A Beautiful Accident

"Sigh, failed again." Zhang Wei sighed softly, looking at herself in the mirror.

Her nose, still, was the part she disliked most. The wide nostrils, the slightly sunken bridge, made every photo a painstaking effort to find the right angle. She dreamed of having a high and delicate nose one day, like those fashion models who looked stunning in every shot.

Zhang Wei worked as a copywriter at a small advertising company. Her daily job was to rack her brains for catchy phrases for all kinds of products, but she couldn't seem to write her own life script. She had saved money for a long time and consulted several cosmetic surgery clinics, but she never made the decision. "What if it fails?" This thought always popped up to stop her when she was about to take that step.

Until that accident happened.

That day, on her way home from work, Zhang Wei fell to the ground trying to avoid a delivery guy who suddenly darted out. She felt a sharp pain in her nose, and her vision went blurry. After being taken to the hospital, the doctor told her that her nasal bone was fractured and she needed surgery.

In the month following the surgery, Zhang Wei was extremely depressed, with a swollen nose every day. She didn't even dare to look in the mirror, afraid of seeing a worse version of herself. She took sick leave and stayed home to avoid her colleagues' questions.

A month later, she finally mustered the courage to slowly remove the gauze from her nose. When she looked in the mirror, she was stunned.

The person in the mirror had a high bridge, delicate nostrils, and smooth lines, as if she had been re-sculpted by a skilled artist. She couldn't even believe it was her own nose, it felt real to the touch, yet it felt like a dream.

"This... this is simply a miracle!" Zhang Wei exclaimed, her heart filled with unspeakable joy.

Her selfies began to attract unprecedented attention in her social circle, and many people asked her if she had undergone any cosmetic procedures. Zhang Wei just smiled and said, "It was an unexpected gift."

Her life seemed to have been put on fast forward.

Her company leaders were impressed, thinking she had become "more elegant," and transferred her to the client department, where she began to handle more important projects. A well-known fashion photographer saw her selfie on social media and proactively contacted her, inviting her to shoot a fashion editorial. Those photos went viral, and Zhang Wei instantly became an online celebrity, inundated with endorsements and variety show invitations.

She was no longer the copywriter who sighed at her reflection but a rising star, shining under the spotlight.

However, after a busy day of shooting, Zhang Wei returned to her apartment alone, removed her elaborate makeup, and looked at herself in the mirror, suddenly feeling a strange emptiness.

She realized she was becoming less and less like herself.

She smiled every day, responding to all kinds of compliments, enjoying the joy of success, but there was a voice inside her that kept shouting, "This is not what I want!"

She began to miss her former self, the ordinary but genuine version who racked her brains for copywriting every day, days that were tiring but fulfilling. She began to hate the flashing lights she had to face every day and the hypocritical commercial praise.

Finally, during another interview, Zhang Wei looked into the camera, gave a slightly bitter smile, and slowly revealed a secret:

"Actually... my nose, it was crooked before."

The whole audience was in an uproar.

The interviewers behind the camera looked at each other, at a loss.

Zhang Wei's agent, pale-faced, almost fainted.

Online, a fierce debate about "truth" and "beauty" broke out. Many people didn't understand why Zhang Wei would choose to reveal the truth at this time, as it would undoubtedly cause her to lose a lot.

But Zhang Wei felt like she had never been so relaxed.

She packed her bags, left the bustling city, and returned to her hometown. She opened a small bookstore in the town, where she spent her days reading and playing with her cat, living a simple and happy life.

Sometimes, she would look in the mirror and gently touch her once "crooked" nose, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She understood that some beauty is accidental, but some truths are eternal. And what she was pursuing was that authentic self.

At the street corner not far from the bookstore, there was a small cosmetic surgery clinic. The sign above the door was particularly eye-catching: "Beauty can be manufactured, but authenticity cannot be replicated."