine spy mission. Prince Yi reassured his mother that he would follow her instructions and departed. Back in the game, the maid assessment resumed.
Lady Cui, the Head Matron of the Dongli Makeup Service Bureau, announced the criteria: cleanliness, freshness, neatness, and appropriateness. She quickly gave low scores to other participants for unclean or mismatched makeup, including Lan Miao (Level B) and Hu Ying (Level C), whose strange eyebrows were the result of Si Yan's earlier playful intervention. Despite her previous failures, Si Yan successfully created a refined gold leaf makeup, which she believed would earn her the highest rank.
However, Lady Cui awarded her a Level C, deeming her makeup "indecent and inappropriate." Si Yan argued that a makeup contest should prioritize beauty, not social status. Lady Cui countered that a maid's makeup must be modest, reflecting a "right heart" and respecting her identity, not competing with her master’s beauty. She accused Si Yan and others of using the Dongli Makeup Service Bureau as a means to seduce princes and climb the social ladder.
Si Yan retorted, pointing out that Lady Cui herself had started as a maid and must have also sought advancement, challenging her "straight-man design" (patriarchal) views and asserting that women do makeup for themselves, and there's nothing wrong with ambition. Enraged by Si Yan's defiance, Lady Cui ordered her expulsion from the Dongli Makeup Service Bureau. As Si Yan was being dragged away, a woman arrived in a carriage, pausing the expulsion. This woman was Miss Min, whose maid looked exactly like Si Yan's modern-day assistant, Tong Rui.
